so raise the bar on yourself and don’t
ask how you’re doing 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 Valais
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
ziglar 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
procrastinator raise your hands please
yeah 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 in 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’ll 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 six
weeks of age we were adopted and when I
was in the fifth grade I was identified
as EMR labeled educable mentally
retarded put back from the fifth grade
to the fourth grade I fell again when I
was in the eighth grade I don’t have any
college education but because of my
mother and I feel like a pro Hamm
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 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 he said young man go
to the board and work this problem out
for us that’s the old Sarah I can’t do
that just say why
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 has it Sara
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 and 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 your right
and left look him in the eyes and say
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 a
program of this nature why I just think
that most people are just satisfied to
where they are I’m a reminder of a man
one day he was walking down the street
he passed his porch were some people on
the port’s talking there was a dog
moaning and groaning and he was curious
why the dog was mourning and groaning it
here he went back and he said on excuse
me ask the owner why is the dog moaning
and groaning guy said because he’s
laying on a nail well why would he get
off he said it’s not hurting bad enough
work 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 and
grow I’m not making enough money born
and grown up I’m unhappy with my job 87%
of people go to jobs that they hate and
it in addition to that you know that as
we know that that we have the dubious
distinction this country that on Monday
morning the heart attack rate increases
over 35 percent on Monday morning
between 6 o’clock and nine people going
to jobs if they hate the heart said did
not tell you I didn’t want to go and
some of you don’t want to go to work
next Bundy 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 life 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 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 who
had 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 and I’m gonna 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 really be able to go to
grocery store and purchase groceries
ourselves the families knew 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 when she
went over in Miami Beach and if the
clothes were too small she would let
them out and if they were 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’s my buddy and so his
father gave him two gifts for his
birthday
gave him a brand new boat but he also
gave him some motivational tapes pearl
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 is 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
ripe is 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 why well you tell my buddy
that you know I wear sizing at nine and
a half
he wears size 9 she said boy shut up sit
down and put those shoes on she said my
ran go get some Vaseline and she came in
there and my sister started rubbing the
Vaseline Oh about feet and she said run
some water to bathtub
and she’s not going in and and put your
feet no 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 bathtub mama
these shoes hurt she said get in there
walk around in the water I’m walking
around after this she try to distract me
I know what she said how’d you do at
school today I did good that you getting
in fights no ma’am you know you fought
somebody
well I only hit three people today and
and then after a 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 a little bit 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 go into a sales
organization and dramatically increase
their sales or going to a prison and
enable prisoners to see themselves
differently
and teasing 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
to future and fit that’s the easiest
thing I do that or train a speaker to
help them to leverage their experience
as our speakers and 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 they’re 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
bought 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 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 you see 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 Mike less um well you
could start out at $1,000 an hour huh
Mike I don’t make that working for two
weeks
come on Mike Mike man I appreciate your
belief in me Mike look Mike I work for
the Miami sanitation department and 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 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 your
educable mentally retarded mama didn’t
know what that meant you had a
third-grade education so she said he’ll
be all right are there hard hair 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 it 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 it 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 never worked
for a major corporation I was focused on
the negative thing and 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 hindered 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
yeah I think we should all resolve I
refuse to die and unlived like don’t
worry about the odds you’ll survive one
out of 40 million sperms you will never
have those are to get you beat those
odds you can win anything here’s
something else stop most people you 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 so
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 paw 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 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 the you know when
time I came into television years ago in
televisions based upon conflict in
controversy so I said I want a
solution-oriented talk show first
concept of that kind high ratings and
the syndicated say you just got lucky
come on let’s do these other types of
shows you can be a Jerry Springer no no
that’s not why I came here
no I believe 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
not gonna compromise I’m not gonna law
my standards for you no that’s not why I
showed up and so they 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 less you can’t
succeed in television and I parked you
know what I did I went back to my
comfort zone as a motivational speaker
and Lisa 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’d pop you know how long I
parked I parked for ten years do you
hear me now unlike 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 get something happen 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
sixties
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
Oprah and Phil they’re doing my stuff
maybe I need to come back out here now
and I went back and start calling PBS
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’d love to do
a show with you I said you would they
said yes and when I went into the studio
and people that work with 10 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 two 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
empty
[Applause]
so I say to you see I only attract
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 it 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
yeah price prejudice of a great great a
motivator and trainer said make your
move before you’re ready we’re
instructed in in life to walk by faith
and not by sight see 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 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 my
adult my daughter owner 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 going to 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
point trust me that a friend of mine did
his Kimbrough motivational speaker out
of Atlanta he said of you 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 tea
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 forget 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 are 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
especially if they haven’t done it they
don’t know what’s possible for you so
you begin 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 to be around the people that were
doing what I wanted to do I’ll never
forget but 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 said oh my goodness
I dread the power positive thinking 17
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
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 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 G Woodson he said if you
could determine what a man shall think
you never have to concern yourself with
what he will do if you can make a man
feel in theory you never have to compel
him to 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 one 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 seventeenth
statement 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 arrow 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 no your
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
cuz every time someone says no I 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 your goals 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 that never work for a
major corporation what is that I can do
to offset my weaknesses and then
something said 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
have 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 larger
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 a
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 the you’re
gonna you’ve 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 decide 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 and
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 looked
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 say let’s walk and the
reason that he said let’s walk because
my son is very bright of all my children
he is 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 a lot of talent a
lot of abilities very conservative one
of those people great mind but just just
hasn’t developed that oh you know things
that we want our kids to have that I
wanted Calvin 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 dream you can’t be
casual about your dreams bill bill I
said if you casual about your dream
you’ll end up a casualty check the ones
Hannah 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 brain 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 after me
please provide more service than you get
paid for
ya 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 pathway
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 the 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 and when you have
some major setback it’s hard 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
died while you asked 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 in a
surrender are you giving up are 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 weak but because you want
to remain strong
and ask for help and don’t stop until
you get it yes si si 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 jolly is a motivational speaker
it 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 are Les Brown I’ve 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 help 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 yeah see I think and write
this down you got to 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 mr. washer
said mr. Brown what do you want to do
with your life is sir 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 huh I’ve
done the things that she 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 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 he’s 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 I said 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 Ron 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 that worth or not to money was laid
off as somebody was fired sir nobody was
laid off or fired now get on out of here
I came back the next day hello mr. vote
of all how are you sir my name is les
Vaughn sir 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 sicker died no one was laid
off a fire die 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
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 rock drank drank Rock ought to go
and get him some more if he’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. client 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 DJs 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 said y’all come out on the
front porch and turn up the radio I’m
about to come on air I waited for about
20 minutes and I called him back
I said mr. Cline I can’t find nobody he
said young boy you’re not to work the
controls I said yes sir
he said go on 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 none
out to me therefore that makes me the
one and only young and single and loved
Domingo certified bonafide doubly
qualified to bring you satisfaction in a
whole lot of action look out baby I’m
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 their 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 a thing 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 a 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]
ask how you’re doing 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 Valais
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
ziglar 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
procrastinator raise your hands please
yeah 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 in 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’ll 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 six
weeks of age we were adopted and when I
was in the fifth grade I was identified
as EMR labeled educable mentally
retarded put back from the fifth grade
to the fourth grade I fell again when I
was in the eighth grade I don’t have any
college education but because of my
mother and I feel like a pro Hamm
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 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 he said young man go
to the board and work this problem out
for us that’s the old Sarah I can’t do
that just say why
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 has it Sara
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 and 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 your right
and left look him in the eyes and say
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 a
program of this nature why I just think
that most people are just satisfied to
where they are I’m a reminder of a man
one day he was walking down the street
he passed his porch were some people on
the port’s talking there was a dog
moaning and groaning and he was curious
why the dog was mourning and groaning it
here he went back and he said on excuse
me ask the owner why is the dog moaning
and groaning guy said because he’s
laying on a nail well why would he get
off he said it’s not hurting bad enough
work 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 and
grow I’m not making enough money born
and grown up I’m unhappy with my job 87%
of people go to jobs that they hate and
it in addition to that you know that as
we know that that we have the dubious
distinction this country that on Monday
morning the heart attack rate increases
over 35 percent on Monday morning
between 6 o’clock and nine people going
to jobs if they hate the heart said did
not tell you I didn’t want to go and
some of you don’t want to go to work
next Bundy 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 life 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 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 who
had 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 and I’m gonna 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 really be able to go to
grocery store and purchase groceries
ourselves the families knew 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 when she
went over in Miami Beach and if the
clothes were too small she would let
them out and if they were 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’s my buddy and so his
father gave him two gifts for his
birthday
gave him a brand new boat but he also
gave him some motivational tapes pearl
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 is 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
ripe is 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 why well you tell my buddy
that you know I wear sizing at nine and
a half
he wears size 9 she said boy shut up sit
down and put those shoes on she said my
ran go get some Vaseline and she came in
there and my sister started rubbing the
Vaseline Oh about feet and she said run
some water to bathtub
and she’s not going in and and put your
feet no 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 bathtub mama
these shoes hurt she said get in there
walk around in the water I’m walking
around after this she try to distract me
I know what she said how’d you do at
school today I did good that you getting
in fights no ma’am you know you fought
somebody
well I only hit three people today and
and then after a 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 a little bit 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 go into a sales
organization and dramatically increase
their sales or going to a prison and
enable prisoners to see themselves
differently
and teasing 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
to future and fit that’s the easiest
thing I do that or train a speaker to
help them to leverage their experience
as our speakers and 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 they’re 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
bought 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 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 you see 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 Mike less um well you
could start out at $1,000 an hour huh
Mike I don’t make that working for two
weeks
come on Mike Mike man I appreciate your
belief in me Mike look Mike I work for
the Miami sanitation department and 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 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 your
educable mentally retarded mama didn’t
know what that meant you had a
third-grade education so she said he’ll
be all right are there hard hair 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 it 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 it 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 never worked
for a major corporation I was focused on
the negative thing and 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 hindered 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
yeah I think we should all resolve I
refuse to die and unlived like don’t
worry about the odds you’ll survive one
out of 40 million sperms you will never
have those are to get you beat those
odds you can win anything here’s
something else stop most people you 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 so
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 paw 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 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 the you know when
time I came into television years ago in
televisions based upon conflict in
controversy so I said I want a
solution-oriented talk show first
concept of that kind high ratings and
the syndicated say you just got lucky
come on let’s do these other types of
shows you can be a Jerry Springer no no
that’s not why I came here
no I believe 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
not gonna compromise I’m not gonna law
my standards for you no that’s not why I
showed up and so they 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 less you can’t
succeed in television and I parked you
know what I did I went back to my
comfort zone as a motivational speaker
and Lisa 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’d pop you know how long I
parked I parked for ten years do you
hear me now unlike 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 get something happen 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
sixties
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
Oprah and Phil they’re doing my stuff
maybe I need to come back out here now
and I went back and start calling PBS
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’d love to do
a show with you I said you would they
said yes and when I went into the studio
and people that work with 10 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 two 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
empty
[Applause]
so I say to you see I only attract
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 it 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
yeah price prejudice of a great great a
motivator and trainer said make your
move before you’re ready we’re
instructed in in life to walk by faith
and not by sight see 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 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 my
adult my daughter owner 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 going to 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
point trust me that a friend of mine did
his Kimbrough motivational speaker out
of Atlanta he said of you 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 tea
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 forget 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 are 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
especially if they haven’t done it they
don’t know what’s possible for you so
you begin 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 to be around the people that were
doing what I wanted to do I’ll never
forget but 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 said oh my goodness
I dread the power positive thinking 17
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
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 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 G Woodson he said if you
could determine what a man shall think
you never have to concern yourself with
what he will do if you can make a man
feel in theory you never have to compel
him to 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 one 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 seventeenth
statement 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 arrow 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 no your
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
cuz every time someone says no I 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 your goals 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 that never work for a
major corporation what is that I can do
to offset my weaknesses and then
something said 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
have 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 larger
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 a
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 the you’re
gonna you’ve 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 decide 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 and
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 looked
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 say let’s walk and the
reason that he said let’s walk because
my son is very bright of all my children
he is 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 a lot of talent a
lot of abilities very conservative one
of those people great mind but just just
hasn’t developed that oh you know things
that we want our kids to have that I
wanted Calvin 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 dream you can’t be
casual about your dreams bill bill I
said if you casual about your dream
you’ll end up a casualty check the ones
Hannah 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 brain 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 after me
please provide more service than you get
paid for
ya 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 pathway
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 the 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 and when you have
some major setback it’s hard 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
died while you asked 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 in a
surrender are you giving up are 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 weak but because you want
to remain strong
and ask for help and don’t stop until
you get it yes si si 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 jolly is a motivational speaker
it 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 are Les Brown I’ve 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 help 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 yeah see I think and write
this down you got to 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 mr. washer
said mr. Brown what do you want to do
with your life is sir 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 huh I’ve
done the things that she 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 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 he’s 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 I said 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 Ron 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 that worth or not to money was laid
off as somebody was fired sir nobody was
laid off or fired now get on out of here
I came back the next day hello mr. vote
of all how are you sir my name is les
Vaughn sir 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 sicker died no one was laid
off a fire die 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
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 rock drank drank Rock ought to go
and get him some more if he’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. client 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 DJs 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 said y’all come out on the
front porch and turn up the radio I’m
about to come on air I waited for about
20 minutes and I called him back
I said mr. Cline I can’t find nobody he
said young boy you’re not to work the
controls I said yes sir
he said go on 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 none
out to me therefore that makes me the
one and only young and single and loved
Domingo certified bonafide doubly
qualified to bring you satisfaction in a
whole lot of action look out baby I’m
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 their 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 a thing 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 a 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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