and as you think about these goals
whatever those goals are I want you to
dramatically increase those goals and I
want to warn you I don’t want you to
think about how you’re going to do it
how is none of your business
the most important thing is just to
increase those goals dramatically I’ve
found that most people fail in life not
because they aim too high and miss most
people fail in life because they aim too
low and hit and many don’t aim at all so
raise the bar on yourself and don’t ask
how you do it how are you going to do it
I’ll never forget when I decided that I
wanted to become a motivational speaker
I saw the the late dr. Norman Vincent
Peale and and my heart said I can do
that but my mind asked the question how
and for over 14 years for 14 years I
would go see zig Zigler and dr. Norman
Vincent Peale
and Jim Rohn and different speakers and
I would be in the audience and and my
heart would pounce and say you can do
that you can do that less and then when
I would leave I would be going to the
parking lot and my mind said how you’re
going to do it and I spent so many years
trying to figure out how I wasted 14
years how many of you ever have
procrastinated raise your hands please
yes see so so as you begin to think
about your goals the most important
thing is and write this down commit
yourself see once you commit yourself
the how will come the way will come once
you commit yourself you will then figure
it out and if you’re going in the wrong
direction all you have to turn around
and go the other direction you will
figure it out you want to begin to just
challenge yourself you want to stretch
yourself because you really don’t know
what you can’t do I never forget the
first day that I met mr. Washington I
was born in a poor section of Miami
Florida called Liberty City I was born
in an abandoned building on a floor with
a twin brother and when we were 6 weeks
of age we were adopted and when I was in
the 5th grade I was identified as iam
are labeled educable mentally retarded
put back for the 5th grade to the 4th
grade
and I fell again when I was in eighth
grade I don’t have any college education
but
because of my mother and I feel like
Abraham Lincoln who said all that I am
and all that I ever hoped to be I owe to
my mother I saw a sign once it said that
God took me from our biological mother’s
womb and placed me in the heart of my
adopted mother
so my first major goal was to buy my
mother a home to take care of my mother
and I did that took care of her until
she passed at 88 but I’ll never forget
when I met mr. Washington I was in a
class waiting on another student and and
he came in and he said young man go to
the board and work this problem out for
us I still owe Sarah I can’t do that
just say why I said I’m not one of you
students he said look at me I said yes
sir go to the board and work the problem
out anyhow I said Sarah I can’t do what
you asking me to do he said why sir
because I’m imaginable mentally retarded
sir and as the students erupted in
laughter he came from behind his desk he
looked at me he said don’t you ever say
that again
someone’s opinion of you does not have
to become your reality and I was a
turning point in my life on one hand I
was humiliated but on the other hand I
was liberated because he looked at me
with the eyes of Goethe who said look at
a man the way that he is he only becomes
worse but look at him as if he were what
he could be then he becomes what he
should be
and so mr. Washington he challenged me
and I want to challenge you right now
about raising your goals and and I want
you to shake someone’s hand on your
right and left look him in the eyes and
yes II see I think that that you really
have to stretch yourself to discover
your stuff I think that we have to
really begin to experiment with life and
I said that you have something special I
didn’t say that just to be kind of
courteous you do say I think that there
are not many people that come to
seminars and workshops that will watch
your program of this nature why I just
think that most people are just
satisfied to where they are
I’m reminded of a man one day he was
walking down the street he passed his
porch where some people on the porch
talking there was a dog mourning and
groaning and he was curious why the dog
was mourning and groaning it here he
went back and he said I’m excuse me you
ask the owner watch the dog moaning and
groaning guy said because he’s laying on
a nail yes or why would he get off it’s
that it’s not hurting bad enough for him
to get off just hurting bad enough to
moan and groan how many you know people
who should be here raise your hands
please how many of you know people all
they do is board or grow more than grown
up I’m not making enough money born and
grown up I’m unhappy with my job 87% of
people go to jobs that may hate and it
in addition to that you know as we know
that that we have the dubious
distinction in this country that on
Monday morning the heart attack rate
increases over 35% on Monday morning
between 6 o’clock and nine people going
to jobs that they hate the HUD said did
not tell you I didn’t want to go and
some of you don’t want to go to work
next but so the thing is this so you
want to find out what resonates with you
what is it you really want to do you
want to experiment with right and find
out what fits for you you have something
special you have greatness within you
you have the ability to do more than you
can ever begin to imagine see I believe
that anybody through observation and
practice can perform at the level of
excellence but when you’re pursuing your
greatness and this is worth writing down
you don’t know what your limits are and
you act like you don’t have any so I say
to you you have something special you
have greatness within you and I want to
make four things clear number one
everything that I’m going to say you
already know it if what I share the
message that that I’m going to express
right now and share with you if it
wasn’t a part of who you are already
you wouldn’t be in the audience that’s
number one that’s not that’s very
important it’s already in you I’m gonna
only confirm and validate that which is
a part of you anyhow the second thing is
everything I’m going to say to you
you’ve heard it before from people with
college degrees and credentials I can’t
hold a candle to it’s common sense but
not common practice third thing is I
don’t want you to agree with me and I
don’t want you to believe me I just want
you to be open to some things right now
I want you to think beyond that which is
commonly allowed I don’t tell you what
I’m up to
I want you to think about your goals and
I want to tell you what I’m going to do
right now my whole goal is to get past
your mind that’s my whole challenge and
there’s nothing you can do about it I’m
gonna do that so your assignment was to
show up my assignment is to get past
your mind and get into your heart once
you think about the goals that you want
to achieve and I really want to
challenge you to make up your mind that
you’re gonna make that happen for
yourself and I hope that if some goal
that that really resonates with who you
are when I was a little boy my goal was
to to just buy groceries for our family
my mother worked on Miami Beach she was
a domestic worker
and and my goal was to to real
be able to go to the grocery store and
purchase groceries ourselves the
families know that my mother had adopted
seven children and so they said maybe
whatever food is left over after we eat
you can take that home to the children
they were very kind very very
considerate people the mother my mother
who when she worked on Miami Beach the
people were very kind I was appreciative
of their generosity but as a little boy
I said mama one day when I become a big
boy Homa be able to buy groceries for us
my goal is a little boy let’s buy
clothes for my brothers and sisters we
wore the hand-me-down clothes of the
children that mama babysat for ones
she went over in Miami Beach and hid if
the clothes were too small she would let
them out and if they’re too large mama
could sew and take them up and I’ll
never forget David Sedaris key his
father was very wealthy mama worked for
him but David is my buddy and so his
father gave him two gifts for his
birthday
gave him a brand new boat but he also
gave you some motivational tapes hurled
nightingale I’ll never forget so he said
David man let me tell you something when
I die you’re going to get everything I
want you to listen to these tapes and
and when his father left the room David
threw those tapes in the wastebasket I
said David can I have those tapes he
said yes I said man your father said if
you listen to these you can get more and
do more than what he’s done he’s there
look I don’t get everything anyhow it a
go
I’ve had two about children I’m not
leaving them anything you know if I had
a quarter and thought I was gonna die a
ripeness down is not what you leave for
your children is what you leave in them
not what you leave for them what you
leave in them no absolutely not tell you
something else happened I don’t forget
mama came home one day and said Leslie
David sent you a new pair of shoes his
father got for him I said oh mama thank
you so much I can’t wear David shoes and
why well you tell my buddy that you know
I wear sizing at nine and a half he
wears size nine she said boy shut up sit
down and put those shoes on she said my
ran go get some Vaseline you came in
there and my sister started rubbing the
Vaseline on my feet and she said run
some water in the bathtub and she’s not
going in and and put your feet on shoes
and don’t match the heel down I said
mama don’t didn’t shut up boy don’t
match the heel down and then she had me
to get in the bath just mama Lee she was
hurt she said get in there walk around
in the water and I’m walking around the
bathtub this she try to distract me I
knew what she said how’d you do at
school today I did good that you’re
getting in fights no ma’am you know you
fought somebody
well I only hit three people today and
and then after while she’s how you doing
I said well they hurt do they hurt as
bad as they were before no ma’am they
feel look the better keep on walking
keep on walking and then after a while
when the leather soaked up the water
the leather began to stretch to a
perfect nine and a half you think
fortune 500 companies started talking
about doing more with less my mother
been doing that for a long time it’s
amazing what you can do but who’d have
thought anybody looking in on this kid
and these seven children who would have
thought and I look at you I say you have
greatness within you you have the
ability to do more than you can ever
begin to imagine no one could have
convinced me that I would be doing what
I’m doing right now you know the easiest
thing I do every year is going to a
sales organization and dramatically
increase their sales or go into a prison
and enable prisoners to see themselves
differently and teach
the methods and techniques of how to
plug into the system or motivate young
people to begin to to see how they can
have a vision of themselves in future
and fit that’s the easiest thing I do
that or train a speaker to help them to
leverage their experience as a speaker
and sit look speaking as a projection of
who you are not who you think you ought
to be and come with power from a
platform that’s the easiest thing I’ve
ever done let me share with you the most
difficult thing I’ve ever done
the most difficult thing I’ve ever done
was to believe that I can do what I’m
now doing no one could have convinced me
just given my circumstances I earn
millions of dollars every year no one
could have convinced me if both my
parents came up here right now I would
not know either one no one could have
convinced me being labeled educable
mentally retarded born an abandoned
building of Florida Liberty City poor
section of Miami Florida failing twice
in school notes college training never
worked for major corporation I did not
know how I can do what I’m doing right
now I never forget Mike Williams my
mentor one I think a lot of people fail
in life because of the fact that they
need some mentoring they need some
coaching repeat out to be pleased you
need you need some coaching yes si si
you can’t see the picture when you’re in
the frame I remember Mike saying less
you can do this Mike Mike how man wait a
minute Mike how much how much I’m not
going to be able to to to to charge my
less you well you could start out at
$1,000 now huh Mike I don’t make that
working for two weeks
come on Mike hey Mike man I appreciate
your belief in me Mike look Mike I work
for the Miami sanitation department that
I’ve I’ve been a garbage collector you
know you know I’ve done door-to-door
sales that was great and you know I’m
here as a disc jockey that’s good Mike
but my god I don’t think I can do that
less you can
but Mike I don’t have any credentials
I’ve never have never written any book
anything then I’m I’m not rich how can I
teach somebody to do something I’ve
never done but less why don’t you just
test yourself won’t you stretch less
come on man
Mike I don’t know and here’s something I
realized write this out sometimes you
have to believe in somebody’s belief in
you until your belief kicks in
I respect Mike Williams here this young
man he he saw something in me that I
didn’t see it in strong analytical mind
and I looked at him I always respected
his thinking and he looked at me and he
made me feel special and I said okay
Mike and I just kept holding on to what
Mike said to me I just kept holding on
to what mr. Washington said to me I kept
holding on to my mother saying your
specialist Lee when they said you’re a
jerk about mental retarded mama didn’t
know what that meant you had a
third-grade education so she said he’ll
be all right already hard head Baker
soft behind he’ll be fine but she said
you’re special baby
you are special and they kept saying
that over and over again faith comes by
hearing and hearing and hearing and so
here’s what I want you to let us say
together as you think about your goals
in your dream let us say together it’s
possible together please say like you
mean it
thank you write that down see see most
people never achieve their goals because
most people suffer from possibility
blindness they look about they look
around trying to think about the things
that they don’t have a Robert roots
young man who wrote a book about success
principles of the three little pigs he
said it’s not what you don’t have is
what you think you need that keeps you
from being successful or happy in life
it’s not what you don’t have see I
always focus on what I didn’t have I
don’t have a college degree don’t have
any credentials you never worked for a
major corporation I always focused on
the negative finger said negative things
are the things that you see when you not
focus on your goal what do you come with
what is it that you have within you that
you showed up to bring hey
you don’t know but my dream is a long
shot long shot friend of mine Dexter
Jaeger said when the dream is big enough
the odds don’t matter
I’m reminded of a great man now it’s
reading Time magazine talking about some
of the great minds of the last century
they didn’t mention his name dr. Howard
Thurman one of the mentors of dr. Martin
Luther King jr. and also an advisor to
Mahatma Gandhi and and Albert Schweitzer
and he said the ideal situation for a
man a woman to die is to have family
members standing around their bed
praying with them as they cross over but
imagine if you will being on your
deathbed and standing around your bed
the dreams given to you by life the
ideas that you never acted on the
talents the gifts the abilities that you
never used and there they are standing
around your bed looking at you with
large angry eyes saying we came to you
and only you could have given us life
and now we must die with you forever and
the question is if you died this very
moment what will die with you what
dreams what ideas what talents what
leadership potential what greatness that
you showed up to brain that you allowed
fear of procrastination to hold you back
perhaps that’s why Henry David Thoreau
wrote the word Oh God to reach the point
of death only to realize that you’ve
never lived only to realize that you’ve
never scraped the surface of your
potential repeat out to be pleased with
power feeling and conviction I refuse to
die an unlived life
yes shake someone’s hand on your right
and left and say live your dream yeah I
think we should all resolve I refuse to
die and unlived like don’t worry about
the art you survive one out of 40
million sperms you will never have those
are together you beat those odds you can
win anything here’s something else stop
most people know it is failure let us
say together I will fail my way to
success yes write that down I will fail
my way to success say eight out of ten
millionaires have been financially
bankrupt 85% of people allow their fear
of failure to outweigh their desire to
succeed and I believe that the reason
that most people go so far in life and
stop Maya Angelou said it best she she
wrote a poem she said that most people
go so far in life and then they park
they pull off the highway of life
especially when they get some hits
especially when they’ve been rejected
especially if they have an illness
especially if they lose something they
they talk and and I take it further they
don’t even turn on their emergency
lights it’s not because that they are
broken down they don’t want anybody to
stop and say hey look here I’ve got some
jumping cables in my trunk you need you
need a jump
Hey look here there’s a service station
ahead about three or four miles I have a
can I can take you up there and get some
gasoline oh no I’m just fine I had a
talk show once and highest rated fastest
council talk show in the history of
television well at least I had one and
and I was excited at that the you know
one time I came in the television years
ago in the televisions based upon
conflict in controversy so I said I want
a solution-oriented talk show first
concept in that time high ratings and
the syndicated say you just got lucky
come on let’s do these other type of
shows you can be a Jerry Springer no no
that’s not why I came here no I
that we live in the greatest country
world where we should sell hold
ourselves to certain standards huh I’m
not gonna come here and sell out on Who
I am I’m not gonna compromise I’m not
gonna lower my standards for you no
that’s not why I showed up and so they
fired security walk him out I said I can
walk by myself
but let me tell you what happened I took
a hit and I parked it wasn’t that I
didn’t have the ability to do more my
concept was good but what happened when
I took the hit when they canceled the
show I cancelled myself when they said
the show is going to be taken off
television it won’t work I told myself
les you can’t succeed in television and
I thought you know what I did I went
back to my comfort zone as a
motivational speaker at least I’m doing
better than most people that’s nothing
to compare yourself the worse that other
people are doing and then make yourself
feel better now I thought I didn’t have
my emergency lights on I didn’t want to
show up on the radar I plugged you know
how long I parked I parked for ten years
do you hear me now I’m like Regis
Philbin when his shows were canceled he
kept going he kept going he kept going
and he got other shows I bet you
somebody gave him a push somebody said
hey you need a lift I don’t even make
that an option for me I got off the
highway I’ve went back to my comfort
zone and I parked the show fail and I
identified myself as a failure and guess
something happened one day I’m just
flipping the channels looking at PBS and
saw Wayne Dyer my friend Wayne Dyer and
watch it wait we’re both in our 60s
Wayne is still doing it
Wow the little hair he has it’s gray
he’s still there
I said hey I’ve got some more stuff in
me I’ve got another PBS special in me
I’ve got some other ideas you know you
over and fill them doing my stuff maybe
I need to come back out here and I went
back inside calling PBS and and
different people I said les what
happened to you I said well I’m I didn’t
know whether or not anybody would be
interested in me because the show was
canceled no no you had some good ideas
and when they said yeah we’ll love to do
a show with you is that you what they
said yes and when I went into the studio
and people that worked with ten years
ago they were still there and I said
guys you know do you guys still habits
that we have it do you have it I said I
think so and I did the show and I wasn’t
as good as I was ten years ago because I
had off the highway I’ve gotten off the
highway of life I’ve been parked for so
long it’s taking me some time to get my
strength back to find my power to get my
confidence back but at least I’m back
out there in the game determined to dry
so I say to you see I only have tried
millionaires of millionaires in training
just go get that in a minute you have
something special you have greatness
within you and the only reason you are
here you are my assignment you can feel
me some of you feel me right here in
your heart of heart and my goal and is
to get past your mind and enter your
heart so it’s necessary that you you
have the mindset that I can do this
you’ve got to begin to believe and to
fortify that belief and feed that belief
by listening to tapes going to seminars
in workshops by challenging yourself by
stretching yourself
it was Osbourne who said unless you
attempt to do something beyond that
which you’ve already mastered you will
never grow and as you begin to challenge
yourself you’ll discover some things
about yourself that you don’t know right
now the other thing is you begin to look
at yourself look at your dreams and and
begin begin to experiment and stepping
in to your greatness one of the things
that’s very important whatever goals and
dreams that you have repeat after me
please make your move before you’re
ready you have price prejudice of a
great great a motivator and trainer said
make your move before you’re ready
we’re in instructed in in life to walk
by faith and not by sight so you want to
really begin to stretch yourself you
want to become a risk-taker you want to
raise the bar on yourself most people
won’t do that see most people engage in
low life living low risk living this God
said if you’re not willing to risk you
cannot grow and if you cannot grow you
cannot become your best and if you
cannot become your best you can’t be
happy and if you can’t be happy then
what else is there I like what Helen
Keller said life is short and
unpredictable eat the dessert first and
so you want to begin to take some
chances you want to begin to challenge
yourself and make it okay to fail and
learn from your failures don’t allow
fear of failure and the allure the
attractiveness of playing it safe in
life to draw you in you can’t get out of
life alive you’ve got to die to leave
here other thing is you look at yourself
and look at your dreams detoxify your
life write that down see I think that
most people never achieve their true
goals in life because they’re surrounded
with too many toxic negative energy
draining people you’ve got to look at
the people in your life and ask yourself
the question what is this relationship
doing to me how is it impacting my life
I’m a better person Sidney Poitier wrote
a book called the measure of a man and
it’s a powerful but I’ll encourage you
to get the tapes I love his voice and
and he said something and there he said
when you go for a walk with someone
something happens unconsciously it’s not
spoken either you adjust to their pace
or they’re just to your pace whose pace
have you adjusted to see you want to
surround yourself Maya duck my daughter
ona Brown who’s the speaker and coach
she says call forth your team but make
sure these are people that you can learn
from and never forget I’m gonna special
board with a bishop TD jakes and we went
into a board meeting he looked at
everybody before opening the meeting he
said as soon as I know as much as you do
you’re fired
and with that the meeting is now open
everybody continued to learn on that
pour trust me that a friend of mine did
his Kimbrough motivational speaker out
of Atlanta he said if you’re the
smartest one in your group you need to
get a new group so as you look at
yourself and look into the future call
forth your team George Frazier says your
network determines your net worth who do
you allow to be in your ear what kind of
relationships are you developing are
then asset to you or their liability do
they elevate your spirits or do they
tear you down if we get two types of
people nourishing people and toxic
people nourishing people they bring the
best out of you they encourage you they
inspire you they hold you accountable
toxic people they’re critical people
always telling you what you can’t do
always measuring your possibilities
based upon their failures
my mother said never let anybody tell
you what you can’t do son is
if they haven’t done it they don’t know
what’s possible for you so you began to
look at yourself begin to identify the
relationships that you communicate with
most and say hey is this relationship
helpful to me and then think about some
people that you need to bring into your
life that you can learn from that you
can grow from I joined the National
Speakers Association when I decided that
I wanted to speak I wanted to be around
the people that were doing what I wanted
to do I’ll never forgive it I saw dr.
Norman Vincent Peale is it you you have
something special you have greatness
within you and you can do more than you
can ever begin to imagine and Here I am
in the audience oh my goodness
I dread the power positive thinking
seventeen times my hero
and I saw him backstage and as a dr.
Peale hi my name is les brown I’ve
listened to your tapes and I have read
your books they gave them to us in
special education sir and one day I
would love to be on stage with you and
he looked at me and said it’s possible
young man it’s possible but this man
when he spoke he gave me goose pimples
deep baritone voice dope spoke from his
diaphragm you have something special you
have greatness within you
he override the inner conversations in
my mind I’ll never forget a gentleman
what a brilliant man a Harvard graduate
dr. Carter Qi would sit he said if you
can determine what a man shall think you
never have to concern yourself at what
he will do if you can make a man feel in
theory and never after compelling the
secret and fear his status for he will
seek it himself and if you can make a
man feel justly an outcast never have to
already have to go to the back door
he’ll go without being told and if
there’s no door his very nature will
demand want see we live in a world where
we’re told more about our limitations
rather than our potential how many have
ever been told that you couldn’t do
something raise your hands please your
MIT did a study that if I say to you you
can’t do that that 16 people have to
come alone and say you can do that you
can do that you can do that to
neutralize that and the 17th state
that you hear you can do it will be the
one that will finally stick so you have
to watch who’s speaking in to you you’ve
got to begin to monitor your mind and
and you’ve got to begin to literally be
proactive in programming yourself to
success be not conformed to this world
be it transformed by the renewing of
your mind you’ve got to take
responsibility to make that happen
and as you begin to do that you’ll begin
to see some incredible changes in life
understand when Earl Nightingale said
all of us are self-made but only the
successful will admit it as you begin to
look at your dreams and look at your
goals write this down make know you’re a
vitamin C most people stop short of
their dreams in park and get off the
highway of life because of the
rejections of life you will always be
rejected it’s no big deal so I can’t
feel said rejection is a myth it’s not
like when somebody says no and then they
slap you no it’s just you know to me
make know your vitamin get excited about
that know why because every time someone
says no that brings you another step to
a yes you’re getting closer trust me you
will win if you don’t quit you will win
if you don’t quit even a broken clock is
Right twice a day
the other thing is as you look at
yourself and look at you goes and look
at your dreams assess yourself what do
you stress
what do you weaknesses what do you bring
to the table when I looked at becoming a
motivational speaker I looked at all the
speakers and I noticed that they were
pretty much scripted so I said what is
it that can make me stand out I don’t
have any college education I don’t have
any credentials I never worked for a
major corporation what is that I can do
to offset my weaknesses and then
something say well less and this is very
important mr. Washington mr. brown yes
sir what do you want to do with your
life I want to become successful good he
said you must be willing to do the
things that a others won’t do in order
to have the things tomorrow others won’t
ah that’s why you said you have
something special see very few people go
to seminars and workshops they’ll go to
a concert but showing up to get
something that could expand their minds
and help them to begin to see their
lives differently to give them a
a vision of themselves they’ll be too
busy or they said well how much does it
cause well information cost but it pays
for itself here’s the other thing is
ladies and gentlemen let’s say it’s me
yeah see it’s it’s possible you can live
your dream it’s necessary that you have
the mindset that that I’m going to do
this but you’ve got to take ownership
you’ve got inside hey I’m gonna do this
you’re gonna you got to take
responsibility for your life George
Bernard Shaw said the people that make
it in this life they look around for the
circumstances that they want and if they
can’t find them they create them you’ve
got to say it’s me you’ve got to say and
say this with with conviction I expect
to win yes I think it’s important that
we say that you know if you ask most
people do you want to become successful
they will say yes took my oldest son for
a walk my namesake
you know we always expect our children
to do far more than what we do said
Calvin he wants his own identity he’s
Leslie Calvin Brown jr. I stopped it
looked him in the eyes I said do you
want to be successful son he said yes
our dad very good let’s walk son walk
further stopped him again
I said Calvin look me in the eye son yes
sir dad do you expect to be successful
son and he said there and he looked at
me and his eyes got glassy you said
let’s walk and the reason that he said
let’s walk because my son is very bright
of all my children he’s perhaps the
smartest one but Calvin now over 30
Calvin now a single parent of two
daughters good father
Calvin now this stage of his life he’s
behind on his dreams lot of talent a lot
of abilities very conservative one of
those people great mind but just just
hasn’t developed that you know things
that we want our kids to have that I
wanted Calvin
you got to kick it up a notch son you
never thought you’d be in your 30s you
got to kick it up a notch
you got to increase your energy in order
to to live your dreams you can’t be
casual about your dreams bill bill they
said if you casual about your dream
you’ll end up a casualty shake someone’s
hand on your right and left and say kick
it up a notch yes yes you got to kick it
up a notch what is it you bring and
whatever you bring you’ve got to kick it
up a notch what is your signature as you
look at where you want to go and what it
is you want to do as you look at your
product or your services repeat out to
me please provide more service and you
get paid for yeah see that becomes your
signature when you look at your goals
and look at where you want to go that
your products that your services that
your industry you want to set some high
standards for yourself
I had like what Henry David Thoreau said
do not go with a path may lead but go
where there’s no path and leave a trail
how is it that your industry will be
done differently five years from now ten
years from now what is your reputation
in your industry when you come into a
room and you leave what’s the
scuttlebutt about you do people say hey
that’s a go-to person that’s a person if
you ask them to do that job you’re
talking about a job being done it will
be done extremely well are you known for
that person that that stand out with
what you do that stand out with your
quality of service with your standards
always looking for ways to better your
best are you one of those people that
believe what if it ain’t broke don’t fix
it Japanese believe it ain’t perfect
keep working on it are you willing to
keep working on are you willing are you
willing to realize that you have not
done your best stuff yet that you can
better your best you’ve got to take
responsibility for that and now let’s go
to the next level not only is it
possible that you can live your dream
it’s the necessary that you call forth
your team and surround yourself with
people that you can learn from and grow
from that you must work on yourself and
monitor yourself at and train yourself
that you’ve got to begin to take total
responsibility for the outcomes that you
want to produce in your life but let us
say together with power and conviction
it’s hard
yes ladies and gentlemen living a dream
changing your life is hard it’s hard
when you lose all your money when you
you you’ve given it the best that you
have whoo and you have some major
setback his heart when a doctor looked
at me and said to three horrible words
no one wants to hear you have cancer it
was hard to mobilize my mind in spirit
to listen to tapes and music and read
scripture and be around other people in
seeking out other prostate cancer
conquerors to believe that I could do
this it was hard never forget my son
said daddy are you going to die why you
asking me that you’re not going out much
you’re not the bubbly personality that I
know you to be you’re not talking much
you’re spending a lot of time in the
room by yourself dad are you on a
surrender are you giving up how you
gonna let that that doctor’s opinion
become your reality
well my daddy see me graduate yes yes
yes yes I’m gonna fight no no I don’t
think it’s my time yet I’m gonna see you
graduate but more than that I’ve got
some other things that I’m gonna do with
my life and I thank you for asking me
that but I must tell you that I’m scared
I’m scared and I’ve never been in this
situation before it’s been easy for me
to talk to people and encourage people
when they’ve had challenges in their
lives but it’s me
and I don’t feel less than a man and let
and admitting this to you yes I’m scared
and I need some help
repeat after me please ask for help not
because you’re we
but because you want to remain strong
and ask for help and don’t stop until
you get it yes see see life is hard and
there are some moments in life when
you’re going to need some help you’re
gonna need somebody to speak to you
you’re gonna need somebody to say
something to you I have a friend of mine
Willie Jolley’s the motivational speaker
he said a setback is a setup for a
comeback I had to listen to Willie’s
tapes I have another friend Kevin braces
who’s a speaker he said les come on man
you can do this you can make this happen
you can hit a home run it’s a done deal
you’re Les Brown that cancers got to get
out of your body I said talk to me Kevin
talk to me that’s what I need to hear I
needed to hear those words okay who you
are many people want to allow themselves
to ask for help because of a pride pride
cometh before fall because of ego ego
means edging god no as for hell not
because you’re weak but because you want
to remain strong and ask for help and
don’t stop until you get it I’m here
because a lot of people helped me I’m
here because a lot of people believed in
me at a time when I was struggling to
believe in myself the other thing is let
us say together it’s worth it here see I
think and write this down you gotta find
five reasons that will make it worth it
for you five reasons what will make it
worth it for you mine was I want to take
care of my mother mine was I want to do
something with my life what will make it
worth it
for you – I want to leave a legacy – I
refuse to die an unlived life what will
make it worth it for you repeat after me
please you got to be hungry mister why
she said mr. Brown what do you want to
do with your life is Sarah I want to
become a disc jockey is that right yes
sir
good mr. Brown you got to be hungry
instead I want you to listen to Paul
Harvey he’s the world’s greatest
communicator always find a coach or
mentor someone that’s doing what it is
you want to do watch them listen to how
he does the rest of the story listen to
his voice mr. brown develop your mind
and develop your communication skills
because once you open your mouth young
man you tell the world
who you are and don’t forget mr. Brown
you got to be hungry take the time to
develop yourself so I’ll start training
and working on myself then pretty soon I
came to him I said sir
I’ve been working on myself I’ve done
the things that you told me to do I
listen to Earl Nightingale all the time
and Zig and I’ve been reading dr. Norman
Vincent pills book head and I’m ready hi
I practice every day two and three hours
sir is that right yes sir very good mr.
Brown you got to be hungry I said why do
you continue to say that so you people
that are hungry are unstoppable mr.
Brown people that are hungry no excuse
is acceptable go out and face the music
young man and don’t forget stay hungry
and make know your vitamin I went to
apply for a job on Miami Beach
Milton butterball Smith was the program
director hello mr. butterball how are
you sir my name is les francais I like
to be a disc jockey is a young man you
have in journalism in your background
who no sir don’t you have any experience
in broadcasting no sir I don’t
he said I’m sorry we don’t have any job
for you I went back and I told mr.
Washington I was devastated mr.
Washington they said no they wouldn’t
even allow me to to audition for them
sir mr. Brown don’t take it personally I
told you make know your vitamin most
people are so negative they have to say
no seven times before they say yes be
unstoppable mr. brown you got to be
hungry go back again yes sir
hello mr. butterball how are you sir my
name is les brown sir I like to be a
disc jockey young man weren’t you here
yesterday yes sir I was didn’t I tell
you no yesterday yes sir you did then
why are you back today well sir I didn’t
know the worth or not somebody was laid
off as somebody was fired sir nobody was
laid off a fired now get on out of here
I came back the next day
hello mister vote of all how are you sir
my name is les father I like to be a
disc jockey I know what your name is
weren’t you here the last two days yes
sir I was did not tell you no the last
two days yes sir you did then why are
you back today well sir I didn’t know
whether or not someone got sick or
someone died sir no one got sick who
died no one was laid off a fire now
don’t you come back here again
I came back the day today talking loud
looking happy like I see you for the
first time hello mr. butterball how are
you
he looked at me with rage he said don’t
give me some coffee I said yes so I
became the errand boy for the disc
jockeys I’d go get their lunch in their
dinner and I stand in the control room
memorizing their hand movements on the
control board and all the instruments
learning everything that I could because
I expected to be hired to be behind that
microphone then one day it was a
Saturday afternoon and a disc jockey by
the name of rocky and Roger was drinking
while he was on the air rock’n Roger got
so drunk he started slurring his words
he’s about to fall off the chair he
obviously could not complete his program
and there was looking at him through the
control room window Saturday afternoon I
was the only one there young ready and
hungry walking back and forth saying
drink ROC drank drank ROC ought to go
and get him some off you’d asked me to
then pretty soon the phone rang it was a
general manager and answered the phone I
said hello
he said young boy this is mr. Klein I
said I know he said rock can’t finish
his program I said I know he said would
you call one of the other DJ’s and I
said yes sir I hung the phone up I said
are you love me think I’m crazy
I called ba-ba-ba-ba girlfriend
Cassandra did y’all come out on the
front porch and turn up the radio I’m
bout to come on air I waited for about
20 minutes and I called him back I said
mr. Klein I can’t find nobody he said
young boy you’re not to work the
controls I said yes sir he said gone and
segue the records but don’t say nothing
here I said yes sir I couldn’t wait to
get a rock out of the way I put on a
fast record I said look out this is me
lb Triple P let’s brown your platter
playing papa there were none before me
and there will be done after me
therefore that makes me the one and only
young and single and loved Domingo
certified bonafide BB qualified to bring
you satisfaction at a whole lot of
action look out baby I’m your love man I
the people that want to step into their
greatness are hungry shake someone’s
hand on your right and left and say you
got to be hungry
what is your legacy what will your
statement be resolved every day read it
every day I refuse to die an unlived
life I’d like to leave this with you
there mommy used to love to hear me say
she say boys say that thing for me and I
dedicate this to you to the greatness
that’s within you because it’s there and
it says simply this if you want to think
bad enough to go out and fight for it to
work day and night for it to give up
your time your peace and sleep for it if
all that you dream and scheme is about
it and life seems useless and worthless
without it and if you gladly sweat for
it in fretboard and plan for it and lose
all your terror of the opposition for it
and if you simply go after that thing
that you want with all of your capacity
strength and sagacity Faith Hope and
confidence and stern pertinacity if
neither cold poverty family should go
sickness of pain of body and brain can
keep you away from the thing that you
want if dogged and grim you beseech and
beset it with the help of God you’ll get
it this has been mrs. Mamie Brown’s baby
boy god bless you and God bless america
you have greatness in you [Applause]
whatever those goals are I want you to
dramatically increase those goals and I
want to warn you I don’t want you to
think about how you’re going to do it
how is none of your business
the most important thing is just to
increase those goals dramatically I’ve
found that most people fail in life not
because they aim too high and miss most
people fail in life because they aim too
low and hit and many don’t aim at all so
raise the bar on yourself and don’t ask
how you do it how are you going to do it
I’ll never forget when I decided that I
wanted to become a motivational speaker
I saw the the late dr. Norman Vincent
Peale and and my heart said I can do
that but my mind asked the question how
and for over 14 years for 14 years I
would go see zig Zigler and dr. Norman
Vincent Peale
and Jim Rohn and different speakers and
I would be in the audience and and my
heart would pounce and say you can do
that you can do that less and then when
I would leave I would be going to the
parking lot and my mind said how you’re
going to do it and I spent so many years
trying to figure out how I wasted 14
years how many of you ever have
procrastinated raise your hands please
yes see so so as you begin to think
about your goals the most important
thing is and write this down commit
yourself see once you commit yourself
the how will come the way will come once
you commit yourself you will then figure
it out and if you’re going in the wrong
direction all you have to turn around
and go the other direction you will
figure it out you want to begin to just
challenge yourself you want to stretch
yourself because you really don’t know
what you can’t do I never forget the
first day that I met mr. Washington I
was born in a poor section of Miami
Florida called Liberty City I was born
in an abandoned building on a floor with
a twin brother and when we were 6 weeks
of age we were adopted and when I was in
the 5th grade I was identified as iam
are labeled educable mentally retarded
put back for the 5th grade to the 4th
grade
and I fell again when I was in eighth
grade I don’t have any college education
but
because of my mother and I feel like
Abraham Lincoln who said all that I am
and all that I ever hoped to be I owe to
my mother I saw a sign once it said that
God took me from our biological mother’s
womb and placed me in the heart of my
adopted mother
so my first major goal was to buy my
mother a home to take care of my mother
and I did that took care of her until
she passed at 88 but I’ll never forget
when I met mr. Washington I was in a
class waiting on another student and and
he came in and he said young man go to
the board and work this problem out for
us I still owe Sarah I can’t do that
just say why I said I’m not one of you
students he said look at me I said yes
sir go to the board and work the problem
out anyhow I said Sarah I can’t do what
you asking me to do he said why sir
because I’m imaginable mentally retarded
sir and as the students erupted in
laughter he came from behind his desk he
looked at me he said don’t you ever say
that again
someone’s opinion of you does not have
to become your reality and I was a
turning point in my life on one hand I
was humiliated but on the other hand I
was liberated because he looked at me
with the eyes of Goethe who said look at
a man the way that he is he only becomes
worse but look at him as if he were what
he could be then he becomes what he
should be
and so mr. Washington he challenged me
and I want to challenge you right now
about raising your goals and and I want
you to shake someone’s hand on your
right and left look him in the eyes and
yes II see I think that that you really
have to stretch yourself to discover
your stuff I think that we have to
really begin to experiment with life and
I said that you have something special I
didn’t say that just to be kind of
courteous you do say I think that there
are not many people that come to
seminars and workshops that will watch
your program of this nature why I just
think that most people are just
satisfied to where they are
I’m reminded of a man one day he was
walking down the street he passed his
porch where some people on the porch
talking there was a dog mourning and
groaning and he was curious why the dog
was mourning and groaning it here he
went back and he said I’m excuse me you
ask the owner watch the dog moaning and
groaning guy said because he’s laying on
a nail yes or why would he get off it’s
that it’s not hurting bad enough for him
to get off just hurting bad enough to
moan and groan how many you know people
who should be here raise your hands
please how many of you know people all
they do is board or grow more than grown
up I’m not making enough money born and
grown up I’m unhappy with my job 87% of
people go to jobs that may hate and it
in addition to that you know as we know
that that we have the dubious
distinction in this country that on
Monday morning the heart attack rate
increases over 35% on Monday morning
between 6 o’clock and nine people going
to jobs that they hate the HUD said did
not tell you I didn’t want to go and
some of you don’t want to go to work
next but so the thing is this so you
want to find out what resonates with you
what is it you really want to do you
want to experiment with right and find
out what fits for you you have something
special you have greatness within you
you have the ability to do more than you
can ever begin to imagine see I believe
that anybody through observation and
practice can perform at the level of
excellence but when you’re pursuing your
greatness and this is worth writing down
you don’t know what your limits are and
you act like you don’t have any so I say
to you you have something special you
have greatness within you and I want to
make four things clear number one
everything that I’m going to say you
already know it if what I share the
message that that I’m going to express
right now and share with you if it
wasn’t a part of who you are already
you wouldn’t be in the audience that’s
number one that’s not that’s very
important it’s already in you I’m gonna
only confirm and validate that which is
a part of you anyhow the second thing is
everything I’m going to say to you
you’ve heard it before from people with
college degrees and credentials I can’t
hold a candle to it’s common sense but
not common practice third thing is I
don’t want you to agree with me and I
don’t want you to believe me I just want
you to be open to some things right now
I want you to think beyond that which is
commonly allowed I don’t tell you what
I’m up to
I want you to think about your goals and
I want to tell you what I’m going to do
right now my whole goal is to get past
your mind that’s my whole challenge and
there’s nothing you can do about it I’m
gonna do that so your assignment was to
show up my assignment is to get past
your mind and get into your heart once
you think about the goals that you want
to achieve and I really want to
challenge you to make up your mind that
you’re gonna make that happen for
yourself and I hope that if some goal
that that really resonates with who you
are when I was a little boy my goal was
to to just buy groceries for our family
my mother worked on Miami Beach she was
a domestic worker
and and my goal was to to real
be able to go to the grocery store and
purchase groceries ourselves the
families know that my mother had adopted
seven children and so they said maybe
whatever food is left over after we eat
you can take that home to the children
they were very kind very very
considerate people the mother my mother
who when she worked on Miami Beach the
people were very kind I was appreciative
of their generosity but as a little boy
I said mama one day when I become a big
boy Homa be able to buy groceries for us
my goal is a little boy let’s buy
clothes for my brothers and sisters we
wore the hand-me-down clothes of the
children that mama babysat for ones
she went over in Miami Beach and hid if
the clothes were too small she would let
them out and if they’re too large mama
could sew and take them up and I’ll
never forget David Sedaris key his
father was very wealthy mama worked for
him but David is my buddy and so his
father gave him two gifts for his
birthday
gave him a brand new boat but he also
gave you some motivational tapes hurled
nightingale I’ll never forget so he said
David man let me tell you something when
I die you’re going to get everything I
want you to listen to these tapes and
and when his father left the room David
threw those tapes in the wastebasket I
said David can I have those tapes he
said yes I said man your father said if
you listen to these you can get more and
do more than what he’s done he’s there
look I don’t get everything anyhow it a
go
I’ve had two about children I’m not
leaving them anything you know if I had
a quarter and thought I was gonna die a
ripeness down is not what you leave for
your children is what you leave in them
not what you leave for them what you
leave in them no absolutely not tell you
something else happened I don’t forget
mama came home one day and said Leslie
David sent you a new pair of shoes his
father got for him I said oh mama thank
you so much I can’t wear David shoes and
why well you tell my buddy that you know
I wear sizing at nine and a half he
wears size nine she said boy shut up sit
down and put those shoes on she said my
ran go get some Vaseline you came in
there and my sister started rubbing the
Vaseline on my feet and she said run
some water in the bathtub and she’s not
going in and and put your feet on shoes
and don’t match the heel down I said
mama don’t didn’t shut up boy don’t
match the heel down and then she had me
to get in the bath just mama Lee she was
hurt she said get in there walk around
in the water and I’m walking around the
bathtub this she try to distract me I
knew what she said how’d you do at
school today I did good that you’re
getting in fights no ma’am you know you
fought somebody
well I only hit three people today and
and then after while she’s how you doing
I said well they hurt do they hurt as
bad as they were before no ma’am they
feel look the better keep on walking
keep on walking and then after a while
when the leather soaked up the water
the leather began to stretch to a
perfect nine and a half you think
fortune 500 companies started talking
about doing more with less my mother
been doing that for a long time it’s
amazing what you can do but who’d have
thought anybody looking in on this kid
and these seven children who would have
thought and I look at you I say you have
greatness within you you have the
ability to do more than you can ever
begin to imagine no one could have
convinced me that I would be doing what
I’m doing right now you know the easiest
thing I do every year is going to a
sales organization and dramatically
increase their sales or go into a prison
and enable prisoners to see themselves
differently and teach
the methods and techniques of how to
plug into the system or motivate young
people to begin to to see how they can
have a vision of themselves in future
and fit that’s the easiest thing I do
that or train a speaker to help them to
leverage their experience as a speaker
and sit look speaking as a projection of
who you are not who you think you ought
to be and come with power from a
platform that’s the easiest thing I’ve
ever done let me share with you the most
difficult thing I’ve ever done
the most difficult thing I’ve ever done
was to believe that I can do what I’m
now doing no one could have convinced me
just given my circumstances I earn
millions of dollars every year no one
could have convinced me if both my
parents came up here right now I would
not know either one no one could have
convinced me being labeled educable
mentally retarded born an abandoned
building of Florida Liberty City poor
section of Miami Florida failing twice
in school notes college training never
worked for major corporation I did not
know how I can do what I’m doing right
now I never forget Mike Williams my
mentor one I think a lot of people fail
in life because of the fact that they
need some mentoring they need some
coaching repeat out to be pleased you
need you need some coaching yes si si
you can’t see the picture when you’re in
the frame I remember Mike saying less
you can do this Mike Mike how man wait a
minute Mike how much how much I’m not
going to be able to to to to charge my
less you well you could start out at
$1,000 now huh Mike I don’t make that
working for two weeks
come on Mike hey Mike man I appreciate
your belief in me Mike look Mike I work
for the Miami sanitation department that
I’ve I’ve been a garbage collector you
know you know I’ve done door-to-door
sales that was great and you know I’m
here as a disc jockey that’s good Mike
but my god I don’t think I can do that
less you can
but Mike I don’t have any credentials
I’ve never have never written any book
anything then I’m I’m not rich how can I
teach somebody to do something I’ve
never done but less why don’t you just
test yourself won’t you stretch less
come on man
Mike I don’t know and here’s something I
realized write this out sometimes you
have to believe in somebody’s belief in
you until your belief kicks in
I respect Mike Williams here this young
man he he saw something in me that I
didn’t see it in strong analytical mind
and I looked at him I always respected
his thinking and he looked at me and he
made me feel special and I said okay
Mike and I just kept holding on to what
Mike said to me I just kept holding on
to what mr. Washington said to me I kept
holding on to my mother saying your
specialist Lee when they said you’re a
jerk about mental retarded mama didn’t
know what that meant you had a
third-grade education so she said he’ll
be all right already hard head Baker
soft behind he’ll be fine but she said
you’re special baby
you are special and they kept saying
that over and over again faith comes by
hearing and hearing and hearing and so
here’s what I want you to let us say
together as you think about your goals
in your dream let us say together it’s
possible together please say like you
mean it
thank you write that down see see most
people never achieve their goals because
most people suffer from possibility
blindness they look about they look
around trying to think about the things
that they don’t have a Robert roots
young man who wrote a book about success
principles of the three little pigs he
said it’s not what you don’t have is
what you think you need that keeps you
from being successful or happy in life
it’s not what you don’t have see I
always focus on what I didn’t have I
don’t have a college degree don’t have
any credentials you never worked for a
major corporation I always focused on
the negative finger said negative things
are the things that you see when you not
focus on your goal what do you come with
what is it that you have within you that
you showed up to bring hey
you don’t know but my dream is a long
shot long shot friend of mine Dexter
Jaeger said when the dream is big enough
the odds don’t matter
I’m reminded of a great man now it’s
reading Time magazine talking about some
of the great minds of the last century
they didn’t mention his name dr. Howard
Thurman one of the mentors of dr. Martin
Luther King jr. and also an advisor to
Mahatma Gandhi and and Albert Schweitzer
and he said the ideal situation for a
man a woman to die is to have family
members standing around their bed
praying with them as they cross over but
imagine if you will being on your
deathbed and standing around your bed
the dreams given to you by life the
ideas that you never acted on the
talents the gifts the abilities that you
never used and there they are standing
around your bed looking at you with
large angry eyes saying we came to you
and only you could have given us life
and now we must die with you forever and
the question is if you died this very
moment what will die with you what
dreams what ideas what talents what
leadership potential what greatness that
you showed up to brain that you allowed
fear of procrastination to hold you back
perhaps that’s why Henry David Thoreau
wrote the word Oh God to reach the point
of death only to realize that you’ve
never lived only to realize that you’ve
never scraped the surface of your
potential repeat out to be pleased with
power feeling and conviction I refuse to
die an unlived life
yes shake someone’s hand on your right
and left and say live your dream yeah I
think we should all resolve I refuse to
die and unlived like don’t worry about
the art you survive one out of 40
million sperms you will never have those
are together you beat those odds you can
win anything here’s something else stop
most people know it is failure let us
say together I will fail my way to
success yes write that down I will fail
my way to success say eight out of ten
millionaires have been financially
bankrupt 85% of people allow their fear
of failure to outweigh their desire to
succeed and I believe that the reason
that most people go so far in life and
stop Maya Angelou said it best she she
wrote a poem she said that most people
go so far in life and then they park
they pull off the highway of life
especially when they get some hits
especially when they’ve been rejected
especially if they have an illness
especially if they lose something they
they talk and and I take it further they
don’t even turn on their emergency
lights it’s not because that they are
broken down they don’t want anybody to
stop and say hey look here I’ve got some
jumping cables in my trunk you need you
need a jump
Hey look here there’s a service station
ahead about three or four miles I have a
can I can take you up there and get some
gasoline oh no I’m just fine I had a
talk show once and highest rated fastest
council talk show in the history of
television well at least I had one and
and I was excited at that the you know
one time I came in the television years
ago in the televisions based upon
conflict in controversy so I said I want
a solution-oriented talk show first
concept in that time high ratings and
the syndicated say you just got lucky
come on let’s do these other type of
shows you can be a Jerry Springer no no
that’s not why I came here no I
that we live in the greatest country
world where we should sell hold
ourselves to certain standards huh I’m
not gonna come here and sell out on Who
I am I’m not gonna compromise I’m not
gonna lower my standards for you no
that’s not why I showed up and so they
fired security walk him out I said I can
walk by myself
but let me tell you what happened I took
a hit and I parked it wasn’t that I
didn’t have the ability to do more my
concept was good but what happened when
I took the hit when they canceled the
show I cancelled myself when they said
the show is going to be taken off
television it won’t work I told myself
les you can’t succeed in television and
I thought you know what I did I went
back to my comfort zone as a
motivational speaker at least I’m doing
better than most people that’s nothing
to compare yourself the worse that other
people are doing and then make yourself
feel better now I thought I didn’t have
my emergency lights on I didn’t want to
show up on the radar I plugged you know
how long I parked I parked for ten years
do you hear me now I’m like Regis
Philbin when his shows were canceled he
kept going he kept going he kept going
and he got other shows I bet you
somebody gave him a push somebody said
hey you need a lift I don’t even make
that an option for me I got off the
highway I’ve went back to my comfort
zone and I parked the show fail and I
identified myself as a failure and guess
something happened one day I’m just
flipping the channels looking at PBS and
saw Wayne Dyer my friend Wayne Dyer and
watch it wait we’re both in our 60s
Wayne is still doing it
Wow the little hair he has it’s gray
he’s still there
I said hey I’ve got some more stuff in
me I’ve got another PBS special in me
I’ve got some other ideas you know you
over and fill them doing my stuff maybe
I need to come back out here and I went
back inside calling PBS and and
different people I said les what
happened to you I said well I’m I didn’t
know whether or not anybody would be
interested in me because the show was
canceled no no you had some good ideas
and when they said yeah we’ll love to do
a show with you is that you what they
said yes and when I went into the studio
and people that worked with ten years
ago they were still there and I said
guys you know do you guys still habits
that we have it do you have it I said I
think so and I did the show and I wasn’t
as good as I was ten years ago because I
had off the highway I’ve gotten off the
highway of life I’ve been parked for so
long it’s taking me some time to get my
strength back to find my power to get my
confidence back but at least I’m back
out there in the game determined to dry
so I say to you see I only have tried
millionaires of millionaires in training
just go get that in a minute you have
something special you have greatness
within you and the only reason you are
here you are my assignment you can feel
me some of you feel me right here in
your heart of heart and my goal and is
to get past your mind and enter your
heart so it’s necessary that you you
have the mindset that I can do this
you’ve got to begin to believe and to
fortify that belief and feed that belief
by listening to tapes going to seminars
in workshops by challenging yourself by
stretching yourself
it was Osbourne who said unless you
attempt to do something beyond that
which you’ve already mastered you will
never grow and as you begin to challenge
yourself you’ll discover some things
about yourself that you don’t know right
now the other thing is you begin to look
at yourself look at your dreams and and
begin begin to experiment and stepping
in to your greatness one of the things
that’s very important whatever goals and
dreams that you have repeat after me
please make your move before you’re
ready you have price prejudice of a
great great a motivator and trainer said
make your move before you’re ready
we’re in instructed in in life to walk
by faith and not by sight so you want to
really begin to stretch yourself you
want to become a risk-taker you want to
raise the bar on yourself most people
won’t do that see most people engage in
low life living low risk living this God
said if you’re not willing to risk you
cannot grow and if you cannot grow you
cannot become your best and if you
cannot become your best you can’t be
happy and if you can’t be happy then
what else is there I like what Helen
Keller said life is short and
unpredictable eat the dessert first and
so you want to begin to take some
chances you want to begin to challenge
yourself and make it okay to fail and
learn from your failures don’t allow
fear of failure and the allure the
attractiveness of playing it safe in
life to draw you in you can’t get out of
life alive you’ve got to die to leave
here other thing is you look at yourself
and look at your dreams detoxify your
life write that down see I think that
most people never achieve their true
goals in life because they’re surrounded
with too many toxic negative energy
draining people you’ve got to look at
the people in your life and ask yourself
the question what is this relationship
doing to me how is it impacting my life
I’m a better person Sidney Poitier wrote
a book called the measure of a man and
it’s a powerful but I’ll encourage you
to get the tapes I love his voice and
and he said something and there he said
when you go for a walk with someone
something happens unconsciously it’s not
spoken either you adjust to their pace
or they’re just to your pace whose pace
have you adjusted to see you want to
surround yourself Maya duck my daughter
ona Brown who’s the speaker and coach
she says call forth your team but make
sure these are people that you can learn
from and never forget I’m gonna special
board with a bishop TD jakes and we went
into a board meeting he looked at
everybody before opening the meeting he
said as soon as I know as much as you do
you’re fired
and with that the meeting is now open
everybody continued to learn on that
pour trust me that a friend of mine did
his Kimbrough motivational speaker out
of Atlanta he said if you’re the
smartest one in your group you need to
get a new group so as you look at
yourself and look into the future call
forth your team George Frazier says your
network determines your net worth who do
you allow to be in your ear what kind of
relationships are you developing are
then asset to you or their liability do
they elevate your spirits or do they
tear you down if we get two types of
people nourishing people and toxic
people nourishing people they bring the
best out of you they encourage you they
inspire you they hold you accountable
toxic people they’re critical people
always telling you what you can’t do
always measuring your possibilities
based upon their failures
my mother said never let anybody tell
you what you can’t do son is
if they haven’t done it they don’t know
what’s possible for you so you began to
look at yourself begin to identify the
relationships that you communicate with
most and say hey is this relationship
helpful to me and then think about some
people that you need to bring into your
life that you can learn from that you
can grow from I joined the National
Speakers Association when I decided that
I wanted to speak I wanted to be around
the people that were doing what I wanted
to do I’ll never forgive it I saw dr.
Norman Vincent Peale is it you you have
something special you have greatness
within you and you can do more than you
can ever begin to imagine and Here I am
in the audience oh my goodness
I dread the power positive thinking
seventeen times my hero
and I saw him backstage and as a dr.
Peale hi my name is les brown I’ve
listened to your tapes and I have read
your books they gave them to us in
special education sir and one day I
would love to be on stage with you and
he looked at me and said it’s possible
young man it’s possible but this man
when he spoke he gave me goose pimples
deep baritone voice dope spoke from his
diaphragm you have something special you
have greatness within you
he override the inner conversations in
my mind I’ll never forget a gentleman
what a brilliant man a Harvard graduate
dr. Carter Qi would sit he said if you
can determine what a man shall think you
never have to concern yourself at what
he will do if you can make a man feel in
theory and never after compelling the
secret and fear his status for he will
seek it himself and if you can make a
man feel justly an outcast never have to
already have to go to the back door
he’ll go without being told and if
there’s no door his very nature will
demand want see we live in a world where
we’re told more about our limitations
rather than our potential how many have
ever been told that you couldn’t do
something raise your hands please your
MIT did a study that if I say to you you
can’t do that that 16 people have to
come alone and say you can do that you
can do that you can do that to
neutralize that and the 17th state
that you hear you can do it will be the
one that will finally stick so you have
to watch who’s speaking in to you you’ve
got to begin to monitor your mind and
and you’ve got to begin to literally be
proactive in programming yourself to
success be not conformed to this world
be it transformed by the renewing of
your mind you’ve got to take
responsibility to make that happen
and as you begin to do that you’ll begin
to see some incredible changes in life
understand when Earl Nightingale said
all of us are self-made but only the
successful will admit it as you begin to
look at your dreams and look at your
goals write this down make know you’re a
vitamin C most people stop short of
their dreams in park and get off the
highway of life because of the
rejections of life you will always be
rejected it’s no big deal so I can’t
feel said rejection is a myth it’s not
like when somebody says no and then they
slap you no it’s just you know to me
make know your vitamin get excited about
that know why because every time someone
says no that brings you another step to
a yes you’re getting closer trust me you
will win if you don’t quit you will win
if you don’t quit even a broken clock is
Right twice a day
the other thing is as you look at
yourself and look at you goes and look
at your dreams assess yourself what do
you stress
what do you weaknesses what do you bring
to the table when I looked at becoming a
motivational speaker I looked at all the
speakers and I noticed that they were
pretty much scripted so I said what is
it that can make me stand out I don’t
have any college education I don’t have
any credentials I never worked for a
major corporation what is that I can do
to offset my weaknesses and then
something say well less and this is very
important mr. Washington mr. brown yes
sir what do you want to do with your
life I want to become successful good he
said you must be willing to do the
things that a others won’t do in order
to have the things tomorrow others won’t
ah that’s why you said you have
something special see very few people go
to seminars and workshops they’ll go to
a concert but showing up to get
something that could expand their minds
and help them to begin to see their
lives differently to give them a
a vision of themselves they’ll be too
busy or they said well how much does it
cause well information cost but it pays
for itself here’s the other thing is
ladies and gentlemen let’s say it’s me
yeah see it’s it’s possible you can live
your dream it’s necessary that you have
the mindset that that I’m going to do
this but you’ve got to take ownership
you’ve got inside hey I’m gonna do this
you’re gonna you got to take
responsibility for your life George
Bernard Shaw said the people that make
it in this life they look around for the
circumstances that they want and if they
can’t find them they create them you’ve
got to say it’s me you’ve got to say and
say this with with conviction I expect
to win yes I think it’s important that
we say that you know if you ask most
people do you want to become successful
they will say yes took my oldest son for
a walk my namesake
you know we always expect our children
to do far more than what we do said
Calvin he wants his own identity he’s
Leslie Calvin Brown jr. I stopped it
looked him in the eyes I said do you
want to be successful son he said yes
our dad very good let’s walk son walk
further stopped him again
I said Calvin look me in the eye son yes
sir dad do you expect to be successful
son and he said there and he looked at
me and his eyes got glassy you said
let’s walk and the reason that he said
let’s walk because my son is very bright
of all my children he’s perhaps the
smartest one but Calvin now over 30
Calvin now a single parent of two
daughters good father
Calvin now this stage of his life he’s
behind on his dreams lot of talent a lot
of abilities very conservative one of
those people great mind but just just
hasn’t developed that you know things
that we want our kids to have that I
wanted Calvin
you got to kick it up a notch son you
never thought you’d be in your 30s you
got to kick it up a notch
you got to increase your energy in order
to to live your dreams you can’t be
casual about your dreams bill bill they
said if you casual about your dream
you’ll end up a casualty shake someone’s
hand on your right and left and say kick
it up a notch yes yes you got to kick it
up a notch what is it you bring and
whatever you bring you’ve got to kick it
up a notch what is your signature as you
look at where you want to go and what it
is you want to do as you look at your
product or your services repeat out to
me please provide more service and you
get paid for yeah see that becomes your
signature when you look at your goals
and look at where you want to go that
your products that your services that
your industry you want to set some high
standards for yourself
I had like what Henry David Thoreau said
do not go with a path may lead but go
where there’s no path and leave a trail
how is it that your industry will be
done differently five years from now ten
years from now what is your reputation
in your industry when you come into a
room and you leave what’s the
scuttlebutt about you do people say hey
that’s a go-to person that’s a person if
you ask them to do that job you’re
talking about a job being done it will
be done extremely well are you known for
that person that that stand out with
what you do that stand out with your
quality of service with your standards
always looking for ways to better your
best are you one of those people that
believe what if it ain’t broke don’t fix
it Japanese believe it ain’t perfect
keep working on it are you willing to
keep working on are you willing are you
willing to realize that you have not
done your best stuff yet that you can
better your best you’ve got to take
responsibility for that and now let’s go
to the next level not only is it
possible that you can live your dream
it’s the necessary that you call forth
your team and surround yourself with
people that you can learn from and grow
from that you must work on yourself and
monitor yourself at and train yourself
that you’ve got to begin to take total
responsibility for the outcomes that you
want to produce in your life but let us
say together with power and conviction
it’s hard
yes ladies and gentlemen living a dream
changing your life is hard it’s hard
when you lose all your money when you
you you’ve given it the best that you
have whoo and you have some major
setback his heart when a doctor looked
at me and said to three horrible words
no one wants to hear you have cancer it
was hard to mobilize my mind in spirit
to listen to tapes and music and read
scripture and be around other people in
seeking out other prostate cancer
conquerors to believe that I could do
this it was hard never forget my son
said daddy are you going to die why you
asking me that you’re not going out much
you’re not the bubbly personality that I
know you to be you’re not talking much
you’re spending a lot of time in the
room by yourself dad are you on a
surrender are you giving up how you
gonna let that that doctor’s opinion
become your reality
well my daddy see me graduate yes yes
yes yes I’m gonna fight no no I don’t
think it’s my time yet I’m gonna see you
graduate but more than that I’ve got
some other things that I’m gonna do with
my life and I thank you for asking me
that but I must tell you that I’m scared
I’m scared and I’ve never been in this
situation before it’s been easy for me
to talk to people and encourage people
when they’ve had challenges in their
lives but it’s me
and I don’t feel less than a man and let
and admitting this to you yes I’m scared
and I need some help
repeat after me please ask for help not
because you’re we
but because you want to remain strong
and ask for help and don’t stop until
you get it yes see see life is hard and
there are some moments in life when
you’re going to need some help you’re
gonna need somebody to speak to you
you’re gonna need somebody to say
something to you I have a friend of mine
Willie Jolley’s the motivational speaker
he said a setback is a setup for a
comeback I had to listen to Willie’s
tapes I have another friend Kevin braces
who’s a speaker he said les come on man
you can do this you can make this happen
you can hit a home run it’s a done deal
you’re Les Brown that cancers got to get
out of your body I said talk to me Kevin
talk to me that’s what I need to hear I
needed to hear those words okay who you
are many people want to allow themselves
to ask for help because of a pride pride
cometh before fall because of ego ego
means edging god no as for hell not
because you’re weak but because you want
to remain strong and ask for help and
don’t stop until you get it I’m here
because a lot of people helped me I’m
here because a lot of people believed in
me at a time when I was struggling to
believe in myself the other thing is let
us say together it’s worth it here see I
think and write this down you gotta find
five reasons that will make it worth it
for you five reasons what will make it
worth it for you mine was I want to take
care of my mother mine was I want to do
something with my life what will make it
worth it
for you – I want to leave a legacy – I
refuse to die an unlived life what will
make it worth it for you repeat after me
please you got to be hungry mister why
she said mr. Brown what do you want to
do with your life is Sarah I want to
become a disc jockey is that right yes
sir
good mr. Brown you got to be hungry
instead I want you to listen to Paul
Harvey he’s the world’s greatest
communicator always find a coach or
mentor someone that’s doing what it is
you want to do watch them listen to how
he does the rest of the story listen to
his voice mr. brown develop your mind
and develop your communication skills
because once you open your mouth young
man you tell the world
who you are and don’t forget mr. Brown
you got to be hungry take the time to
develop yourself so I’ll start training
and working on myself then pretty soon I
came to him I said sir
I’ve been working on myself I’ve done
the things that you told me to do I
listen to Earl Nightingale all the time
and Zig and I’ve been reading dr. Norman
Vincent pills book head and I’m ready hi
I practice every day two and three hours
sir is that right yes sir very good mr.
Brown you got to be hungry I said why do
you continue to say that so you people
that are hungry are unstoppable mr.
Brown people that are hungry no excuse
is acceptable go out and face the music
young man and don’t forget stay hungry
and make know your vitamin I went to
apply for a job on Miami Beach
Milton butterball Smith was the program
director hello mr. butterball how are
you sir my name is les francais I like
to be a disc jockey is a young man you
have in journalism in your background
who no sir don’t you have any experience
in broadcasting no sir I don’t
he said I’m sorry we don’t have any job
for you I went back and I told mr.
Washington I was devastated mr.
Washington they said no they wouldn’t
even allow me to to audition for them
sir mr. Brown don’t take it personally I
told you make know your vitamin most
people are so negative they have to say
no seven times before they say yes be
unstoppable mr. brown you got to be
hungry go back again yes sir
hello mr. butterball how are you sir my
name is les brown sir I like to be a
disc jockey young man weren’t you here
yesterday yes sir I was didn’t I tell
you no yesterday yes sir you did then
why are you back today well sir I didn’t
know the worth or not somebody was laid
off as somebody was fired sir nobody was
laid off a fired now get on out of here
I came back the next day
hello mister vote of all how are you sir
my name is les father I like to be a
disc jockey I know what your name is
weren’t you here the last two days yes
sir I was did not tell you no the last
two days yes sir you did then why are
you back today well sir I didn’t know
whether or not someone got sick or
someone died sir no one got sick who
died no one was laid off a fire now
don’t you come back here again
I came back the day today talking loud
looking happy like I see you for the
first time hello mr. butterball how are
you
he looked at me with rage he said don’t
give me some coffee I said yes so I
became the errand boy for the disc
jockeys I’d go get their lunch in their
dinner and I stand in the control room
memorizing their hand movements on the
control board and all the instruments
learning everything that I could because
I expected to be hired to be behind that
microphone then one day it was a
Saturday afternoon and a disc jockey by
the name of rocky and Roger was drinking
while he was on the air rock’n Roger got
so drunk he started slurring his words
he’s about to fall off the chair he
obviously could not complete his program
and there was looking at him through the
control room window Saturday afternoon I
was the only one there young ready and
hungry walking back and forth saying
drink ROC drank drank ROC ought to go
and get him some off you’d asked me to
then pretty soon the phone rang it was a
general manager and answered the phone I
said hello
he said young boy this is mr. Klein I
said I know he said rock can’t finish
his program I said I know he said would
you call one of the other DJ’s and I
said yes sir I hung the phone up I said
are you love me think I’m crazy
I called ba-ba-ba-ba girlfriend
Cassandra did y’all come out on the
front porch and turn up the radio I’m
bout to come on air I waited for about
20 minutes and I called him back I said
mr. Klein I can’t find nobody he said
young boy you’re not to work the
controls I said yes sir he said gone and
segue the records but don’t say nothing
here I said yes sir I couldn’t wait to
get a rock out of the way I put on a
fast record I said look out this is me
lb Triple P let’s brown your platter
playing papa there were none before me
and there will be done after me
therefore that makes me the one and only
young and single and loved Domingo
certified bonafide BB qualified to bring
you satisfaction at a whole lot of
action look out baby I’m your love man I
the people that want to step into their
greatness are hungry shake someone’s
hand on your right and left and say you
got to be hungry
what is your legacy what will your
statement be resolved every day read it
every day I refuse to die an unlived
life I’d like to leave this with you
there mommy used to love to hear me say
she say boys say that thing for me and I
dedicate this to you to the greatness
that’s within you because it’s there and
it says simply this if you want to think
bad enough to go out and fight for it to
work day and night for it to give up
your time your peace and sleep for it if
all that you dream and scheme is about
it and life seems useless and worthless
without it and if you gladly sweat for
it in fretboard and plan for it and lose
all your terror of the opposition for it
and if you simply go after that thing
that you want with all of your capacity
strength and sagacity Faith Hope and
confidence and stern pertinacity if
neither cold poverty family should go
sickness of pain of body and brain can
keep you away from the thing that you
want if dogged and grim you beseech and
beset it with the help of God you’ll get
it this has been mrs. Mamie Brown’s baby
boy god bless you and God bless america
you have greatness in you [Applause]
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