Misty Young is a restaurant owner, entrepreneur, healer, consultant, mother of two and grandmother of three. She has blazed her own trail to success and built upon the knowledge of not only the world’s greatest teachers but her own life experiences. Her recent best selling book From Rags to Restaurants showcases her tenacity, open mind, and incredible recipe for success. I was lucky enough to sit down with her and maybe throw some of her gems your way!

KAS: What is your favorite part about what you do?

MY: I get to help people take their restaurants from a place of difficulty to a place of success and I enjoy seeing them prosper. I like helping people and I like making money.

KAS: What is your favorite thing about yourself?

MY: I have a lot of energy, enthusiasm and curiosity. I am not afraid to take risks. I see opportunity in so many things and I love to take action.

KAS: If you could have any superpower in the world, what would it be?

MY: Flight. I would love to fly, you can get up high and see the big picture. If I could fly I could experience speed without fear of crashing. I love to go fast and it sounds really really fun!

KAS: In your recent book “From Rags to Restaurants” you speak of the many challenges you’ve faced in life. What do you think it is that allowed you to overcome great challenges and push forward to success anyways?

MY: I think it comes back to the idea that I see the opportunity in so many things. I see opportunity and I take action. There are two ways to approach life one by default and one by design.

“There are two ways to approach life one by default and one by design.”

KAS: Everyone has slumps, what do you do to pull yourself out of them?

MY: I strive every day to learn something new. I am always on a growth and development path. I love goals but I much prefer growth to goals. Once you achieve your goal it is time to set a new one. What has made me successful? that I am always focused on growth. It doesn’t matter what the topic is I am always looking for new areas to expand my intellectual capacity.

KAS: Sometimes, even getting out of bed can be hard for some people, how do you do what you do even if you don’t want to?

MY: When I focus on gratitude it changes my attitude. Every single day (especially the days when I am not feeling happy) I stop and I reset to gratitude. As soon as I reset my thinking to gratitude I am in a good space. Even this morning I started my day by completing 3 statements:

1. I am grateful for…
2. I am proud of myself for…
3. the top 6 most productive activities I can do today to advance my goal…(Daily Success Practice by Mary Morrissey)

KAS: Do you ever have bad days?

MY: Yes I do, but I don’t have time for bad days and sometimes I give myself permission to wallow in it, but not very often. I am very lucky to have a support system that nurtures me through my bad days, even though they are few and far between.

KAS: What do you believe defines success?

MY: When you are thrilled with your daily activities, meeting your growth plan, and when you are happy in the moment with an eye on the future

KAS: I have heard you speak before about having a “nostalgia for the future” what does that nostalgic vision look like for you?

MY: I see the whole family on a big luxury vacation. Papa an I have rented a 100 foot yacht and we are going to some private island for 2 weeks, we have tons of adventures planned, snorkeling, surfing, ATV riding, whale watching etc. An extraordinary big time vacation for the entire family. A quarter million dollar vacation. F’nA!

“The right dreams end up dreaming me back.”

KAS: Have you always been a big dreamer?

MY: Yes!!! Always, always, always! When I was 17 I read the book “The magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz. It set my dreams on fire and I have never looked back. I allow myself to dream whatever I want. It doesn’t mean that I try to make them all come true but the right dreams end up dreaming me back.

KAS: What was your First dream?

MY: My first true dream was to marry a construction worker name Gary, and I did that. My next big dream was to go to college and I did that too. When I was 22 I had my first entrepreneurial dream of baking pies in my oven at home and selling home made pies to the restaurants in town. I have done many things though, Including troubleshooting computers, fixing hardware and teaching people how to use Word at the local community college. I also helped the community college set up their distance learning program. But like I said, the right dreams ended up dreaming me back.

KAS: Why do you think some people discourage others from dreaming big?

MY: It is the crab pot theory and that is: Once the crabs get in the pot the ones at the bottom scratch and claw to keep anyone else from getting out. When people see others break free it reminds them of their own inadequacies.

KAS: Have you ever experienced a “crab?”

MY: I have but I distance myself from them quickly. When I find negative people I move fast to put space between me and them.

KAS: In your opinion what are 5 common characteristics of every successful person?

MY: Successful people are:

1. Risk Takers
2. Big thinkers
3. True to themselves
4. They don’t settle for the word no
5. They routinely take action

KAS: What are the top three things you do daily that attribute to your success?

MY: 1. I prioritize what is going to help me achieve my goals

2. I try every day to do something that is helpful to someone else. Like today I got a call from a lady from Newark New Jersey. She is helping an older neighborhood experience some revival, there are a bunch of restaurants in the area that need help. She asked if I was coming to the area soon and I said no. I asked her if there was any budget and she laughed. I offered to send her 8 of my books one for her and one for each restaurant owner. I offered to hold a webinar in a couple of weeks to brainstorm with these restaurant owners after they had gotten to know me through my book. Every day try to answer the prime question: How may I serve.

3. I try to get some physical activity every day and I pay close attention to my nutrition.

KAS: What is something the “average person” could do today to help them become successful?

“Gratitude is the basis of all good things.”

MY: Be gracious a.k.a. express gratitude.

KAS:What if someone doesn’t think there is anything to be grateful for?

MY: Gratitude is the basis of all good things. When you find yourself in the depths of despair you have to find the good and be grateful for it, it is the only way out of the hole.

KAS: Is there anything else you would like to add?

MY: Yes, I really appreciate the opportunity to be of service to you as a new blogger and to add value to your audience. It brings joy into my life!!