Les Brown - Live Your Dreams (1991)

You can

live

your

dreams

or

live

your

fears, so you accept the fact that you are afraid and then move forward anyway. I know you have greatness within you. I know you have unlimited potential. I know you have something. to give to the universe, let's

brown

s

dreams

have taken him far today he is a nationally known speaker sought after by corporations and seminar groups it is not a future anyone would have predicted when Les and his twin brother were adopted to the age six weeks by Mrs. Mamie Brown, a single woman with a motherly heart, Les was the less serious twin, fun-loving and such a poor student that the local school system mistakenly mentally labeled him, but Les finished high school. anyway and later discovered that he had a talent for connecting with people that made him a major radio personality and a prominent community leader, he then made a successful run for the Ohio State Legislature, where he served in the House of Representatives for three terms today.

He spends his time preparing for the 200 speeches. He does it every year enjoying every minute he can find to be with his children and developing new personal growth seminars for him. Les Brown is still working on the megaphone of his dreams. I want to talk to you about something that I think we can all relate to. You either live your dreams or you live your fears and I think most people don't actually live their dreams but their fears, so I want to ask you a question: what are your fears? What are you afraid of? What are you afraid of?

We all have fears, don't we? We all have something that blocks us and stops us, and when we start looking at life, we realize that the reason why most people do not live their true potential and do all the things. What they would really like to do is out of fear, some people call it false evidence or expectations that seem real. I remembered the story of a guy who lived in an area where he had some new neighbors and these neighbors had a bulldog and when he came home every day, this bulldog used to chase him about half a block from his house.

Every day he had to run home. I mean, he would just run and this Bulldog would be on his heels and he would get tired of it because he would go home and about half a block from home he would look for this Bulldog and he would see him and he would casually walk by and his Bulldog would come out of nowhere, well he wasn't chasing he had run home so one day he just got tired and when the Bulldog was running after him he started running he saw a rock and stopped to pick it up and throw it at the Bulldog and when the Bulldog came up to him he started barking and realized that the Bulldog did not. he has teeth it's about him not chasing the bulldog you don't go all the way the most the bulldog could have done is chewing gum you know, so you know what most people go through life running scared, scared of things and they have no teeth because they are false expectations that seem real that's because we are bright enough to be scared to death you realize and there are some people who would love to be scared to death I remember the last scare The movie I saw was The Exorcist.

I will never forget. He was so scared when I got home. I will never forget. I drove down the driveway and I had already called my ex-wife and said, listen, turn on the lights. I was pulling into the driveway and I was getting out of the car and all of a sudden I couldn't get out, so I'm going to honk, I said ma'am, when they took me there, Gabby, she came to the kitchen, where do you loosen the seat belt? Silly, I was crazy, but there are a lot of people who think you know that. I am a person, not my brother, he is a paratrooper, my twin brother, he is in the military career.

I would love to jump out of a plane. to pierce you, I mean, I really admire our brother for that, I would really love to be a macho man like that, what are the things that you fear that are stopping you from living your dream, that are stopping you from doing some things that you would like to do? Just think about those things and how we start to handle that. Abraham Maslow said that life is about growth and he said that you can go back to your comfort zone and there you will not find any growth or Willy must be willing.

Go ahead and face your fears again and again because you will never have a fear-free existence. I mean, some fear is acceptable and legitimate. There are some things you should really be afraid of right now and shouldn't allow. It is to immobilize you. You recognize it. You take it into account. You behave accordingly. There are times when we must proceed with caution. But it is the difference between being stopped by fear. It is the difference between having a fear and the fear that it has of you. So what do we do? ? do it recognizing and knowing that it's okay don't condemn yourself for being afraid it's perfectly okay to have some fears you acknowledge your fears you accept those fears and then you move on you act on whatever it is you fear because once you accept it See, what you resist will persist, it What you resist will persist, so one of the most important things is to start accepting your fear, the fear of bodily harm, that's legit when I was a disc jockey in Columbus, Ohio, you know, I was young around 2223.

I was tough and was on the air and Al Green, who was a great performer at the time and still sings gospel music, had a record, his first hit record was Back Train, so a guy came to town and he was pretending to be Al Green. I knew Al Green because I had already hired him and when I found out that this guy was posing as Algorri I went on the air and did an editorial about it and explained to him that he was a pretty big guy and that's why he had the floor. I realized that when I see this guy, let's bomb the disc jockey, I get hit in the mouth for having a big mouth, so I was driving down Main Street in Columbus, Ohio, I had my son in a car and he always had this little said: "Hello, yes anyone." able to put a threat on him, I'm going to make him carry it out, so I saw this guy on the street, so I stopped and said, excuse me, I'll be right back, and I got out of the car and, hey, man, I heard you.

He said you were looking for me I'm Les Brown He said you're say Yes I said what is it I was the one who said you're an impostor I said I want to know what you're going to do about it He Opens his coat, he had a gun there I say, but anything he I said to hurt your feelings, I want you to acknowledge your fear, be scared accordingly and do what makes sense to you. Well, one of the main fears I've always had is the fear of dentists and this. The fear had me. I didn't have that fear and it really reinforced it.

You have to see things that can feed your fear. I saw a movie that most people wouldn't remember. This movie starred Dustin Hoffman and was called Marathon Man with Laurence Olivier. when he was trying to get a confession out of here and he pulled out this drill, let me tell you, someone got into Duffman Hoffman's mouth with that drill. I had a dollar where the popcorn goes with everyone, you know, I couldn't go to the dentist for five years I had left broadcasting I went to the Ohio legislature I had an impacted wisdom tooth now it hurts and I called and as soon as people answered the phone they hung up, that's not fighting for dr.

Hamlin's office boom here, then I got to the point where I could ask for an appointment, hello, and I wouldn't give my real name because I knew I wouldn't stick with this. He gave me anyone's name. Joe shaking Jim. it's bad, but pretty soon I got to the point where I could give my name, it was about four years later, you know, my name is les bien, so I would call back and say look here because of my legislative schedule, I won't be. I was able to do it so the lady finally said it on the phone she said you're scared right?

I said no, I'm not she said then why don't you come in that's none of your business she said you're not coming I come in because you're scared. She wished you wouldn't waste our time and she hung up. I said you have no right to do that to people like me. Know? So I'll finally make it. The shorter it hurts so much. a man way, I have to do something and I said, what am I afraid of? Go there and drive that's it man, I said dr. hammer I just can't hear this drill I mean if you can do what I just don't do I don't need to hear this drill this drill that sound you know that's what gets me that drill don't take that drill out on me he said just calm down, calm down now and it wasn't really bad as I thought it was one of the things you find out that when you face your fears it's not as bad as you think and when people tell you, I just can't do that, I can't handle it, I mean really.

I really can't have it. What they are imagining is that they will not be if they are going to sign as if you were going to die. Guess what? All of us on those occasions when we faced our fears, we had to do something we were uncomfortable with, we didn't want to do it and we didn't die, they didn't come and take us and put us in a box somewhere, am I right? And? We have to start doing it, how do we handle that? What is the process? Because everything is here. I think it's imagining the worst case scenario.

I figured he got in my mouth and with this drill and I just croaked. so I imagine that's the worst case scenario, so I had another technique that I used, visualizing myself being more than capable and able to handle it, but I used to have a tremendous inferiority complex when speaking in front of people who I felt had more going for them than they. I did it because I don't have a university education. I used to feel like college kids were the smartest people on the planet and there was nothing I had to say for them and why would they listen to me?

That's how I felt and so I had to visualize myself speaking before them speaking to various audiences, I had more going for them than I did and realize and appreciate my own value and that I was a valuable person even though I didn't have everything going for me. my favor I didn't have the money. I didn't have the education that they had, so part of the process is seeing yourself as being worthy, being able to have what you need to be a valuable person and that you are more than capable and that you deserve to be heard. or you deserve to have that dream and that passion and whatever you see and imagine there, you have to see it in your mind and know that you have what it takes, repeat after me, please, I must see and in my mind I see myself facing my fears by driving my fears I am more than capable of shaking hands with someone on your right and left and telling them that you have the right thing, so decide as you look at your life, look to the future and say what fears Am I holding on to the fears that I am lying to imprison me?

That stops me from breaking out, it stops me from living my true potential, it stops me from being truly happy, it stops me from having a sense of adventure and excitement. in my life what is preventing me from controlling my destiny what fears and I am giving that permission to notice what I said that we must give our permission to fear to immobilize us because any discomfort that you experience any challenge a difficulty that you have in handling it I have to get up there and struggling with it will be easy it won't be a challenge yes friend of mine who is in recovery has been addicted to crack for years and alcohol he was talking about how challenging it was and while he was afraid to go cold turkey I said what do you want me to tell you?

It's going to be a picnic, no, it's not, he's going to kick your button, yes, it is, are you going to want to die?, yes, that's part of it. but that's just what you have to go through to get where you want to go and guess what you are strong enough to do it, you are strong enough and your life is worth whatever you have to go through to overcome this addiction, whatever it is. you have to do this dream you have what you want to do it will be easy just run out then do it you know what will happen overnight now it will be a struggle yes there will be times when you won't be able to make ends meet yes that's part of this.

There will be times when you won't know what to do. Yes, that's part of it. You will have some opposition. Things will go wrong. Sometimes you'll get a lot of visits from Murphy now if you say well, whose market is it? Don't worry, someone must have told us at some point I don't know where, but someone must have told people Oh, life is going to be very easy if they told you that I have a special announcement, don't forget that I had a special announcement. piece of legislation that I wanted to pass and I said, Oh guys, look, can I count on his vote?

He said yes and look here if not I can count on them to let me know there is another guy who owes them half the charge and I can call. that and I want I need your vote but I need it if you say you're going to do it do it you say you can count on it legislation came up voted against my bill my bill was passed I went back hey I told you so I needed the vote, but If you couldn't give him up let me know I would get someone else and why are you telling me you said I lied?

I was shocked. How many of you that life just wore you out and you didn't do it? I guess you thought you went to school, you get good grades, you get a job and you came here you can get a job a little happily ever after you say they never told me you know that song that mom told me there were There were days when we didn't even You said you have something about life being a challenge. I mean, some of the things you get out of here, you didn't read ina book nowhere, no one warned you that it was going to come upon you like this, that is called life, there are types of challenges like that, so what is the next step is that you accept yourself and then accept the fear as a fact and not a force?

Look when you accept yourself and accept fear as a fact that means that it is something that happens, it is something that you are going to experience but it is not a force that stops you, it does not have any special power other than what you give it, so that you accept the fact that you are afraid. and then you move on anyway, you move on, pass it and do what you have to do. I was at a big pep rally for a gentleman named Dexter Jaeger in the Carolinas. He was standing backstage and I had to leave.

I was the last speaker on the program. It is the first time I have been in a stadium of this size with more than 10,000 people. You couldn't see people because the lights were shining in your eyes. It's called Free Enterprise Day. I was afraid in my heart. It was beating fast, I was just pacing back and forth and Dexter said, are you okay? I said yes, so I say, wait a little, just calm down, calm down okay, the bigger is okay, the less is okay, it's okay, just be as afraid as you can. after saying embrace that fear just try to see how scared you can get and sabri the diva then the guy came back and said are you about to die so i said no five but then i started to hug him and try to be afraid. how can I get and imagine what's the worst thing I can do out there do my Margo Blake and I played on stage what I start laughing at myself I start talking about what I say, you know you're scared today I said, I just calm down and I went, then I cooked and that's what you have to do.

I had another experience where I was at a major corporation and it was one of my first major presentations that I was going to do for this corporation and I had four other presenters that had big signatures and one of the things you have to do is watch your internal conversation and Discipline your thinking and your imagination because if you don't your mind will take you on a wild ride, that's what my mind said. Hey, he told them, "This guy is going to wipe you out, you can't compete with them because I heard these guys sitting in front of me and they were talking about everything they had going for them, so I started to doubt myself and I was afraid." and I was taking it well, maybe I shouldn't go in there, so I knew then and this is what I suggest to you, sometimes you have to talk to yourself, talk to yourself, you know, it could be a good exercise, it could be the only intelligent conversation you've ever had.

So I got up and I was in the bathroom and I started talking to myself about the last part. Let me tell you something: what do you care about these guys and their companies and all their money? You have to. feed, you have a mom, you have to take care of the home, you have nothing to lose. I wouldn't make Roma look at those people. I said don't do anything. Tell him you have news from me and I have that contract. It talks to you and tells you what you can't do, part of what you have to do is be your own motivator, you can, you can't casually talk to yourself, you can't just stare, sit down. you must calm down now the subconscious man will hear that you have to have a good conversation, say hello and answer yourself so as not to pity people in attention, you answer yourself, hey, what are you going to do, I'm going there. and get off good, very good, go and take care of being busy, you have to talk to yourself and get stronger and you will feel your energy level increase and people will feel that around you, you will see now if you go through life being people afraid It may feel like they can pick up on that fear, so you have to rise up within yourself.

I remember a little kid who was on a bus and some older guys who were picking him off, you know? he wanted to get away from them, they were hitting you in the head, so he got up just to get past them and they pushed him down and he got up again, they pushed him down and he got up again. they pushed him down they held him down he said you could hold me down but I'm standing inside myself I see when you're not filling your life with the things you're capable of doing then we all have some things that we've been given and I don't think it's optional for We sit on what we have, see if you are sitting on what you have, what they have given you.

I believe everyone has been given something to bring to the planet that only you can. do that only you can do that only you can start that activity and if you don't do it if you are not filling your life with your work or your mission then there are gaps in your life and in what we do when We are not living our true identity, we begin We fill the gaps, we fill the holes with garbage, alcohol, drugs, we worry about self-destructive behavior, so when you start to look at your life and you know that you are not doing what you can do.

Because you have allowed yourself to be held captive by your fears now, when you do not have true appreciation and acceptance for who you are and you allow yourself to be immobilized by fear, what happens in the process is that you begin to abuse yourself. you start sabotaging your life you start sabotaging your dreams you start unconsciously working against yourself you become your worst enemy so what do you do about it? Well, you begin to realize that your dream and your gifts have so much meaning and so much value to you until your hunger for them begins to push you beyond fear, your hunger to have them will give you a special boost as you work on yourself.

You have to bring about a change in the miraculous power you have within yourself to do the things you want to do when you take them on. I remember one man this gentleman was doing a special study of a special tribe in Africa. headhunters and he had a difficult time developing a relationship with these tribesmen due to the fact that he was afraid, yes, afraid of having his head taken away one day. All fears are bad. I was legitimately afraid, that's good for you, giving you a headache, so it worked. there for a long time with no effort, no progress in developing relationships and rapport and being able to reach a level of trust, so finally one night while I was in bed I was thinking about saying what did you come here to do? what it is. your life's work as a missionary said he wanted to study these tribesmen said what's the worst thing they can do to you, kill you and he just decided, hey, this is what I came here to do.

I know there is some risk involved and I'm going to do it no matter what he said I'm not going to be afraid anymore he came back the next day and started doing the work and trying to talk to and interview many of the members of this tribe and they started responding to him. . They threw out the welcome mat for him and years later, when people came to see what his progress was, they asked him how you were able to do this, how you turned the relationship from hostile to positive and he said something, I think.

It has value for all of us he said when life can no longer threaten you with death he said what else is there what else is there and most of the fears we have are not fears of life or death and not those types of fears but through our imagination We exaggerate them and we give them more power than they really have or deserve and we allow them to rule our lives we allow them to determine how far we can extend our dreams and discover our things and when we start we look at ourselves and start wait a minute.

Jeff is cutting to the chase as you test yourself and then you start testing yourself and just all the men wait a minute. I've been sweating this, what could it be? What's the worst that can happen? Will this happen to me? It will kill me? I'll die? Why am I going through all these changes about this? How much power does this really have? Am I the one feeding the power? Said many times we allow ourselves to be fed and to be programmed to be afraid I mean, you watch the news and you read the newspaper you will be afraid to leave the house, I am right, you will be afraid so, what kind of things, what kind of thoughts do you have?

By feeding your conscience, what kinds of things are you putting in your mind that will allow you to move forward or justify why you stay? Where are you? Another piece I looked at when I finally decided I was going to go. the dentist the pain was so great that I couldn't take it anymore suddenly defeated matter I can't help but take me away some people need fear you know have a friend that's what we told him hey man you know you need to make him lose some weight you're overweight and out of shape and at our age we need to have a regular schedule and dude said man I've been fat since I was little oh you know I have big bones.

I've never seen a fat skeleton, although yeah, well, dude got sick. How many of you have ever watched the festival feeling guilty? Yeah, but he got sick, he passed out and I was there and the doctor was talking to him, but I think he was going to come back to say. Moe eating habits and doing everything you know while I look here you are diabetic and he said now here are some of the side effects you know you could go blind you can become an amputee none of that touched him he said you can become impotent he said what did you say he lost weight?

He exercises every day. He has a sculpted body. Rick. He is 48 years old. He looks great. I can not believe it. That statement alone made the difference in the world, but today he is a new man. So what does he have? It happens to you some people don't take corrective action to improve their health until they get a pronouncement that they are about to die, then they start, okay, I'm ready to do whatever you want me to do, but they won't do that, you can see the people drop it like flies then well that's them you have to move on from something we go through life really blocking us constantly and fear is one of the best instruments we could use to stifle our true potential when you start looking at your life you can decide to use fear as a blocker or you can decide to use it as building blocks that you decide Hey, look, I'm going to move in this direction, I'm not going to let anything stop me from doing what I want to do we shake someone's hand your right and your left and we say I am unstoppable look when you begin to understand and recognize the fear and you move forward anyway you move forward with a spirit and a knowing that there is a way to start managing this there is a way out here somewhere there is a solution what is it what you're looking for that you have the ability to deal with whatever comes up to deal with it and instead of feeling helpless I'm starting to feel powerful when I see all the major downsizing that's going on in this country, there are a lot of people chomping at the bit. fingers and fear losing their jobs, but there are few people who have decided within themselves that I am going to make it some people are not waiting to be cut some people are moving on their own because they feel within themselves that I have what it takes to achieve this they are not afraid of tomorrow because of how they see themselves because of what they feel they deserve because of what they feel they can create for themselves because these people have decided while they look at the future while they look at themselves there is a way where there is a will there is a way for me to start creating a way out of nothing 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 when you look into the future if you decided that I'm not going to allow my fears to stop, what would your life be like, what would your future be like if you decided to want what you want so badly that it prepares you to overcome your fears, that you experience the fear like the book says, feel the fear and do it anyway?

What would your life be like and I tell you that all of us who have been buried by fear have the ability to resurrect ourselves and our dreams and you have it, it is easy, no, it is not easy, I can do it, yes, it is one of the ways to begin some of we need someone to hold our hand sometimes we need someone to help us be willing to say I don't know be willing to reach out be willing to get help to take it to the next At the level of a great athlete, you never expect boxes to make profound statements.

I think it was Joe Frazier who said this. He says we are all like the blind man at some point in our lives standing on the corner waiting for someone to guide us. all of us at some point in our lives need help we need someone to come to us to prosper the lifesaver to help us cross some treacherous waters that we couldn't navigate on our own none of us do it alone all of us at At some point in our lives lives we need that kind of help, we need that kind of help because we grow from the people that we have in our lives that can enrich our lives personally, professionally, spiritually and in all dimensions of our lives we don't grow in one way. empty, so if you look at yourself, whatever fear you have, maybe you need some help and get stronger in that area as you evaluate your strengths and your weaknesses and start approving yourself, your passions, your dreams, your goals. and the things you want if you decide to experience your full true potential when you decidemanifest all your greatness when you decide wait a minute what else is available to me here if I decided to experience the fear of rejection the fear of not fear of failure the fear of being aloneWhat else is available to risk?

For fear of losing everything. What else is available to me that will bring some additional meaning and value the fear of people not liking me? Do you know how many people do things they don't want to do just because? I want everyone to like them, not everyone is good at something like, excuse me, special announcement, not everyone is going to like them, you know, that's not that kind of world, but you know there are a lot of people who don't take positions on issues. that yes they will. They don't take a stand for the things they believe in, who don't speak for themselves because they don't want to upset anyone.

Oh, it was Bill Cosby, he said, I don't know what the secret of success is, he said, but this is what I know what the secret of failures is, he said, try to please everyone, you can't please everyone, but they're people. who are afraid to make waves, so they just go alone in life, they just get along, no, how do you feel good? I really don't want to say how many of you know people like this raise your head these people are living life they are not really experiencing life what do they really want to do well I don't like this but I guess I will Go ahead and know that life is too short for that, too short and unpredictable, wandering around without trying to disturb anything, without trying to shake anything up, without trying to make waves, you see, there are some people who go through the universe at their level of contribution and the level of energy they manifest is so small and so discreet that when they're gone you won't even know they're gone.

I mean, these are people who died on the job and you're like, where's John? Oh, jumping dead six months ago. We're joking, I guess we missed it, but there are some people because of their personality, because of their contribution, because of the investment of their time and energy and the impact that they have, that when they're gone, everyone will miss them, so when Mother Teresa review it. everyone will know when Rosa Parks everyone will know Nelson Mandela everyone will know what because of their contribution, but there are some people because their contribution is so small that no one will care to say something before you are pigeonholed and Barrett decides that you are going to Fit in and bury your fears decide that you are going to start living life on a new level seeking new horizons in which you will find more love and more joy and more ways to give more to life God said something I love this he says everything what a man does for himself guess what he takes with him but everything he does for others he leaves behind so when you start saying what I want to leave what contribution I want to start making what difference I want to make in the life what do I want to do with the rest of the life I have left what opportunities do I need to take what risks do I need to start accepting what fears do I need to step on what areas of my life life and my dad right now what dream can you even live your dreams or live your fears you have to get to a point where you say I'm sick and tired of living like this there has to be more let's see that's when people go out and pursue their dreams, that's when people get out of relationships in which they die together instead of growing together, that's where they leave the job, so where do you go from here?

Do you have another job? No, I don't know, how are you? I'll make it, I don't know, but I will say you will when you put yourself in that kind of situation. I remember two frogs that were snorting along the road and fell into a milk bottle and one was jumping. up and down for a while and he drowned, he just gave up, but his other frog kept kicking, he wouldn't give up, he kept kicking and pretty soon he churned that milk into butter and walked away with a saying when the light came on . You grab yourself by the neck and blindly swing your weapon to knock yourself down I said just keep kicking you know and you can get out of those circumstances whatever they are don't be intimidated by them repeat after me please I'm going to keep kicking.

I'm going to cut them off, I'm never going to give up, keep checking someone's hand to your right and left and say, keep going, don't touch it. I'm telling you, you know what the exciting things in life are: you have to keep the child inside you. Little tree as kids, we used to go to work with my mom, we'll cross Miami Beach, my brother, we argue, that's my car, no, that's your car, but then when we become adults, a light slap inside, in front of your dad, and then you. don't dream bigger Thomas in the book I am the invisible man I believe it was he who said that the impulse to dream has been slowly eliminated from me through life experience and most people, ladies and gentlemen, have stopped to live their dreams because of the lessons they have learned from life or the things they have learned because we were only born with two fears, the fear of a loud sound, the fear of falling and all the other fears, fears that we learn, fears that we collect, whatever.

You are not afraid of life, the value you brought to the planet is much more important and what you have released, you are stronger, so we begin to look to the future and see what it will take to overcome those fears. you recognize fear, you know it's okay, some fears are healthy, you begin to know that your dreams, your passions, your drive to achieve what you want, because it has more power and meaning, it will make you overcome your fears as you begin to feel that you deserve it. If your passion and your goal are so strong, the fears won't matter, you start trusting yourself and you put yourself in the situation where you have to make it happen, you will make it happen, ladies and gentlemen, I don't believe it, I know it from my own life experience I know that you have greatness within you I know that you have unlimited potential in you I know that you have something to give to the universe that was here before you appeared someone said that life is a gift from God to us and how we live Our lives are our gift to God.

What kind of gift are you giving and what kind of gift could you give if fear wasn't an issue and I'm saying you could have fears but don't give up? Don't let your fears dominate you. You are more than capable of making this your decade. This is Mrs. Mamie Brown's baby, Lesley Calvin Brown, says it's been a pleasure and a privilege, thank you all.