EP 366: Creating your Success Toolkit Andrea Nechita

[00:00:02] Deborah, with her 30 years of being an entrepreneur and creating over seven companies, knows exactly what it means to accept the mission. When you make that decision, when you accept the mission to become a solopreneur, to take yourself and your talents to market, then you embrace a life of not only unlimited possibilities, but also the unknown. It's an elixir of fear and bravery that only someone who's taken the leap really understands.

[00:00:28] On our show, Deb digs deep with her guests to highlight what you, the listener, wants to know. The stories, the whys and the hows to navigate the journey to success. Get ready to hear from some of the most incredible mission takers from Generation Z to Boomers. So sit up, perk up and get ready to be blown away. Now here is your host, Deborah Drummond.

[00:01:13] Welcome back again to an incredible, an incredible, incredible episode. I know, right? Three Incredibles. Well, that's one of the things you do to remind yourself when you're learning things. And we're going to learn today. I know you are the best studious, student of life audience that we've ever had. And you are going to leave feeling that way today because we have Andrea Nikita. Yes, I said it correctly. I was practicing that with us today and I am very excited.

[00:01:43] She is the author of My Student Toolbox. And listen, the principles of this book are not only if you are a student. It is that's why I said that you are a student of life. First of all, I can't even begin to tell you the accolades that are coming from this book. It is changing people's lives. And it's interesting, right? People have to think it's like you've climbed, you know, eight Everest to change people's lives, but you don't. You just have to give them tools to make their life better. And that's what Andrea has done.

[00:02:12] So I am so, so grateful. You've probably seen her on the stage. She's been on the 262 stage. She's been hanging around the sisterhood. She's all cool and all that. And she's with us today. So Andrea, welcome to the Mission Accepted Podcast. Thanks for joining us today. Hi, Jem. Thank you so much for having me. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, look, we've got the student toolbox here from struggling to thriving. I think that's a good toolkit for life.

[00:02:41] Let's talk a little bit about what the inspiration for the book, where that come from and how did this end up in my hands today? Yeah. So the inspiration came around three years ago while I was spending time with a friend and she shared some very exciting news with me. She was going to change careers and she was returning to university as a mature student.

[00:03:06] And she was very excited, of course, but I could also sense that, you know, there was something more there. And she shared some of her worries with me. You know, what if I fall behind in my courses? What if I don't remember how to study? And what if the stress becomes too much?

[00:03:27] And so she asked me for some advice and for some strategies that I used to complete my three university degrees. And honestly, my university journey was not an easy one. You know, like many students, I struggled with overwhelm, burnout and anxiety.

[00:03:50] And so what I did was I came up with these strategies and these systems to help me. And I did it. And I ended up sharing these with her. And at the end of her first semester, she told me that they had made all of the difference. And she said that I wouldn't have been able to pass my courses without you.

[00:04:18] And these could help others, too. And that was really my call because it is so hard to go through this alone and without support. So I wanted to create this guide so that it could help other students on their journey. Wow. I'm sure she was very relieved.

[00:04:46] That's a pretty powerful statement that someone says to you that they wouldn't have passed without these. And I think that the interesting thing about that or what stops people from putting things into paper or what stops people from recognizing or acknowledging the knowledge that they have has so much value is that we think that we're making it for us. We're finding solutions for us. And we're not taking it to that place where this could help one person or this could help many people.

[00:05:15] And it's really interesting because, you know, we not that we don't recognize our gifts, but we don't recognize the impact of our gifts because it's something that we are doing to manage our lives or manage our homes or manage our school. And the other part of it that you were saying that the other flip of the coin is that I think a lot of people when they're going through something, particularly for the first time, they don't have any idea it could be easier. Right. It's like I could get a massage thinking that every massage you're going to have for the rest of your life is going to feel like that exact.

[00:05:45] Same massage. And if you did like it, you're like, I don't like massages. I don't know why I'm using that as an example. Maybe I need one today, but I probably do. But there's this assumption that there's something that needs to change with themselves instead of having this access. Right. And being a student, if you've never been a student of that transition phase, particularly, then you just don't know where you go get bits and pieces here or get bits and pieces there or talk to people where you're having lunch or like, how do you like that teacher?

[00:06:15] How do you navigate that? So I think that's I think that's really that's really cool. So why why this topic or why this title, my student toolbox? What is it about that from struggling to thriving your student success guide? And I love that the toolbox actually has graduated. I love the image. It's like, yeah, my toolbox has graduated. So tell us a little bit about what the how the title came to be. Absolutely. And absolutely.

[00:06:42] Actually, I had a difficult time coming up with a title for this book, a student guidebook. It didn't sound very appealing. And as I kept writing chapters, no, I was I was writing about.

[00:07:01] All of my strategies, my processes, templates that I was using, and I felt like I was collecting solutions to all of the problems and challenges that I had for every major part of learning that I'd come across.

[00:07:19] And if I needed guidance on note taking or readings, even how to name a file and get organized, I chances are I had a chapter on that, you know, with examples and and frameworks and everything. So it made me think of putting together a toolbox.

[00:07:48] And then I realized I was putting together my toolbox. And so this got me thinking that really anyone could put together their own toolbox, you know, using mine as a guide and they can personalize it for their own learning style. And I just really love this so much because it lets us approach learning in a way that is practical, structured and usable.

[00:08:17] And we don't have to reinvent the wheel every time. And as you grow and learn, you can update and improve your toolbox to help you in school and beyond. And so that's how my student toolbox came to be. No, that's great. Look, there's so many different ways to learn. OK, I mean, we know that this is not new data, but sometimes we forget that. I've had two children.

[00:08:46] They both learned very differently. They both had differences from each other and differences from how the teacher taught. Right. And I think if you've got something that gives people the the access to be able to put in what they want and how it's going to work for them and give them enough of a solution. Yeah, there's variability around that on how they're going to use it when they're going to use that. It's really important.

[00:09:10] Like, it's really important because particularly for your audience and people out there that are struggling and in this shift, whether they're going from, I think, one level of schooling to another or one level of life to another. We all know that in the world of entrepreneurship, you're learning new things in your entrepreneurship journey. I'm learning things at the level that we're playing. Whatever it is that you start to dig into, new pieces of information comes up and there's there's the constant when to learn ratio.

[00:09:40] That's kind of what I call it. So to be able to be able to put that together and personalize that is important because then otherwise we're back to one thing fits everybody and we know that that's not really the chase. So I love that variety because it's very important to be able to personalize your learning yet have good solid foundational data that you can that you know has brought other people to success. Right. That's very cool.

[00:10:06] So look at there's a lot of things like, you know, when we read a book and we find out things to do or when we've decided that we're going to go and make a change in our life and it's very momentous in the beginning. I'm sure your girlfriend was very excited. She told you she was like, I'm going back to school and I'm going to make changes. And then some of the reality she was already being able to forecast some of that reality around the pockets that she had.

[00:10:30] And people get the book, they read the book. I mean, we know it. Right. Don't we know it, particularly with workbooks, particularly with things that require you to participate? It's one thing, right? When you're participating in this and it's very momentous in the beginning. How do you encourage or advise people to stay consistent in that motivation or staying momentous with the book? Motivation can be really challenging.

[00:10:58] So the first way that I approached it was, you know, I set my big goals. So this would be to, of course, you know, finish the degree, but to also become, you know, part of the community that's in the university and stay connected with everyone.

[00:11:24] And, you know, of course, when you're in the thick of it, you know, that big goal, it seems, it seems really hard and out of reach.

[00:11:33] So something that helped me was I would kind of curate experiences that I would schedule in, you know, moments of joy and reboot so that that became my motivation.

[00:11:56] So I would tell myself, OK, we're going to get this assignment done and then we're going to have, you know, our happy time. And for me personally, you know, this was often watching a favorite movie of mine. So when I was in Hungary doing my first Masters, my popular movie choices at the time were Pirates of the Caribbean or The Last Boy Scout. And I rewatched them hundreds of times.

[00:12:24] I'm one of those people I can I can watch a movie again and again. I love art, of course, as an artist. So I did a lot of arts and crafts, you know, spending time in nature or window shopping, whatever it is that, you know, gives you that that moment of joy. And I still schedule these in to this day. And, you know, I would make it like a whole experience. I would make my favorite snack.

[00:12:54] You know, I would make my my calming tea. I would put the lights down and put the lamp on and have a candle going. Put my favorite movie on. And then, you know, I would do some artwork while I was in Hungary. I wasn't able to paint. Usually I paint on canvases and wood panels. There was just no space where I lived there. So I ended up making small sculptures with air dry clay.

[00:13:22] And so I would set up, you know, all of this, my my space. I would grab my blanket, you know, my tea, my snacks. And and I would sculpt. And that that would motivate me and also help me to reboot for the next day, which was so important. And there were other other things that I did as well.

[00:13:48] I would give myself rewards for, you know, those bigger assignments or chores or tasks that I needed an extra, extra boost to get done. And so the example of this was for my final thesis. So that was a big that was a big goal. Yeah. So I had a few rewards that I allowed myself for that.

[00:14:13] And one day at the mall, I came across something super cute, but not at all useful. And I debated for weeks, you know, if if this would be one of my rewards, because spending money on something so useless and short lived is a bit silly, I thought.

[00:14:41] So anyways, I finished my thesis and I find myself at the mall and I see it. They still have it. I still loved it. And then I thought, OK, you know, I'm I'm going to I'm going to get it. What the heck? So I happily paid and I walked around the mall with it. People gave me funny looks. Children laughed.

[00:15:06] And I walked onto the tram with it and I went all the way home with my new pet balloon cow. And it had a leash and it had bolded paper accordion legs. And it was filled with helium in a way that it kind of floated just above the ground. And I would pull it along on the leash and it looked like it was walking.

[00:15:35] And just so that people can can imagine it. Here here it is. Oh, wow. Oh, wow. That's OK. When you saw that, he's in cat. That's a cow. It's a cow. He a cow. Oh, OK. Right on. Right on. I think that's the artist in you. And, you know, he he only lasted a few days as volumes do. But it's still one of my best rewards to date.

[00:16:05] I have no regrets. So I say if there's something that you love, even if it's silly, go ahead and get it if it makes you happy. Oh, my goodness. Permission granted. Audience, did you hear that? Permission granted. So if you are listening to this and not watching this, you have to go back and watch and see the picture that she put up of her balloon cow. I think that is awesome. I'm sure that people were like, you know, it's that thing that you look at and there's a thing inside that go, wow, that's kind of cool.

[00:16:34] That's kind of like, I don't know if I could do that because people need our bravery activation. You know what I mean? That's a real that thank you to people, bravery. That is so. But going back to the premise of treating yourself well, again, I think it's something that people do in the beginning or they say for big things. But it's really important to stop and acknowledge. And like you said, even you might be watching that movie over and over again. But putting a label to it that day, like you're going to give it to yourself like it's an

[00:17:03] indulgence, like it's a reward. And for me, it's the holiday and leap year. I don't know how many times I've watched Love Actually, you know, the holiday and leap year. But I have the same kind of addiction or, you know, the, you know, the porn series, how many times I've watched that and given and it's felt indulgent. I'm like, I don't care. I've watched it 10 times, you know, this makes me feel good. But I think that's important. Like you said, that's how you get through those things and having the fundamentals, but also recognizing that you have life and you need to keep yourself momentous to get to

[00:17:32] the to where you want to go. And a thesis is absolutely one of them. I think the thesis of life, right? The thesis of like the things that you're doing that are big, that can be engulfing. That's why I think that this book is such a great book for things like life. Wrapping up a little bit, this book has made a bit of a stir and you've had some great accolades and you've had some great comments and you really, I mean, I think an author's dream in relationship to some of the feedback that you've had from profs and that I'm going to ask you

[00:18:00] to share what one girlfriend sharing with you that she is going to go back to university kicked off and kind of how the MBA is going so great for you right now. Just share some of that with our audience. And then I have a special question for you. So it's been amazing. Currently, it's being reviewed by a dean as a possible textbook, which is amazing.

[00:18:28] I've had a number of professors who have included it on their course syllabi as a recommended reading because it really does help fill such an unneeded gap. And the professors have even told me that it has helped them, you know, specifically the chapters for organization and workflow. And I find it really amazing that it can have such an impact.

[00:19:01] You know, they told me that, oh, I used to be so organized and it just kind of fell away. And that happens, you know, over the years. We get busy and we stop doing things how we used to. And things get harder than they necessarily need to be.

[00:19:22] So it's a great reminder to look at your systems, you know, that you've been using and to see how you can improve them. You know, it's great for lifelong learners as well. Fantastic. So, um, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Cheer, cheer, cheer. We're not leaving yet. Um, I wanted to ask you because people that come on to the show, they're doing some of the things that we're talking about, right?

[00:19:52] They're like mission takers. We're called mission accepted by nature. People are coming to listen to other people that are doing whatever they want to do, or they're doing things that are so successful, they want to apply it to their own life. Right. And so I call them mission takers. So what if I could just ask that one piece of advice that you must share it that must tell to tell people that are going to take the mission and how important it is to do this

[00:20:19] one thing that has been that has enabled you to come and be in this place of where your business is landing, which is very successful and very exciting and very enthusiastic. What would that one thing be that you would share with people that are looking to take the mission or are already on it? Hmm. I would say take it a day at a time. Um, cause it can feel overwhelming, uh, at least personally for me.

[00:20:48] Um, so I, I like to take it a day at a time, you know, set those daily goals and keep yourself on track. Um, don't worry too much about the future. Right. That's, that can be where the anxiety lives.

[00:21:10] Um, so stay present, um, and create those goals and treat yourself. You know, as, as you get those goals done, absolutely treat yourself. If you have big goals, you can break them down into, into smaller goals, right? Um, set your own timeline. Everybody's on their own journey. So you don't, you don't need to be comparing yourself with anyone else.

[00:21:39] You are on time. You're on your own journey. So enjoy it and, um, get that balloon cow. So you deserve it. Get your balloon cow audience. I want you to get your balloon cow or something like your balloon cow. I want you to send in the pictures. I want to, I want you to tell us what you're doing. Um, thank you so much for being with us today, Andrea to share that. Um, and again, I'm just going to kind of show if you are watching, not listening, I'm

[00:22:09] holding it up. The student toolbox book, um, you are going to be able to find where to get this in the show notes. Thank you so much for sharing. And again, audience, I want to thank you so much. We love and appreciate how much you share the message, how much you show up, how much you've been dedicated to the show. If you want to be sitting where Andrea is sitting today and you have a message to share, you've done a book, want to do a book, have a course, have a class, whatever it is that you're doing out there. We would love to hear about it.

[00:22:36] We'd love to hear how you're running your business, how you're running your life. And we've opened up an incredible amount of opportunities for you to be able to share that and actually come dig with us. We have a new class. It's called backstage rock stars. And we are now all meeting a couple of times a month. So if you're interested in coming to learn more on a regular basis and hang out with a bunch of community people that are entrepreneurs and they're like living their life and making dreams and doing all that good stuff and finding out more information, you're welcome

[00:23:05] to check in with us on that. And you're welcome to come to the group. So thank you so much for being with us today. Thank you audience for always being with us. And we just like to say, as always, to be well and stay groovy. And bye for now. We'll see you soon. Bye-bye.