Stop Playing Small: Design Your Dream Career | REAP
Own Your Power: How to Stop Playing Small and Design the Career You Deserve
"This is how we think. This is how we move. This is how we show up."
Thirsty Thursday
By Brett G Waddell ~ TheMorningMotivator.com
WAKE UP! Awareness Brings Answers!
Good morning, trailblazers! It's your Morning Motivator here, and I need you to answer this honestly: Are you still waiting for permission to step into your power?
If you've been feeling stuck, burnt out, or like you're somehow "behind" in your career, I have incredible news. The old corporate playbooks? They've been thrown out the window. The rules are being rewritten right now. And that means this is no longer a time to sit back and be dictated to—this is your absolute prime time to design.
Today, I'm bringing you masterclass insights from Carla Harris, one of the most successful and respected executives on Wall Street. She's stepping into the mentor's chair to reveal exactly how to crush the two biggest career derailers—fear and fatigue—stop playing small, and start making decisions like someone who fully expects to win.
Grab your notebook. We're about to blueprint your next major career evolution!!
👇 Quick Check-In: What's ONE career boundary you need to set this week? Drop it in Facebook. I read every comment—and your answer might spark someone else's breakthrough.
🌍 The Moment Everything Changed
Picture this: It's March 13, 2020. The world is shutting down. Carla Harris had no idea she wouldn't return to her normal routine for years. Most people panicked. Most people froze.
But Carla? By July 1, 2021, she had:
Lost 25 pounds
Launched her international speaking career
Written the outline of her third book
Adopted a new baby
All in 16 months.
Why? Because she understood something most people miss: When you can't control the environment, you control what you do with the time.
This is your "meantime valley" moment. The question isn't whether things will change—they will.
The question is: Will you sit there paralyzed, or will you invest in yourself so you're ready when opportunity comes?
💬 Impactful Quote
"Fear has no place in your success equation. Fear is just false evidence appearing real." — Carla Harris
"The opposite of love is not hate — it is fear. Love and fear cannot live in the same space for long. One opens us, the other closes us. At The Morning Motivator, we choose love — and we walk forward in courage, peace, and purpose. " — Brett Waddell, The Morning Motivator
🔬 Science Spotlight: During theta brainwave states (the first 5-10 minutes after waking and before sleep), your critical faculty is offline and your subconscious is highly programmable.
This is when beliefs about your worth, capability, and deservingness can be rewired at the neurological level.
(Source: Work of Dr. Bruce Lipton & Dr. Joe Dispenza on epigenetic reprogramming and subconscious belief systems)
Watch this before you make your next career move. The rules have changed—and that's your advantage.
The playbook is gone. That means YOU get to write the new one. Which principle from this video are you implementing THIS week?
🎨 Core Concept: Design, Don't Dictate
Here's what Carla Harris wants you to understand: We are in an unprecedented time. Nobody has the rulebooks. In fact, all the rules are being rewritten.
When there are no rules, anybody can play the game. And more importantly—you get to define how the game is played.
Most people are waiting. Waiting for permission. Waiting for the "right time." Waiting for someone to tell them they're ready.
Stop waiting.
🔥 Carla's philosophy is simple: "It's so much easier to beg for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission." Sometimes, the person you're asking for permission from doesn't even have the power to say no—you just gave it to them by asking.
Just go do the thing!
🌟 Synchronicity Check: Did a specific principle from that video jump out at you while watching? That's not random. Your intuition is signaling what you're ready to implement next. Honor that nudge. Try it TODAY.
🧻 The 3-Sheet Exercise: Design Your Dream Role
When you feel lost or unsure of your next move, stop asking "What should I do?" or "What could I do?"
Instead, ask yourself: "What do I want to do?"
Carla recommends this powerful three-step exercise:
Sheet 1: The Experience Audit
Look at all your past roles. What did you actually like? Was it working on a team? Creating something from nothing? Executing flawlessly?
Sheet 2: The Environment Audit
What kind of people did you thrive with? Did you want to be the smartest person in the room, or be surrounded by people smarter than you?
Sheet 3: The Dream Design
Assume money is no object. Based on Sheets 1 and 2, write 3-5 bullet points of the content of the job you want.
Pro Tip: Focus on the content, not the title. If you want to learn how to value companies, you don't need to be in M&A—you could do that in equity research or credit.
💪🏼 Conquering Fear & Fatigue: The Twin Career Killers
Carla identifies two forces that hold women back:
FEAR (Early Career): You doubt your skills. You worry about perception.
The Fix: Remember—Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. Failure isn't the end; it's a gift called experience. Now you know how to do it better.
FATIGUE (Mid-to-Late Career): You've been fighting for decades. You're tired. You see the glass ceiling but lack the energy to push through.
The Fix: Pushing through that final ceiling takes a fraction of the effort it took to get there. If you're fatigued, give yourself grace. Take two days off. The world won't end. Rest rejuvenates your brain—your greatest professional asset.
🌟 Your Turn: Have you noticed how your energy shifts when you give yourself permission to rest instead of push? Share your experience on Facebook. Real stories fuel real change.
✨ REAP PRACTICAL APPLICATION ✨
Your 4-Step Rewire for Career Authority & Confidence
"This is how we think. This is how we move. This is how we show up."
R — Recognize & Run Out
Notice: "I feel stuck… I feel behind… I feel like I'm waiting."
Pause. Ask: "Who is aware of this feeling?"
E — Exchange + Envision + Emotion
Replace with: "I am the designer of my career. The rules are being rewritten—and I get to write mine."
Feel the calm confidence in your body.
A — Activate with Action
Complete ONE sheet of the 3-Sheet Exercise right now. Just one.
P — Program & Prosper
Repeat daily. Confidence becomes identity.
👉 Grab Your Free REAP Your Future PDF — Your 5-Minute on demand decision making framework!
🚨 CRITICAL WINDOW: First 5 Minutes = Your Programming Goldmine
The REAP On-Demand Rewire framework pairs perfectly with 2 critical windows for programming:
5-10 minutes BEFORE you fall asleep
The first 5-10 minutes WHEN you wake up
Your brain is in theta — highly programmable!
During this window, your critical faculty is offline, cortisol is rising to wake the body, and your subconscious is wide open to suggestion.
That's why what you think, say, and feel in these first 300 seconds sets the neurological tone for the entire day.
That is your window. That's why I created:
The 5-Minute Theta Mornings Routine
No decisions. No willpower. Just open, read, repeat, rewire.
👉 DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE THETA MORNINGS PDF HERE
Stack the reps, baby!
🥷🏼 The Sponsor Secret: Your Career Accelerator
Here's a hard truth: Every decision about your compensation, promotion, and opportunities is made in a room where you are NOT present.
You need a SPONSOR.
Unlike a mentor who gives advice, a sponsor spends their political currency on your behalf behind closed doors.
How to Find One:
Has a seat at the decision-making table
Has visibility into your work
Has power/juice in the organization
How to Build the Relationship:
Frequency of touch. Light, consistent interactions. Grab coffee. Ask their opinion. Sit next to them at town halls.
How to Ask:
Be direct: "You know my work and the client feedback. I hope you feel comfortable sponsoring me and speaking on my behalf behind closed doors."
If they say no, they have to tell you why—and that's valuable data.
🗣️ Mastering The Ask: Reviews, Raises, Reinvention
Stop being a "taker" in your performance reviews. You are a participant.
The Review Formula:
1/3 on what you've achieved
2/3 on what you're prospectively going to do (and the resources you need)
The Raise Script:
Know the market value. If you're underpaid:
"I'm proud of the excellence I've delivered. I've done my homework, and the market value for this seat is between $X and $Y. I'm currently at $X minus B. What can we do to get me to market value?"
If they cite budget constraints:
"I will continue to deliver at the highest level, but we need to revisit this next quarter, because this current number does not work for me."
Embrace Career 3.0
1.0 = Academic preparation
2.0 = Excelling in career + building family
3.0 = All about YOU
This isn't reinvention from scratch. It's evolution—using the wisdom, data, and relationships you've already built to step into your next chapter with excitement.
🌟 Synchronicity Check: What if the career path that's calling to you right now is exactly what your experience has been preparing you for all along? Trust that pull. Start there.
⚖️ Todays Training Takeaway
Truth: People make decisions about you in rooms you're not in. Fear feels like a stop sign. Fatigue means you're failing.
Reframe: You can choose who speaks for you. Fear is data, not destiny. Fatigue means you're human.
Empowerment: Build sponsor relationships intentionally. Move forward with the fear. Rest is a strategic weapon.
❓ FAQ
Q: Why do I feel nervous even when I know what to say?
A: Because your body doesn't feel safe yet. Presence comes from regulation, not knowledge.
Q: Can slowing down really change how people see me?
A: Yes. Speed signals stress. Slowness signals control.
Q: Where should I start?
A: Your environment and your daily discipline. That's where confidence is built.
⚡ 5-Minute Action Plan
Slow your movements for the next interaction
Complete Sheet 1 of the 3-Sheet Exercise (5 minutes max)
Identify ONE potential sponsor in your organization
Take 3 slow breaths before your next meeting
Observe your body instead of forcing confidence
🏖️ The Bigger Vision
Perfect days are engineered.
One decision.
One behavior.
One moment of awareness at a time.
This is the mission.
Awareness → REAP → Repetition → Identity → Reality
💖 Love in Action:
"To choose the best interests of another person and act on their behalf."
That's what this is.
Every post.
Every tool.
Every insight.
Helping people become more calm, more present, more powerful… is an act of love.
🥳 YOUR NEXT STEP
✅ Get your FREE REAP Blueprint
✅ Share this with someone who needs a breakthrough today
✅ Subscribe and Join us on Social (links at bottom) so you don't miss tomorrow's upgrade
Five minutes. One shift. One upgrade.
💖 This post exists because I believe the best thing I can do for you is bring you the truth— Scientific, Soulful, and Actionable. That's the only reason I'm here.
Stay Focused. Keep Asking Better Questions!
P.S.— This is how we reach the perfect day.
Not all at once.
One deposit at a time.
One pillar at a time.
One morning at a time.
See you tomorrow at 4:44 AM.
Hey, I'm just your science-backed, soul-led, unapologetically human, mindset & motivation trainer. The content provided in this blog post is for educational and informational purposes only. I am not a licensed therapist, and this blog is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Got it? Good. I'll catch you tomorrow.
Pay It Forward!🚀
~Brett
TheMorningMotivator.com
You're Upgrading 1%+ Every Day! Keep Going! = +34% Monthly, +38% Better Annually!
🌱 Continue Your Journey
🔸 Your Genes Are the Blueprint, Your Beliefs Are the Builder: Rewiring Reality Through Epigenetics (May 2, 2026) →
🔸 What If the Answer Isn't Ahead of You… But Is the One Asking the Question? (April 11, 2026) →
