some decisions of major decisions and
also there are a lot of small decisions
that we don’t make that they tax our
minds they drain our energy they create
a lot of anxiety and nervousness and
mental torment because we don’t take
care of it we decide not to decide which
is a decision deciding to decide to act
it’s a major major challenge for all of
us at different points in different
areas of our lives and there are things
that happen to us along the way
experiences that we have that prevent us
from working through the mental block of
acting of doing those things that we
know we ought to do and so what I want
you to think about is what is there that
you know you need to do that you want to
do this but for some reason or another
you’ve been holding back for some reason
or another you just have not been able
to gather your nerves or be able to work
through the procrastinating or putting
it off or justifying or blaming some
reason or another you just haven’t done
it and you know you ought to do this you
really want to do this but you don’t
know why you haven’t done it anybody
know what I’m talking about Rachel and
please okay then I’ve got company here
this evening I’m not talking to myself
now first of all what we know that this
is not easy because in order to begin to
reinvent your life you’ve got to make a
conscious deliberate determined effort
that you really got to put all of
yourself into it it’s very challenging
to add to do those things that times
when you’re looking at if you say I know
I need to do this but I don’t feel like
it I don’t want to do it I know I need
to do it yet leave me alone no I don’t
want to do it
so what do we do one of those things
that that cause us to do like that I
think that among the things that prevent
us from acting is the fear of failure
and if you’ve already failed you don’t
want to fail again the pain of that the
disappointment the fear of loss is
another thing because many times when we
do those things that we know we need to
do we feel that we might lose somebody
that we love very much in care about we
don’t want to hurt anybody
many of us don’t act because we want
other people’s approval we want
everybody to like us and to accept us
and that’s not possible many of us don’t
do the things that we want to do and
don’t act because of lack of
self-confidence
we don’t believe enough in ourselves I
have a friend who’s been working on a
job where she’s miserable talented want
to go to another place that she can do
what she wants to do and make the kind
of money that she would like to make and
had some offers but because of her fear
and her lack of self-confidence of
things might not work out she won’t take
a chance on herself so there she is
spending eight hours a day five days a
week and she’s miserable she hates to go
to work they’re not paying what she’s
worth she knows it but yet and still she
won’t do that which she knows she must
do and it’s wearing out a lot of people
that their jobs are making them sick
because they won’t act you check out the
absenteeism and the people that are
depressed you see them coming to work
just leave me alone
it’s not even 9 o’clock yet you’re
talking about good morning that days you
go to work you want to just keep drive
past a job you know you don’t want to
stop because it’s not in sync with who
you are but you haven’t acted have
another friend he’s God brilliant he’s a
business consultant he helped a lot of
people get their business started and
people come to him because they know
he’s knowledgeable but this guy won’t
start his own business now he’s very
smart he could do it everybody believes
in it except him and he’s so smart he’s
talked himself out of weapon numbers
aren’t right so there are many reasons
why we don’t act there are other things
though that affect us is that not
wanting to take personal responsibility
we want somebody else to do it and we
many times we pick up our inability to
do certain things from people that we
love people that we admire we identify
with them and we live in the context of
their ideas their opinions and their
life patterns we buy into it
unconsciously my mother is the pack rat
she keeps everything she doesn’t throw
anything away and I have unconsciously
picked that up now my mother never said
let me show you how to keep everything
less than just clutter things I
unconsciously picked that up many times
unconsciously we tried to honor the
people we love by being like them by the
same token I realized something about
myself when I had some major decisions
to make and I found myself acting like
my mother
see my mother’s the kind of person that
when she has a problem with one of the
other foster children that she adopted
she won’t confront them she will call me
less why don’t you tell Linda to move
she’s lazy she won’t go to work she runs
this street all day and then she comes
home and wants to sleep all day and I
think she’s doing drugs I said but mama
why don’t you tell Linda that I bought
the house for you I told you when she
wanted to come home don’t let a grown
person come there and take care of them
you let her in well after all she’s my
child mama
then you handle that when I tell her to
leave she say mama said I can say mama
can I said you tell her yes and then you
call me say she’s still here why worry
me with this so mama hasn’t developed
the courage to act on that some people
won’t act until there’s a crises
situation when Linda stop stealing from
Mama and took a Social Security check to
get some drugs
mama got some courage to say get out of
here don’t ever come back
but she wouldn’t do it until then and
say we don’t have to wait until a crisis
situation I have a friend that has been
having a challenge with losing weight
both of us have been dealing with that
challenge and for the past 40 years he’s
always seemed like weighing over 235
pounds and so he said man I just can’t
lose weight I’m big-boned ik I said but
no you need to act on your health you
can change this well you don’t have to
go to your grave fat we’re all digging
early grades without teeth we don’t have
to do this they need to have a support
group around M&M peanuts you want to
support group on something and throw
Snickers in there to bond and I could
tell you about the help we need with
that so what happened with bud though he
became ill a few weeks ago he bought in
the last few weeks has lost more weight
than his ever lost even when we were
competing with each other
betting a lot of money but what happened
was bud became diabetic he went into an
insulin shock he didn’t know that he was
diabetic his blood sugar became high and
the doctor said to him you are diabetic
you’re gonna have to have insulin shots
every day you’re gonna have to change
your diet and let me tell you what’s
going to happen if you don’t do what we
tell you to do number one there’s a
possibility that you can become an
amputee number two you can go blind
three you can become impotent buts they
help me
like of guys with Pawan when Pablo got a
jealous guy see tell me what I must do
to be saved what were to be seen I said
bud you want him under my peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches no I say but I
can’t believe you’re eating vegetables
man you’re exercising he said that’s
right a jogger did please do now he had
the ability to do it before but there’s
some people it takes that kind of crises
to bring them into reality in order for
them to act in their own best interest
some people have to hit rock bottom in
order to rise I don’t know why you want
to begin to look out on your life and
what you want for you and I think that
when we begin to focus in the area of
what does it take for us to act I think
we can say events can inspire us to act
that particular VIN in his life
circumstances friend of mine he wanted
to do something and he just did not have
the motivation in the drive and the
confidence within himself but his
circumstances change overnight through
an acquisition of the company that he
worked for he lost his job through the
inspiration of desperation he had to act
see life also of things that can inspire
us that see we don’t have the courage
and that’s what it takes courage it
takes guts to do that which you know you
need to do if you don’t have the courage
to act life many times will move on you
and make you add life will whip your
butt so bad you will be so miserable you
will catch so much hell you say yes
I will do it what do you want me to do
take me friend of mine say I can’t stop
smoking I can’t stop smoking doctor said
Sam axelrod you have emphysema say I’ve
never picked up another cigarette and
said look of those stupid people smoking
Sam you did it for 35 years how can you
talk about people while I was different
I’m trying to help them they don’t have
to do the same thing I did but be
compassionate self isn’t interesting how
quickly we forget so I’m saying that
look at something in your life it might
be just writing a letter to somebody to
say thank you it might be just to
apologize to somebody I had a
confrontation and the Penobscot building
with the security guard there he
responded to me what I perceived as a
negative way and he and I engaged in an
argument I did not like the way I
handled that I avoided going through the
front door for a long time because I
didn’t want to face him finally I
decided to act and I went up to him and
said I want to apologize to you for the
way in which I handled this argument we
had the other day
I was wrong I hope you accept my apology
he said I do and I said thank you very
much
I felt relieved now when you decide to
act it’s not always going to be like
that a friend of mine did some work for
me it was below par to say the least
I knew that this guy was capable of
doing better work I knew that he also
had a fragile ego so I was trying to
think of what is the most sensitive way
in which I can share this information
with him because I wanted him to do my
work over I was going to pay him for
what he did but I needed my work done
right but I was afraid that I would hurt
his feelings I was very very meticulous
and how I approached him and I said let
me share this with you you know I care
about you
and that you’re a very talented and
gifted person and you and I both know
that what you have given me is not a
true reflection of your talents and
abilities and I’m saying let’s go back
in the studio and do this again and he
said to me
I was wiped out he never spoke to me
again now when you decide to act you’re
gonna have some people like that
we’re no longer friends I lost sleep
over that ladies and gentlemen as I
can’t believe that I remember setting up
one night looking at the phone I said I
gotta call him said no that’s it don’t
forget that I caught men looking we’ve
been knowing each other too long to
allow this to come between us he said
don’t call me anymore no no and then I
wanted to think about how what can I do
to make it up to him and then something
came to me les what do you have to prove
see many things we don’t do is because
the fact we want people to like us
there’s some necessary losses in life
when you decide acting in your best
interest you’re going to lose some
friends everybody’s not going to approve
of you there’s some people that won’t
like you who do you think you are you
are arrogant what do you think you can
do you think you’d get away with that
it’s my life and so what I’m saying to
you is that as you begin to look out on
your life this is challenging this is
not easy acting so what are the things
that we can begin to do to harness our
will number one you’ve got to bring it
out and look at it you’ve got to take
the power out of it
you’ve got to expose it to the truth and
the truth is that it has no power over
you
so write down something you want to act
on but for some reason that you’ve been
holding back and look at it the next
thing is ask yourself the question is it
helping you to continue to put it off if
it’s an asset for you to continue to
procrastinate then continue to do that
but if it’s a liability for you if it’s
causing you some mental and some
emotional challenges or perhaps a
financial problem look at that examine
that for what it is next step ask
yourself what’s blocking you what’s
preventing you from acting why don’t you
have the courage to handle that why
won’t you face that what are you running
away from
what kind of avoidance behavior are you
engaged in next is what is the worst
thing that can happen when you take
action sound looked at that and I said
what’s the worst thing can happen when I
tell him this he can say I don’t like
you and he did not what happened I
experienced that I looked at that I saw
that and guess what ladies and gentlemen
I didn’t die my feelings were hurt a
little bit I lost some sleep about it
and sometimes I think about it when I
Drive past his house but I’m still here
it’s uncomfortable but it’s okay it
doesn’t bother me anymore I’ve gotten
used to it now so what is the worst
thing that can happen I want you to
visualize that experience that feel the
nervousness in the discomfort and the
more you run it in your mind the less
power that it will have next is how will
you feel after taking this action
I felt a sense of personal achievement
when I face somebody that has been my
mentor for years and for years there was
something I wanted to tell him and I
didn’t have the courage to tell him
because it was always I was the student
he was to teach you it was always I
looked up to him and admired him and
held him in high esteem and I was always
grateful and thankful for the impact
that he had on my life and I loved him
so much
I didn’t have the courage to say to him
please stop drinking so much you’re an
alcoholic you need help I didn’t have
the courage because I was afraid that he
might not like me I was afraid that he
might be hurt and crushed then we would
no longer be friends I didn’t want to
jeopardize what we had
I loved him a great deal and I didn’t I
didn’t know how this would affect our
relationship and I didn’t even want him
to know that I knew that he was an
alcoholic and so I was a coward I was
spineless in the name of love I did it
to justify to myself to stop from
helping somebody that I loved from dying
I said I love him so much I just can’t
tell him this I I don’t even know how he
would handle it
to know that I know that he’s an
alcoholic and finally after years I
developed the courage to face my teacher
my mentor who has molded me who looks at
me now and wanted to do what I’m doing
now
and did not do it came at a different
time and it wasn’t time for what he
brought and he’s living through me and I
had to face this man who’s been like a
father to me
and so I got to tell you something
you’ve got a problem I love you very
much please stop drinking you’re killing
yourself it’s not just social you do it
every day
you need help
and whatever I can do to support you in
that I will but please stop and he
looked at me and I had no idea what how
he was going to handle that and first
there was like I dare you
and we just looked at each other and
then I reached out to embrace him and
we’ve never ever embraced Man macho
never hugged I hugged him and he just
stood there with his arms straight he
couldn’t raise his arms to hug me back
and he was shocked and after he got over
the initial shock when he could bring
himself to speak to maintain his
composure because he could never afford
to let me his students see him
vulnerable or admit that I was right he
said I’ll be seeing you I said yes sir
nice to tell you I thought be by the
hosta see they’ll see y’all before I
leave when he walked away at first I was
very depressed about it and I said well
maybe it wasn’t my place to do this and
you know when you act you’re gonna have
some second thoughts then I said no no
no I did what I felt I did it because I
feel very strongly about this and
fortunately he called me back
a few weeks later and left word with the
answering service
Leslie Brown I just want to say thank
you and hung up
that was a good feeling when we look out
on our lives you ask the question what
are you going to do look at as you think
about this that you know you need to
handle what are you going to do and then
write down three strong reasons on why
you know you must take action and be
explicit and descriptive in your reasons
because your reasons have power your
reasons will drive you when you have
doubt when your faith becomes weak your
reasons will fortify your faith when you
have an inner conversation say no don’t
do that
your reasons will become your rod and
your staff to comfort you to take you
through those challenging moments so
write down your reasons and what you
will find but when you decide to act
when you decide to take life on and let
me warn you it can be painful it will be
uncomfortable and that’s where the
growth is when you’re uncomfortable when
you’re stretching out when you’re taking
life by the color you’re gonna get
thrown to the ground again and again and
again but when you have determination
and you know that what you’re doing is
right that gives you your life it gives
a special meaning and power to you you
have some power from on high
you will discover some things about
yourself that will begin to electrify
your personality you begin to discover
some things about you that you don’t
know you’ve got when you put yourself in
that type of challenging situation
repeat after me please I can go into
action on anything in my life
nothing is stopping me but me no
challenge in my life
has any power over me here’s something
that Howard Thurman wrote on the
decision to act he said it’s a wondrous
thing that a decision to act releases
energy in the personality for days on in
a person may drift along without much
energy having no particular sense of
direction and having no will to change
then something happens to alter the
pattern it may be something very simple
and inconsequential in itself but it
stabs awake it alarms it disturbs in a
flash one gets a vivid picture oneself
and it passes the result is decision
shop definitive decision and the wake of
the decision yes even as a part of the
decision itself energy is released the
act of decision sweeps all before it and
the life of the individual may be
changed forever when you decide to make
decisions to act you begin to access
power within you that will increase your
self-esteem that will increase and
enhance your personal power but that
puts you in charge of life and life has
a whole new meaning for you as a sense
of personal freedom doesn’t mean you’re
not going to have any struggles doesn’t
mean that you’re not going to have any
challenges doesn’t mean that you’re not
going to suffer any defeat no no no
doesn’t mean that but what it does mean
that you’re putting yourself in the
position to grow you’re putting yourself
in line with your higher calling and
your higher self
[Music]
would you join me this affirmation
please everybody stand please I’m
standing up to life and the challenges
in my life I’m going to use all of me
all of my courage my faith determination
and any help and support that I can give
to realize their greatness together we
can shake somebody’s hand on your right
and left and say you’ve got what it takes
also there are a lot of small decisions
that we don’t make that they tax our
minds they drain our energy they create
a lot of anxiety and nervousness and
mental torment because we don’t take
care of it we decide not to decide which
is a decision deciding to decide to act
it’s a major major challenge for all of
us at different points in different
areas of our lives and there are things
that happen to us along the way
experiences that we have that prevent us
from working through the mental block of
acting of doing those things that we
know we ought to do and so what I want
you to think about is what is there that
you know you need to do that you want to
do this but for some reason or another
you’ve been holding back for some reason
or another you just have not been able
to gather your nerves or be able to work
through the procrastinating or putting
it off or justifying or blaming some
reason or another you just haven’t done
it and you know you ought to do this you
really want to do this but you don’t
know why you haven’t done it anybody
know what I’m talking about Rachel and
please okay then I’ve got company here
this evening I’m not talking to myself
now first of all what we know that this
is not easy because in order to begin to
reinvent your life you’ve got to make a
conscious deliberate determined effort
that you really got to put all of
yourself into it it’s very challenging
to add to do those things that times
when you’re looking at if you say I know
I need to do this but I don’t feel like
it I don’t want to do it I know I need
to do it yet leave me alone no I don’t
want to do it
so what do we do one of those things
that that cause us to do like that I
think that among the things that prevent
us from acting is the fear of failure
and if you’ve already failed you don’t
want to fail again the pain of that the
disappointment the fear of loss is
another thing because many times when we
do those things that we know we need to
do we feel that we might lose somebody
that we love very much in care about we
don’t want to hurt anybody
many of us don’t act because we want
other people’s approval we want
everybody to like us and to accept us
and that’s not possible many of us don’t
do the things that we want to do and
don’t act because of lack of
self-confidence
we don’t believe enough in ourselves I
have a friend who’s been working on a
job where she’s miserable talented want
to go to another place that she can do
what she wants to do and make the kind
of money that she would like to make and
had some offers but because of her fear
and her lack of self-confidence of
things might not work out she won’t take
a chance on herself so there she is
spending eight hours a day five days a
week and she’s miserable she hates to go
to work they’re not paying what she’s
worth she knows it but yet and still she
won’t do that which she knows she must
do and it’s wearing out a lot of people
that their jobs are making them sick
because they won’t act you check out the
absenteeism and the people that are
depressed you see them coming to work
just leave me alone
it’s not even 9 o’clock yet you’re
talking about good morning that days you
go to work you want to just keep drive
past a job you know you don’t want to
stop because it’s not in sync with who
you are but you haven’t acted have
another friend he’s God brilliant he’s a
business consultant he helped a lot of
people get their business started and
people come to him because they know
he’s knowledgeable but this guy won’t
start his own business now he’s very
smart he could do it everybody believes
in it except him and he’s so smart he’s
talked himself out of weapon numbers
aren’t right so there are many reasons
why we don’t act there are other things
though that affect us is that not
wanting to take personal responsibility
we want somebody else to do it and we
many times we pick up our inability to
do certain things from people that we
love people that we admire we identify
with them and we live in the context of
their ideas their opinions and their
life patterns we buy into it
unconsciously my mother is the pack rat
she keeps everything she doesn’t throw
anything away and I have unconsciously
picked that up now my mother never said
let me show you how to keep everything
less than just clutter things I
unconsciously picked that up many times
unconsciously we tried to honor the
people we love by being like them by the
same token I realized something about
myself when I had some major decisions
to make and I found myself acting like
my mother
see my mother’s the kind of person that
when she has a problem with one of the
other foster children that she adopted
she won’t confront them she will call me
less why don’t you tell Linda to move
she’s lazy she won’t go to work she runs
this street all day and then she comes
home and wants to sleep all day and I
think she’s doing drugs I said but mama
why don’t you tell Linda that I bought
the house for you I told you when she
wanted to come home don’t let a grown
person come there and take care of them
you let her in well after all she’s my
child mama
then you handle that when I tell her to
leave she say mama said I can say mama
can I said you tell her yes and then you
call me say she’s still here why worry
me with this so mama hasn’t developed
the courage to act on that some people
won’t act until there’s a crises
situation when Linda stop stealing from
Mama and took a Social Security check to
get some drugs
mama got some courage to say get out of
here don’t ever come back
but she wouldn’t do it until then and
say we don’t have to wait until a crisis
situation I have a friend that has been
having a challenge with losing weight
both of us have been dealing with that
challenge and for the past 40 years he’s
always seemed like weighing over 235
pounds and so he said man I just can’t
lose weight I’m big-boned ik I said but
no you need to act on your health you
can change this well you don’t have to
go to your grave fat we’re all digging
early grades without teeth we don’t have
to do this they need to have a support
group around M&M peanuts you want to
support group on something and throw
Snickers in there to bond and I could
tell you about the help we need with
that so what happened with bud though he
became ill a few weeks ago he bought in
the last few weeks has lost more weight
than his ever lost even when we were
competing with each other
betting a lot of money but what happened
was bud became diabetic he went into an
insulin shock he didn’t know that he was
diabetic his blood sugar became high and
the doctor said to him you are diabetic
you’re gonna have to have insulin shots
every day you’re gonna have to change
your diet and let me tell you what’s
going to happen if you don’t do what we
tell you to do number one there’s a
possibility that you can become an
amputee number two you can go blind
three you can become impotent buts they
help me
like of guys with Pawan when Pablo got a
jealous guy see tell me what I must do
to be saved what were to be seen I said
bud you want him under my peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches no I say but I
can’t believe you’re eating vegetables
man you’re exercising he said that’s
right a jogger did please do now he had
the ability to do it before but there’s
some people it takes that kind of crises
to bring them into reality in order for
them to act in their own best interest
some people have to hit rock bottom in
order to rise I don’t know why you want
to begin to look out on your life and
what you want for you and I think that
when we begin to focus in the area of
what does it take for us to act I think
we can say events can inspire us to act
that particular VIN in his life
circumstances friend of mine he wanted
to do something and he just did not have
the motivation in the drive and the
confidence within himself but his
circumstances change overnight through
an acquisition of the company that he
worked for he lost his job through the
inspiration of desperation he had to act
see life also of things that can inspire
us that see we don’t have the courage
and that’s what it takes courage it
takes guts to do that which you know you
need to do if you don’t have the courage
to act life many times will move on you
and make you add life will whip your
butt so bad you will be so miserable you
will catch so much hell you say yes
I will do it what do you want me to do
take me friend of mine say I can’t stop
smoking I can’t stop smoking doctor said
Sam axelrod you have emphysema say I’ve
never picked up another cigarette and
said look of those stupid people smoking
Sam you did it for 35 years how can you
talk about people while I was different
I’m trying to help them they don’t have
to do the same thing I did but be
compassionate self isn’t interesting how
quickly we forget so I’m saying that
look at something in your life it might
be just writing a letter to somebody to
say thank you it might be just to
apologize to somebody I had a
confrontation and the Penobscot building
with the security guard there he
responded to me what I perceived as a
negative way and he and I engaged in an
argument I did not like the way I
handled that I avoided going through the
front door for a long time because I
didn’t want to face him finally I
decided to act and I went up to him and
said I want to apologize to you for the
way in which I handled this argument we
had the other day
I was wrong I hope you accept my apology
he said I do and I said thank you very
much
I felt relieved now when you decide to
act it’s not always going to be like
that a friend of mine did some work for
me it was below par to say the least
I knew that this guy was capable of
doing better work I knew that he also
had a fragile ego so I was trying to
think of what is the most sensitive way
in which I can share this information
with him because I wanted him to do my
work over I was going to pay him for
what he did but I needed my work done
right but I was afraid that I would hurt
his feelings I was very very meticulous
and how I approached him and I said let
me share this with you you know I care
about you
and that you’re a very talented and
gifted person and you and I both know
that what you have given me is not a
true reflection of your talents and
abilities and I’m saying let’s go back
in the studio and do this again and he
said to me
I was wiped out he never spoke to me
again now when you decide to act you’re
gonna have some people like that
we’re no longer friends I lost sleep
over that ladies and gentlemen as I
can’t believe that I remember setting up
one night looking at the phone I said I
gotta call him said no that’s it don’t
forget that I caught men looking we’ve
been knowing each other too long to
allow this to come between us he said
don’t call me anymore no no and then I
wanted to think about how what can I do
to make it up to him and then something
came to me les what do you have to prove
see many things we don’t do is because
the fact we want people to like us
there’s some necessary losses in life
when you decide acting in your best
interest you’re going to lose some
friends everybody’s not going to approve
of you there’s some people that won’t
like you who do you think you are you
are arrogant what do you think you can
do you think you’d get away with that
it’s my life and so what I’m saying to
you is that as you begin to look out on
your life this is challenging this is
not easy acting so what are the things
that we can begin to do to harness our
will number one you’ve got to bring it
out and look at it you’ve got to take
the power out of it
you’ve got to expose it to the truth and
the truth is that it has no power over
you
so write down something you want to act
on but for some reason that you’ve been
holding back and look at it the next
thing is ask yourself the question is it
helping you to continue to put it off if
it’s an asset for you to continue to
procrastinate then continue to do that
but if it’s a liability for you if it’s
causing you some mental and some
emotional challenges or perhaps a
financial problem look at that examine
that for what it is next step ask
yourself what’s blocking you what’s
preventing you from acting why don’t you
have the courage to handle that why
won’t you face that what are you running
away from
what kind of avoidance behavior are you
engaged in next is what is the worst
thing that can happen when you take
action sound looked at that and I said
what’s the worst thing can happen when I
tell him this he can say I don’t like
you and he did not what happened I
experienced that I looked at that I saw
that and guess what ladies and gentlemen
I didn’t die my feelings were hurt a
little bit I lost some sleep about it
and sometimes I think about it when I
Drive past his house but I’m still here
it’s uncomfortable but it’s okay it
doesn’t bother me anymore I’ve gotten
used to it now so what is the worst
thing that can happen I want you to
visualize that experience that feel the
nervousness in the discomfort and the
more you run it in your mind the less
power that it will have next is how will
you feel after taking this action
I felt a sense of personal achievement
when I face somebody that has been my
mentor for years and for years there was
something I wanted to tell him and I
didn’t have the courage to tell him
because it was always I was the student
he was to teach you it was always I
looked up to him and admired him and
held him in high esteem and I was always
grateful and thankful for the impact
that he had on my life and I loved him
so much
I didn’t have the courage to say to him
please stop drinking so much you’re an
alcoholic you need help I didn’t have
the courage because I was afraid that he
might not like me I was afraid that he
might be hurt and crushed then we would
no longer be friends I didn’t want to
jeopardize what we had
I loved him a great deal and I didn’t I
didn’t know how this would affect our
relationship and I didn’t even want him
to know that I knew that he was an
alcoholic and so I was a coward I was
spineless in the name of love I did it
to justify to myself to stop from
helping somebody that I loved from dying
I said I love him so much I just can’t
tell him this I I don’t even know how he
would handle it
to know that I know that he’s an
alcoholic and finally after years I
developed the courage to face my teacher
my mentor who has molded me who looks at
me now and wanted to do what I’m doing
now
and did not do it came at a different
time and it wasn’t time for what he
brought and he’s living through me and I
had to face this man who’s been like a
father to me
and so I got to tell you something
you’ve got a problem I love you very
much please stop drinking you’re killing
yourself it’s not just social you do it
every day
you need help
and whatever I can do to support you in
that I will but please stop and he
looked at me and I had no idea what how
he was going to handle that and first
there was like I dare you
and we just looked at each other and
then I reached out to embrace him and
we’ve never ever embraced Man macho
never hugged I hugged him and he just
stood there with his arms straight he
couldn’t raise his arms to hug me back
and he was shocked and after he got over
the initial shock when he could bring
himself to speak to maintain his
composure because he could never afford
to let me his students see him
vulnerable or admit that I was right he
said I’ll be seeing you I said yes sir
nice to tell you I thought be by the
hosta see they’ll see y’all before I
leave when he walked away at first I was
very depressed about it and I said well
maybe it wasn’t my place to do this and
you know when you act you’re gonna have
some second thoughts then I said no no
no I did what I felt I did it because I
feel very strongly about this and
fortunately he called me back
a few weeks later and left word with the
answering service
Leslie Brown I just want to say thank
you and hung up
that was a good feeling when we look out
on our lives you ask the question what
are you going to do look at as you think
about this that you know you need to
handle what are you going to do and then
write down three strong reasons on why
you know you must take action and be
explicit and descriptive in your reasons
because your reasons have power your
reasons will drive you when you have
doubt when your faith becomes weak your
reasons will fortify your faith when you
have an inner conversation say no don’t
do that
your reasons will become your rod and
your staff to comfort you to take you
through those challenging moments so
write down your reasons and what you
will find but when you decide to act
when you decide to take life on and let
me warn you it can be painful it will be
uncomfortable and that’s where the
growth is when you’re uncomfortable when
you’re stretching out when you’re taking
life by the color you’re gonna get
thrown to the ground again and again and
again but when you have determination
and you know that what you’re doing is
right that gives you your life it gives
a special meaning and power to you you
have some power from on high
you will discover some things about
yourself that will begin to electrify
your personality you begin to discover
some things about you that you don’t
know you’ve got when you put yourself in
that type of challenging situation
repeat after me please I can go into
action on anything in my life
nothing is stopping me but me no
challenge in my life
has any power over me here’s something
that Howard Thurman wrote on the
decision to act he said it’s a wondrous
thing that a decision to act releases
energy in the personality for days on in
a person may drift along without much
energy having no particular sense of
direction and having no will to change
then something happens to alter the
pattern it may be something very simple
and inconsequential in itself but it
stabs awake it alarms it disturbs in a
flash one gets a vivid picture oneself
and it passes the result is decision
shop definitive decision and the wake of
the decision yes even as a part of the
decision itself energy is released the
act of decision sweeps all before it and
the life of the individual may be
changed forever when you decide to make
decisions to act you begin to access
power within you that will increase your
self-esteem that will increase and
enhance your personal power but that
puts you in charge of life and life has
a whole new meaning for you as a sense
of personal freedom doesn’t mean you’re
not going to have any struggles doesn’t
mean that you’re not going to have any
challenges doesn’t mean that you’re not
going to suffer any defeat no no no
doesn’t mean that but what it does mean
that you’re putting yourself in the
position to grow you’re putting yourself
in line with your higher calling and
your higher self
[Music]
would you join me this affirmation
please everybody stand please I’m
standing up to life and the challenges
in my life I’m going to use all of me
all of my courage my faith determination
and any help and support that I can give
to realize their greatness together we
can shake somebody’s hand on your right
and left and say you’ve got what it takes
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