Episode 49: Finding and living your authentic self, with Ana Neff (Verzone) – [PODCAST]

Today’s guest on this “favorites” episode is Ana Verzone, an amazingly energetic life-chaser who’s right along the lines of what the Crank It Up show is all about. Ana is devoted to helping passionate women create a life of freedom on all levels. Ana is a self-described Thrive Maximizer + Boredom Slayer + Mindset Alchemist. She doesn’t want to see anyone waste any more of their precious life energy and freedom doing things they don’t want to be doing, or being someone they don’t want to be. It’s about living an authentic life, a huge theme of today’s conversation with David, so stick around to listen in.

The double-dare club and how it led to a life of adventure.

When Ana Verzone was asked when she started living such an adventurous life she went all the way back to when she was 7 or 8 years old. How adventurous could a 7 year old be? Ana remembers being the instigator of the “double dare” club in her neighborhood. She’d get the kids in the neighborhood to join and then they’d be challenged with risky or scary things to do. For instance, they’d throw a ball over the fence into the “mean neighbor’s” yard and the kid in question would have to climb the fence, get the ball, climb over the opposite fence, then come back to the group. As you can see, Ana began pushing up the excitement level of life early on, and she hasn’t stopped since. Hear more of Ana’s delightful story on this episode of Crank It Up.

Living an authentic life and the power and peace it brings.

What does it mean to live an authentic life? Ana Verzone has a very strong opinion about that based on her own journey and life experience. Now she coaches others in discovering and living their own authentic self. Her thoughts? Being your authentic self is who you are when you’re all alone. It’s who you are without giving in to the feeling of putting up walls or wearing masks. When you’re able to be the authentic self you were made to be, you will naturally attract people who delight in your energy and enthusiasm. It’s the state of being we were all made to live in. Hear more of Ana’s insights into authenticity on this episode.

You’ve got to become comfortable being uncomfortable.

Most of us run from discomfort, whether it’s moving from an uncomfortable chair to another that is more comfortable, or running from a situation that becomes tense or confrontational. But if we keep that attitude and allow it to shape the course of our lives, we’ll miss out on many of the exciting, adventurous, truly life-giving experiences the world has to offer. Ana Verzone has lived that adventurous life and says that you’ve got to learn how to be comfortable being uncomfortable. What you’ll find is that it’s in that place that you begin learning how to risk, try, and move forward in life… and you discover that it’s not so risky after all. Ana’s got loads of good stuff to share on this episode, so carve out some time to listen.

Overcoming negative self-talk.

Ana Verzone believes that every bit of the self-talk you have served a very valuable purpose at one time. No matter how negative it seems presently, it was a mechanism you put in place to protect you or help you cope with a very difficult situation. But the fact that you are able to recognize it as “negative” now indicates that you’ve grown beyond it… it’s no longer helpful to you. So the first step in overcoming the limitations it places on you is to acknowledge that fact and begin to tell it, “Thank you for helping me in the past, but I don’t need you anymore.” That’s a step that doesn’t come easily or work immediately, but with consistency over time you’ll begin to see its hold on you slip away.

Outline of this great episode

[1:47] David’s introduction of Ana Neff, a passionate adventurer.

[3:34] Ana’s battles with cancer and what it taught her about moving away from her values.

[5:20] How Ana got started on her adventurous life: The double-dare club as ...