Motivation Manifesto: Meet Life with Presence (Declaration 1of9)

Hey friends, it's Brandon. And this episode is part of a special 10 part series that I'm doing right here on the podcast exclusively where I'm going to release the major parts of my audiobook of my book, the Motivation Manifesto. Yes, I'm releasing 10 full chapters of the audiobook right here on the podcast. So, so make sure that you're subscribed to the podcast and you download these episodes. You'll see these episodes designated as Motivation Manifesto and then the chapter name. And here's the deal, these are only going to be posted until June 3rd. So I'm giving you 10 days to go through the entire Motivation Manifesto audiobook of the major declarations of the book. Anyway, I don't, I won't include like the introduction or forward or stuff like that. So just jumping right into the declarations that made the Motivation Manifesto so famous. The book spent 36 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list when it came out a decade ago. Why am I releasing such a huge part of the audiobook right now? Well, it literally was a decade ago. So this is the 10 year anniversary and I just wanted to say thank you and celebrate it with. Celebrate all your support. Frankly, you guys have been amazing to me in this last decade and that book kicked off such a magnificent part of my life. And I'll never forget the support you gave me, not only making it a major New York Times bestselling book, but just the love of that book around the world. It led to, you know, an interview with Oprah and doing courses with Oprah Winfrey Network. It led to some coaching, some of the best, best teams in the world. It was an extraordinary experience of my own and many. You know the story that initially the publisher turned down the book. I'd go find another publisher. And that journey alone was a reason to always fight for your art. With no further ado, we'll play this audiobook section of the Motivation Manifesto. If you'd like to get the book, you can still find it on Amazon and I encourage you to go there and get it as well, because nothing like reading that book. But you'll hear me and my voice from 10 years ago reading this book. Please enjoy.

Section two, the nine declarations. Declaration one. We shall meet life with full presence and power. Your true home is in the here and the now. Thich Nhat Hanh. An affliction is stealing joy from the world's people, poisoning what was meant to be a divinely inspired experience of freedom. It is a haunting absence from the present moment. Too many have checked out of their bodies and their lives. They are not attuned to the energy and circumstances around them, nor do they understand their responsibilities to those things. In this very moment. They have little awe or or reverence for the blessings around them, acting as if they preferred to be somewhere else. As if they were mentally living in distant time zones, hours behind or ahead of the joyous tick and bliss of now. Their life force thus seems detached and dissipated, their lives unaccounted for and unlived, their souls a world away. The majority of humanity seems lost in the abyss of unawareness. The hollow and glazed eyes of so many reveal it all. Minds trapped in the dark, unfeeling hinterlands of distraction and thoughtlessness. They are not sleeping, but they are not conscious. Alert, purposeful, they are buzzed out on coffee. But without awareness there is no real center of energy, no grounding, no vibrant feel for the now. Life is not meant to be a long series of unfelt and undirected experiences. We are not to be zombies and slaves, unconscious animals trapped in dumbness to the moment, leading mindless and powerless lives. We are not intended to be inattentive to our loved ones and the duties of life or the dreams in our hearts. Should we wish to be free and alive with full power, we must decide to bring the full might of our conscious mind to the present experience. We must choose to feel again. We must sense this life. Let us remember that all that we love of life can be accessed only now. All we seek is here with us and available to us in this moment. All the real riches, love, passion, joy, satisfaction, harmony are available now on the menu of the mind. Available for us to to savor should we awake and order them. All that we seek to become is also here. We can choose what role we want to play and how we will direct life's energies in each moment. Should we learn to direct our awareness and power in all we do, then discontent shall disappear and a vital energy will return. We will sense a vibrancy unfathomable to most men and women of this earth. For this let us declare we shall meet life with full presence and power. The half experienced life so much of our lives goes unnoticed. We miss the sunrises and sunsets. We don't sense how we're feeling for hours and often days at a time. We didn't see the kind stranger help the elderly man cross the street. We missed that appreciative smile on our spouse's face. We didn't sense our co workers desperation because we never paused to look her in the eye or ask about her day locked indoors and hidden behind machines. We missed the entire season. The winter passed and we didn't play in the snow. The spring bloomed and we overlooked the flowers. The summer and the fall passed so quickly and we don't even remember the trees changing or or feel satisfied with the time we spent outside. Each day there are a million divine wonders, acts of human kindness and beautiful sights. Yet we are too checked out or busy thinking about yesterday or tomorrow to even sense the magic. We mustn't be so dumb or absent minded as to allow ourselves to suffer the fate and misery of those choosing a half interested, half engaged life. We mustn't stay oblivious to the key moments and circumstances of our lives. There is more pulse and beauty and meaning to be had. With enlightenment comes the realization that the natural foe to life is not a distant death, but a detachment from living. Reality is only here now, and we must learn to face it, feel it and form it. The present is all there is. Motivation and life itself cannot be sensed separate from now without bringing our full consciousness to the moment we became slave to impulse or tired inclination, subservient to our base conditioning that tends to lean toward ease and fear rather than growth and freedom. From this space of disengagement emerges all that we disdain. The barely present parent, the half hearted lover, the unfocused student, the absent leader. It is time to become more alert and engaged in the world. As the next moments of our lives unfold, we can choose to pay more attention to how we feel, to how others feel, to the blessings all around. We can give others the full beam of our focus and affection. We can open our hearts, minds and spirits to what the universe whispers to us. We can choose once more to be in this very moment, or open and free, alive. Our only enemy in this effort is ourselves. To gain greater presence, we will need to overcome our habit of living in the past or future. And we will need to become more aware of the roles and responsibilities. We can choose each and every moment as free, conscious and motivated people ripped from time to the reason most of us lack vitality is that we are unconsciously or obsessively directing our minds to the past or future at the expense of fully living now. Life cannot be sensed a day before or a day ahead. We must learn to release our habits of nostalgia and absurd projection and re enter our lives in the moment. We begin by releasing the past. There is very little use in thinking about yesterday or the days before it, unless recounting its Joys or looking for its lessons that may help us now, it is best to release the past entirely. All else comes at a dire effect to our joy and freedom in the moment. This work is difficult. Most people have become addicted to obsessing about their past, either wishing for its return or blaming it for frustration in their lives today. The cost is that they cannot be spontaneous. They are acting from an identity that is but a glorified or terrorized mental reflection. Spontaneity is the hallmark of a free person. And no person stuck thinking about yesterday, positively or negatively, can be truly liberated in the moment. Some will say, but I liked yesterday more than today. I'd rather focus on the glory days and remember who I was thankful then face who I am today. This is the statement of a person who has resigned their personal power. They have become a collection of walking memories rather than a mission driven human. They are now weak willed and unambitious, wasted in a perpetual memory that prevents their real life from progressing. Life will continue to be a reminiscent myth unless they discover that their only path out of the past lies in the very day before them. What will bring motivation and glory to their lives once more is a new mental discipline of bringing their focus back to the moment in being authentic and active today. Without such conscious ambition and attention, only a negative circumstance can right them. A catastrophe or severe need might pop them from the past and help them refocus on now. We should hope such jarring will be unnecessary and they will simply choose to re engage with their current life because it will make them happy and alive once more. If we revisit the past for brief and joyous recollections, let us be sure to take note of what exactly made us happy. We will see that happiness came from those moments in which we were vitally aware of something was happening and we noticed it with awe or appreciation. There was beauty, surprise, pleasure, passion, fun, love and peace. Perhaps all of these. In a glorious span of moments, the world came into sharp focus. For an instant, meaningless things faded away and meaningful things enlarged and drew our eye. There was authenticity and freshness to the experience. There was oneness with the moment. We became alert and connected to something positive. And that is why we can so easily recall it. Good memories can be celebrated, but let us not forget that even in the house of happiness, a positive past can become an unwanted guest, preventing us from the day's activities and freedom. Even though we have these positive associations, let us not drift too long in our minds and at the cost of missing those very things that are accessible to us right here and now. What made us happy was awareness of the moment. Let us not forget that. Let us use this knowledge as a life practice and come back to now with full vibrancy. Others think of the past and say.

But I hate the past.

It is the cause of all my problems today. They direct obsessive energies to looking backward with a sneer and a pointed finger. They would rather not think of the past, and yet they do, because they have mentally tied the thick rope of resentment around old situations. Despite time and the changing world, they are still bitter about an old upset, frightful of an old fear, victim to an old situation. They are now the angry person, the whining victim, or the regretful philosopher. It is very easy to become one of these people because our past has shaped us so much. But we must not. Any dirt or carnage of yesterday belongs nowhere near now, but rather in the dustbin of history, where we need not rummage about. Dwelling on past injuries only leaves us dispirited and torn from the moment. If yesterday's hardships are stealing our aliveness today, then we must seek another level of consciousness. And for some this will require therapy to work through. For most, it will at the very least require diligence in immediately releasing negative thoughts and instead choosing to ask, what can I focus on in my life at this exact moment to sense some peace, appreciation, or enthusiasm? What kind of person and what kind of experience do I want to choose to manifest right now? To those who have had such presence of mind belong a life that is connected, real and positive. Forgetting Tomorrow Many people are checked out today because they are thinking about tomorrow. For some, there is a secret fear that tomorrow will be worse than today. They lie awake stewing on the hardships that tomorrow might bring. Their fears about the future rip them from the blessings of the moment. Others are concerned that tomorrow won't be worse, but rather no different at all. They think, why can't my life be more exciting? Tomorrow is just going to be another day, another dollar, just another replay of the same old routine. The sad reality is that unless they learn to grip their present experience with a renewed fervor, they are correct. Still others look to the future in a different way. They are the daydreamers, lost in positive musings about what is possible for them. They often sit at their desks and let their minds drift into visions of tomorrow, and nothing brings them back but a phone call or knock at the door. Tragically, their feet rarely land in now. They are always wishing on a star but not working here on earth to enjoy their experience or progress their lives. Just like with the past, there's nothing wrong with journeying into the future if it brings joy or instruction. But that journey must be brief and never come at the expense of owning the hour, plan and dream when those things are called for. Yes, but don't disconnect from the magic and tasks and people at hand. A better future can be imagined for segments of time. But it is only in this time that that a better future can be built. Regardless of their memories or dreams for tomorrow, the masters of this life are always bringing their focus back to this very moment. They live serenely in the now, benefiting from yesterday without yearning for it, hopeful for tomorrow but not obsessing over it. They are vigilant in directing their attentions and affections to their immediate circumstances and people surrounding them. They frequently ask themselves, is my mind alert now? Am I noticing and fully sensing what is around me and taking it all in? Am I feeling this life? Am I directing my full power to what is in front of me and what matters? Avoiding Reality Some among us haven't the strength to act ask such questions. Preferring the easy escape from life that is avoidance. They prefer to turn away from the responsibilities or circumstances right in front of them. They remove themselves mentally, emotionally and spiritually from now. Since engaging would involve hardship and unflinching self examination. This is the man who avoids listening to his wife's requests because it will require him to remove himself from the couch. The leader who avoids the meeting because she would have to face the fact her business is failing. The student who goes out on the town rather than completing a difficult assignment. The man with the medical condition who refuses to go to the hospital because it might mean something is very wrong with his body and death is drawing near to the immature or unconscious person. It feels sane to avoid the hardships that life thrusts at them. It makes sense to remove their attention from circumstances that bring discomfort. It's easier to stop doing the hard task right in front of them, to disperse their attention onto multiple easier tasks. It's tempting to check out, to run and hide, but in doing so, we avoid life itself. The casualty is our own presence and power. When we lack the courage or discipline to address what we must, our presence is never wielded and honed. And so life becomes devoid of feeling and happiness. Avoidance may be the best short term strategy to avoid pain and conflict, but it is also the best long term strategy to ensure suffering. All things must be dealt with and now is the Time to begin. If a difficult conversation awaits with one's spouse, then the conversation should be had this day. If the business is in peril, then do not go on vacation or miss the meeting. Get to work fixing the issue at hand. If the paper is due, begin writing. If the body is sick, go to the doctor. Any other action is avoidance. And where there is avoidance, there can ultimately be no peace or progress. Free and motivated people do not neglect reality. They meet difficulty with attention. Seeing these as opportunities to test their faith, strength and love. Knowing that life is full of strife, but trusting in themselves and their path, they seek to handle whatever life demands of them directly and swiftly. Through practice they learn to find comfort in the uncomfortable and true mastery in life. We can learn from them. Let us never look hardship in the face and run. To do so is to tear ourselves from this world and this time and to relinquish our growth and contributions in life. Let us always remember that in addressing our pain and fear, we gain mastery over them. In meeting challenge rather than avoiding it, we find success. In meeting fate's well placed opportunities for growth, we become favored. And so let us ask ourselves what should I finally face in my life? What truths or realities are preventing my growth and happiness? What could I do about it right now? How can I better connect with this moment so that I can master what the hour demands of me?

Hey, it's Brendan. Sorry to interrupt the audiobook here for you, but a quick reminder. Make sure you subscribe to the show and you download this episode or all the episodes in this 10 part series. Or frankly just set it so that all of my episodes always download to your phone because this series goes away on June 3rd. Okay? Other than that, in this little mid roll spot, I'd love to tell you about our Ultra group. I'd love to see if maybe this is the time for you to become.

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Inattention to Our Roles Being fully present in life not only means being observant and unfailing in addressing our realities, but also deciding to proactively choose our roles and behaviors each day. In any given moment, we can play one or a combination of five vital roles. Inattention to these possible roles leads to a life without intention, but bringing our awareness to them helps us activate our full personal power in each moment. It brings purpose to our minds and activities, and purpose is the greatest bridge to now. Observer the first role we can play in our lives is observer or the conscious viewer. This is the role and responsibility we are charged with through the gift of self awareness. As observer, we can float above our reality and view the totality of who we are in life and the minutiae of how we are acting and reacting in the very moment. It is not a detachment from ourselves or the moment, but but rather a careful observance of it. Those who have mastered this role can make a decision and almost simultaneously evaluate whether or not it is the right decision. They can sense themselves doing, feeling and thinking things and know if those things are authentic. They notice when they are making poor decisions, being rude to others, forgetting something important. They are vitally aware of themselves. They can sense a conflict brewing and feel their anger lifting, yet choose not to act on that anger. It is as though they have an internal dialogue. Oh, I see that I am becoming upset about this situation. Why am I reacting this way right now? Will anger serve me in this moment? If I were responding as my highest self, what would I say and do right now? We can learn to master this role by practicing self examination several times throughout the day. We can ask ourselves, if I stopped and hovered above my life, what do I see myself doing and why do I think I'm doing that? Why am I feeling what I am feeling right now? What result will happen from my current actions and intentions? What is it I can sense that my mind, body and spirit truly feel and need and desire right now? When we grasp this idea of sensing ourselves, we become more connected to ourselves and our lives. This must be our goal. Director the second role is the more proactive role as director, the conscious and intentional creator of our lives. If we can imagine life as a movie, then we can imagine ourselves as the one directing each scene and character within it. The director calls all the shots and is the ultimate planner and authority of on what each character is doing, why they are doing it, and what they're going to do next. The director chooses where to focus the camera. In each second of filming, the director makes well reasoned choices about the characters in order to shape a compelling and meaningful story. From this simple metaphor, we can draw much wisdom for improving our lives. Those who are unhappy with the current story of their life are those who have not been directing its scenes and characters. They lacked a plan for their story. They wandered in and out of situations in their lives without any real intent. They focused on the wrong things, often zooming in on the negative aspects of life while missing the beautiful or interesting. They let the wrong characters enter the important scenes. They rarely step back from the frame to see the big picture. They let themselves respond to situations not as a noble and heroic character, but as a whiny child screeching across the stage of life. Mastering the role of the director requires us to be detailed in our intentions for each scene in our story. If we are going out on a date with our spouse this evening, how do we want the scene to unfold? What kind of person do we want to be at the dinner table? How will we appear? And what. What will we sound like? How will we respond to her descriptions of her day? What surprises will keep the scene fresh? How might the entire evening be a romantic love affair captured through our own eyes? Where is this story with this person going to go? Playing the director of our own movie gives us the ability to choose our entire character and life's arc. Will our character be strong or weak? Noble or selfish? Stressed or peaceful? Flighty or grounded? Will each of our days say something about who we are? And if so, what? What will we demonstrate and become in the next scene of our lives? These are important questions. If we do not ask them, we fail to focus on the story of our lives and thus we become lost within it. Worse, we become bit players in other people's stories, casualties of the larger mass narrative that is a boring tale of conformity. So let us be more conscious. What shall our life story be? And how can we direct our thoughts and actions to make that vision a reality? Guardian. The third role deserving our attention is that of guardian to our mind, body and soul. We must stand at the gates of our life and protect ourselves from unwanted contaminants, negative information, people and habits. How often we fail in this role. We let such useless information, tripe and stupidity into our minds. We dumbly consume words, images and sounds from salacious sources that masquerade their alerts and and offers as somehow relevant to our lives. This is the news media that pretends some ignorant and Extremist view might enlighten us. The network that says the reality of a few entitled brats being filmed without filter might entertain us. The webpage that cons us into thinking that we are miserable without their product. From all this, we do not grow wiser, but less informed, not entertained but but numbed, not wealthier, but poorer. Everything we consume becomes a part of us. All the useless factoids and scandals do nothing but take root in our psyche and emerge as stupidity and drama later on. Seeing people being petty on television a million times makes us pettier. As guardian of our mind, we mustn't allow the trite and negative to enter so easily. We should be conscious of the information entering our minds. And if we set out to learn something, let us be purposeful about the source, seeking to feed our brain with positive, empowering information that moves our lives forward. If we want to be entertained, let us choose the form of entertainment that would truly enliven us, that would bring a depth of understanding or appreciation into our lives. In all cases, let us remain at our post as the protector of a healthy and vital mind. What we see and hear and allow into our brains shapes our personality and our destiny. We must also be guardians of our bodies. The plight of those in abundance cultures brimming with fake food is that convenience thwarts common sense. Rather than choosing food that is real, whole and good for us, we choose what is fast and sweet. As a society, we have become not guardians, but gorgers, stuffing and poisoning ourselves mindlessly, toxifying the very structure that houses our heart and soul. Most people would feel guilty for destroying someone else's property, yet they wreck the very temple their creator gifted them. It is time we protect our health by paying more attention to what we are putting into our mouths. There is no lack of information on how to choose a healthy diet or live a healthier lifestyle. Eat smaller portions, make a plate of mostly whole foods and greens. Limit consumption of processed food or anything with unpronounceable ingredients. Stop eating so much sugar, move more and exercise several times per week to maintain a healthy, strong body. Drink more water and get more sleep. None of this is new information. What is required is a new commitment to caring for our bodies. If we let the energy of our body fade, our motivation soon goes with it. Let us be equally vigilant in evaluating the people we let into our lives. Are we allowing tyrants, jackals and jerks to contaminate our environment? Who are the negative people poisoning our potential and why are they in our space? Are we constantly Allowing ourselves to be hurt? Are we surrounding ourselves by whiners and haters? To one and all? They must go. And we mustn't hope that they will go. They will loiter as long as we allow. It is up to us to be fierce guardians of our happiness and humanity. In life. This often requires direct communication. To tell others to leave, to adjust their attitude, to be kinder and more supportive. It requires being more assertive and demanding. No one likes to do this kind of work. But we must protect ourselves from sour humans. By the same token, we must surround ourselves with positive, kind and inspiring people. We can choose to call to them from the gates of our lives, inviting them into our circles and homes, asking them to share their insights and lives with us. Warrior the next role is the warrior. Should we sit in our homes and find life wanting? Then we must stand and venture out to fight purposefully for something more. We must be bold, fierce and unrelenting in chasing our dreams. We must push aside our fears, struggle with conviction, battle through all obstacles. We must want to win, to bring back treasures and glory to our homes, to leave nothing on the battlefields of life but the legend of our courage and might. We will have made nothing of ourselves or created anything significant unless we prepare for the long and arduous journey to mastery. What skills must we have to win our next battles? Let us acquire them now. What tools and resources will we need? Let us ready them now. Who will we need to march with us so that we can have camaraderie and support in taking the next mountain? Let us seek to meet and enlist them now. What must we sacrifice in order to ascend even higher? Let us sacrifice it now before it weighs us down on the journey. Owning the role of warrior requires us to take stock of all the things we are deeply committed to in life. The warrior asks, what will I stand for in life? How will I bring honor and abundance to my loved ones? What adventures will make me feel alive? What do I want? And how hard am I prepared to fight for it? This matter of hard work reveals whether we are the cowards or the warriors of this world. Perhaps it is time we step back from all our busy work and think again about our greater dreams and glory. Let us be honest and brave in assessing our lives, asking how hard am I really working toward my dream? Am I letting little obstacles stop my progress? Or am I battling through them on a consistent basis? Am I doing what I must to prepare my mind, body and soul for victory? Am I acting with real conviction and commitment in life? Or simply trudging through. Have I struggled to succeed in any area of my life because I've failed to sacrifice or commit? If we have real dreams, then we must fight for them. For the sake of our soul and our families. We must adopt the warrior spirit that is hungry, ambitious and courageous. The essence of the warrior spirit is readiness, a bias toward action. Warriors do not waste time in making decisions. There is little hesitation, hemming, hawing or hedging. Warriors do not await perfect circumstances to begin the long march to victory. They do not stop when tired or frightened. They do not shy away from a needed fight. They do not apologize for boldness or strength. No, when there is a conquest, when they see fortune in lands on the horizon, they set out. They march, they march and they march on their path. They have gravity about them, a seriousness, a commitment, a strong center. They are solid, no matter how much turmoil and uncertainty lurks beneath their fire. Will and discipline are uncommon, sometimes causing others to fear their ambition. And yet always they earn respect for their courage. There they go. The watchers on the sidelines of life say, that person is a fighter and will not give up. So what is it that we are fighting for? To real warriors, this is a burning question, something deeply contemplated. Warriors take pride and dignity from their answers to such a question. Their commitments are important to them, and every small victory toward those commitments is logged, celebrated, integrated into their identity, shared joyously with their tribe of fellow strivers. They are fully aware of the fact they are warriors and creating a warrior ethos, a legend as a fighter for things both important to themselves and also grander and more significant than themselves. They are giving their lives to something that matters. To become stronger warriors, we must stop all the hesitations and excuses. We must commit to fighting harder and longer toward our dreams. And so let us write down all the things we've been waiting to do, along with all our excuses for not doing them. Let us contemplate where we are, being weak in our lives or progressing too slowly. Then let us get recommitted and decide that tomorrow, no matter what, we will march with courage toward our dreams, regardless of the obstacles in our way. Let us be obsessive and fierce about our progress once more. Warriors are stubborn and strict, clear about what they fight for, and committed to every discipline required to win the next battle. For the fate of our dreams and for the security and abundance of our families. Let our character be so solid while on our quests, we must never forget whom we are fighting for. There are people we care for and who need us. No victory is sweet and no life fulfilling without someone to celebrate with and care for. And so let us master our role as lover. Lovers have a stunning capacity for shining attention and adoration on others. They take a vital interest in others so that they may understand them, care for them and contribute meaningfully to their lives. They communicate from the heart and seek to enlarge the heart of those around them by giving them respect and empathy. This may be the most difficult role and responsibility to master. Our relationships demand more presence, more attention and more purposeful tending than any other area of our lives. Yet how often we cause our own disappointment, heartbreak and separation. Think of all the wrecked relationships that could have been saved with just a few more minutes worth of time, attention and affection. Witness the father yell at his daughter without regard for her feelings or needs. Observe the wife at the table staring at her phone rather than conversing with her spouse. Recall the time a loved one needed a kind word, but we were too busy. All the darkness and sadness caused in these situations would be preventable if there were a higher focus on love. In a modern world plagued by distraction, our greatest work in becoming better lovers is in reconnecting with those who have already given us their hearts. We have to finally stop all the looking about and once more peer into the eyes of those we adore. We have to ask them more questions. How was their day really? What are they struggling with? What would make them feel more alive and happy? How can we connect with and care for them better? Is there a way we can demonstrate even more affection and appreciation for them? We must learn to sit down each day and think about the health and growth of our loved ones as much as we think about the growth of our careers. Are there rituals we can create to bring us all closer? To rekindle the fire and passion to move our lives forward together? Each of us was fashioned from love. Our nature is love and our hearts beat with it and our spirit soars with its quickening power. Let us reconnect with our hearts and the hearts of others. Let us embody this role with such vitality and power that in the bright beams of our love, those around us are stunned and overjoyed and honored and enlivened. Leader There are men and women counting on us and looking to our example. They await our direction and action. We owe it to them to be outstanding in our role as leader. The world is in dire need of leaders because we lack them. So many individuals and institutions are barreling blindly in the dark. Society is not being moored to the demands of good character and the expectations to serve the common good. And so the world is intoxicated by greed, mad passions and intolerance. Without leaders at the helm of humanity, what should be a joyous, collective ride toward hope, freedom and abundance for all is instead a terrible, directionless drive with spoiled brats too ignorant and proud to ask for directions. A careening vehicle headed to catastrophe. We must begin again the great work of uplifting humankind. Our times demand vision and discipline, collaborative effort to make a real difference. These things are inspired and sustained by good leaders. And so let us ask ourselves, what can be done to improve this world that I influence? How can I help others solve problems and achieve their dreams? Who can I enlist and empower to help achieve something remarkable? How can I unlock the potential of those around me to do more good? Perhaps if more people ask these kinds of questions, we could stop society's headlong drive into oblivion. Yet some of us fear taking a leadership role. But what is our excuse in the final reckoning of our life's legacy? Shall we explain to our Creator that he did not equip us well enough for the task? No. We must forget the excuses and remember our duty to serve something larger than ourselves. Look back at history when good decisions and progress were made at the important crossroads of each era, there were always bold and motivated people with clear vision and sure voices. Let us be that for our generation. The call for leadership is all around. Let's not play deaf to the needs of the world at this moment of crisis. There are things to volunteer for and lead in our neighborhoods and communities. There are untapped sources of potential and power in our businesses. And so let us decide now to do our best to spot those areas of need to lift those around us to to unite people in meaningful struggle and service once more for the betterment of our world. It is time to take charge once more. The Moment now. Each of these rolesobserver, director, guardian, warrior, lover and leader is available to us in any moment. Should we be intent on activating them, we shall own the moment in in ways we never imagined. Motivation will arise. Life will come back. A vibrancy will emanate through our entire being. None of us will ever master all of these roles in our lives simultaneously. But that does not mean we should neglect them. Today. Let us commit to studying these roles and doing our damnedest to enact them with more presence and power. The sunshine of enlightenment spreads to those who understand that the moments of our lives must not go unnoticed and unlived. We can feel these warm rays of hope if we make the committed choice not to detach from our lives in any way. We mustn't avoid this day's reality or wish for a better one. We must learn to live in reverence to the moment and all we have been given by it and all we choose to give to it. We can choose our roles and responses to the world. So over time our character and destiny our are forged purposefully. From these efforts we shall rediscover the immensity and freedom and gift that is each and every divine moment spent alive.

Okay, it's Brendan, the modern day Brendan here, jumping back in. I hope you enjoyed this chapter of the Motivation Manifesto. If you did, yes, you can still find the book for sale on Amazon and I would encourage you to if.

You'Re not yet a member of Growth.

Day, maybe this is the day that you join. There's actually a 12 week advanced motivation course based on the Motivation Manifesto in Growth Day. It's unlocked for any of our Mastery members. How do you know if you're a Mastery member? Well, just go to growthday.com and get yourself signed up. If you're already in Growth Day, just go to the search bar and type type in motivation manifesto and BAM. That 12 week course will pop up for you free. Just for being a Mastery member in Growth Day. Again you can go to growthday.com and you'll find an entire course 12 week online motivational course unlocked for all Growth Day Mastery members. We'd love to have you in Growth Day if you're not already. Again you can just go to growthday.com I want to thank everyone for listening to this episode episode of the Motivation Manifesto audiobook. Again, make sure you download this episode and all the episodes otherwise you will lose these on June 3rd. This is a 10 day preview of 10 chapters of the Motivation Manifesto. My thanks for the 10th anniversary of the release of the Motivation Manifesto.