Activate Your Hidden Talents | Les Brown’s Strategy for Greatness

See, most people want it easy. See, easy come, easy what? Easy go.

What if you live your whole life only to discover that it was wrong?

That it was wrong. What would your life be like as you look toward the future if you decided, I'm not going to allow my fears to stop me?

He's one of the world's most renowned motivational speakers. He mastered the science of achievement by interviewing hundreds of successful business leaders over 3 decades. He received the Golden Gavel Award for achievement and leadership in communication. He's Les Brown, and here's my take on his Top 10 Rules for Success Volume 2. And as always, guys, as you're watching the videos, if you hear something that really resonates with you, please leave it down in the comments below and put quotes around it so other people can be inspired as well. Also, as you are writing something down, it's much more likely to stick in your head too. Enjoy.

Here's what I discovered that happens to you in life, that you will go through things, and while you're going through them, you can't understand why it's happening to you. But after you go through it and you get back and you look at it and you say, oh, Oh, now I understand why I needed that lesson. Have you ever had that happen to you? Raise your hand. Did that ever happen to you? That I couldn't understand it there, but after I got through it, then I saw that that was preparing me for bigger and better things. That as you go through the challenges of life, and you look at it and embrace whatever comes to you, don't run from it, step toward it, don't try and duck it like most people do. See, most people want it easy. See, easy come, easy what? Easy go. See, but when you go at what you're going to deal with and you deal with the difficulties of it, when you handle those hard things close at hand, Making those hard decisions right now that you don't want to make. Learning those things that you don't like to do, but you know that in order for you to get where you want to go, this is one of the hoops that you have to flip through. And I'm saying to you, whatever you got to do, do it, because if you don't, life is going to whoop you until you surrender and say, "Okay, all right, all right, all right, all right. I cooperate. Okay, I learn. Okay." —hadn't wear me out a long time. So if it's hard, then do it hard. You're going to focus to develop your skills. A guy was the new owner of a team, a team, a baseball team that was in the basement of the league when he took it over. He went to the pitcher and he said, what is your best throw? He said, well, I got a good curveball and I've got a good fastball. He went on talking about his different throws. He said, but "Tell me this, what is your best throw?" He thought for a moment.

He said, "I've got a good fastball." He said, "That's all I want you to work on.

Nothing else. Just develop your fastball." The next year, they went to the World Series. Most people don't know where their fastball is. Most people go through life never discovering what their talents are. Most people never develop their talents. They have skills and abilities, but if you don't nurture them, if you don't develop them, they will never serve you. Your gifts can take you many places if you develop your gifts. Most of us don't like to do those things that come easy to us. I've always loved to talk to people. I decided, taking this advice, to develop my skills as a speaker, and my gift has developed and developed and has taken me many places. You have something that you brought to the universe, and that if you decide that my life deserves my developing this what I do well and becoming the best at it and mastering myself and seeing what I have within me— if you decide to drop your buckets where you are and develop your gifts, I grant you, you'll never ever be without. I grant you that your gifts will take you places that will literally amaze you. I grant you that if you begin to work to develop your gifts, you'll develop a strong sense of happiness. You'll get a larger vision of yourself, because part of beginning to get a larger vision of yourself— all of us need some area of our lives where we can have a feeling of competence, that people know when they think about this area, that's something you do. That you eat and sleep that, and that you do that.

You do that, and people know it, and you know it, and you know that you know that you know this.

If you don't know anything else, you know this. Can you tell I know I know what I'm doing? Oh, hello! You know this, so you've got to work on it.

Dr. Howard Thurman, one of the mentors of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And Albert Schweitzer and Mahatma Gandhi. He was a very brilliant writer. He wrote some things that really grabbed me. He wrote "Deep is the Hunger," "The Voice of the Genuine," "The Centering Moment." During the time after receiving 238 radiation seed implants, I was reflecting on his words, and these words kept me up that night. He said, "The ideal situation for a man or woman to die is to have family members praying with them as they cross over. He said, but imagine, if you will, being on your deathbed and standing around your bed the ghost of the dreams, the ideas, the abilities, the talents given to you by life, and that you, for whatever reason, you never went after that dream. You never acted on those ideas. You never used those talents. You never used those gifts. And there they are standing around your bed looking at you with large angry eyes saying, "We came to you and only you could have given us life, and now we must die with you forever." And the question is, If you die today, what dreams, what ideas, what talents, what books, what music, what leadership, what voice will die with you? Miles Monroe, great orator and speaker, said the wealthiest place on the planet— it's not in the Far East where there's oil in the ground, it's not in South Africa where there are diamond mines— he said the wealthiest place on the planet is the cemetery. Because there you'll find greatness that we've never seen. There you'll find talent and genius and potential never actualized. Perhaps that's why Henry David Thoreau wrote the words, "Oh God, to reach the point of death only to realize that you've never lived." Maybe that's why some unknown writer wrote the words, "What if you live your whole life only to discover that it was wrong?" that it was wrong, that you were chosen to do something else and you didn't do it. And as you begin to challenge yourself, you discover some things about yourself that you don't know right now. The other thing is you begin to look at yourself, look at your dreams, and, and begin to experiment and stepping into your greatness. One of the things that's very important Whatever goals and dreams that you have, repeat after me, please. Make your move before you're ready. Make your move before you're ready. You have Price Pritchett, who's a great motivator and trainer. He said, make your move before you're ready. We're instructed in life to walk by faith and not by sight. See, you want to really begin to stretch yourself. You want to become a risk taker. You want to raise the bar on yourself. Most people won't do that. See, most people engage in low-life living, low-risk living. This God said, if you're not willing to risk, you cannot grow. And if you cannot grow, you cannot become your best. And if you cannot become your best, you can't be happy. And if you can't be happy, then what else is there? I like what Helen Keller said: Life is short and unpredictable. Eat the dessert first.

And so you want to begin to take some chances.

You want to begin to challenge yourself and make it okay to fail and learn from your failures. Don't allow fear of failure and the, the, the allure, the attractiveness of playing it safe in life to draw you in. You can't get out of life alive. You got to die to leave here.

There are a lot of people who are biting their fingers in fear that they might lose their jobs. But there are few people who have decided within themselves, I'm going to make it. Some people aren't waiting to be cut. Some people are moving on their own because they feel within themselves, I've got what it takes to make it. They're not afraid about tomorrow because of how they see themselves. Because of what they feel that they deserve, because of what they feel that they can create for themselves. Because these people have decided, as they look at the future, as they look at themselves, there's a way. Where there's a will, there's a way for me to begin to create a way out of no way. And when you have that kind of consciousness, when you have that kind of spirit, nothing can stop you.

Nothing.

What would your life be like as you look toward the future if you decided, "I'm not going to allow my fears to stop me"? What would your life be like? What would your future be like if you decided to, to want that which you desire so strongly that it prepares you past your fears that you experience the fear, as the one book says, feel the fear and do it anyway. What would your life be like? And I'm saying to you that all of us who have been entombed by fear have the capacity to resurrect ourselves and to resurrect our dreams. All of us have a capacity to do that. I want you to look at something right now. Think of some major goal you want, or maybe it's one you're already working on and you have experienced a lot of setbacks, a lot of defeats. You've experienced a lot of disappointment. Maybe you've already given up, and maybe you just need a little fire, a little encouragement to get back in the game again. Here's what I want you to look at: there are winners, there are losers, and there are people who have not discovered how to win. And all they need is some coaching. All they need is some help and assistance, just a little support. All they need is some insight or different strategy or plan of action to make some adjustments that will open up the key to a whole new future for them, that will give them access to the unlimited power that they have within themselves. That's all that they need. So what I want you to do is, is think about something you want for you that's real for you. That's important for you, that will give your life some special meaning and power. And I don't even want you to say, "I can do that." I don't want you to assume that. See, 5 years ago when I started out in this area, I would not have been able to make the mental leap that I would be up to where I am right now. I don't want you to begin to just psych yourself out. No, no. I want you to be able to say something to yourself that will enable you to maintain a level of integrity with yourself. That when you say this, even when you face tremendous setbacks, it will be a benchmark to keep you in the game, to keep you moving forward and experimenting and readjusting your strategy and your plan of action continuously, looking for ways to win. So what is that something? When you got an idea, you want to move on. You might not have the money, you might not have the education, you might not have the support or the resources you need. What is that something that can keep us going, that will enable us to act on our dream? What's one of those keys that will begin to help us to discover the secrets to our dream? Here's what I want you to repeat after me, please, with power and conviction. Say, "It's possible." It's possible. That's all I want you to do when you look at your dream. Just say to yourself every day, "It's possible." Just say that every day to yourself, "It's possible." Because what does that do? See, it begins to change your belief system. See, the way in which we operate, ladies and gentlemen, it's a manifestation of what we believe what's possible for us. Whatever you've done up to this point, all all that it really is, is a duplication, is a reproduction of what you believe subconsciously that you deserve and what's possible for your life. Before April 1954, the common belief, the universal belief, because it had been tried again and again and again and people had failed, the belief was that man was not physically capable of breaking the 4-minute barrier, that he could not run a mile in less than 4 minutes. That was the belief on the planet. It had never been done. But here's what happened, ladies and gentlemen. Roger Bannister came along and he broke the 4-minute barrier. Now here's what's significant about that. Since that time up to this To this day, over 20,000 people have done it, including high school kids. What changed? 20,000 people, what changed? Here's what happened when they got on the track. They knew it had been done. And because they knew it had been done, there was a new belief about this barrier, about this goal that was unlimited. Unreachable. And those 20,000 people got in a race believing, knowing in their heart that someone had done it, that it's possible that they could do it. And I'm saying that if you know anybody that had some goal, some dream, something they wanted to do and they did it, then I'm saying that you know in your heart that if someone has done it, then you can do it. It's possible. And that if someone can make their dream become a reality, that it's possible that you can make your dream become reality.

If you constantly remind yourself after every defeat, after every setback, every time you get knocked down— I've got a saying: if life knocks you down, try and land on your back, because if you can look up, you can get up. See, a lot of people, because of failure, they stop. They stop believing. Let me share something with you: you will fail your way your way to success. Yes, 8 out of 10 millionaires have been financially bankrupt. You will fail your way to success. It doesn't matter how many times you fail. It doesn't matter how many times people tell you that you can't do it. It doesn't matter if you don't have a dime in the bank. You will fail your way to success. We live in a world where we're told more about our limitations rather than our potential. How many have ever been told that you couldn't do something? Raise your hands, please. MIT did a study that if I say to you, "You can't do that," that 16 people have to come along and say, "You can do that, you can do that, you can do that," to neutralize that, and the 17th statement that you hear, "You can do it," will be the one that will finally stick. So you have to watch who's speaking into you. You've got to begin to monitor your mind, and you've got to begin to literally be proactive in programming yourself to success. Be ye not conformed to this world. Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. You've got to take responsibility to make that happen. And as you begin to do that, you'll begin to see some incredible changes in your life. I understand now when Earl Nightingale said, all of us are self-made, but only the successful will admit it. As you begin to look at your dreams and look at your goals, write this down: make no your vitamin. See, most people stop short of their dreams and park and get off the highway of life because of the rejections of life. You will always be rejected. It's no big deal. Jack Canfield said rejection is a myth. It's not like when somebody says no and then they slap you. No, it's just, you know, to me, make no your vitamin. Get excited about the no. Why? Because every time someone says no, that brings you another step to a yes. You're getting closer. Trust me, you will win if you don't quit.

You will win if you don't quit.

Even a broke clock is right twice a day. And so as I began to work on myself, I realized that I'm getting out of one story and stepping into another story. As I become aware of some things, there's still some things I'm not aware of. So I still— I'm still growing, I'm still developing. I'm like the lady who said, Lord, I ain't what I wanna be, ain't what I'm gonna be, but thank God I sure ain't what I was. But I realized that, that you have to work on yourself on a regular basis. And write this down: for mental mindset, for mental mindset and stamina, because things are going to happen to you.

So I went to the next mode necessary to start talking to people and seeking and asking for what I wanted and leveraging relationships and trying to find out how How did the people do it that went ahead of me? How did they do it? And then what is it I need to do? How is it I need to train myself, to develop myself? What's the resources that will be required in order to make it happen? And as I start seeking out and asking questions, I started running into people said, "I know someone who can help you do that." And they helped me get connected with those people. Remember, we have so much energy that can take us so far. It's necessary that you hook up with some other energy that can take you to the next level. I hooked up with them. They said, "Let's, let's go." I said, "Away we go." And guess what? Here we are. I love it. You want your stuff? It's necessary you take responsibility for it. That you make it happen, that you don't give up, that you don't take any objection or disappointment or defeats personally, that you keep on keeping on, that you don't decide that I can't make it because you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, that you realize that's a part of the program. And here's something you've got to resolve. Say this to yourself every day.

See, as long as you're breathing, you gotta shout at your dream.

That's the way I resolve. Say this, please. It's not over. It's not over until I win. You've got that right. It's not over until I win. Not over until I get through. It's not over until I get over. Not over until I get what I want. Door can't open today, look out, I'm going to come back and take the hinges off. That's how you gotta do that. You've got to have that kind of courage, that type of determination.

If you want to make it happen, it's you. That you've got to take personal responsibility to make it happen.

Thank you guys so much for watching. I made this video to continue in the Volume 2 series. I'd love to know what you guys think and if we should continue it. If you want to nominate somebody else, let me know. I'd also really I would really love to know what did you learn from Les today that had the biggest impact on you and why? What message are you gonna take from him and immediately apply it to your life or your business somehow? Leave it down in the comments below. I'm gonna join in the discussion. Finally, I want to give a quick shout out to J-Rise and Lynx. Thank you guys so much for picking up a copy of my book, Year One Word, and that entry into the contest. I love the video and I really appreciate your support. We're here to do a major unboxing. Look what I got in the mail today! Exciting! So thank you guys again for watching. I believe in you. I hope you continue to believe in yourself and whatever your one word is. Much love. I'll see you soon.

Most people are not accumulating wealth. Most people are living in poverty. Most people are living far below their potential. Not because they don't have the capacity. Not because they have not been given authority and dominion over everything on the face of the earth. But most people are living like they're living because of the fact that they don't believe they can have any more than what they now have. In the book called A Miseducation of the Negro, Dr. Carter G. Woodson said, if you can determine what a man shall think, you never have to concern yourself with what he will do. If you can make a man feel inferior, you never have to compel him to seek an inferior status, for he will seek it himself. And if you can make a man feel justly an outcast, you never have to order him to go to the back door. He'll go without being and if there's no door, his very nature will demand one. That's why Scripture reminds us, "Be ye not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." So every day you have to sell yourself and get out of your mind those old thoughts, that old belief system. Every day you've got to sell yourself on that it's possible. But you gotta put a new mind in you. You gotta get out of your mind. You gotta begin to restructure your thinking. Every day you've got to begin to recondition your mind. See, many of us go through life making choices thinking it's our choices, and it's not. You want to make your dream come true, you got to stay focused. Some people rather get even than get ahead. Stay focused on where you want to go. I just kept on doing what I was supposed to do, and so I was I was driving to the radio station. My opponent had over $20,000. I had less than $800. As I was in the radio station, the guy said, "You gonna make a commercial?" I said, "Yes." He said, "It better be a good one because that money can't go pretty far here." And I sat there in the middle control room and I was thinking. And here's what happens when you get still. Stuff will start coming. Something said, "Call your mama. You used to talk about your mother on the air all the time. Ask her to say a few words for you." That'll be a different kind of political spot. So I called my mama, and I had a gospel record playing in the background. And then I had my mother say, "Hello, this is Mrs. Amy Brown. When I raised my sons, I raised them to be good children. When they got out of hand, I beat their behind and made them go right. Please vote for my son. He's a good boy. Usually in the state representative race, maybe 3,000 or 4,000 people will come out to vote in a primary, and that primary race Over 27,000 people came out and voted, said, "I'm voting for Les Brown 'cause his mama say he's a good boy." I won, ladies and gentlemen. I won. So you've got to be willing to stay focused, to be creative, to be relentless, because things are gonna happen to you when you're working on your dream.