Regan Hillyer of Regan Hillyer International: Success Is Twenty Percent Strategy And Eighty Percent Internal Work

As we all know, times are tough right now. In addition to the acute medical crisis caused by the Pandemic, in our post COVID world, we are also experiencing what some have called a “mental health pandemic”.

What can each of us do to get out of this “Pandemic Induced Mental and Emotional Funk”?

One tool that each of us has access to is the simple power of daily gratitude. As a part of our series about the “How Each Of Us Can Leverage The Power Of Gratitude To Improve Our Overall Mental Wellness” I had the pleasure of interviewing Regan Hillyer.

Regan Hillyer is a globally recognized and self-confessed Serial Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, International Speaker, Thought Leader and Mindset Coach.

Regan is the founder of Regan Hillyer International, a multi-eight figure company dedicated to providing personal development and business training for individuals to assist in uncovering their purpose and direction in life.

She has trained thousands of people, helping them build multiple six- and seven-figure businesses location-free, using powerful mindset changing tools and cutting-edge business development strategies.

Regan specializes in helping people to build the lives of their dreams, living into true abundance whilst making a big impact and launching powerful, personal brands that build a lasting legacy.

Her passion for helping others achieve extensive financial and personal abundance is powered by a vision — her raison d’etre ‘Every human being has the ability to unlock his or her greatness’

Regan Hillyer is here to help you grow personally, achieve strong mental and physical health and to live the life of your choosing in full abundance.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about you and about what brought you to your specific career path?

I was raised in Auckland, New Zealand in a loving and traditional family who believed in hard work and the ‘usual’ path of a traditional education, that led to a university degree and a professional qualification. As such, I worked hard at school, achieved good grades, obtained a music degree whilst still at school and then trained as an Architect. I followed the expected path that had been laid out for me, school, university and a respected, academic profession. Except, when I tried to visualize my future in Architecture, something didn’t resonate with me and I rejected the profession. But what to do? What would resonate with me? What would I do that would make me happy and fulfilled?

To answer that question, I embarked on somewhat of a crusade and turned to personal development to find out what it was that I had a talent for that would give me a fulfilled life. I amassed hundreds of thousands in personal debt, mainly in my quest for personal and professional happiness.

Along this journey, I established a business that relied on me being the key sales and marketing person and also being in the front of the room. It was a successful business that, in its second year, turned over a million dollars. However, the intensity of the business model that relied entirely on me was making me exhausted and sick…. and one day, when I went into the room, I paused and again, had that feeling, that I was deeply unhappy in what I was doing. So I fronted the course, then shut the business down. Everyone said that I was mad. It was successful, it was making money, it had a good reputation, I was debt-free…..but I was not happy!

So, I took myself off to Bali to recover and start the process again…What was it that would make me happy?

The short story is that I had a couple of friends who reached out to me for some comfort due to emotional trauma in their lives and I started on-line mentoring them…and then they referred me to other friends and before I knew it, I had built another business. However, this time I grew the business faster than the last one and as it grew, I continued to upskill, both in the coaching arena and also in the business realm.

The result of this, is my now-global enterprise, Regan Hillyer International. I employ over 45 people in different locations, who have a variety of different, specific skills. Oh, and just by the by, I am happy. I have discovered my passion….Helping people, all over the world to achieve and live into their true potential, whether it is on a business building platform, or a personal and even a spiritual level.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

When I was just starting off in my fledgling business and things were lean, I went to the supermarket. I saw a delectable pile of packets of fresh blueberries…….. delicious and healthy. I reached out for a few packets, then to my utter dismay, I saw the price tag…they were $9.00 per packet. ‘That is outrageous’, I thought ‘I can’t afford that. I’ll have the cheaper strawberries instead’. I don’t even like strawberries!! Then I paused, thought about it and picked up the blueberries, which is what I wanted in the first place. Because, I was coaching my clients to be the millionaire version of themselves, to think like the millionaires that they would become, to embrace the life of abundance that they were seeking…to build their businesses based on their manifestation and abundance goals…. And there I was not embodying that version of myself. It was a good practical lesson for me. Be that version of yourself that is in your vision and always uplevel for an abundant life.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why do you think that resonates with you? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

When I was on my personal development upskilling drive, I was also studying the mechanics of building a specialized business. I had the ‘idea’, I had the seed money, I had the ambition, the drive and the strategies (many of them). I was going to launch in a blaze of glory and scattergun the world with my brilliant product. It was a sure success….only it wasn’t.

I couldn’t figure out what went wrong, so I turned to my mentor at that time and told him my sorry story…what had I done wrong? Did I need another strategy? Maybe I’m not cut out for a successful life…maybe I’ll go back to architecture and get a job. (Sob).

He looked over my information, listened to my sad story and then said something that I have held dear for many years. Something that has resonated with me with each business idea, each launch and something that I have shared with practically each and every client, regardless of where they are on the business ladder rung.

He said:

‘Regan, you have got it all back to front. Success is 20% in the strategy and 80% on the inside’.

What, of course, he was referring to was that success comes from you knowing yourself completely, fronting up and doing the inner work and then, from the power of what’s inside of you, listen to your gut and get your strategy from there. Don’t flail around trying to copy others’ blueprints.

It’s quality advice, a life lesson that has never failed me.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story about why that resonated with you?

Yes, Eckhart Tolle — ‘The Power of Now’

This is one of the first books that I read that linked the power of living in the now with a wide basis of spirituality. This book is elegantly written and I related closely with it, when I read it, as it shadows my coaching around powerful mindfulness, relaxation and self-love and not allowing the random negative thoughts to take over your mind.

It is hugely resonant for today and especially for people who are currently struggling with mental health issues due to the pandemic. I have seen that there is an anxiety among my clients currently in regards to their futures. Clients are worried about their careers, providing for their families with the change in the way the world is working and what the future will bring. Will it be different? Frightening and worrying? Reading Tolle’s writings underline that there is only now, no yesterday and no tomorrow, just the here and now, to make the absolute most of.

Tolle writes that an individual should be aware of their “present moment” instead of losing themselves in worry and anxiety about the past or future. So, in this regard, I have been recommending it to my clients to parallel alongside with the courses that my clients are accessing to calm their fears.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes. This is a timely question andI am really excited about my latest offering! I have recently launched ‘Ignite With Regan’ it is an exclusive community membership, that for a minimal cost gives people in need access to some of my best selling, high value courses and some new material as well. It is in reaction to the suffering that I have witnessed amongst people who have contacted me directly who are not in the position to be a one-on-one client, but who are struggling and reaching out for help to best manage their anxiety. It also includes blogs, tips from my coaching team, meditations and activations designed to upskill and be totally accessible.

Every course and activation within the membership is designed to be listened to over and over again, so that they can access the material time and time again to practice their well-being. It is encouraging people to take charge of their personal and business development, mental health and anxieties and at the same time being a part of an online community for interaction with like-minded souls.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I always share with people that I am “self made” but really the truth is, this version of Regan was birthed through the love and support and guidance of SO many different people. From my dear parents, to all of my mentors, to people in my environment that I worked hard to be around, I have had so many people pour belief into me. I am especially grateful to all of my mentors, especially in the beginning, who held me in a vision that I couldn’t even see clearly by myself at that stage. It was through borrowing their belief in me that I was able to rapidly shift and grow and change my reality.

Ok, thank you for all that. Now that we are on the topic of gratitude, let’s move to the main focus of our interview. As you know, the collective mental health of our country is facing extreme pressure. We would like to explore together how every one of us can use gratitude to improve our mental wellness. Let’s start with a basic definition of terms. How do you define the concept of Gratitude? Can you explain what you mean?

Gratitude is the recognition of the people, the connections made, the natural world and the positive aspects of being a living, functioning human being, that surrounds you.

To be grateful is to be aware of the riches available for you on the planet, your abilities as a human being to recognize your talents and utilize them. To feel gratitude for and have connection with those around you who love and support you unconditionally in your endeavours.

Why do you think so many people do not feel gratitude? How would you articulate why a simple emotion can be so elusive?

Our global education system and the way we are educated and socialized in our western society is essentially competitive. We are pitted against each other in a competitive examinations system, where there is always a ‘cut’ and a pass or fail, we work to pass as opposed to learning and amassing skills and knowledge for the riches that they can bring personally and for the good of humanity. We are ‘cookie cutter’ processed and ejected into the world as a supposedly ‘well-rounded’ human being. Unfortunately emotionally and mentally, this is not so. Measuring ourselves against others is a habit learned that we find it hard to shake into adulthood. We constantly compare ourselves to others, often feeling that we come up short. Financially, body image, lifestyle, knowledge…the list for feeling a failure within our hierarchical structure is endless.

This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be constructive to help spell it out. Can you share with us a few ways that increased gratitude can benefit and enhance our life?

Examining daily what you are actually grateful for around you (as opposed to allowing your mind to focus on the perceived negative aspects of your life that are supposedly making you unhappy) allows you to focus on the small things, almost microscopically that enhance your life. Your well-being increases, as does your mental agility and you radiate a positivity that reflects back to you from others. Human beings like to be around others who are upbeat and positive (the glass half-full people) Gratitude exercises are the flip side of the introspection and negativity that your mind can fall into if you let it take over your psyche.

Let’s talk about mental wellness in particular. Can you share with us a few examples of how gratitude can help improve mental wellness?

Really as above. Gratitude focuses the mind on the positive aspects of your world. It is a good companion for exercise and fresh air. If people are drawn to you, due to your upbeat attitude, then there is a community for you and a willingness to be a participant in your life. Often your perceived ‘problems’ can be better approached for an attitude of ‘I have so much to be grateful for’ that I can surmount this minor issue.

Ok wonderful. Now here is the main question of our discussion. From your experience or research, what are “Five Ways That Each Of Us Can Leverage The Power Of Gratitude To Improve Our Overall Mental Wellness”. Can you please share a story or example for each?

• Journaling — Keeping a daily journal of at least ten things that you are grateful for each day helps the mind focus and dwell on the positive aspects of our life. Your self-worth to others and others’ worth to you.
•  Keep active and monitor your health. When I was working really hard at my initial business and trying to be everything to everybody, I was unaware that my health was suffering because of it. After I completed a course module that required my input ‘on show’, I was routinely sick. I was also not doing the sort of exercise that was best suited to my body. I was also aware that I didn’t like what I was doing, but ploughed on with it, thinking that it was the correct route to take. I learned that to stay well, I needed to take note of and monitor the signs that my body was sending me, both physically and mentally.
•  Learning and upskilling — disrupt your old patterns that don’t serve you any more. How many times do we do things, take a course of study or learn something that others have prescribed for us? Things that suit their ends and means, rather than our own. We become what others lay on us, rather than what we truly desire. We take on their fears and concerns for us, as opposed to being true to ourselves and living into our purpose. Open yourself up to new skills and learnings that genuinely interest you. Make the time for this.
•  Surround yourself with upbeat, positive people. Do a stocktake. Look at the people you surround yourselves with. Are they people who genuinely want the best for you? Or are they people who have a vested interest in keeping you where they feel comfortable with you being? In your place? Is your association with these people actually the best thing for your health? Be brave and step outside the box.
•  Think around and drill down into your life’s purpose. I absolutely believe that we are all put on this planet to step into our true greatness and we all have a purpose. Finding this purpose is available to us all right now. Step up, do the work and realize exactly what your vision for your life actually is.

Is there a particular practice that can be used during a time when one is feeling really down, really vulnerable, or really sensitive?

I have found that keeping a regular journal helps. Journaling each start of the day what one is grateful for, at least five key (more if possible, I like to record at least ten) things, is the way to truly look at your life and see what is actually around you that enhances your life on the planet. It focuses your mind in the morning and sets up positive brain waves.

Plus, I have specific exercises that I work on to strengthen my self esteem, my self love.

Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources that you would recommend to our readers to help them to live with gratitude?

One of the books that really shifted my perspective on gratitude is ‘The Four Agreements’ by Don Miguel Ruiz. Effectively, it examines the concepts that it’s the rules that stop us from becoming our true selves. And, outlines that there is a different way to live. If we replace the old agreements with four simple new agreements, we can break free from the old rules and find peace and happiness. Simply, these agreements are: 1) Use your words impeccably. 2) Don’t take anything personally. 3) Don’t make assumptions. 4) Always do your best. I recommend that everyone reads this book and strives to live by its principles.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I believe I’m doing this already!

My mission is to help people to have it all in their lives, in whatever way that looks like for them and already millions of people are a part of this global shift and have started living incredible lives! My dream is for more and more people to not only join this movement, but be the shining examples out there in the world, empowering other people to have it all on their terms!

What is the best way our readers can further follow your work online?

www.reganhillyer.com
@reganhillyer
https://www.facebook.com/ReganHillyer
Forbes Coaching Council articles

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!