How much have your life have you spent doing things everyone else’s way but your own?
You follow everyone’s advice. You take everyone else’s needs into consideration. You do what’s expected of you.
Isn’t it time to stop?
You have a voice inside you that knows exactly what you should be doing.
That voice wants you to do things that grip your heart and make you feel truly alive.
And Rebel School founder Dr. Melissa Bird wants you to listen.
Dr. Bird is a life coach, author, and fiery public speaker who creates the genesis for a new brand of leadership and graceful revolution.
In this week’s YBTV interview, she explains what it really means to be a rebel. You’ll learn why we stop ourselves from pursuing our dreams, why it’s okay to say things people disagree with, and why you don’t have to be perfect when you’re figuring it out.
What You’ll Learn
You asked for a revolution. It just doesn’t look the way you thought it should.”
Everyone knows who the rebels are.
They’re the ones who interrupt when everyone else is listening.
They’re the ones who say no when everyone else is agreeing.
They’re the ones who risk being unpopular when everyone else is people-pleasing.
But Dr. Melissa Bird doesn’t want you to judge a rebel by what you see on the outside.
The real rebels aren’t the ones ignoring the crowd. They’re the ones listening to their hearts.
The Evolution of a Rebel
Dr. Bird was born a rebel.
But she didn’t always understand what that meant.
She grew up in a small town in Utah where everyone knew everyone. She’d try to organize protests, but the only one who’d show up was her. She began smoking and skipping school. She wanted somewhere to belong. She ended up in the group that could get her in the most trouble.
But sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll isn’t rebellion.
At a school where everyone is partying all the time, rebellion could look like hitting the books and getting good grades.
“The way we define rebellion is really important,” she says.
“Especially for women, the greatest form of rebellion is actually making decisions and choices that we are called and compelled to … and then acting on those choices.”
Walking to the Beat of Your Own Drum
I’m talking about listening to that inner voice inside of you that says, ‘Go do this thing!’ and having your brain go, ‘No, don’t do that! That thing will get us in trouble!’ and listening to that voice inside that says, ‘No, it’s really a good idea. You should go do that.’ That’s the rebellion.”
We know what we’re supposed to do.
We’re supposed to get a good job and do good work and please our managers and move up in the company and make everyone happy.
No one wants to be the person who ignored how it was supposed to be done, did it their own way, and got called out for it. Shamed for it. Penalized for it.
But how is anything going to change if no one steps out of line?
“We are being called to really think about the way we think about the world as individuals and how we can collectively help influence and impact the communities that we live in,” Dr. Bird says.
If we want the world to be different, someone has to be the first person to do it differently.
“We have these big dreams as women … and then we stop ourselves every time,” Dr. Bird says.
“My hope is that that through rebelling, by listening to the messages of our heart and the messages of our calling, and actually taking action on those things … we’re going to be able to create a collective of women who are really, really well suited to leading and shifting and making the changes that we really need to see in our communities.”
It’s Not about Making People Happy
There’s a reason that more of us don’t rebel.
We like it when people like us.
We like it when what we say gets lots of likes, comments, and retweets.
We don’t like it when that praise dries up.
We don’t like it when the criticism hits.
But that’s part of the natural process of finding your tribe, Dr. Bird explains.
“What happens when you embrace your inherent natural rebellion is that you create space for the people that aren’t going to support you—in your mission and your vision and your purpose and your core truth of who you are—to fall away.”
That creates an opening for people who do resonate with you and want what you have to offer.
To all of you who are thinking, ‘Well, if I actually put myself out there and do what I want to do, people aren’t going to like me. I’m going to lose everything,’ that’s just a story your brain is telling you, and it’s not true… It’s just a fairy tale. So write your own damn fairy tale.”
You’re Going to Make Mistakes
Any time you’re trying to do something that’s never been done before…
Something that comes from inside you rather than outside you…
You’re going to get some of it wrong.
You’re figuring out your way. You’re going to make wrong turns.
But that’s better than playing it safe.
“Rebellion is not 100% standing up being perfect in your rebellion,” Dr. Bird says. “In fact, it’s about embracing your imperfection and recognizing you’re not going to do anything perfectly.”
And if the haters come after you, take a breath and think before you speak.
“Just give it 24 hours,” Dr. Bird says. “If you feel like you need to say this again in 24 hours, go ahead.”
Are You Ready to Rebel?
It’s always been a good time to rebel as far as I’m concerned!”
Sometimes, it can help to have someone else’s permission to become a rebel.
That’s where Dr. Bird’s Rebel School comes in.
Rebel School is a 12-week group coaching program run three times a year. Each class consists of just 10 women.
“We learn to how to tap into your inner rebel and how to listen to your intuition,” Dr. Bird says. She covers topics like imposture syndrome and the patriarchy in your brain. Students get one-on-one help from Dr. Bird to find and express their rebel cause.
The women who go through Rebel School go on to do remarkable things. They’ve found their voice, and they’re never going to let it be silenced again.
To get a taste of Rebel School for yourself, Dr. Bird is offering a free e-book to Your Brilliance readers.
Natural Born Rebel is her manifesto. It includes journal prompts and questions to get you started discovering your own inner rebel. It will start you on the journey of finding out what it is you want to do in the world and how you want to change it.
Find out more about Rebel School and get your Natural Born Rebel ebook.*
*(Look for the ebook link at the bottom of the page!)
Jump to Topics of Interest
1:54 Why NOW is the time to rebel
3:53 What is rebellion?
7:36 The cost of rebellion
10:17 How to get social media engagement
12:40 When things get ugly
16:56 Rebel School
18:37 Free gift: Natural Born Rebel e-book
20:36 Do one thing every day that scares you
Dr. Melissa Bird
As a life coach, author, and fiery public speaker, Dr. Bird creates the genesis for a new brand of leadership and graceful revolution. Her words awaken revolutionaries, trailblazers and powerful innovators in the quest for justice. When she’s not building her public speaking business, she can be found reading trashy novels, drinking fine whiskey, playing mom to three delicious humans, and loving her punk rock scientist James Thomas Kelly. Get her FREE book Natural Born Rebel and learn how to awaken your inner revolutionary trailblazer and engage in the quest for justice. You can also connect with Missy on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @birdgirl1001
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