my mom is always right and for those of
you who still have doubt you have to
meet my mom when I was 8 years old
she told me mark if you tell man 100
times that he’s a coward he will become
one mom why do you tell me the stories I
did not believe her it took me another
30 years to realize that words have
power in fact I believe our words create
our reality
my very first discovery was words
started when I was a little boy not many
people know this but I spent my
childhood in Siberia some of you are
probably thinking what did he do to
deserve to be sent to Siberia let me
assure you I did not go for the weather
the winters in Siberia a harsh cold and
gloomy and as kids we were stuck inside
waiting for the warm weather so we can
go and play outside I am the oldest of
four children two more boys and a girl
after me and when was stuck inside we
missed our parents both are networked
and they were never home but then when
they were home a mom and a dad told us
stories stories of love courage and
bravery so finally when the summer came
it was time for us to go outside I was
the young the big brother and was
entrusted with the care of my siblings
one day I had a brilliant idea
kids today we’re gonna go see our
parents at work as a surprise
makes sense right my brother two more
and sister Lyanna jumped with joy said
yes let’s go outside finally but my
brother our tour was frozen in silence
let me introduce you to my brother
people always told us that we looked the
same
almost like identical twins almost my
brother our tour was afflicted was
autism he lived in a world of fear in
almost no words I knew deep inside my
heart that he was afraid to step outside
and join us on a quest to see our
parents
somehow we had to get through to him and
break him out then I remembered all
those stories that my mom told me so I
sat next to our tour and I told him
story after story after story I told him
stories of adventure in bravery in
heroes and I told him we’re not just
gonna go visit her parents we’re gonna
take a magic carpet ride which was a bus
and the bus driver will be the wizard in
the nobleman who will take us on a
treasure after a while inside his big
brown eyes I saw courage courage that
was born out of stories of bravery my
brother our tour had taught me the value
of words words are the tools tools that
we have to change your lives
they are the instruments that we can
make our lives better I study language I
study meaning and mechanics of words
recently in my research I have found an
interesting discovery
I study words fear and courage
specifically did you know the word fear
in the English language has about 1200
synonyms fear dread anxiety are you
scared yet
my personal favorite is FOMO fear of
missing out the word courage only has
661 synonyms bravery fortitude solitude
and strength the ratio a words of fear
to courage is almost to the one the
language of fear is twice as big as a
language of courage what are we so
afraid of that we have to have twice as
many words to describe a fear maybe the
better question is what are you afraid
of are you afraid of losing the job
spouse your health or maybe just afraid
of losing your marbles if we let it
fear will paralyze us to the core a lot
of times I’m reminded maybe you your
same like me you have this inner voice
say hey pay attention to me there’s
things that we can do better we can
reach higher and we can break through do
you listen to that inner voice what do
you say no I’m not good enough I’m not
strong enough and every time we say no
we take a step backward and backwards
and then backwards and then one day we
hit the wall and I believe when we take
too many step backwards we take a look
at our life in what do we see we see a
patchwork a patchwork of moments of
silence that is sewn together with fear
so will you take chance find courage and
step forward
I learned the value of courage from a
personal experience a few years ago
after achieving my version of American
success my beautiful home a beautiful
wife my own business I lost it all
Don I was homeless sitting on the couch
of my friend’s home and that’s when fear
became real that was dark
and at that time I made a decision
anything will be better than this and I
took a step forward luckily I was able
to connect with the program and
volunteer ironically I traveled to
Washington State and I was building
homes for families who were homeless
just like me for the duration of my
assignment I had to stand spend time
with a volunteer family they took me in
now this family has mom dad five kids a
dog and me in a two-bedroom apartment
I filled the rhythm of their lives they
showed me what courage and family life
is all about one day I remember they
took me to the top of the Cascade
Mountains I remember sitting on the top
of the mountain around the fire Pacific
Ocean was just to my left and the
Canadian Rockies were just ahead
as we said there I looked at the mom of
the host family and I asked her why did
you take a chance on a stranger like me
you never seen me before you’ll never
see me again why she looked at me and
she said yes would you take a chance on
you but sometimes you have to lose
everything to find out who you really
are and then you get to decide the
person you want to become well that
family gave me was a gift the gift of
clarity some time later I understood the
truth is I’ve been afraid all my life I
just hide it really well but if you hide
it you take a step back and step back
and step back and you can keep running
but if you keep running there’s a price
to pay so I’d like to invite you to a
possibility to think about fear and
courage was the use of words I want you
to decide to find courage when you’re
afraid
look fear straight in the eye and say
not today my friend not today and say
yes to courage when you decide your life
will change once you decide think about
replace remember what my mom said she
said if you say 100 times to men he’s a
coward he’ll become one tell 100 times
to yourself and to everyone else that
you are hero and they’re heroes too and
you find courage take fear and replace
it with audacity trepidation was
solitude and tremors with strength see I
believe fear will travel with us
no matter where we go and I like the
analogy of a car replace fear from the
front passenger seat to the back now let
me tell you
nobody likes a backseat driver you say
fear you can come with us
but you’re not gonna tell us where to go
you’re not gonna tell us to control the
climate and for goodness sakes you’re
not gonna tell us what to put in the
radio got it oh then you can come with
us first you decide then you replace and
then you become the choice is always
yours see I believe fear is the reaction
courage is the decision and once you
find courage you make all the other
virtues possible I invite you to become
courage warrior with words the language
of fear may be twice as big as a
language of fear but you must be the
courage warrior and decide every day
look if you’re straight in the eye and
say not today
the choice is yours
choose courage thank you
you who still have doubt you have to
meet my mom when I was 8 years old
she told me mark if you tell man 100
times that he’s a coward he will become
one mom why do you tell me the stories I
did not believe her it took me another
30 years to realize that words have
power in fact I believe our words create
our reality
my very first discovery was words
started when I was a little boy not many
people know this but I spent my
childhood in Siberia some of you are
probably thinking what did he do to
deserve to be sent to Siberia let me
assure you I did not go for the weather
the winters in Siberia a harsh cold and
gloomy and as kids we were stuck inside
waiting for the warm weather so we can
go and play outside I am the oldest of
four children two more boys and a girl
after me and when was stuck inside we
missed our parents both are networked
and they were never home but then when
they were home a mom and a dad told us
stories stories of love courage and
bravery so finally when the summer came
it was time for us to go outside I was
the young the big brother and was
entrusted with the care of my siblings
one day I had a brilliant idea
kids today we’re gonna go see our
parents at work as a surprise
makes sense right my brother two more
and sister Lyanna jumped with joy said
yes let’s go outside finally but my
brother our tour was frozen in silence
let me introduce you to my brother
people always told us that we looked the
same
almost like identical twins almost my
brother our tour was afflicted was
autism he lived in a world of fear in
almost no words I knew deep inside my
heart that he was afraid to step outside
and join us on a quest to see our
parents
somehow we had to get through to him and
break him out then I remembered all
those stories that my mom told me so I
sat next to our tour and I told him
story after story after story I told him
stories of adventure in bravery in
heroes and I told him we’re not just
gonna go visit her parents we’re gonna
take a magic carpet ride which was a bus
and the bus driver will be the wizard in
the nobleman who will take us on a
treasure after a while inside his big
brown eyes I saw courage courage that
was born out of stories of bravery my
brother our tour had taught me the value
of words words are the tools tools that
we have to change your lives
they are the instruments that we can
make our lives better I study language I
study meaning and mechanics of words
recently in my research I have found an
interesting discovery
I study words fear and courage
specifically did you know the word fear
in the English language has about 1200
synonyms fear dread anxiety are you
scared yet
my personal favorite is FOMO fear of
missing out the word courage only has
661 synonyms bravery fortitude solitude
and strength the ratio a words of fear
to courage is almost to the one the
language of fear is twice as big as a
language of courage what are we so
afraid of that we have to have twice as
many words to describe a fear maybe the
better question is what are you afraid
of are you afraid of losing the job
spouse your health or maybe just afraid
of losing your marbles if we let it
fear will paralyze us to the core a lot
of times I’m reminded maybe you your
same like me you have this inner voice
say hey pay attention to me there’s
things that we can do better we can
reach higher and we can break through do
you listen to that inner voice what do
you say no I’m not good enough I’m not
strong enough and every time we say no
we take a step backward and backwards
and then backwards and then one day we
hit the wall and I believe when we take
too many step backwards we take a look
at our life in what do we see we see a
patchwork a patchwork of moments of
silence that is sewn together with fear
so will you take chance find courage and
step forward
I learned the value of courage from a
personal experience a few years ago
after achieving my version of American
success my beautiful home a beautiful
wife my own business I lost it all
Don I was homeless sitting on the couch
of my friend’s home and that’s when fear
became real that was dark
and at that time I made a decision
anything will be better than this and I
took a step forward luckily I was able
to connect with the program and
volunteer ironically I traveled to
Washington State and I was building
homes for families who were homeless
just like me for the duration of my
assignment I had to stand spend time
with a volunteer family they took me in
now this family has mom dad five kids a
dog and me in a two-bedroom apartment
I filled the rhythm of their lives they
showed me what courage and family life
is all about one day I remember they
took me to the top of the Cascade
Mountains I remember sitting on the top
of the mountain around the fire Pacific
Ocean was just to my left and the
Canadian Rockies were just ahead
as we said there I looked at the mom of
the host family and I asked her why did
you take a chance on a stranger like me
you never seen me before you’ll never
see me again why she looked at me and
she said yes would you take a chance on
you but sometimes you have to lose
everything to find out who you really
are and then you get to decide the
person you want to become well that
family gave me was a gift the gift of
clarity some time later I understood the
truth is I’ve been afraid all my life I
just hide it really well but if you hide
it you take a step back and step back
and step back and you can keep running
but if you keep running there’s a price
to pay so I’d like to invite you to a
possibility to think about fear and
courage was the use of words I want you
to decide to find courage when you’re
afraid
look fear straight in the eye and say
not today my friend not today and say
yes to courage when you decide your life
will change once you decide think about
replace remember what my mom said she
said if you say 100 times to men he’s a
coward he’ll become one tell 100 times
to yourself and to everyone else that
you are hero and they’re heroes too and
you find courage take fear and replace
it with audacity trepidation was
solitude and tremors with strength see I
believe fear will travel with us
no matter where we go and I like the
analogy of a car replace fear from the
front passenger seat to the back now let
me tell you
nobody likes a backseat driver you say
fear you can come with us
but you’re not gonna tell us where to go
you’re not gonna tell us to control the
climate and for goodness sakes you’re
not gonna tell us what to put in the
radio got it oh then you can come with
us first you decide then you replace and
then you become the choice is always
yours see I believe fear is the reaction
courage is the decision and once you
find courage you make all the other
virtues possible I invite you to become
courage warrior with words the language
of fear may be twice as big as a
language of fear but you must be the
courage warrior and decide every day
look if you’re straight in the eye and
say not today
the choice is yours
choose courage thank you
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