EP #164: How to be Naturally Confident with Phil Januszewski

Written By Robert DePasquale

Some people just have a natural confidence.  Or, is it learned?

There is something to be said for a positive attitude.  A genuine one doesn’t ignore the negatives but gives more emphasis to the good things in life - the things for which you are grateful.  

The practice of gratitude is powerful because it’s something that indicates thankfulness, abundance, sharing, and of course, generosity.  We all have opportunities to be grateful but that doesn’t mean we take advantage of them.

Today’s guest is the type of person who loves attention and uses it for good.  Phil Januszewski is an educator, motivational speaker, and all-around confident person.  He expresses gratitude repeatedly in this conversation and makes you wonder about how a humble, yet confident attitude, can change your life and that of those around you.  

What You'll Learn In Today's Episode:

  • How Phil is inherently positive

  • About Phil’s good desire for attention

  • Why Phil loves food and cooking

  • About Phil’s teacher that encouraged him to be a teacher

  • How long Phil has been teaching

  • What the SEL program is and means to Phil

  • How Phil talks about generosity with students

  • Why Phil loves physics

  • Why physics is humbling

  • About Phil’s speaking company, M&P Presentations 

  • How Phil started speaking

  • How being a DJ helped Phil as a speaker

  • How Phil and his best friend met (and started speaking)

  • How humble yet confident Phil and his co-speaker are

  • The hustle it took to get into the speaking business

  • Phil’s ideal audience

  • How Phil uses awkward situations to teach an audience

  • How to be more in control and confident

  • How to focus on the positives rather than ignore the negatives

  • Some of Phil’s kindness and gratitude practices

  • About the abundance mindset

  • About Phil’s hope for empowerment

  • How Phil crosses his skills to different areas

  • How DJing taught Phil about taxes

  • About Phil’s appearance on “NailedIt!” and how it came about

  • About Phil’s love for baking and cooking

  • About the importance of accepting compliments

  • About a new course that M&P is working on

  • Phil’s thoughts and program for positive growth after the effects of COVID-19

  • About St. Baldrick’s foundation and how Phil supports the cause

Ideas Worth Sharing:

“My mother is exceptionally positive.” - Phil Januszewski

“I, also, always liked attention a lot.” - Phil Januszewski

“I hope they get far more than that from my classroom.” - Phil Januszewski speaking about teaching physics and chemistry

“My whole life I thought I was going to culinary school.” - Phil Januszewski 

“I grew up in the food network era.” - Phil Januszewski 

“My family loves food.” - Phil Januszewski

“When you’re happy, you eat.  When you’re sad, you eat.  When you celebrate, you eat.” - Phil Januszewski 

“She’s probably stuck with the same humans all day.” - Phil Januszewski talking about changing classes

“They have at least one adult they can turn to in their high school career that they know well that they can turn to for help.” - Phil Januszewski

“Physics lends itself to project-based learning.” - Phil Januszewski

“What we don’t read about is the years of failure.” - Phil Januszewski

“We speak to young adults about building up their self-confidence.” -  Phil Januszewski 

“We truly feel when you’re more comfortable and confident with yourself the world opens up to you.” - Phil Januszewski

“You’ll never hear us when we speak about what not to do.” - Phil Januszewski 

“I was a wedding DJ already for years.” - Phil Januszewski

“Someone held a camcorder just in case it went well.” - Phil Januszewski

“It was one of the best accidents that ever happened to me.” - Phil Januszewski 

“He’s an ultramarathoner.  He’s just a beast.” - Phil Januszewski talking about his best friend and co-speaker, Matt Matkovich

“We were educators so they knew we had criminal background checks so  we couldn’t be too crazy or creepy, right?” - Phil Januszewski

“We were new. hungry, and cheap.” - Phil Januszewski on getting started in the speaking business

“It was really exciting and overwhelming all at the same time.” - Phil Januszewski

“We certainly didn’t have a lot going on that should have made us overly confident.” - Phil Januszewski

“I don’t know why we were born so confident.” - Phil Januszewski

“We both had a lack of fear of failure.” - Phil Januszewski

“We know that personal connection is your greatest asset.” - Phil Januszewski

“There was tons of rejection; being ignored.” - Phil Januszewski

“There were quite a few people who found us overwhelmingly obnoxious too.” - Phil Januszewski

“We’re kinda like a Pixar film.” - Phil Januszewski

“We believe that’s the ultimate recipe.” - Phil Januszewski speaking about the importance of gratitude and confidence

“It’s definitely a messy world.  It will always be.” - Phil Januszewski

“I’ve learned skills in speaking that I can apply to the classroom.” - Phil Januszewski

“I’m a better father and husband because of motivational speaking.” - Phil Januszewski

“I am proud, Bob, to say in ten years of DJing I have never played “The Chicken Dance” once.” - Phil Januszewski

“I will be dry humping that air…we’re gonna YMCA brother.” - Phil Januszewski

“Even if I never used it again, I still enjoyed it.” - Phil Januszewski

“Bob, the attention I was getting was overwhelming wonderful for this narcissist right here.” - Phil Januszewski

“If they said we forgot to put film in the cameras, I’d do it all over again.” - Phil Januszewski

“You’re stealing that feeling from them of giving.” - Phil Januszewski

“I am known for being long-winded, brother.” - Phil Januszewski

“We’ve kind of maxed out in the amount of travel and presentations we can do because we’re in the classroom…We decided years ago that we weren’t going to leave education to be full-time speakers.” - Phil Januszewski

“There’s not a place for positive educators who are looking for like-minded people.” - Phil Januszewski

“Coming up this March will be the 15th year in a row that I’m going shave my head in solidarity and support for childhood cancer.” - Phil Januszewski

“She gets to teach them how to read.  You get to teach them about the periodic table.” - Bob DePasquale

“He turned it into like spaceship.” - Bob DePasquale speaking about a high school physics project of his

“If you’re not overwhelming obnoxious to somebody, you’re probably not pushing enough.” - Bob DePasquale

Resources In Today's Episode:

 
 
 
 
 
Robert DePasquale

Lover of Stewardship

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EP #165: How to Experience Abundance with Max Becker-Pos
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