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WHAT REALLY MATTERS – Les Brown Most Incredible Motivation – Life Changing


what really matters what really matters

to you and when you think about that I

don’t think your material possessions

matter that much I heard people crying

and and talking about they lost

everything and I wanted to us to say to

them through the television but you’re

still here

you lost all your material things but

you’re still here I know someone who has

lost someone who meant something to them

in a storm and that’s different than

living losing everything in your house

that’s different when you lose your

material possessions so you come outside

and your car has been picked up from

non-payment that’s different if you’re

still here if you’ve not suffered some

crippling disabling accident you’re

still here you still have your right

mind embrace that strengthen what’s left

and reflect and activate a spirit of

gratitude that you’re grateful be

thankful for what’s left take a deep

breath if you if you made it because

that’s important gratitude

things that we take for granted I’m

thinking about the challenge that I had

when I was speaking on stage from a

wheelchair and because of SATA campaign

I couldn’t lift up the weight of my body

because of the pain I couldn’t stand up

on stage and walk back and forth as I

have been accustomed to doing because of

the pain I couldn’t put myself in the

bathtub and get out I needed help to get

in and to get out and now things that I

take

granted I’m thankful if I wake up and

have a pain-free morning I’m thankful

I’m grateful for the ability to see to

hear to move to to be able to voice my

dream and to inspire and to motivate

people I want you to think about what is

it as you reflect on your life that

you’re grateful for and and I just

started something that I’m doing I write

down each day 7 things that I’m grateful

for 7 things the relationships that mean

something to me the friendships that

being something to me the blessings that

come my way

I met someone and the shopping mall and

he and I began to think his meant to

communicate his name is Ray and I really

considered it a god moment I’m wearing a

shirt that says to boycott the NFL the

National Football League in in in

support of Colin copper dink and and

this guy he said I’m down with you

brother and he and I started a

conversation and it seemed like we have

known each other forever and we

exchanged information and this is a new

friendship then I’m very grateful for

who will be able able to be a blessing

to my granddaughter his name is Ray has

a interesting website it’s called a ray

at crime by designed.com

I said that’s a Disney website but I’m

beginning to focus on things that I’m

grateful for I’m grateful that that I

was able to survive Irma and javi and

and and some of you listening should be

grateful that it didn’t hit your city

that you you did not go through the

devastation of what Houston went through

or the devastation what other cities

have been doing what Miami and in

Florida is going through and so reflect

on your life and think about when you go

through it

whatever that might be because there are

all types of hurricanes in life that

you’re grateful for the next thing is is

to refocus marinating ourselves in it

and continuing to look back we can

become paralyzed and stuck and as fast

as we can we have to not only reflect on

what matters and what it is that we’re

grateful for but to refocus our mind

about what is it we want to do we don’t

know how much time we have left I was

going to reach out to a young man that I

met at Fox TV who lost his job and in

the process of reaching out to him I

heard the news that his son died as well

I mean to lose your job and then your

child dies it was in college Wow bam bam

back to back and I know what it is to

have back-to-back storms in your life

when my talk show was cancelled went

through a divorce from someone that I

loved very much it my mother was

diagnosed with breast cancer and passed

and my best friend boo was waiting on a

liver transplant and he died and during

that time that I was also diagnosed with

prostate cancer

I got back-to-back blows and and when

you go through that that it’s a time to

get still and to reflect and to

strengthen what’s left and and then as

quick as you possibly can to refocus

your mind because you can get stuck for

a period of time I got stuck I was

ashamed and embarrassed that my show had

been cancelled I was shame and

embarrassed that I talked to people of

our being successful and I I wasn’t able

to make my marriage work and and so as

as you look at your life and and look at

the things that you want to do that

focusing when you’ve gone through

something is very important because if

you don’t if you continue to look back

and and and talk about it and focus on

it it will drain you emotionally and

spiritually and and it will it will draw

all the energy out of you you know the

Helen Keller says when one door closes

another door opens but most of us spend

so much time looking at the closed door

that that we don’t see the open door

what are those new opportunities that

life is presenting us that we can begin

to refocus our mind a time I energy in

our spirit and finding our purpose and

new meaning in life and the third thing

is it’s not only once we reflect on what

really matters and and and strengthen

that and and refocus our minds on on the

new chapters in our lives that we have

the power to write a new script but we

have to recalibrate we have to ignite

our spirit that when I went through my

divorce I parked for a while I parked

when my mother passed from breast cancer

I was another blow I park when when bull

died I was holding my best friend’s hand

and saw him when he took his last breath

then and I remember the door in the

hospital room open and his mother said

come in Holy Spirit and take my boy

I rose and I talked and and those

back-to-back blows for a period of time

I couldn’t think about anything but them

to people that that cost me to be Who I

am my mother and my best friend rule

that we were together and inseparable

from second grade in elementary school

at Douglas Elementary School in Miami

Florida in Overtown and so it took me

some time to recalibrate to connect with

my energy it took me some time to find

my Center to find my strength I remember

and I’m just recalling an engagement I

had in Washington DC two weeks after I

had eulogized my mother and I thought I

was emotionally ready to handle it and I

lost it I lost it in the middle of my

message in the pulpit a Sunday morning

and I mentioned my mother and what are

the things I I train speakers never ever

tell a story that you don’t have the

emotional strip to handle because it it

that the the pulpit is not a place for

therapy or the stage and and so I

realized that I needed to do some more

internal work that that sometimes life

can slap you senseless and you don’t

know which way is up and so reflecting

refocusing and recalibrating those are

three steps I feel that will empower us

to recover from the hits of life because

they’re gonna happen I don’t care who

you are look at how beautiful you are

like if you tithes every day or every

Sunday I don’t care if you pray all the

time you will not escape life is gonna

happen to all of us I remember asking

God for a sign if you are real if you

are real give me a sign I’ve never asked

you this before give me a sign let my

mother live and she died and and the

to gather my strength and maintain my

faith I remember the story of Shadrach

but anyhow I remember when they were

talking to Nebuchadnezzar and and and he

talked to them he wanted them to bow and

it said oh oh King listen you know we

will not violate you might kill us but

if it be so we still go bow you could do

whatever you gonna do whatever threats

you have whatever would tickets you’re

selling but we’re not going to bow and

that meant to me that I’m not going to

bow to what her hand that life has dealt

me that even though I wanted my mother

to live and I knew God had the power to

to give me that to grant me that request

I still will not bow to not having faith

I still will not bow to depression and

despair and feeling sorry for myself and

being angry I still won’t bow and so I

feel that that as Willy jolly says that

a setup is a setback so a setback is a

setup for a comeback that we have come

back power that in in spite of what

we’ve gone through in spite of what we

are dealing with in spite of what we

have lost

we have come back power in spite of the

defeats in spite of the rejections in

spite of the failures and the

devastation and and all the things that

life can throw at us Willy was right

setback is a setup for a comeback we

have come back power

must remember it’s easy to to say oh I

know you’ll never leave me nor forsake

me when I bills are paid and the car

hasn’t been repossessed it and our home

hasn’t been foreclosed on and we have

our help and our children are healthy

it’s easy it’s easy to have faith in and

say god is good all the time and all the

time

god is good yeah right but when life

knocks on the door yeah what you got to

say now what do you have to say now you

lose your job you lose your health you

prayed I remember sitting in the

University Hospital and they gave me an

MRI I remember the young man coming down

the hall to meet me the radiology and he

said you know and he had tears in his

eyes man

he said I was in a dark place and you

help me you help me and he said and I

was praying when I did your MRI I was

praying I didn’t see anything but just

you being cancer free and he said I

don’t have good news and I said my

brother you just gave me some good news

number-one youth that my voice my story

helped you come out of a dark place and

and you were here and if there’s anyone

that I want to deliver this kind of news

to me

it would be someone who are know loves

me who cares about me and who does not

just see me as another person here and

the place that I’m living my life is

judge not according to appearances that

cheat you holding in your hand does not

determine by prognosis it might reflect

diagnosis but God determined by

prognosis it is well all is well because

I know he’ll never leave me nor forsake

me and that’s where I stand in the end

and we both embrace each other with

tears that tears the gratitude that’s an

apple cider I’m not surrendering to this

or kick cancers but trust me on this I’m

shining my shoes now and I truly believe

that life is a fight for territory we

must fight a good fight

with whatever we go through I truly

believe that life is a fight for

territory and once you stop fighting for

what it is you want that’s peace of mind

that’s your health that’s your

relationship that’s your children that’s

your future your healing whatever you

stop fighting for what you don’t want

will automatically take over and my

mother didn’t raise a punk she raised a

fighter and I say to you it’s in your

DNA whether you realize it or not

whether you agree with me or not that

there’s a purpose there’s a power in you

greater is he that is is you that he

visited the world

the adversities the setbacks the defeats

the devastation yeah yeah yeah you got

it like that don’t let her not you’re

made in the likeness and image of God if

you beginner you’ve been given authority

and dominion over everything then say

something over everything

as my mother would say put that in your

pipe and smoke it you have something

special you have greatness than you

reflect we focused recalibrate recover

that’s my story and I’m sticking to it

Stacy that’s what baby brown would say

I tell you what you said two words have

not been smoking because you’re gonna go

through some things I just had to Oh

mime you as one of my girlfriend’s

mothers would say when my website was

hacked so you know things also when the

crazy things happen and you just put it

all in perspective and you do exactly

what you said we flex we focus we

calibrate and we do be covered look see

how they read rejuvenate I did I took a

break to rejuvenate after some things

happen because we live in a life where

as you said less we’re not exempt but we

have to choose to not stay stuck in

repeating the same old story in our head

and be able to to move forward I mean

that’s a powerful word and as you talked

about Boehner posing that question I had

a few people just finding it very

difficult to deal with their day-to-day

life because they’ve been watching the

devastation and there’s just so sucked

into everything that they wrap paralyzed

said I can’t even I can’t function I

can’t work it’s just watching people and

their lives be destroyed and I said well

that’s not going to help change but what

you can do is organize some relief

efforts do take an action and not just

get stuck in the feeling of being

hopeless or thinking that you’re

hopeless and your message tonight is so

timely because a lot of people all

across this country are just in a state

laundry and they need to know what to do

next and you just gave them no more

excuses because there is always

something to be grateful for once

there’s life there’s hope and as you

said people are still alive you might

lost lose property or be displaced but

you’re alive you’re breathing you can

rebuild but what we can’t do is we

create your life absolutely and you know

and and I want to talk about refocus

something just came to me

I found myself glued to the television

and obsessed with this crazy man out of

North Korea this this little young chump

that happened because of this up because

of a sperm he was born in North Korea

had he not been the sperm from his

father he’d be a kid somewhere in a

basement playing video games but now

this little fat jump has his hands on

nuclear weapons and so I found myself

looking at and monitoring the the wolf

tickets between him and the President

and I and getting nervous thing are

these two people about to annihilate the

planet because with nuclear weapons you

know it doesn’t take much for a crazy

person to push a button and then I had

to ask myself what can you do about this

what can you do about how is this

serving you monitoring this reading what

the the head of North Korea saying and

what President Trump is saying does that

help you is it purposeful what meaning

and value is it bringing to you and I

found myself sucked in with all the

weather reports and I had to stop head

to back away and say well I’m going to

do

I can to preserve my mental bandwidth

there’s some things I just don’t need to

let in there’s certain thing I don’t

watch violent movies I don’t want to

watch or hear about any negative tragic

things you know there’s a I remember

that play don’t nobody don’t bring me no

bad news you know I was concerned about

my my kids and grandchildren in

Jacksonville and my sister it needs to

nephew and and my brother in in Miami

and that’s natural but I had to to begin

to scale down my exposure to negative

news because it was robbing me of my

peace of mind and my energy you can

either live your dreams or live your

fears and I think the majority of people

actually are not living their dreams but

are living their fears so I want to ask

what are you afraid of what are you

scared of because we all have fears

don’t we we all have something that’s

blocking us that’s holding us back and

as we began to look at life what we

realize is that the reason that most

people are not living out their true

potential and not doing all of the

things that they would really like to do

it’s because of fear some people called

fear false evidence or expectations

appearing real

a reminded of the story of a guy that

was living in an area where he had some

new neighbors and these neighbors had a

bulldog and when he came home every day

this Bulldog used to chase him about a

half a block from his house every day he

would have to streak home I mean he was

just run this bulldog be right on his

heels and so he just got tired of that

because he would go home about a half a

block away from home he would look

around for this Bulldog and he would see

and he would go walking casually long

and this Bulldog come out of nowhere

well it’s not chasing him here to run

home so this one day he just got tired

and so when the Bulldog was running

after him he started running he saw a

rock and he stopped to pick it up to

throw out the Bulldog and when the

Bulldog got up low on him he started

barking he realized the Bulldog didn’t

have any teeth it is about gum you know

and so you know what most people go

through life running scared running

scared from things that have no teeth in

them because they’re false expectations

appearing real let’s see we’re brilliant

enough to scare ourselves to death you

realize that there are some people

actually who get a kick out of scaring

themselves to death

I remember the last frightening movie I

saw it was the Exorcist I will never

forget I was so frightened when I came

home

I’ll never forgot drove in the driveway

and I had already called my former wife

and said listen turn the lights on I was

coming in the driveway and I and I was

getting out of the car and all of a

sudden I couldn’t get out of side blow

my horn I said ma’am but they got me

they got me she came to the kitchen when

was right out of my wits but there are

lot of people who think you know for

that love I’m the person that my brother

is a paratrooper my twin brother he’s in

the military career man

I would love to jump out of an airplane

to parachute I’m scared though I mean I

really had my brother brother for that I

would really love to be macho man like

that what are the things that you fear

that’s been keeping you from living your

dream that’s been keeping you from doing

some things that you would like to do

just think about those things and how do

we begin to handle that Abraham Maslow

said that the life is about growth and

he said you could either go back to your

comfort zone and there you won’t find

any growth or you must Willie be willing

to go forward and face your fears again

and again and again because you’re never

going to have a fear free existence I

mean some fear is acceptable and

legitimate there are some things that

you you really should be afraid of now

you shouldn’t allow it to immobilize you

you acknowledge it you take it into

account and you carry yourself

accordingly there are times that we

should proceed with caution but it’s the

difference between being stopped by fear

is the difference between having a fear

and the fear having you so what do we do

1 acknowledge it

and knowing that it’s okay don’t condemn

yourself for being afraid it’s perfectly

fine to have some fears you acknowledge

your fears you embrace those fears and

then you move on you act on whatever it

is that you fear because once you

embrace it see what you resist will

persist what you resist will persist so

one of the most important things is is

to begin to embrace your fear the fear

of bodily harm that’s legitimate when I

was a disc jockey in Columbus Ohio you

know I was young right 22 23 but I was

tough and I was on the air and Al Green

who was a great performer at that time

and still is now now singing gospel

music had a record his first hit record

was backup train so a guy came in the

town and was impersonating Al Green I

happened to know al green because I’d

already booked him and so when I found

out this guy was impersonating Al Green

I came on the air and did an editorial

about it and I exposed him he was rather

big fellow and so he had the word out

that when I see this guy less from the

disc jockey I’m a knockin my mouth with

having a big mouth

so I was driving down Main Street in

Columbus Ohio had my son in a car and I

always have this little saying hey if

anybody will put a threat on me I’m

gonna make him honor it so I saw this

guy on the street so I pull around I say

excuse me I’ll be right back got out of

the car

hey man I heard you said that you were

looking for me I’m les Brown he said you

are say yeah I said what is it I’m the

one that said that you were an imposter

I said I want to know what you’re gonna

do about it he open his coat he had a

gun there I say but whatever I said to

acknowledge your fear scare yourself

accordingly and do what makes sense for

you well one major fear I’ve always had

it’s a fear of the dentist and this fear

had me I didn’t have that fear and what

really and for in faucet you got to

watch things that can feed your fear I

saw a movie that most people would not

remember this movie was starring Dustin

Hoffman era thon man with Laurence

Olivier when he’s trying to get a

confession out of here and he took this

drill out let me tell you someone he

went in dunk my Hoffman’s mouth with

that drill I had a dollar worth of

popcorn that pop go whatever

you know I could not go to the dentist

for five years I left broadcasting went

to the Ohio Legislature had an impacted

wisdom tooth now that hurts and I would

call and soon as the people would answer

the phone I would hang up I stopped

writing about dr. Hamlet office boom

about hey then I got to the point where

I could just ask for an appointment

hello and I wouldn’t give my real name

because I knew I would go keep I’d give

anybody’s name Joe jiggler Jim it did

better but pretty soon I got to the

point where I could give my name it was

about four years after that

so my name is les Ryan then I’ll call

back and say look here due to my

legislative agenda I won’t be able to

make it so the lady finally said her

phone said you’re scared aren’t you

I said no I’m not then why

don’t you come in that’s none of your

she said you’re not coming in because

you’re scared I wish you just would not

waste our time and she hung up I said

you have no right to do that to people

like me you know

so finally it’ll make a long this short

I was hurting so bad it’s a way to man

I’ve got to do something and I said what

am I afraid of go there and handle

that’s it man I said dr. Hamill I just

can’t hear this drill I mean if you can

do whatever I just don’t I don’t need to

hear this drill this drill that sound

you know that’s the what gets me that

drill don’t pull that drill out on me

you suggest calm down kana and it wasn’t

really bad as I thought it was one of

the things you find out that when you

face your fears is not as bad as you

think it is and when people tell you I

just can’t do that

I can’t handle I mean really really I

can’t handle it what they’re envisioning

is that they’re not going to be if

they’re gonna clock out like you’re

going to die guess what we all that

occasions when we confronted our fears

we had to do something we felt

uncomfortable with we didn’t want to do

it and we did not die then it come take

us and put us in a box somewhere and all

right so what we’ve got to begin to do

how do we handle that what’s the process

because it’s all up in here one I think

is imagine the worst-case scenario I

just imagined that he went in my mouth

and with this drill and that I just

croaked out then I imagine that’s the

worst-case scenario then I had another

technique I used visualize yourself

being more than able and capable of

handling it but I used to have a

tremendous infinity complex about

speaking before people that I felt who

had more going for them than I did

because I’m not college trained I used

to feel that college people were the

most intelligent people on the planet

and there was nothing I had to say for

them and what would that what will they

listen to me for that that’s the way I

felt and so I had to visualize myself

speaking before them speaking before

various audiences that had more going

for them than I did and realize and

appreciate my own value and that I was a

worthwhile person even though I didn’t

have all going for me I didn’t have the

money I didn’t have the education that

they had so part of the process is

seeing yourself being worthy being

capable having what you need to make

your worthwhile person and that you’re

more than able and that you deserve to

be listened to or you deserve to have

that dream and that passion and whatever

it is that you see and envision there

you’ve got to see it in your mind’s eye

and know that you’ve got what it takes

repeat after me please

I must see and my mind’s eye

see myself confronting my fears handling

my fears I’m more than able shake

somebody’s hand on your right and left

so deciding as you look at your life as

you look into the future and say what

fears am i holding on to what fears that

I’m allowing to imprison me that’s

keeping me from breaking out that’s

keeping me from living up to my true

potential that’s keeping me from really

being happy that’s keeping me from

having a sense of adventure and

excitement in my life what’s what’s

keeping me from controlling my destiny

what fears and I’m giving that

permission to notice what I said that we

must give our permission to fear to

immobilize us because whatever

discomfort you experience whatever

challenges a difficulty that it is you

got to handle it got to go up in there

and wrestle with it will it be easy no

will it be challenging yes friend of

mine who’s going into recovery

he’s been addicted to crack cocaine for

years and alcohol he was talking about

how challenging it was and while he was

dreading going on going into cold turkey

I said what do you want me to tell you

that it’s gonna be a picnic no it’s not

it’s gonna kick your butt yes it is are

you gonna want to die yes yes that’s a

part of it but that’s just what you must

go through in order to get where you

want to go and guess what you are strong

enough to do it you’re strong enough and

your life is worth whatever you have to

go through to get past this addiction

whatever you have to do this dream

you’ve got whatever you want to do will

it be easy to just run out there do it

now

will it happen overnight now will it be

a struggle yes

will there be times when you can’t make

ends meet yes that’s a part of it will

there be times you won’t know what to do

yes that’s a part of it will you have

some opposition well things go wrong

sometimes you will have many visits

Murphy now if you say well who’s Martha

somebody must have told us someplace

along the line I don’t know where but

somebody must have told people Oh life

is gonna be real easy if they told you

don’t forget I had a special piece of

legislation I wanted to get past and I

said to a guy so lucky can I count on

your vote he said yes and look here if I

can’t count on to let me know this

another guy that owes midship and I can

call on that and I want need your vote

but I do need it if you say you’re going

to do it do it you say you can count on

it legislation came up he voted against

my bill my bill passed I went back to

hey I told you I needed the vote but if

you couldn’t give it up let me know I

would get somebody else and why are you

telling me he said all right I was in

shock how many of you that life just

wore you out that you didn’t expect that

you thought you go to school get good

grades get a job and you came out here

you’ll be able to get a job a little

they never told me you know that songs

that mama told me there’d be days like

that even tell us that is that something

about life is challenging I mean it’s

some stuff you get out of here you

didn’t read it in a book nowhere then

nobody warned you that it was gonna come

down on you like this it’s called life

there are kind of challenges like that

so what’s the next piece is that you

accept yourself then you accept the fear

as a fact and not a force so when you

accept yourself and you accept fear as a

fact that means that it’s something that

happens it’s something that you’re going

to experience but it is not a force to

hold you back it doesn’t have any

special power other than that that you

give it so you accept the fact that

you’re afraid and then you move on

anyhow you move on past it and you do

whatever you’ve got to do I was at a big

motivational rally for gentleman by the

name of Dexter Jaeger down in the

Carolinas I was standing backstage and I

had to go out I was the last speaker on

the program it’s the first time I’ve

been in a stadium of this size over

10,000 people you couldn’t see the

people because the lights are just

blaring in your eyes called free

enterprise day I was afraid my heart was

beating fast I’ll just pacing back and

forth and ex’s head are you all right I

so I say wait a bit just calm down calm

yourself holding the older it’s all

right les it’s all right all right just

be as scared as you can be mmm

so after I say embrace that fear just

try and see how scared you can really

get and Sabri Medina so the guy came

back and said are you bout to die so I

said no fine but after I started

embracing it and trying to make myself

as afraid as I can get and imagine

what’s the worst thing that I can go out

there do my mind go bleak and I played

I start laughing at myself I start

talking about say you know you scared

today and I said I just calmed myself

down and I went out there and I cooked

and that’s what you got to do I had

another experience where I was at a

major corporation and I was was one of

my first major presentations I was going

to do for this corporation and I had

four other presenters that had large

firms and one of the things that you’ve

got to do is you’ve got to watch your

inner conversation and discipline your

thinking and your imagination because if

you don’t your mind will take you on a

wild trip so my mind said hey les said

what this guy’s gonna wipe you out you

can’t compete with them because I heard

these guys sitting over across from me

and they were talking about all that

they had going for them and so I started

doubting myself and I became afraid and

I was thinking well maybe I shouldn’t go

in there and so I knew then and this is

what I suggest to you sometimes you got

to talk to yourself talking to yourself

you know could be a good exercise might

be the only intelligent conversation you

ever get so I got up and I were in the

bathroom and I start talking to myself

said let’s try let me tell you something

what do you care about these guys and

their firms and all their money you’ve

got six children you’ve got to feed you

got a mama you’ve got to take care of

I wouldn’t that room a little those

people I said don’t you do nothing till

so when you have your lure itself

talking to you telling you what you

can’t do part of what you’ve got to do

is be your own motivator you can you

can’t talk casually to yourself you

can’t stare uh sit down you must calm

down now conscious man will hear that

you’ve got to have a good conversation –

you say hey and answer yourself – don’t

pity people in the attention you answer

yourself

hey what you’re under I’m going in get

off all right very good go ahead and

take care busy you’ve got to talk to

yourself and you build yourself up and

you’ll feel your energy level coming up

and people will feel that around you see

now if you go through life being afraid

people can sense that they can pick up

that fear so that’s why you’ve got to

stand up inside yourself I’m a reminder

of the little boy that was on a bus and

and some bigger fellows who were picking

at him you know and so he wanted to move

from by them they were thinking you on

the head and so he stood up just to get

from by them and they would push him

back down and he would stand up again

they’d push him back down and he stood

up again they pushed him out held him

down he said you might hold me down but

see when you are not filling your life

with the things that you are capable of

doing so we all have some stuff that

we’ve been given and I don’t think that

it’s optional for us to sit on what we

have see if you’re sitting on what you

have what you’ve been given I think

everybody has been given something to

bring to the planet that only you can do

that only you can perform that only you

can initiate that activity and if you

don’t do that if you’re not filling in

your life with your life work or your

mission then there are gaps in your life

and what we do when we’re not living out

our true identity we begin to fill the

gaps we fill the holes with garbage

alcohol drugs worry self-destructive

behavior so when you begin to look at

your life and you know that that you’re

not doing what you can do because you

have allowed yourself to be held captive

by your fears

now when you don’t have a true

appreciation and acceptance for who you

are and you allow yourself to be

immobilized by fear what happens in the

process is that you begin to abused

yourself you begin to sabotage your life

you begin to sabotage your dreams you

begin to unconsciously work against

yourself you become your own worst enemy

so what do you do about that

well you you begin to realize that your

dream and your gifts have so much

meaning and so much value for you till

your hunger for them will begin to push

you past the fear your hunger to have

them will give you a special drive as

you work on yourself as you begin to

acknowledge your true identity the true

power that you have the true capacity

you have to bring about change the

miracle-working power that you have

within yourself to do the things that

you want to do

when you take them on I’m reminded of a

man who this gentleman was doing a

special study of a special tribe in

Africa headhunters and he had difficulty

in developing a relationship with these

tribesmen because of the fact that he

had fear he had a fear that would take

his head a day all fears are bad that

was a legitimate fear that’s a good fear

to give you a headache so he worked

there for a long time with no effort no

progress in developing relationship and

rapport and being able to achieve a

level of trust so finally one night

while he was in bed he was thinking

about said what what is it that you came

here to do what is your life work as a

missionary said I wanted to study these

tribesmen so what’s the worst thing that

they can do to you kill you and he just

decided hey this is what I came here to

do I know that there’s some risk

involved and I’m gonna do it come what

may he said I’m not gonna be afraid of

you he went back to the next day and he

started doing the work and trying to

talk to and interview many of the

members of this tribe and they began to

respond to him they threw out the

welcome mat to him and years later when

people came to see what his progress was

they asked him how were you able to do

this how did you convert the

relationship from being hostile to that

of being positive he said something I

think has value for all of us

he said when life can no longer threaten

you with death so what else is there

what else is there

and the majority of the fears that we

have are not life or death fears and not

those kind of fears but through our

imagination we blow them out of

proportion and we give them more power

than they actually have or deserve and

we permit them to govern our lives we

permit them to determine how far we can

stretch out on our dreams and

discovering our stuff and as we begin to

look at ourselves and and begin to wait

a minute

Jeff’s getting to the point as you

assess yourself in and begin to prove

yourself and just away hole admit Holman

I’ve been sweating this out what can

what’s the worst thing that can happen

to me out of this will it kill me

well I die well why am I going through

all of these changes over this how much

power does this really have and am I the

one that’s feeding the power into it see

a lot of times we we allow ourselves to

be fed and to be programming to to being

afraid of you watch the news and read

the newspaper you’ll be scared to come

out the house am i right you’ll be

afraid so what kinds of things what

kinds of thoughts are you feeding your

consciousness what kind of things are

you putting in your mind that will

enable you to either move forward or to

justify why you’re staying where you are

another piece that I look at that

when I’ve finally decided that I was

gonna go to the dentist pain was so

great I couldn’t hold out any longer all

of a sudden the fear that matter

I can’t what take me not some people

need fear you know have a friend that

that we told him hey man you know you

need to lose some weight you gettin

overweight and out of shape and at our

age we need to have a regular program

and bud said man I’ve been fat since out

um you know I’m big-boned I’ve never

seen a fat skeleton though yeah well bud

became ill how many of you ever seen a

fast kill to raise yeah but became ill

passed out and I was there and the

doctor was talking to him and but I

think was gonna go right back to say no

eating habits and doing everything you

know there’s a look here you are a

diabetic

I said now here’s some of the side

effects you know you could go blind you

can become an amputee none of that

touched him he said you can become

impotent he said what did you say every

day he’s in a body sculpt Rick

48 years young he looks great I can’t

believe for just that one statement made

all the difference in the world but is a

new man to date so what is it that has

to happen to you

some people don’t take corrective

measures to improve their health until

they get a pronouncement that they’re

about to die then they’re starting okay

all right I’m ready to do whatever you

want me to do but they won’t do that

they can see people drop it off like

flies around there well that’s them you

got to go from something we go through

life really blocking ourselves

constantly and fear is one of the the

greatest instruments that we could use

to stifle our true potential when you

begin to to look at your life you can

decide to to use fear as a blocker or

you can decide to use it as building

blocks that you decide hey look here I’m

going to move in this direction I’m not

going to allow anything to stop me from

doing what I want to do we shake

somebody’s hand on your right and left

see when you begin to understand and

acknowledge your fear and you go forth

anyhow

you go forth in a spirit and unknowing

that there’s a way that you can begin to

handle this there’s a way out here

somewhere there’s a solution what it is

that you’re seeking that you have the

capacity to whatever comes up to handle

it to face it and rather than feeling

powerless you begin to feel powerful

see when all of the major downsizings

that are taking place around this

country there are a lot of people who

are biting their fingers and fear that

they might lose their jobs but there are

few people who have decided within

themselves I’m going to make it some

people aren’t waiting to be cut some

people are moving on their own because

they feel within themselves I’ve got

what it takes to make it they’re not

afraid about tomorrow because of how

they see themselves because of what they

feel that they deserve because of what

they feel that they can create for

themselves because these people have

decided as they look at the future as

they look at themselves there’s a way

where there’s a will there’s a way for

me to begin to create a way out of no

way and when you have that kind of

consciousness when you have that kind of

spirit nothing can stop you nothing

what would your life be like as you look

toward the future if you decided I’m not

going to allow my fears to stop me what

would your life be like what would your

future be like if you decided to to want

that which you desire so strongly that

it prepares you past your fears that you

experienced a fear as the one book says

feel the fear and do it anyway what

would your life be like and I’m saying

to you that all of us who have been

entombed by fear have the capacity to

resurrect ourselves and to resurrect our

and you have is it easy no it’s not easy

can I do it yes what’s one of the ways

to get started some of us need somebody

to hold our hands sometimes we need

somebody to help us out be willing to

say I don’t know be willing to reach out

be willing to get some assistance to

take you to the next level of what great

athlete you never expect boxes to make

profound statements I think was Joe

Frazier who said this one he says all of

us are like the blind man at some point

in our lives standing on the corner

waiting for somebody to lead us across

to all of us at some point in our lives

need some help need someone to reach out

to us decide the Lifeline to help us go

cross some treacherous waters that we

couldn’t navigate by ourselves none of

us do it by ourselves all of us at some

point of our lives we need that kind of

help we need that kind of assistance

because we grow from the people we have

in our lives that can enrich our lives

personally professionally spiritually

and all the dimensions of our lives we

don’t grow in a vacuum so if you look at

yourself whatever fears you have that

maybe you need some help and

strengthening yourself in that area as

you assess your strengths and your

weaknesses as you begin to improve

yourself and your passions and your

dreams and your goals and the things

that you want if you decide to

experience all of your true potential as

you decide to manifest all of your

greatness as you decide wait a minute

what what else is available to me out

here if I decided to experience the fear

of rejection the fear of no the fear of

failure the fear of standing by myself

what else is available of taking a

chance of fear

losing it all what else is available to

me that will bring some extra meaning

and value the fear people not liking me

you know how many people do things they

don’t want to do because they want

everybody to like them everybody’s not

good at like you

excuse me special announcement

everybody’s not going to like you know

that’s it’s just not that kind of world

what but you know a lot of people who

won’t take positions on issues who won’t

take a stand for things they believe in

who won’t speak up for themselves

because they don’t want to make anybody

mad oh it was Bill Cosby he said I don’t

know what the secret of success is he

said but here’s what I know what the

secret of failures he said trying to

please everybody you can’t please

everybody but there people who have a

fear of rocking the boat so then just go

alone in life just go along well so how

do you feel well I don’t really want to

say how many of you know people like

that raise your head these people are

living they’re not truly experiencing

life what do you really want to do well

I don’t like this but I guess I’ll go

ahead on and dunno

the life is too short for that too short

and unpredictable moseying through not

trying to disturb anything not trying to

shake anything up not trying to make any

waves you see there are some people who

who come through the universe in their

level of contribution and the level of

energy they manifest is so small so

inconspicuous that when they go you

won’t even know they left I mean they’re

people who died on jobs and and you same

where’s John Oh jump and dead six miles

you’re kidding I guess we did miss it

but there’s some people because of their

personality because of their

contribution because of their the

investment of their time and their

energy and the impact they have their

that when they go everybody will miss

them so when Mother Teresa checks out

everybody will know when Rosa Parks

everybody will know Nelson Mandela

everybody will know what because of

their contribution si but there’s some

people because their contribution is so

small no one will care

some saying before you are boxed and

Barrett decide that you’re gonna box and

bury your fears decide that you’re going

to begin to live life on a new level

it’s seeking out new horizons that you

were to find more love and more joy and

more ways to give more to life God said

something I love this he says everything

a man does for himself

guess what he takes with him but

everything he does for others he leaves

behind so when you begin to say what is

it that I want to leave what

contribution that I want to begin to

make what difference do I want to make

in life what is it that I want to do

with the rest of the life that I have

left what what chances I need to take

what risks do I need to begin to embrace

what fears do I need to step on what

areas of my life am i dead right now

what three you can even live your dreams

or live your fears you have got to get

to a point where you say I’m sick and

tired of living like this there’s got to

be more let’s see that’s when people go

out and strike out on their dreams

that’s when people get out of

relationships where they’re dying

together rather than growing together

that’s where they leave jobs so where

you going to

do you have another job no I don’t what

are you going to make it I don’t know

but I will see you will when you put

yourself in that kind of situation I’m

reminded of two frogs that that were

huffing down the road and they they fell

into a bottle of milk and one was

hopping up and down for a while and he

drowned he just gave up but his on the

Frog just kept on kicking he wouldn’t

give up he just kept on kicking and

pretty soon he churned that milk into butter and he walked on

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