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 raise your
hand 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 a
the things that prevent us from acting
is the fear of failure and if you’ve
already failed you 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 saying 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 day’s
you’re going to work you want to just
keep driving 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 got
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 can do it
everybody believes in him except him and
he’s so smart he’s talked himself out of
well the 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 a
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 pick that
up many times unconsciously we try 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
the 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 is my
child mama then you handle that when I
tell her to leave she said mama said I
can say mama can I said you tell her yes
and then you call me and 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 weighed over 235
pounds and so he said man I just can’t
lose weight I’m big-boned it I say bud
no you need to act on your health you
can change this 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 Eminem peanuts you want to
support group on something and throw
Snickers in there too but and I can tell
you about the help we need with that so
what happened with bud though he became
ill a few weeks ago see button 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 bub 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 going to have to have insulin
shots every day you’re going to 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
like those guys when we poor when when
Barbara got a jail those guys say tell
me what I must do to be saved what were
to be sane I said but you wanna wonder
my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches no
I said but I can’t believe you’re eating
vegetables man you’re exercising you
said that’s right a jaw get him please
do now he had the ability to do it
before but there are 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 at that particular
then 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 changed 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 the 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 a life will whip your butt so
bad
you will be so miserable you will get 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
Sam never picked up another cigarette
and said look at 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 Sam isn’t it
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 huh 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 it’s 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’re arrogant what do
you think you can do you think you’d get
away with that you’re selfish thanks I
got 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
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 now 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 filled
with 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 that 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
don’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
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 hug before I hugged him and
he just stood there with his arm
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 as to tell you Wi-Fi be
by the house to 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 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 that 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 going to 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
gives you your life it gives a special
meaning and power to you you will 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 alone 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 that 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 bad but what it does mean
that you’re putting yourself in the
position to grow you putting yourself in
line with your higher calling and your
higher self
easily
will 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
health 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 raise your
hand 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 a
the things that prevent us from acting
is the fear of failure and if you’ve
already failed you 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 saying 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 day’s
you’re going to work you want to just
keep driving 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 got
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 can do it
everybody believes in him except him and
he’s so smart he’s talked himself out of
well the 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 a
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 pick that
up many times unconsciously we try 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
the 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 is my
child mama then you handle that when I
tell her to leave she said mama said I
can say mama can I said you tell her yes
and then you call me and 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 weighed over 235
pounds and so he said man I just can’t
lose weight I’m big-boned it I say bud
no you need to act on your health you
can change this 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 Eminem peanuts you want to
support group on something and throw
Snickers in there too but and I can tell
you about the help we need with that so
what happened with bud though he became
ill a few weeks ago see button 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 bub 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 going to have to have insulin
shots every day you’re going to 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
like those guys when we poor when when
Barbara got a jail those guys say tell
me what I must do to be saved what were
to be sane I said but you wanna wonder
my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches no
I said but I can’t believe you’re eating
vegetables man you’re exercising you
said that’s right a jaw get him please
do now he had the ability to do it
before but there are 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 at that particular
then 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 changed 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 the 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 a life will whip your butt so
bad
you will be so miserable you will get 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
Sam never picked up another cigarette
and said look at 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 Sam isn’t it
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 huh 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 it’s 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’re arrogant what do
you think you can do you think you’d get
away with that you’re selfish thanks I
got 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
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 now 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 filled
with 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 that 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
don’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
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 hug before I hugged him and
he just stood there with his arm
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 as to tell you Wi-Fi be
by the house to 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 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 that 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 going to 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
gives you your life it gives a special
meaning and power to you you will 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 alone 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 that 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 bad but what it does mean
that you’re putting yourself in the
position to grow you putting yourself in
line with your higher calling and your
higher self
easily
will 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
health 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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