EASTER SUNDAY MESSAGE

You've been being trained for this for years by either your own intention and self improvement or by grace. And so you are stronger than you think, my friend, and better equipped to deal with this than you could possibly know. Hey my friends, it's Brendon Burchard. Welcome to the Brendon Show. This continues on a special series I'm doing called Striving in Chaos and I'm filming this for you Easter morning and I've been at work for you guys for 15 years. I don't think there's any reason to stop right now. I'd like to share with you today my Easter Sunday message to my list. And whether you're a person who believes in God or has faith or not, I think this Sunday message might have some resonance for you. And so I thought I'd put it here. But the Brennan Show Podcast I ask only one thing on Easter and that is if you would be kind and compassionate and present with your loved ones. And hey, if anyone needs some help out there, make sure you download every episode called Striving in Chaos of this season and send it to them or send them some links. Spread some goodness out there of a positive message. If you're not on my email list, just go to Brendan and get signed up. This is the email that went out Sunday. If you didn't know. I send out an email to my millions of subscribers worldwide by email pretty much every Sunday, usually once or twice a week. Some goodness going out there. This is my Easter Sunday message. My thoughts during COVID 19. Here we go. Whether you are celebrating Easter today or not, I hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe, healthy, optimistic and faithfully strong. It's Sunday so I hope you find some way to rest your mind and spirit today. Facing these turbulent times with a rested and purposeful mind is so key for me. That happens through getting enough sleep, meditating twice per day, stretching and exercising every day, minimizing news and social media to just two 15 minute conception blocks per day, taking two walks per day with Denise, reading spiritual texts and prayer, striving each day to add value and live my purpose and talking with family and good humored friends. And I discussed my entire daily routine by the way, in episode one of this Striving in Chaos series. So if you wonder what I do in the mornings or the nights or how I work or when I don't work, or how do I consume media or what I eat, that was episode one of this Striving in Chaos series this season on the Brennan Show. So today's kind of a personal note and a recap of what I've been doing to helping again. I started this series called Striving in Chaos. We're six episodes in as I'm recording this for you guys on Easter Sunday. I post a bunch of links to each of these episodes in my email, so I'm going to skip that part. I'm also doing some emergency marketing training for those who have realized they need to get their business online right now or they need to start something new because of a layoff or they just finally decided to take this time to start their personal brand, get some digital sales, earn some online revenue. And you know, if you've been with me for a long time, you know that I deeply believe that it's necessary that people learn to create online, sell online and serve online. You know, working from home, generating digital revenue and building a brand and career, providing much needed advice and wisdom and value and content out there. That is the new job security. That is the unavoidable future skill set. We all must know. It's just that doing it right by leading and building value and community online and virtually, that's the new premium skill set. So if you've been part of my community, you've seen that truth practiced for 15 years non stop for you guys. If you're new then you're already seeing these truths as the world turns to an economy run on virtual meetings and digital tools that help everything keep going. If you're new to the idea of thought leadership or my industry or what I named eight years ago, the Virtual Influence and leadership economy, then take my beginners marketing course. We have a free trial for that still going. I give it out to my email newsletter list. I reopened it today on Easter. For people if they need that assistance. It's basically giving a $500 marketing crash course out there for $1 trial into my influencer program. You can, if you're interested in that, just go to hpxlife.com marketing HPX Life. Actually it's hpxlife.com crashcourse I'm sorry, hpxlife.com crashcourse if you're looking for my most advanced stuff, then you know, and that's on like creating and selling virtual online programs like virtual coaching, paid live trainings, online courses, webinars, and monthly paid memberships and subscriptions. Then you got to become a real marketing client of mine and get signed up for Total Product Blueprint. We're actually starting live bonus sessions for that on Monday by the way. So go to hpxlife.com TPB as in Total Product Blueprint. Hpxlife.com which stands for Total Product Blueprint. And you can get signed up there to join me in my most advanced program. That's where I'm really spending my time with my clients right now. And then last but not least, I'm just doubling down on goodness and faith. You know, my heart is so full with empathy and compassion and love for all our first responders, to all those who are boldly and courageously out there moving society forward to anyone who has gotten sick or lost a loved one or job. Like many of you, I've been brought to tears so many times these last few weeks and both witness to heroism and courage and in compassion for those who've been tragically affected. Honestly, I think that empathy and compassion has been a good thing for me, even if it leads to a lot of those ups and downs we all experience. Because I don't think I've ever created this much content for you all, hosted this many live trainings, written so much or coached so many people through difficult times than this last six weeks. It's been just tremendously taxing and fulfilling. It's been nonstop free content for you guys through the podcasts, the socials, the courses, the lives, the guest interviews, industry calls YouTube channel, if you didn't know. I literally basically speak to our biggest leaders in the influencer world. Every single week. We've been talking about the values to a spouse, how to keep people's heads up, what to talk about with mental illness. It's been, it's been a position I really appreciate having defined my career in the way I have, but also having the blessings of sort of becoming one of the leaders in this space who really does seek to coach the industry to higher values. And you know, with all this work I've been putting out there, some people have been worried about me. I know you all have been saying, hey, are you slowing down enough? Are you resting enough? And the answer is yes. And I'm feeling a hundred percent blessed and joyful and optimistic and strong today. And you know, for me personally, I practiced my high performance habits for so many years that through whether it's normal times or difficult times, I feel the same grounding, the same motivation, the same confidence. But four things have really helped me stay centered during this particular time and number one is faith. If you read any of my books or attended any of my events, you see and hear my faith and appreciation for our creator giving me my second chance in life and all the gifts and blessings and willingness to show up for you all every day in service. I'm also so blessed to be surrounded by friends and leaders who are helping me and others practice what we preach and connect to a higher purpose during these turbulent times. It's honestly been very helpful in healing and I'm so inspired by how many of you are sharing with us through DM through comments, keeping your faith, diving deeper into your soul and connecting again, rekindling your relationship with God or spirit or universe, believing in your purposeful destiny and facing your mortality again with hope, belief, reverence for this life. Look, whether you believe in God or not, please tap into some form of faith in your purpose, your abilities, your future right now and the idea that you'll be supported because you're not alone. You are and will be guided and the future holds good things for you. I'd say that the second thing that's really helped me right now is Denise, my always sunshine. Denise and I are, well, we're happy. Thank you guys for asking. You know, even as we are entering our second full month of quarantine now, just like everyone who has been ordered to stay at home, we've had to find our rhythm. You know, find a new rhythm, really keep in touch with our loved ones and use our time to focus on health, family, faith, friends, good habits and purpose. Every day we talk about our blessings, our love and it's kept me positive and motivated and whenever I am in a funk and yes guys, it happens, Denise sees it and brightens me up. And that mutual desire to support and brighten one another's life, that's a long standing commitment and practice that has really helped us in our marriage and our life together. Number three, my team. I'm so proud of how my teams across all our brands and businesses have shown up with commitment and excellence because of their hard work and their love for you. We haven't missed a beat. Even as live events, shipping and volume have all been so wild over these last few weeks because for 15 years we've really set the standard in our industry for customer service and it's because we have the blessings of serving you all every day and you motivate us. You know, we know our mission is to change lives and to help you improve your life and achieve your goals faster. And that mission and service driven approach has really shown up as everyone backed off. We've tried it up and I'm proud of this team and I know looking back will be in awe that we didn't Slow down. We didn't do layoffs, we didn't turn away from the demands of the hour, and we didn't fail to meet the compassion and leadership demands of this very moment. So team, good job. I love you guys. 4 and this one I know keeps gaining some controversy out there, but unstoppable High Standards I just believe if you've had high standards all your life, to be a positive force in others lives, and you've done the personal development work required to be an awesome human, then this truly is your moment. And I take this moment super seriously. I think we are all being called to practice what we preach, to serve others, to adapt, to keep our heads up and our hearts open, our feet moving forward. What we are seeing now is a great divide in how people are approaching crisis. Some avoid the reality, some complain and blame and stop. Some refuse to own their responsibilities and excuse their bad behavior and attitude right now under the umbrella of crisis. Others though, recognize the historical moment to show up and choose one's own attitude and meaning and future. They choose to connect, not disengage. They face the same dramas and stressors and threats as everybody else, but they know they can define their own experience and be role models. Now they take the daily time to rest and recover, sure, but they also move forward each day in some way, even if small, just to show themselves they can and just to honor the blessings of the life they have, despite all the reasons to do otherwise. They choose to have a role model mindset and show up through this thing as their best self, care for others, practice good habits, keep a positive and compassionate attitude. And I'm not saying they are special, nor am I saying they are lucky or that the high standard is not difficult to reach every day. But they try. They try, they try. And more often than not you will feel proud of how you've behaved through this difficult moment when you do. No, high standards are not easy to maintain now or ever. But expecting something of ourselves through hardship is a good thing and a required thing for adaptability, for growth and for real contributions. So as I typed this email this morning, I know there will be inevitable unconscious reaction from those who say, you expect too much from Brendan. You expect too much from people, Brendan. People are too hard on themselves already. How dare you ask for high standards right now when we should all relax and be allowed to take months to chill and reset. Really? Months? Months? To this I say, oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you hadn't really looked into psychology or wellness or personal development before because you can relax and you can practice daily wellness patterns and you can still fight for your dreams, your family and earn this life. Seeking wellness and harmony does not mean stopping growth or progress. I keep saying it over and over to this whole audience. It's not a binary thing. We can strive with real focus and commitment and we can be peaceful, harmonious, conscious and well as we live each day doing that. Why do you think we even have the phrase peaceful warrior? So let us be fully alert, aware and empathetic to these turbulent times. But let us not be entitled and cast out our responsibility and drown in the pools of collective pessimism where we don't think we have any control. Let us not refuse to adopt the mindset. Rather, let us refuse. Let us refuse to adopt the mindset of victims somehow out of any control over our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. No matter if we are healthy or sick, employed or broke, stuck or thriving, lonely or loved. Yeah, let us be empathetic and thoughtful, but let us not be enabling to poor behavior and low standards of conduct. For if we abandon virtue and command of ourselves now, then what future are we passing to those we love? There is no escape. We all will remember how our true values and characters and abilities showed up now and over this period of time. Yeah, there's down days, but listen, behavior over a period of months, let's not pretend that's not our own choice. Yes, we can feel emotionally distraught in moments, but enduring feelings, that's how we direct our thoughts, how we direct our day's aim, how we seek to connect with people. Listen, there's the inevitable unconscious feelings of the moment. But who, who we are, how we show up, how we serve over a span of weeks and months, that's choice, that's self responsibility. That's the reality. Like, let's not pretend that we can't still in the hardest of moments, in the most difficulty of inconveniences, in the face of death, in the face of loss, in the face of ruin, in the face of all the things that we all fear. Let's not pretend that we still can't keep our heads up, stay connected to faith, wake up each day and choose to have a positive mindset. Know that when we get knocked down, we can still get back up. Know that when we don't feel good, we can change how we think, how we feel, how we move, how we eat, what we do each day. Yeah, it might be locked in, shut down, laid off, sick. But even in those things Viktor Frankl taught us in man's Search for meaning. The last of humans freedoms is one's ability to choose one's own attitude. I think that's so important. If you need more of this kind of mindset, I hope you pick up your copy of the motivation manifesto right now. Revisit the chapters I wrote on reclaiming your life's agenda. Revisit the chapters I wrote on gratitude, on love, on advancing even through fear, on slowing down time to feel this life and appreciate this life. So back to my email. I'll say it again. Yes, it's hard to hold yourself to high standards. Yes, we could shut down our visions, our ambitions, dreams, hopes, faith and even daily progress. But I will not. We will not. Not in HPX community when HPX stands for the high performance experience, the idea there is another experience of life that is more engaged, more connected, more confident, more joyful, more happy, more service driven. But how do you get that experience? Ultimately you must seek it, you must strive for it. No, I will not stop demanding of good standards and virtue and conduct of myself. And I will not let my audience do that. I will still cheer them on and remind them of choice. Because you know what? Yes, I'm locked down, but I'm fired up. I'm demanding that I keep the role model mindset of myself. I'm demanding that I skill up, serve strong and show up every day for you over the long haul. Because when you are fueled by faith, in touch with the blessings of life, showing up for others with a servant's heart, then you're fired up. You are purposeful. And for those hardships and sacrifices, I don't need to remind you on Easter that you will rise up. So happy Easter, you beautiful soul. I love you all. Keep your head up. You're stronger than you think. You actually have guidance right now and you will be guided and the future holds good things for you. On this Sunday, I'm sending you all love, strength and healthy energy. I hope that you will share this podcast episode with anyone you know of faith or anyone you know going through a hard time. I hope that you'll ask them to download every episode that says Striving in Chaos. These episodes so far have gotten such a good reception to help people's mindset, to help you stay strong as you stay well and you still strive toward your dreams. Love you all. Appreciate you all choose today to be extraordinary, to be connected and to be faithfully strong.