NANCY WEST

Best Advice Ever Received:

When I would be ready to drive back home, my Pop always said to me, “Be good to yourself.” He passed away in 2003, but I keep those words close to my heart. Today it has a deeper meaning. I now realize how important it is to believe in my own self-worth and focus on positivity.

Nancy West is the founder of Accelerated Performance, Inc., a management consultancy dedicated to organizational effectiveness by implementing high-performance learning and consulting as well as personal development seminars. Nancy waited until later in life to come out and has recently written a book to help young people harness their personal power. Nancy reminds us that no matter when you embrace your authenticity, you can be an inspiration to others.

(Editor’s Note: The following narrative is in Nancy’s own words.)

I came out later in life at age 40 and realized how the lack of courage to believe in who I was impacted many aspects of my life. My current work as a self-employed trainer and speaker has given me the tools and confidence to perfect my craft, and now being an author, I feel a burning passion to share how inner thoughts and words can hinder or harness what we truly desire.

I help young adults, among others, to work and live with greater fulfillment, or simply to become more. I truly believe in the Law of Attraction and how what we focus (or obsess) upon can show up in our lives. It all starts with self-talk and our environment bombarding us with words that are not always positive. In fact, what is really true about ourselves? Is it what people tell us? Or is it what we believe? Or are the two related!? My favorite response to any form of negativity is, “Says who?” I want young adults to question and rise above the fact that everything they hear does not “have to” shape them. They have abilities beyond comprehension and may not realize that internal power until they are middle-aged like myself, thus the reason that propelled me to write my book, “What Are You Waiting For? You Don’t Have 9 Lives!” It’s a simple read with profound messages between two primary characters, Mama and her daughter Coco, the snarky and wise little tuxedo cat!

With our current political culture, I see more division than ever and hear every day about rights and basic morals that seem to evaporate for many groups based on race, gender, religion and sexual orientation. The LGBTQ community among others has enough challenges let alone new ones that are growing with this unleashed hatred we read about every day. With that, there has never been a stronger call to action to leverage ways to build our confidence and become more. If I only impact one person at a time, it’s worth it!

I truly believe in the words of Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”