Confidence Classic: Living Life on Purpose with Les Brown

And so there are moments in life that you have to stop. My daughter said she's a speaker, Dr. Ona Brown, that gaps are from God and that we are in the cocoon, we have to stop and examine ourselves. And he said that as you do that, then miracles begin to happen. And I believe that miracles are things that God does for you through you, as you. And you know it's not you. And you say, look at God.

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Much as I do. Meet a different guest each week. I'm so glad that you're here today. This is insane. I'm recording on a day I typically wouldn't because I have to get you up to speed on everything that's going on. So here's how it started. About probably a year ago, a guy named Johnny Wimbry reached out to me on social media and said, hey, I'd love to have you on my show and have you be a guest. I said, okay, great. I did his show, we hit it off, and he messaged me a couple weeks later and said, would you like to be a contributing author in a book that I'm writing? And I said, yeah, of course. Any way I can help, you know, happy to do it. So I did it. And anyhow, it ends up that he has a program that he helps people to write their own books, but leverages other people's brands to help elevate and sell the books.

So the people he chose to be.

Involved in this book were me, yours truly, him, Johnny and Les Brown. And it's crazy because now I'm seeing all of these covers of these books with our three faces next to each other. So when I saw it the first time, I thought, oh my gosh, it's me and Johnny and Les Brown. I need to get to Les Brown. But of course, Les Brown is iconic. And I just kind of thought, well, I don't know if that's going to happen. Anyhow, keep moving on, keep moving forward. So I continued on about my life and then wouldn't you know, I was at a speaking engagement Last year, before the pandemic in Boca Raton and I met a guy who was this phenomenal, wonderful person, Gibson. And we headed off and became friends and he had me on his show and it turns out he's friends with Les and had Les on his show. And he says to me, you should have him on your show. And I said, this is crazy how this is all coming together. It's completely by chance, something bigger than me. So anyhow, he ends up connecting me to Les Right Hand, whose name I will not share because I don't want this person being bombarded. But anyhow, we work through weeks of trying to get this interview to happen because he's truly so, so incredibly busy, so sought after. And he's in his mid-70s, right. And he's got health challenges at times and it was a lot. But I have to tell you, I am so excited for you to listen to this interview today because it's epic, life changing and I will definitely listen to it and re listen to it again and again. Now to give you the behind the scenes on what happened. Today was my first YPO speaking engagement, which I am so excited for because it's one of those operating opportunities. Well, number one from a credibility factor, right? YPO is huge brand, incredibly well known, and it's just another marquee brand that you want to have associated and affiliated with your name. So that's one that was really important there. Two is global, international, right? There were so many countries on the call today, on the meeting today and for my keynote today, which was great. But the other element is, and this is a different strategy for my business now as I learn more and move forward more, when I can reach a company, one company that can turn into to a hundred different speaking engagements, that's a better use of my time. So companies like EO and ypo and there's many others out there that I'm now finally getting strategic about. The more I can lean into those partnerships, elevate my brand and my name and what I do for them, there's a ripple effect where you can start growing your business exponentially instead of doing these one off speaking engagements that go great, but then boop, that's it done one a year with that person. I want to manage my time in a smarter way where I go and do one event that can turn into 100 or 200 or 300 events, right. It just makes sense. So when we approach our business in that way, and I didn't know about this idea or how some speakers did it like this until recently. It's just been in the past couple of months that I've learned there was a much better way to grow the speaking business. And I'm sure there's a much better way to grow your business too. But we have to look at it. What is it that we don't know yet? Yet. Keep asking the questions, keep connecting with people we don't know, keep picking our heads up outside of our industry and see what made other people successful. When I met with the founder and owner of the coaching company a month ago, he explained to me that YPO and EO are part of the reasons why his company was so big and that you want to speak for organizations that have high profile executives and that they can in turn deliver you more business. So he really opened my eyes to that as well as some of the people now that I've met on the inside. So knowing that I had this talk day, I was super excited. And as always, there's a fine line between fear and excitement, right? And I always lean to the excitement side. And yesterday, wouldn't you know, I'm giving a talk today about finding certainty in uncertain times. That was my keynote, was the title of my keynote. And so wouldn't you know, yesterday, here's what happens. One, I said to my son that he was going to school, that, you know, this is just the way it is. He hasn't been going to school for almost a year now, whatever it is he's been zoom schooling and that he needs to. Cause I need the space to really, I have to get really serious and aggressive with my work and I have a lot going on. So anyhow, yesterday was his first day back to school and to say he was exhausted was an understatement. Anytime we get ourselves in a rut or in a new pattern, we don't wanna go to a different pattern, right? So really I had to push him and hold him accountable to do it. He had fun, but he was just so tired.

So.

So when I woke him up this morning, he didn't want to go to school and he was coming up with every reason why Zoom School was absolutely the right thing to do. So I let him know that under no uncertain terms would he be staying in Zoom school for that day because I had way too much going on. At the same time, I had received a note from Les team that Les was suddenly available at 1 o'.

Clock.

My speaking engagement was from 11 to 2. So now I was trying to figure out how can I make all of these things Work and show up as the best version of me to make sure that I do a fantastic job right. So I'm working through all this, trying to get my kid out of the house. And another thing I forgot to mention yesterday, last night, maybe it was five o', clock, I get an email. It was from the building where I live. Hey, we've got emergency chipping work going on from 10am to 5pm and you know, there's nothing anyone can do about it. So here's the bottom line is that I realized, okay, that's not gonna work for me. I need to raise my hand and ask for help. So I emailed the building and I said, listen, I am giving a keynote presentation that has been months in the making. I cannot afford to have chipping going on in the background as I'm delivering a keynote speech to thousands of people all around the world. I need your help. Anyhow. Crickets. I didn't hear anything back. Finally, this morning at 9, I called over to the office, I said, please, can someone help me, for the love of God? And it ends up they said they would call the contractors and ask them to take a break. During the hour, I was giving my keynote.

Whew.

Okay, problem solved. Good news. So I was feeling a little bit better. Then, as I'm about to go on my keynote, the cleaning lady from my building decides to start vacuuming outside of my apartment door. I just had to start laughing. It's almost as if the universe lines things up for you to make a point. Here I am talking about living a life of uncertainty and never knowing what's gonna happen next. And here I was walking right into it, left and right in complete craziness from I don't even know what the last 24 hours. Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention. So yesterday I. As you know, I submitted my book to HarperCollins leadership on December 1st, and I have had crickets nothing back since, which is really upsetting because I want to know what they think. And I actually had emailed them to.

Say, hey, what's going on?

And crickets back until last night. So last night I got my manuscript back and with a beautiful note that said she loved the book and this was some of the greatest writing and storytelling she had seen in a really long time. However, I'm over the word count and they want me to cut 8,000 words. Now, when you create something, when you write something, it's sort of like your baby. The idea to cut out 8,000 thousand words is a little painful. So I Did what I knew the right thing for me to do was I didn't want to get upset. I didn't want to start flipping out. So I flipped the email to my editor because I knew he's written a ton of books. I haven't. I've only written one before this. So I said, what do you think about these notes? And he jumped on a quick call with me and said, these are great notes. She loves the book. You know, Heather, some people get back that this is not what they ordered and they don't want to work with them. He said, you know, pick your head up and feel good about this. So I was really glad that I had someone who was so far ahead of me on speed dial that I could call to walk me through it. And I just decided last night, since I had this speech today, since I had the Les Brown interview today, I needed to just get calm. And I just shelved it. I said, you know what? I'm going to shelve this right now. I don't want to go dig into the notes through the manuscript and look at all the work I have ahead of me. However, I did notice that the deadline to have it back to them is the 29th of this month. So not a lot of time to make these changes. Not a lot, lot of time to get this done. Pressure cooker. Oh, boy. So, again, the more experience you have with things, the more, you know, oh, yeah, I can, you know, burn through this fast. This is my first dealings with a traditional publishing house. This is my first dealings with a publishing house's revised edit or cutting 8,000 words. You know, it's just new. And whenever something's new, it's a little intimidating. So today it's been riding around on the back of my mind, and I know I'm going to get it done. I know it's going to make the book better, and it's going to make it great, and I'm excited for that. But I know today I can't tackle it. I'm just not there yet. And for me, the way I think through things, I try to think tactically, what can I do quickly to solve problems. For example, are there specific chapters I can just cut out? And, you know, I was coming up with some questions in my mind so that I could bring them back to my editor. My editor, not the Harper Collins team, first, to just kind of bounce off him to see what he thinks, because I haven't done it before, and this is new to me. And when we try new things, we grow and we learn and sometimes we make mistakes. So I'm hoping to do it as efficient and effectively and as smart as possible. So that is a big change. And it has been a crazy, crazy couple of days, 24 hours, whatever it was. So. And now I have to wait till Friday to get all the feedback from my YPO keynote today, which the initial feedback I got was great. But they're actually gonna review some more specific feedback with me. And I can't wait to Friday. I'm so, so, so excited. But I can't hold this back on you anymore. I have to introduce Les Brown. And first of all, the man is a legend. Best selling author of so many books. I mean, it's just crazy. He's one of the most sought after speakers in the world. He's spoken to audiences of 80,000 people. He was abandoned as a child, grew up, and I am very familiar with where he grew up in Overtown in a really beyond challenging circumstance. He had a single mother who adopted him. And just the struggle was so real for this man. But I hope that you hear when you meet him today how special and magical he is. He's achieved so much success in radio, tv, Emmy award winner, National Speakers Association. He's won the top speakers award. He's been a state representative, a government office. He's won Toastmaster International's golden gavel. The guy is at the top of the top of the speaking business. And he's got a new speaker program that he's going to share with us and I'm going to include in the notes for you. So I will not make you wait any longer. I'm so excited. This was a year in the making, bringing this full circle and bringing him to you today. But I can't wait for you to hold tight and meet Les in one minute. Different guests each week.

And welcome back. I am so honored to have the man, the myth and the legend, Les Brown with me. Thank you for being here, Les.

Thank you so much for having me here. It's a plum pleasing pleasure as well as a privilege.

Well, I don't even know if you saw this, but we have a couple of mutual friends in common. And Johnny Wimbre put your face and my face on the COVID of his new book together.

Oh, yes, absolutely. He is a very talented and gifted speaker. One of my mentees, that's my spiritual son.

He is a fantastic guy. So once I saw that, I said, oh my gosh, I have got to get to Les and get the opportunity. Like you've been everywhere spoken at every event. And I'm just so glad that I get the opportunity to sit with you today.

And I feel honored to be in your presence for us to spend some moments together.

Thank you. Well, I know you started in Overtown Liberty City, and I want you to know that I'm coming at you from the 305 right now. I'm in Miami Beach. That's where I live. And, Les, this is crazy. For years, for nine years, I sat on the board of city year Miami charity, which our mission was to empower underprivileged youth in Liberty city and Overtown. So I'm acutely familiar with where you started.

Oh, wow. Yes. Born in an abandoned building on a floor in Liberty City of 62nd street and 17th Avenue, and we moved back and forth from Liberty city to Overton.

People don't understand how hard that area is to make it out of. I mean, and not only to make it out of, but to end up reaching the level of success that you have today. It truly is mind blowing.

That's what people tell me when I think about the fact that I started doing a reading in my mother's living room. And when I resigned from the Ohio legislature, Coming back to Miami, and I saw Miami with new eyes. But coming out of there, going to Douglass elementary school over town and being labeled educable, mentally retarded, and put back from the fifth grade to the fourth grade and failing again in the eighth grade at Booker t. Washington high School, and traveling around the world speaking and speaking for major corporations and teaching people methods and techniques on how to begin to transform their lives. When I came back the last time about three months ago, I saw it with a different set of eyes. And I believe that when I look at my Life now at 75, there are things that happen to you, and there are things that happen for you. And many times when they happen, we're not sure which one is which. But now I see the path that I have traveled. I just said to myself that gave me a sense of urgency after a conversation with a friend, that the journey that has brought me this far is longer than the journey that I have left, and that I must live with a sense of urgency and that all of us have greatness in us and we should do as Dr. Miles Monroe said, Rob, the cemetery of our greatness. That we want to use all our talents and abilities and skills while we're here and not shortchange life and begin to realize that we were born and chosen to do a greater work than many people realize. Before they leave here.

And that's so powerful and so true. However, and I know you know this, when you're in the weeds, when you're growing up in Liberty City, it's impossible to project ahead and have that vision or understanding how to get out of even just that awful situation you're currently in. When you look back, what were the key steps that you point to that allowed you to escape that, those limitations that you were in?

It really is not impossible to see it. See, the imagination is the only dimension of us that cannot be restricted. We can have a vision of ourselves living a different kind of life. Einstein said the imagination is the preview of what's to come and what people must do, regardless of their situation. Born in poverty, such as mine, being labeled educable mentally, people who are dealing and struggling with how to advance their career or living a different kind of life or an expanded life, that what's very important is that they live out of their imagination and not their history and their present situation. And to hold that vision because our thoughts have magnetic power. And my favorite book says, I'll give you or your eyes can see. But most people don't discipline themselves to hold the vision of a greater life and living from their greatness because of what I call weapons of mass distractions. And we are distracted. We are now living in what is called the attention economy. And so now this place where we are, which is a very special place, the golden age, where we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard, to call attention to. To who we are and what we have and what is it we bring to the planet. And to hold the attention by the level of expertise and mastery that we are able to do that which we were sent here to do. I don't believe that we were born to work for a living. A job is what you get paid for, but your calling is what you are made for. And so when I speak, my goal is to do distract, dispute and inspire. To distract people from their current story through the execution of the presentation. As I train speakers to dismantle their current belief system and to ignite in them, as Mother Teresa would say, the spirit of God in them. To become a pencil in the hand of God and start writing a new chapter with their lives. That I believe we're all here for a purpose. And I want to congratulate you for deciding, Heather, that I want to be a light. I want to help people to get an expanded vision of themselves. That this path where you are and this choice that you made is. It's a life that will outlive you. There are people whose lives that you're going to touch that you'll never meet, lives that you will transform, that you will never run into. But you have made a mark and continue to do that and it has a rippling effect and we will all feel it.

Meet a different guest each week.

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I ask you to try to find.

Your passion that means so much to me this year. Last year I lost my mentor. He passed away during the coronavirus, the pandemic, and you know, he was all about legacy and it's so interesting.

Is he a speaker?

He is a speaker, a businessman, a family man, but he was all about legacy and the footprints in the sand. And now that he's gone, I carry his message forward to so many people that he's not even aware of. It's amazing.

Yeah, but he's not gone. You know, there's something that I read during the time when my mother made her transition. Poet wrote, he said, if you but knew where I stepped, you will wonder why you wept. And so there is something that he left in you and the people whose lives he's touched that the casket, the grave could not hold. He left a spirit in you of perseverance, of a perpetual sense of optimism and a willingness to live your life to the fullest, to make a greater impact, to finish life strong, to live full and to die empty. He's still with you when you speak. He's there with you, watching you from the other side. And my mother's preparing a sweet potato pie for him in heaven.

I love that vision. So thank you for creating that for me. I know a lot of people impacted you early on, but the story that you share of your teacher and being called out as DT is one of my most favorite stories and I was hoping you could share it with us today.

Mr. Leroy Washington. I went in his class one day and I was looking for a friend of mine. When I was in the fifth grade, I was labeled educable, mentally retarded. So when you are in special education, as they call it, and you're not mainstream, they call it the dodo war. Okay? And I was looking for this friend of mine who was in his class and he said, young man, I want you to go to the front of the room. I want you to work something out for me. And I said, sir, I cannot do that. He said, why not? I said, I'm not one of your students. So he said, do it anyhow. And I said, I can't, sir. And the other students started laughing, saying, he's Leslie. He's a twin. His brother Wesley is smart. He's dt. And he asked, what's dt? He's the dumb twin. And they started laughing. And I said, I am, sir. He came from behind his desk. He said, don't you ever say that again. Someone's opinion of you does not have to become your reality.

Do you hear me?

And I said, yes, sir. And he startled me. That something in that day was a day that turned my life around. My mother said, sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you. Words can hurt you, and very deeply. But when he spoke to me like that, how he looked at me, this is saying that even though I was humiliated, but on the other hand, I was liberated. He looked at me with the eyes of Goethe, who said, look at a man the way that he is only becomes worse. But look at him as if he were what he could be. Then he becomes what he should be. And so that day, this man spoke to me, and he introduced me to a part of myself that I did not know existed. We all have the power, I believe, to communicate and speak to people in a way and take them to a place within themselves that they can never go by themselves. And that's why I do what I do now while I speak, to create a significant emotional event, to introduce an audience individually and collectively to a part of themselves that they don't know right now. Psychologists call us scotomas, blind spots that you can't look in your own eyes. And sometimes we have to believe in somebody's belief in us until our belief kicks in.

Oh, my gosh, that is so powerful and so true. And thank goodness for that man, that teacher. Did you ever go back to thank him since you've achieved your success? Yes.

Oh, absolutely.

Oh, my goodness. I'll never forget when I was going to appear on PBS to raise funds for public television. I had my friends to call him, and his wife said. When the show came on, he said, edith, please come look quick. It's the dumb twin. It's the dumb twin. At the end of the program, he called me in Columbus, Ohio. I had just been re elected to the Ohio legislature. And he said, may I speak to Mr. Brown, please. I said, who's calling? He said, you know who this is. I said, yes, Mr. Washington. How are you? He said, you were the one, weren't you? I said, yes, sir. And what he was talking about. I saw him after giving a speech to graduating seniors. I was a junior. And I told him one day, sir, I heard you say that if one person here heard your voice, they'll get a larger vision of themselves. The one person here heard your voice, they can make their school proud, their community proud, their family proud. I said, I heard your voice. I'm the one, sir. You said, if one person heard you, they will manifest their greatness. And he said, but you were so crazy. I said, I know, but I'm rich now.

That is amazing. He sounds like an amazing, amazing man. So it wasn't all easy, though. You've achieved so much. You've been elected to the government. You've been successful in radio, You've been in tv, your own shows. How do you move from one lane so seamlessly to another, completely different career and keep finding success?

I'm glad you asked that question, because we're in a place now that people need to know the answer to that question. I believe in order to live your fullest potential, to manifest your greatness, one, you have to transform your mindset. Earl Nightingale said, as you know, you don't get in life what you want, you get in life what you are. Number two, you have to upgrade your skill set. It's very true that if you're not willing to learn, no one can help you. But if you're willing to learn, no one can stop you. And three, you have to know how to present yourself. Warren Buffett said that the ability to present yourself, the ability to communicate, if you don't know how to do that, is like winking at a woman in the dark. Nothing happens. And so he taught me, transform your mindset, upgrade your skill set, become an effective communicator. And something else is very important. Practice a principle of OQP only quality people. You earn within 2,000 to $3,000 of your closest friends. If you're the smartest one in your group, you need to get a new group.

Oh, that is so true. Especially because you need people who are ahead of you because they're going to stretch you and challenge you to grow.

Absolutely. They will pull out parts of yourself that you can't do it by yourself, that people rub off on you. Sidney Poitier wrote a book called the Measure of a Man. He said when you go for a walk with someone, something happens. Either you adjust to their pace or they adjust to your pace. Whose pace have you adjusted to? And when I read that, I began to evaluate the people in my life and ask the question, as Jim Rowan talked about, what are these relationships doing to me? Am I growing mentally and emotionally and spiritually and financially? Am I becoming a better person because of these relationships? And so we have to, in a continuous spirit of optimism, pause and take stock of ourselves and our lives. And we're in this place where. Where, because of the coronavirus. I believe that life is built upon disruptions, transformation, and miracles. Our lives have been disrupted. And when you look at millions of people that are going through foreclosure, evictions, and over 40 million people have lost their jobs, and even 47 more will lose their jobs through artificial intelligence. And so people have to begin to rebuild their lives. And so that means that they have to transform their lives. We're in what I call the cocoon stage, that no matter how fast a caterpillar will try and move, it can never, ever fly. And so there are moments in life that you have to stop. My daughter said, she's a speaker, Dr. Ona Brown, that gaps are from God and that we are in the cocoon. We have to stop and examine ourselves. And he said that as you do that, then miracles begin to happen. And I believe that miracles are things that God does for you, through you, as you. And you know it's not you. And you say, look at God.

So you're predicting that we're going through this transformational, disruptive phase right now, and the preview ahead is going to be a wonderful one.

Incredible. Absolutely. We will be stronger. In the middle of a surgery, it looks like a murder, but on the other side is a healing. Absolutely. Inventions are taking place right now. There are new creations of all types of things. People are more driven, and they're examining themselves, and they're looking at how they can break through, break out, and have a greater impact with their lives. Absolutely. We will be stronger coming through this. We will be more determined and begin to live life on purpose in a way that we have never done it before, because we know that life is fragile. I remember being in Vegas, and I was at a table where Frank Sinatra was seated, and I heard him say to a young man, live your life as if it's the last day on your life, because one day it will be. And so I believe that people are now looking at their lives and asking the question, what's My next move, what is it I need to do? And Helen Keller said, life is either a daring adventure or. Or it's boring. And so most people, I think, are thinking in terms of making their lives a daring adventure because nobody has figured out how to get out of here alive. We've got to die to leave here, so we might as well finish strong, live life on our terms.

What are some of the things that we can do to put ourselves in that best position to take off, to transform and really create our best lives out of this challenging time, one become.

Crystal clear of what it is that you're supposed to do. I believe that we were not born to work for just a job. A job is what you get paid for. I believe that we have a calling. And that requires some self examination to ask yourself, what am I supposed to do with my life? What was I born to do? And that calling is something that you were made for. A calling is something that you love so much, you do it for nothing, but you do it so well that people will pay you to do it. This what you're doing now, interviewing me, this what you're doing now, seeking a path of how you can do whatever is necessary with your life to make the world a better place. That's the calling on your life. And even if you did not get paid for it, you're going to do it where you can. With conversations that you have with people, Friends will call you and say, hey, what should I do next? There are all kinds of ways that this life that you're now living has been showing up. And what we have to do, I believe, is have the courage, be ye of good courage, to step in that direction, to jump out of line, don't follow the crowd, and to be willing to become a risk taker. 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 can't become your best, you can't be happy. And if you can't be happy, then what else is there? Life is short and unpredictable. Eat the dessert first.

Les. The thing is, oh my gosh, I remember when I was a child, that was not the direction that I got right. It was chase down the paycheck, go after the money, find a way so that you don't have to struggle. I grew up poor with a single mother similar to you, but not in Overtown. I was in Worcester, Massachusetts. And I was so focused at that young age on just make the money, you know, hustle, work and Forever chase that paycheck all through corporate America. And as I got older and started doing personal development work just on my own, outside of work, I started to open my eyes to following a passion and a purpose. But I have to tell you, it seems so incredibly disjointed from your life when you've been living just one way for so long. It almost seems like a fairy tale to make that leap. It was really hard for me.

Well, life is hard. But if you do what is easy, you know, I believe that when we look at ourselves, that if you do what is easy, your life will be hard. And that is staying on the path that you know that's not you, that you procrastinate, that you allow yourself to be paralyzed by fear, that you are a prisoner of a negative assumption about what the possibilities are for you. If you do what is easy, your life will be hard. But if you do what is hard, always looking for a way to break out, always looking for a way that you, you can, with the quality of your life, provide some service that has value for people. The greatest among you will be your servant. Your life will be easy. And so this thing called life is hard. But here's what we know. We can do hard. We can do hard.

We can, because we sure are the past year. We definitely are doing it.

Yes. And that's exciting to me. As you look at it at Life is a fight for territory. And once you stop fighting for what you want, what you don't want will automatically take over. You have to fight for peace of mind. You have to fight for your marriage. You have to fight to help guide your children in a way in which they can be a liability, rather an asset to society rather than a liability. You have to fight for what is it that you can do with your life to make a world better than what it is now and to live a life that will outlive you. It's a fight for territory. And once you stop fighting for what you want, what you don't want will automatically take over. As I talk to you right now, I'm just amazed with the response of people. Dr. Taha, the oncologist at Cancer Centers of America, he said, Mr. Brown, we told you that you've been dealing with four stage cancer for 20 years. He said, how can you be so positive? I said, listen man, life kicks all of our butts. Life, it's a challenge. I said, but you can focus on dying or you can focus on living. And my goal is to live, love and make an impact with My life until I leave here, I don't focus on checking out. We're all going to check out. We all have an expiration date. I focus on the purpose and the meaning of my life. But most people get caught up in the distractions. And my son, John Leslie, has a quote. He's a speaker, and he says that most people focus on their distractions rather than their destiny. And when I was diagnosed with cancer, I'll never forget, and I was so blessed to have the best oncologist, what I consider the best oncologist on the planet, Dr. Alfred Golson. He said, Mr. Brown, he said, you have fourth stage cancer. I do? He said, yes. He said, do you have any questions? I said, well, is there anything else that I should be aware of? He said, yes. He said, it's metastasized to seven areas of your body, including your spine. I said, whoa. He said, aren't you alarmed? I said, no. I said, Seven is my lucky number. I said, I'm one of seven children. I was born February 17th. Joshua marched around the walls of Jericho seven times. Naaman dipped himself in the River Jordan seven times. I said, man, I said, is there anything else? He said, yes. I said, what is it? He said, and you're ugly, too.

Oh, my God.

I said, you didn't call me ugly, did you? He said, yes.

Oh, my.

That's so cruel. He said, but you got this. You got this. I never tell my patients they're terminally ill. What I say is that my knowledge, my ability, and myself skills have terminated. I determine the diagnosis. You and God determines the prognosis. I'm putting it in your hands. And that got me. I left his office not with a spirit of fear, but God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind, but a heart full of faith. Faith not tested, can't be trusted. Most people, as Zig Zigli used to say, in a fearful situation, they forget everything and run. But there are a number of people, people that's in your audience because of things they've heard and your example and your message. They face everything and rise. And so that made me stand up inside of myself. That made me know I had a fight on my hands. And it's not over until I win.

Wow.

That doctor is amazing. And thank goodness he empowered you. When you look back, is cancer the biggest fight of your life?

No, the biggest fight of my life that it took me years to win is to believe that I could be this Les Brown that you now see to believe that even though I don't know my birth parents, I was a foster child adopted. I was identified as educable, mentally retarded. Put back from fifth grade to the fourth grade, failing again in the eighth grade. Used to work for the Miami Sanitation Department as the garbage collector. With all the failures and disappointments and setbacks that I experienced, to believe that this Les Brown that you now see existed and that I could live a larger life, that I could make a difference in people's lives, that I could make something of myself that I was not what people called me, to believe that my life had some purpose and meaning, that was the biggest battle.

Meet a Different Guest each week.

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I asked you to try to find your passion.

Was it so hard because you could start to believe it and then fall back to old ways?

It's a growing process. You evolve. There are things that you experience that you think happen to you. But as you expand your level of consciousness, you realize they happened for you. Had it not been for those things that I would not be here now. I would not be the person that I am now that we must always judge not according to appearances, but have this spirit of optimism, have this spirit, this sense of righteousness in terms of your your mindset, right thinking, right words, right vision, right relationships and a sense of spirituality. That there's a presence, there's something in you that's greater than you, that will never leave you nor forsake you. Dr. Howard Thurman, who is a mentor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He said, there's something in each and every one of us that waits and listens to the voice of the genuine. In yourself, it will be perhaps the only guide you will ever have or hear. And if you cannot hear it all of your life, your days will be spent on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls. And so I believe that there is a presence in us that greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world. This presence has said, I'll never leave you nor fail, that we're not by ourselves. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. And that when we have that sense of knowing, we live from our heart rather than from our head. That the mind believes, but the heart knows where. Your heart is there. Your treasure is also. There are things that you know in your heart that the mind cannot comprehend because it's been conditioned and trained to be practical and logical and realistic. But the mind and the heart, when there's an argument between the mind and the heart, follow your heart. Because there, that's where your treasure is. Follow your heart. You can't explain it, you can't prove it, you have no evidence for it, but you follow your heart and it will lead you. We've all been in situations where we say, wow, I wish I'd listened to my first mind. That's the heart. That's that still small voice within. I believe that we should live our lives in such a way that our future life, that future Heather will say, wow, girlfriend, I'm glad you did that. I'm glad you made those choices. You are bad. Somebody up in here, up in here.

It's so true, though. Anytime I look back on my life and I overrode my intuition, my gut instinct, my heart, my inner vision. It was always a debacle, whether it was getting married or staying in a job I was miserable in and tried to talk myself into staying in it. It always ended up being an epiphany later down the line that I wished I could have pulled the trigger on sooner.

But it's okay. Everything happens as it should. The universe doesn't make any mistakes. It will reveal itself to you. In so, so many ways, Forrest Gump was right that life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get. And that's all I got to say about that.

Les, do you ever look back on your life and wish you had done something differently or regret something that you did do.

Absolutely.

Oh, my God. I got a whole ton of you. Give me a couch.

I love to talk to you about them.

Absolutely. That's why I teach people what I'm practicing, and that is live a life of no regrets. There's a lady, she wrote this book and she worked in hospice, and she talked about the people that she interviewed that she was taking care of. And among the things that they discovered about themselves, five. But one of the main things, that they did not live the life that they wanted to live. They lived the life that had been given to them. They lived the life that was expected of them. There are things they wanted to do, but they allowed other people's opinion to derail their own inner conversation and do what those people wanted them to do. And so that's why even now, my goal is to finish strong doing that which I'm supposed to do. And I have to overcome my own inner conversation that's been instilled in us to live a smaller life. I believe even at 76, I haven't done my best work yet. And you can't fill a big dream in a small mind. And so because of mental conditioning, we have to constantly work to expand our minds. Robert Schuller said, you either expand or you are expendable. That we should be in a perpetual state of expanding our mind and our visions of ourselves so that we can do that which we were born to do. That you have something special, you have greatness in you. You're a masterpiece because you're a piece.

Of the master that's so beautiful. And your words connect so strongly. I hope everyone can feel them the way that I can. It's so incredibly powerful. And I've got to think that's one of the reasons you've gotten into coaching and developing speakers, so that other people can move people with their words.

Yes. What I do, and I believe this is a calling on my life. Teach speakers how to create a significant emotional event. How to transform an audience one on one. Small groups or large groups. If people go online and put in Les Brown speaking in the Georgia Dome, they will see me commanding an audience of over 80,000 people. And now I'm teaching people how to tell this story. Why is that important? Because in the attention economy, when people see you, they're asking three questions. Who are you? What do you have? And why should I care? And so you have to speak it away with your story that you stand out in the minds of people and you're dealing with overcoming the 5,000 advertising hits. That come through the computer or a phone or a television or the conversations we hear every day. Things fighting for mind space. So you have to stand out in their mind. Who are you? What do you have? You have to be able to hold their attention by how you tell your story with passion, feeling and conviction. And to ignite them, to direct them, to influence them. Distract, dispute and empower that. That's what we have to do with our lives today. Because it's a noisy world out here and we're in a place where we have never been in before. I like what Henry David Thoreau said. He said, do not go where the path may lead. Go where there's no path and leave a trail.

It's so good. And you have so mastered the ability to tell and harness story. And I'm so excited for everyone to check out your new program, which is@himalaya.com impact I'm going to put the link in the show notes so everyone can log on, sign up, and learn from the master of all storytelling, teaching and speaking.

Thank you. That's very kind. Yeah, they're going to get a lot because the things that I talk about, I'll teach them how to take their story and be able to create openings and bridges in their stories where the audience embrace it and come in and believe and take it as if it's their story. And it allows them to live a greater life, an expanded vision of what's possible for them. It was Steve Jobs who said the storyteller is the most powerful person in the world. And Maya Angelou said that there's nothing as painful as an untold story buried in your soul. So this class that we have created that they're going to see, it will teach them the methods and the techniques and the secrets of how to become a master communicator.

Les, thank you so much for the work you're doing. I'm signing up for this. I know everybody else is as well. And I appreciate your time, you being here and your spirit. It means the world to me.

Well, thank you so much. Continue to do the great work that you're doing and being a blessing to so many people.

Thank you, Les.

And we'll be right back. I asked you to try to find your passion. Hi, and welcome back. I hope you loved getting to learn from Les as much as I did. He is such a powerful, special person. And oh, my gosh, I loved getting the chance to hang with him and learn from him. He's. He is really very, very special. Okay, so a bunch of questions that came in, this time on Instagram. Here we go. Your kid asked you to write an affirmation on the bottom of his shoe. True story. And if you guys don't know that story, you need to look at my book, Confidence Creator. There's a chapter all about how Dylan had me write, I can do all things on the bottom of his shoes. For the moments when he feels low in the middle of a basketball game, he can look down on his shoe and remember how strong and the potential that he really has within him. And I do that now, whenever I'm going into a big speaking engagement or something I'm getting nervous for, I always write on the bottom of my heels. I can, I will. Okay, back to the question. So knowing what you know now, what affirmations would you share with the world? Here's the thing. It depends on the person. It depends on the situation, right? So for me, I always do. I can, I will. And I also. I'm a creature of habit, But I like repetitive things. You know, when I do that, it means I'm about to kill something, like, really do a great job. And that routine helps me ground myself and feel really confident walking into a situation. So I do suggest that you write a consistent message when you're nervous, when you're going to the next level, when you're going for that big speech or that big ask. Because the more you do it and it goes well, it. It's proof that the future instances that you take the same tactic and apply it will work out to your advantage as well. So it starts cueing and priming your brain that this is gonna work, this is gonna go well. So that's my thoughts on, you know, what I would write. But you need to write what works for you. Like, if I can, I will. Doesn't resonate with you. Do not use it. Use something that does resonate with you. I am confident. I am enough. I am smart. I am creative. I am powerful. Right? I use different things in different situations. The constant for me is big speaking engagements. I can, I will. And then when I wash my hands 9 million times a day, like I'm sure you do, because of the coronavirus, I say all kinds of positive things, and I state my claims. My show has 9 million downloads this year. My new book is a number one New York Times bestseller. I am confident. I am creative. You know, I say a number of different things to myself when I wash my hands. But, you know, frequency sells. And whatever you say to yourself, a lot is gonna stick. And it's gonna make an impact, so make sure it is positive. Negative words are more powerful than positive words, so cut them from your vocabulary.

Okay?

You are a leader amongst females in the workforce. In a corporate world and in sectors where men predominantly have the upper hand, how can women compete or surpass a man? Oh, my gosh. I have done that my whole life, my whole career, right? So I don't look at it as, oh, I'm a woman. I guess I can't do this or that f that. That's ridiculous. It's best person for the job. The marketplace will determine your value. Focus on what you're great at, focus on your attributes. Align yourself with people that are there to support you, cheer you on, challenge you to grow, invest in yourself, put yourself out there, shine your light. Just go bigger. And as you do those things, you'll build momentum, you'll pick up speed, you'll create experience, and then you'll create expertise, and then you'll become known and then you'll grow your network and then you'll build on that and start showing up in impress as an expert. Because you pitch yourself, you put yourself out there, you know, you do all these different things and over time you elevate yourself. None of this stuff, by the way, happens overnight. So it certainly has not happened overnight for me. It's been, you know, over a four year period. But what I want you to know is that you can do it. You can probably do it faster. Oh, here's a great example of doing something faster. One of my clients who's been working with me for a month, I've been working with her on really going bigger, shining her light and going to the next level. And we're leveraging LinkedIn to help her do that. Wouldn't you know, this week she had a post go viral. Now I want you to know, for me, it took me a couple of years before I had a post ever go viral. It didn't happen fast for her, it happened fast. So just because something took me years doesn't mean it can't take you a month.

Month, Right.

You just never know until you immerse yourself in it. Put yourself out there and just go for it. Okay. Seeing younger generations grow, what do you feel is lacking and thriving in their development? Oh my gosh, this is so easy with a child who has been in zoom school for almost a year. Interaction, human interaction, activity. They're sitting so much now and having their heads down, they're developing problems with their spines. You know, there's so Many issues around kids sitting at home, sitting in Zoom school, not being able to play sports, not being able to interact with other children, with teachers, face to face. There is a power about being in someone's presence. It's different from the computer. And I know that we're all trying our best to make it, you know, as positive, engaging as we can, but there truly is an energy when you are face to face with someone that a computer just can't beat. Zoom can't nail it down. So for kids, getting them back into face to face communication, in person opportunities, events, sports activity, you know, moving outside, all of these things and interactions are critical for them to really reach their potential and grow and have fun. So that's the biggest thing that I see missing. And I can't wait for more in person events. I can't wait for more in person sports and activity and just that energy that you get not only for my son, but for me too. So I hope that answers your questions. I hope you love this show. I'm so, so proud of it. If you could please rate and review share it on social media. I'll always repost whatever you share. Just make sure you tag me. And as always, thank you. Thank you for being here. I'll be creating confidence. I hope you will too. I decided to change that dynamic. I couldn't be more excited for what you're gonna hear. Start learning and growing. Inevitably something will happen. No one succeeds alone.

You don't stop and look around once in a while. You could miss it.

Come on this journey with me.