Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Hjerling.
It’s an honor to speak with you today. Why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. How did you get to where you are today?
I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me! Long story short, I was lucky to get into the world of public speaking and personal-growth in my early 20’s, becoming a top speaker and trainer for a few large companies. I had spoken to over 150,000 people before I turned 30. However, I had come to realize that most of what I spoke on -most of my impact on others- was based on somebody else’s philosophy. It wasn’t my script.
I decided to exit the stage, explore the labyrinth of life, and discover my own philosophies through direct experiences with as many perspectives as possible. I began a decade-long journey of travel and entrepreneurship, launching businesses and consulting on many others. I’ve ventured through almost every state in America and 15 countries around the world.
They say, “those who can’t do, teach.” Well, I’ve done, and will continue to do more. But teaching and impacting others fulfills me in a way that my own businesses don’t. So I’ve decided to do both. And, this time around, I have my own script.
I’m sure your success has not come easily. What challenges have you had to overcome along the way?
I’m told to give the typical hero’s journey of overcoming struggle; parents divorced at 2, absentee father, rejected and bullied by my peers. But, that’s not the story I want to tell.
As a kid, my mind just saw things differently. I could naturally figure out how and why things worked, and I was genuinely interested in learning about everything. Success came easy, scholastically speaking. But that talent was also my curse. Instead of gaining self-confidence, I became addicted to the external validation of success… and paralyzed by the idea of failure or not knowing. So I stayed safe. I became the young prodigy turned struggling entrepreneur. Capable of everything, unable to choose anything. I spent decades on successfully helping others build their dreams instead of my own.
Though I had been successful, I was failing the one person who mattered the most, myself. Not due to a lack of talent or dedication, but a pattern of unconscious choices that kept my life in a cycle of resentment and sabotage. I’ve failed at getting what I wanted by never going after it. It wasn’t until I started to change myself that I was able to change the world around me. I changed my questions and my perspectives, and gained conscious control over my actions.
I’ve come to realize there will never be a point when I stop observing the inner workings of everything this life has to offer. And that… is my gift. My purpose. My offer to the world.
Let’s talk about the work you do. What do you specialize in and why should someone work with you over the competition?
My work stops people from chasing unfulfilled dreams, and instead trains them to become the person capable of achieving them.
It may seem like a small difference, but it makes all the difference.
Most people haven’t reached their goals because the person they currently are isn’t capable. Their subconscious programming has them stuck in a cycle that won’t allow them to take the steps into the uncomfortable in order to get what they want, regardless of the number of seminars they attend or books they read.
“Awareness” is a great tool, but most coaching and courses solely focus on having you look back at your past for some kind of healing that doesn’t exist, because the blame is never released. I find that those who live in awareness without action continue to define themselves by a past that they can’t change or control.
Conversely, people who blindly follow someone else’s action plan (aka “rise and grind”) usually find that what they achieve doesn’t fulfill them. It’s the cliche millionaire who is still empty, so they keep chasing another million.
My work bridges the gap between thought and action. I help people gain conscious awareness of their subconscious influence and road map small steps to reprogram the ego so that it aligns with their conscious desires.
The areas of life that are in alignment are easily obtainable. And most people find that their true goals and dreams change once they have the ability to achieve any of them.
What’s your best piece of advice for readers who desire to find success in their life?
Rule #1: Define success for yourself. Not only by what you do, but how you feel about what you do. And be sure to omit any thought based on gaining validation from another.
Rule #2: Analyze your definition. If your vision of success gains you any validation in the eyes of others or you believe that a certain happiness, pride, or self-worth will arrive upon achieving that success, you are chasing an unfillable void. That mindset and those feelings are what allow you achieve success, not the other way around.
Rule #3: Embrace Uncertainty. It’s only when you embrace the uncertainty of life and gain conscious control of your decisions that you are capable of achieving the life and business outcomes you truly want. Risk is an inherent, unavoidable, and necessary part of life.
To create and experience meaningful things, we must be willing to risk a variety of situations and feelings we usually aim to avoid, like discomfort, embarrassment, pain, and failure.
Rule #4: Stop justifying why you aren’t successful because of your past. It is nobody else’s fault. Yes, you may have childhood traumas that formed the subconscious programming, but you must own your programming in the present, as an adult. You can’t change the past. The sooner you take ownership in the present, the sooner you have the power to change. If you continue to blame your past, you will never change your future.
Speaking of success, what does the word mean to you?
Success is just that. An individual’s perspective.
To me, success is the feeling about what we do, not necessarily the outcome. It is the fulfillment you get when embracing the uncomfortable and risking an unknown outcome to achieve what they want. Even if you fail to achieve or obtain an external goal, you find happiness, pride, and self-worth in the path you chose.
Success is the freedom from the “what ifs” that weigh our lives down with resentment, guilt, and regret. I’ve risked a lot. And I’ve failed a lot.
Embrace it. Don’t avoid it. Let go of the self-judgment. Learn, get up, and keep going. Risk never goes away; we just get better at navigating it. Over time, the uncomfortable becomes comfortable. We become talented. We get stronger.
Society at large has a very material definition of success, but that is only because society still links happiness and self-worth with material achievement. And I think it’s becoming more and more obvious that that connection is rarely true.
I want to explore, create, and experience a lot in this life. With each uncomfortable journey, I gain a deeper perspective of happiness, fulfillment, and gratitude. In essence, the more I embrace risk, the better life gets.
And that’s the beauty of it all.
What’s next for you?
A majority of my work has shifted to the individual or small team. I’ve found that combining personal growth, health, business together is extremely powerful for success and fulfillment.
Now I build the person so that they can build their own future, instead of building the business for them. Teach to fish instead vs giving a fish, right? On the same path, my business ventures are now focusing primarily on equity-based partnerships instead of short-term consults. I love bringing great ideas to fruition.
I follow one simple rule. Do amazing things with amazing people. Nothing else is worth it.
Finally, how can people connect with you if they want to learn more?
My website www.ChrisHjerling.com
IG @ChrisHjerling
All other connection outlets you’ll find in both of those options above.