The Importance of Being Naive

I love a good story and today’s guest, author Alex Banayan has a great one – so much so that parts of it have become part of my husband Chris and I’s daily walks. Thank goodness I met him in person when Chris interviewed him so I knew whose stories he was actually talking about. ;) Another fun coincidence, we’ve both been on the Price Is Right, but Alex actually WON and used those winnings to fund his new book, The Third Door.

Alex shares with us his seven-year book journey that lead him to interview some of the world’s most successful people to show how they broke through and launched their careers. But let’s not downplay the fears and obstacles that Alex had to navigate through as well. From disappointing his family and losing his father to insecurity and being turned down by potential interviewees, Alex was persistent and now helps others conquer obstacles of all kinds – internal and external.

Alex truly is a gifted storyteller and I know you’ll be able to relate to some many facets of his journey. You don’t want to miss it!

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Question Highlights:

• Now that your book is out in the world, what has been a response that you weren’t expecting?
• What was the whole point of writing your book?
• What does pain with awareness look like for you right now?
• Do you think there’s always a way for anything you choose or just for the moments when your gut pulls you that way?
• Have you ever had to let go of helping someone in your life because they’re not ready to help themselves?
• What was a story that freed you up the most?
• What is something that shook you before your book came out?
• What are you most excited about right now?
• Who is the ultimate person you want to read your book?

In This Episode We Talk about:

• Alex’s seven-year book journey
• Using pain as a motivator
• Evolving motivation
• Alex’s insecurity while writing The Third Door
• How Alex’s pain evolved into curiosity
• How Alex’s Price Is Right winnings funded his book
• Why being naïve can be an advantage
• The difference between fear and courage
• Why Alex’s family didn’t initially support his book
• Welcoming fear to get more comfortable
• How fear was a universal element in achieving a dream in all the people Alex interviewed
• Sharing in order to connect with others
• How to conquer internal and external obstacles
• And so much more…

Quotes

“Pain with awareness is our teacher.”

“You can give someone all the best tools and knowledge in the world and their life can still be stuck, but if you change what someone believes is possible, they’ll never be the same.”

“Courage is acknowledging fears, analyzing the consequences and then deciding you care so much about it you’re going to take one thoughtful step forward anyway.”

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ALEX BANAYAN is the author of the national bestseller The Third Door, which chronicles his five-year quest to track down Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, Warren Buffett, Maya Angelou, Steven

Spielberg, and dozens more of the world’s most successful people to uncover how they broke through and launched their careers.

Banayan has been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, Business Insider’s Most Powerful People Under 30, and been featured in major media including Fortune, Forbes, Businessweek, Billboard,

Bloomberg TV, CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC, and CBS News. An acclaimed keynote speaker, Banayan has presented the Third Door framework to business conferences and corporate leadership teams around the world, including Apple, Google, Nike, IBM, Snapchat, Salesforce, Disney, Harvard, and countless others.

Resources:

Instagram: @alexbanayan 

Book: The Third Door

ThirdDoorBook.com

Find it on Amazon

Check out my website at loriharder.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.