I'd like to ask audiences how many have major goals you'd like to achieve and
wouldn't ask another question because I've been reflecting on this last year
had a reoccurrence of the little C cancer 15 years ago I was diagnosed with
prostate cancer and given a two to three year prognosis one of the things I think
that doctors should never tell someone they're terminally ill what they should
say is my knowledge and ability to help you has terminated but I've been
Reflecting on my life and I want to ask you and I know you've done phase you
feel good about things that you're proud of but how many of you know if you had
your life to live over again you could have done more than what you've done
thus far raise your hands please that proves the point that what we do and
what we accomplish in life is only a tip of the iceberg of what's possible for us
so want to share some thoughts with you I want you to think about three goals
that you'd like to achieve in three areas of your life number one what's one
personal goal that you'd like to achieve when you think about that my first
personal goal was to buy my mother a home I'm one of seven children that my
adopted mother adopted and I feel like Abraham Lincoln has said all that I am
and all that ever hope to be I owe to my mother she was a domestic worker on
Miami Beach in the United States and she clean homes and she kept children and we
wore they hand-me-down clothes of the children that she kept she cooked for
families and we ate the food left over from the families that she cooked for
these were very kind and generous people they would say Mamie whatever food is
left over you can pack it up and take it home to those children that you have
adopted and I used to walk around these big beautiful mansions that's it my mom
she said what is it Lesley when I become a man I'm about you a big beautiful home
just like this how do you have somebody special you'd like to do something for
raise your hands please very good we're going to show you how you can make that
happen now what you think about your financial goals growing your business
advancing your career taking your life to the next level I want you to think
about the goals that you've set for yourself why you've invested in yourself
and being here and whatever the goals are that you've set for yourself but I
hope you've raised the bar on yourself I want you to multiplied a hundredfold I
found that most people fail in life not because they aim too high and miss I
found that most people fail in life because they do what I did for most of
my life aim too low and hit a mini name that never aim at all now once you think
about your social contribution what will be different because you showed up
Horace Mann said we should be ashamed to die until we've made some major
contribution to humankind one of those I have is reduce the number of women who
die from breast cancer my mother was a 22-year breast cancer Conqueror
how many men over 40 raise your hands please men over 40 very good what our
goals every time I speak I encouraged men to get their PSA test which stands
for prostate specific antigen and the digital rectal examination and I'll be
glad and I can check out prostate by walk looking in our ears you know it's
got to be a better way I'm turning red as I talk about it but you can't see it
friend of mine is that a medical convention hey les let me give you a
free rectal said nobody YouTube motivated homie don't roll like that you
know when it goes I have is teaching people how to tell their story how to
grow their business be the voice of their business how to improve their
customer service how to develop their leadership voice how to go from being a
local to being global I want you to think about the things that you want to
do with your life the kind of impact that you want to make and as you think
about those three categories let us say together with conviction it's possible
together please everybody together please say it's possible you know the
easiest thing I do is come up here prepare to speak for you but the most
difficult thing that I've ever done and took me years to do was to believe
that I could do it given my beginning born an abandoned building on a floor in
a poor section of Miami Florida called Liberty City with a twin brother being
adopted being labeled educable mentally retarded in the fifth grade and put back
from the fifth grade to the fourth grade and failing again in the eighth grade
and not having any college education and if both my birth parents stood up and
said hello son I would not know either one you know I saw a movie late one
night and in this movie called magnoliid Tom Cruise and there was a line and they
said we might be through with our past but our past is not through with us how
many of you know they're things that we've experienced that can impact the
way we see ourselves raise your hand as you understand that and so so as you
look at yourself and look at your goals I want you to write this down you don't
get in life what you want you get in life what you are you have to create an
achievers mindset not you have to create that yourself my favorite book says be
not conformed to this world be transformed by the renewing of your mind
and what you're doing right now is an indication of what's most important as
you begin to invest in yourself setting aside a time to be here this is the air
over the lake Peter Drucker calls there are the three C's accelerated change
overwhelming complexity and tremendous competition so as you look at yourself
and look at your goals setting aside time every day to work on your mindset
to expand your vision of what's possible for you they did an interview with
Warren Buffett one of the richest men on the planet as you're aware and asked him
to what's the most important investment people can make today and this was in
the middle of the recession in the United States here's a guy that has
billions of dollars in real estate billions of dollars in the stock market
and he said the most important investment you can make is in yourself
everybody repeat after me please live for die empty said again live for die
empty after having 238 radiation seed implants
I was reading what nights and words by dr. hawa Thurman who was a mentor to dr.
Martin Luther King jr. to Albert Schweitzer to Mahatma Gandhi he wrote
deep is to hunger the voice of the genuine the centering moment as I was
reflecting on his words he said the ideal situation for a man a woman to die
is that family members praying with him 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 with you
for whatever reason you never pursued those dreams you never acted on those
ideas you never use those gifts you never used those talents and that they
are staring at you as you're lying on your bed with large angry eyes saying we
came to you 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 talents what abilities what gifts what ideas would die with you
one minister Atif bahama said the Wellness place in the planet it's not in
the 40s where there's oil on the ground it's not in South Africa where there
diamond mines it said the wealthiest place on the planet is the cemetery
there you see potential never realized there you find books never written there
you find ideas never acted on maybe that's why Henry David Thoreau said Oh
God to reach the point of death only to realize that you've never lived only to
realize that you've never scraped the surface of your potential let us say
again live for die empty and such you think about your goals and dreams I'm
suggesting that you set aside time every day if you're not doing it already
reading 10 to 15 pages of something positive every day
listening to audio programs investing in yourself to expand your mind for what
it's possible to develop a spirit of optimism and then the next thing is let
us say together it's necessary you see not only is it possible that you can
live your dream and that you have to sell yourself on that every day there's
an African proverb that says if there's no enemy within the enemy outside can do
us no harm I didn't do this for 14 years because I convinced myself I couldn't do
it I would go see the lady giggling Jim Rohn in the late dr. norman vincent
peale and i saw Tony Robinson and my heart
said I could do that how do you like to help people raise your hands please I
said I can do that and then when I would go to the parking lot my my inner voice
would become activated and say les Ron you can't do that you don't have a
college education unless Ron you can't do that you've never worked for a major
corporation les Ron you can't do that you who wants to hear anything you've
got to say have you ever thought about something
you wanted to do and you you talk yourself out of it raise your hands
please and so but that's why it's necessary that we work on ourselves and
let us say together oqp only quality people write that down as you think
about your goals and dreams over the next two years over the next two days
it's very important that you look at the people in your life and you ask the
question what is this relationship doing to me
mit did a study the study indicated that you earn within two to three thousand
dollars of your closest friends whoa when I heard that I got a lot of broke
people out of my life my momma said son if you run around with nine broke people
I guarantee you you become number ten dr. Dennis Kim broad of Atlanta said if
you the smartest one in your group you need to get a new group
so if you think about your goals and dreams detoxify your life less can I
change them no it's a full-time job changing yourself and there's some
people that's so negative they can walk into a dark room and begin to develop
and so it's very important that you look at the people that's in your circle and
begin to understand are you growing mentally and emotionally and spiritually
and professionally are they an asset to you or liability to you the other thing
is as you look at your goals to look at your dreams let us repeat this please
make you move before you're ready yeah write that down see I said well I don't
have a college education I don't have any paper or alphabets behind my name
and I realized that if you want to make it in life you want to make your mark
you've got to become a risk-taker viscosity if you're not willing to risk
you cannot grow and if you cannot grow you can't 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 I like what Helen Keller said she said life is short and
unpredictable eat the dessert first so you have something special you're here
because there's something in your heart of hearts I said I want more I can do
more you are here because you're different how many people who should be
here raise your hands please yeah say you were here because you're different
you're uncommon one man said I choose not to be a common man it's my right to
be uncommon if I can I'll seek opportunity not security I do not wish
to be a kept citizen humbled and dull by having the state look after me I want to
take the calculated risk to dream it to bill to fail and to succeed I refuse to
live from hand to mouth I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed
existence the thrill of fulfillment to the still calmly utopia I wouldn't ever
car before any master nor bin to any threat it's my heritage to stand erect
proud and unafraid to face the world boldly and say this I have done give
yourselves a round of applause but have an uncommon desire to reach your goals
to achieve something great with your life bring your level of energy up
so as you look at yourself not only months we begin to upgrade our
relationships but the other thing is as you look at your goals and look at your
dreams write this down you will fail your way to success say 85% of people
allow their fear of failure to outweigh their desire to succeed you're gonna
make some mistakes and it's okay anything that's worth doing is worth
doing badly it's worth doing right if you know how to do it but if you don't
know how to do it it worth doing badly until you get it right you have to be
willing to experiment with life I've done a variety of things that I had
absolutely no idea I have the ability to do those things here's what I can say
about you and I don't even know you you've got greatness within you but you
will not discover your greatness in your comfort zone you've got to be willing to
get outside of your comfort zone because in order to do something you've never
done you've got to become someone you've never been and most people they go to
their graves with their greatness still in them maybe that's what one woman said
in a moment of anguish what if you live your whole life only to discover that it
was wrong here's something else as you think about your goals and dreams what's
your why why do you want to do it what drives you this is my mother she's 46
years old when she adopted first Wesley and I and then five other children and
she was a driving force in my life which one am I on the right and left I'm the
cute one which one am I now I'm the one on the left all right
yesterday and as you think about your goals and dreams think about somebody
that you love that inspired you someone that you love that you admire and I
think about my background and this is Wesley not eating sugar cane and you see
we were not born with a silver spoon in our mouth the only sugar cane here in
Australian who had ever had sugar cane most of you have not just to people here
yeah it's a it's it's sweet it's it's interesting you know we we were born
area of Florida we eat sugar cane Donald Trump father gave him two hundred
million dollars to become successful how many of you know if I give you two
hundred million dollars you got a good shot at becoming successful raise your
hands for you my mama gave us two pieces of sugar gay and we had an advantage
room always get quiet when I say that Donald Trump was born with civil
Spooner's model if you had a choice between eating a silver spoon and eating
sugar cane which one would you eat sugar cane I told you we had an advantage
that's what I'm talking about and then I met someone who changed my life see what
we do and what we accomplished in life is a result of the story we believe
about ourselves and I met this friend I was a disc jockey at the time and he
said Les Brown you're more than a disc jockey Les Brown you're more than a
paycheck Les Brown you can do more how many had
somebody see something in you you didn't see in yourself raise your hands please
and I couldn't see it at the time but he continued to talk to me faith comes by
hearing and hearing and hearing and eventually I became an entrepreneur I
began to book concerts and not just doing a radio show but I invited
entertainers to come to town and these little guys came in 1973 there I am
standing in the back that's Michael Jackson there at 10 years of age in 1973
I didn't know who they were going to become they
who I was going to become the hand that you shook in the audience you have no
idea whose hand you just shook you don't know who they are I has not seen ear has
not heard noise enter the heart of mankind what God has in store for that
person whose hand you just shook that person they have greatness within them
and you have greatness within you and to prove it you were chosen one out of 400
million sperm there's something in you and God said I want you I want you I
want you I want you there's something you have that the world needs that if
you don't give it to us we will all be deprived and so as you think about your
goals and dreams how many of you like to make a difference in your community
raise your hands please you have the ability to do that I ran for the Ohio
legislature had no idea have the ability to do that passed fourteen bills my
first term you have greatness within you you can make more impact than you can
ever begin to imagine when you're willing to challenge yourself let us say
together leap everybody together say leap and grow your wings on the way down
Yesi one of the things about life you're gonna get hurt you're gonna make some
mistakes you're gonna fail your way to success but you got to be willing to
experiment you got to be willing to push yourself you've got to be willing to
challenge yourself by putting yourself in a perpetual state of discomfort and
so the things happen in life when you have goals and dreams things happen have
no idea Midway of my third term my mother became ill she was diagnosed with
breast cancer my brothers and sisters called me and said they're gonna put her
in a nursing home and I said no they said we thought you would say that we've
interviewed the best nursing homes in Dade County I said I said no said a
problem how can one woman raised seven children
who couldn't take care of themselves but seven grown people could take care of
one woman I had a problem with that and I've said now
so I resigned from the Ohio legislature and I came back to Miami to take care of
Mama and took care of until 89 and there are things that you have your goals
things are going to happen to you that you can't anticipate some of you and
those I have the storm now things going to happen and don't say why does it have
to happen to me why not you who would you suggest you want to give us some
names the email addresses that's really what I said the sixth time
I got cancer they had told me the carrots had metastasized the seven areas
of my body I started laughing he said why are you laughing at you in denial I
said no I feel like Mother Teresa he said what do you mean she said Lord I
know you know how much I can bear I just wish that you didn't have so much
confidence in me there's times in your life when things gonna happen that
you've got to begin to put your dream on hold and you might have to reinvent
yourself how many have already gone through that raise your hands please
it's called life and don't tell anybody about it
80% don't care 20% glad is you you have to suck it up and handle it that's what
I call being in business being an entrepreneur being a risk-taker walking
by faith and not by sight stuff happens to you and so I had to go in a new
direction and I decided to tell my story how many of you got a story raise your
hands please how many of you gone through some things in life that you can
teach some other people raise your hands please how many of you like me had
periods in your life when you were temporarily insane ridges see there are
some people on what it goes I have a training 100,000 voices of hope
outside of politics and outside of religion both of which I believe
unwittingly polarize and divide people and teach people how to deliver a
message of hope and give people methods and techniques
that will help them to change their lives and and begin to move their lives
to another level you have something special you have greatness within you
that story that you have can impact people's lives Mike Williams talked to
me and it changed my life it began to expand my vision how many of you have a
college education raise your hands please very good over 90 percent how
many ever give a lecture at Harvard University raise your hands please no
hands up that's in your future shake somebody's hand on your right and left
and say that's in my future that's in my future everybody pointed me right now
point at me right now point at me lovingly right now say let's Brown
everybody together say let's Brown if you can do it I can do it and this time
when you say I can do it said with conviction point it begin let's Brown if
you can do it I can do it shake someone's down and you're ready left and
say I'm ready to play a bigger game do that right now so I'm ready to play a
bigger game absolutely yes it's as you look at yourself and look at your goals
there's some things that you can do when you challenge yourself when you go
outside your comfort zone there are things that will come in the direction
of your life that you need can't even begin to imagine that you're going to
begin to evolve and go to new levels that will amaze you and I tell you these
things not to impress you but to impress upon you you have something special you
have greatness within you you have the ability to do more than you can ever
begin to imagine and so what I am suggesting that you do is to stretch
yourself that you constantly look for waves as an entrepreneur how can you
begin to set yourself apart from the competition what is it that you can do
that can make you stand out one of the market takeaways that you could do one
of the things that I learned as a speaker and as a trainer as an
entrepreneur and a small business operator is that you've got to find
something that you love and that you master that Henry David Thoreau said do
not go where the path may lead but go where there's no path and leave a trail
as you look at yourself as a business operator as you look at yourself as an
entrepreneur as you look at yourself as a person that want to make a mark with
your life they want to leave a legacy you've got
to be hungry let us say together I'm hungry to do more I'm hungry to stretch
myself I'm hungry to take my life to another level I never forget this
gentleman that I'm going to talk with tomorrow he's now in his 90s he's blind
from glaucoma and I never forget he said young man go aboard and work this
problem out for me and I so sir I can't do that he says why not I said I'm not
one of your students he said look at me yes sir go to the board and work the
problem out anyhow I said I I can't sir and the other students started laughing
and saying he's Leslie he's got a twin brother Wesley Wesley smart he's DT he
said what's DT he's the dumb twin and I said I am sir as the students laughed as
some of you did and he came from behind his desk he looked at me he said don't
you ever say that again someone's opinion of you does not have
to become your reality and that was a turning point in my life on one hand I
was humiliated but on the other hand I was liberated because he looked at me
with the eyes of Goethe who said look at him and the way that he is he only
becomes worse but look at him as if he were what he could be then he becomes
what he should be he said young man what do you want to do with your life I said
sir I I want to make my mother proud sir he said how do you plan to do that I
said when I get out of high school I'd like to be a disc jockeys is that right
I said yes sir he says good I'm gonna tell you some things to do I said what
is this his number one he said I want you to work on your mind he said here's
some motivational materials I want you to listen to by dr. Norman Vincent Peale
and an Earl Nightingale train you're thinking write this down this is very
important what you think about you bring about he said I want you to train your
mind to serve you and I want you to focus on becoming a disc jockey every
day I want you to see yourself on the radio talking
thousands of people I want you to see yourself doing the things that you want
to accomplish hold the vision and I encourage you to do the same thing
whatever area whatever you want to do whatever business that you are in
wherever industry that you're in you want to see yourself there and hold the
picture of what it is you want to accomplish and I said sir I said I want
to be a disc jockey but I don't I don't have a job yet and then he quoted
Whitney Young he said young man it's better to be prepared for an opportunity
and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared he said
you got to be hungry I said I am hungry sir it's a good here my car keys at
12:00 no not once you go in my car and turn on the radio and listen to paul
harvey who is paul harvey sir he's the world's greatest communicator
he said whatever you want to do you want to find people who master that because
success leaves Clues and that's the same thing I'm suggesting to you whatever
area that you want to go in and it's finances in business insurance industry
whatever area that you're interested in find the people who are mastering that
and follow their example he said and let me share something else I said yes sir
he said watch your relationships they're nourishing relationships and their toxic
relationships nourishing relationships they bring the best out of you they
inspire you toxic relationships they drain you I said I will sir I do exactly
what you telling me to do sir and then he said um mr. Brown yes sir I've given
you everything I can give you you've got to go out into the marketplace and face
the music I said thank you sir I went to apply for a job on Miami Beach
Milton butterball Smith was a program director hello mr. butterball how are
you sir my name is les Rahn sir I like to be a disc jockey young man you have
any journalism in your background no sir I don't you have experience in
broadcasting no sir but I visualize myself being on the air every day sir I
practice all I want is a shot just just give me a shot he says no we don't have
any job for you have you ever been rejected raise your
hands please I was devastated with rejection I went back and I said hey mr.
Washington they said oh he said don't take it personally most
people are so negative they have to say no seven times before they say yes he
said you got to be hungry go back again I said yes sir
hello mr. butterball how are you sir my name is les francais I like to be
disc jockey young man weren't you here yesterday yes sir didn't I tell you no
yesterday yes sir then why you back today well sir I didn't know whether or
not somebody was laid off as somebody was fired sir
nobody was laid off a fire now get on out of here
I came back the next day hello mr. butterball how are you sir my name is
les Ron sir I like to be a disc jockey I know what your name is
weren't you here the last two days yes sir
didn't I tell you no the last two days yes sir then why you back today well sir
I didn't know whether not someone got sick or someone died sir no one got sick
of diet no one was laid off a fire now don't you come back here again I came
back the next day talking loud looking happy like I've seen him for the first
time I said hello mr. var of all how are you he looked at me with rage he says go
get me some coffee I said yes sir
my favorite book says the greatest among you will be your servant how many of you
have serious about reaching your goals raise your hands please here's something
I encourage you to write this down provide more service and you get paid
for and small business operators and you're gonna do market takeaways you've
got to provide more service and you get paid for you've got to build
relationships with people you got to be able to tell your story because people
do business with people they know like and trust you've got to look for ways as
a lady who became the dominant force in our industry and they said how did you
get here in an industry that's dominated by men and she said it's not our
intention to please our customers or to satisfy our customers our intention is
to amaze them for the quality of the service that we provide for them and so
you have to literally amaze your customers go above and beyond as you
begin to anticipate what their needs are and look for ways in which you can begin
to impact them and so as you look at your goals and dreams of people that are
willing to do that are hungry he said mr. Brown go face the music I went to
apply for this job three different times they said no finally they asked me to
become the errand boy for the disc jockeys I'll go get their lunch in their
dinner and not stand in the control rooms knowing my time would come let us
say together my time will come and on the weekends they would come out to the
parking lot and their cars be waxed and clean inside out they said hey who did
this write this down give before you ask give before you ask
I was just trying to get my foot in the door I wanted to establish a reputation
of being a go-to person as a person of resource resourcefulness a person that's
relentless and unstoppable a person that can get things done I said I did sir how
much you charge nothing sir just wanted to help out
building relationships people do business with people they know like and
trust look here Donna Ross and The Supremes are coming
to town the Four Tops and the temptations here are my car keys
pick him up and take him to the Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach it'll
be my pleasure to serve you sir I was driving these entertainers in the disc
jockeys big loan Cadillacs I didn't have any driver's license without driving
like a heads up then one day it was a Saturday afternoon a disc jockey by the
name of rock and Roger was drinking while he was on the air
rock and Roger got so drunk he could not complete the show he began to stutter
his words he's about to fall off the chair is a Saturday afternoon
and I was the only one there looking at him through the control room window
walking back and forth young ready and hungry I was saying drink Rock drink
drink Rock I don't go and get him some or be to ask me to being pretty soon the
phone ring was a general manager Nansen phone I said hello he said young boy
this is mr. Klein I said I know he said Rock can't finish his problem I said I
know he said would you call one of the other DJ's in I said yes sir I hung the
phone up I said now he must be think I'm crazy I called my mama and my girlfriend
Cassandra I said y'all come out on the front porch and turn on the radio I'm
bout to come on the air
I waited for about 20 minutes and then I call him back I said mr. Klein I can't
find nobody he's a young boy you know how to work the controls I said yes sir
he said going that segway the records but don't you say nothing here
I said yes sir I couldn't wait to get a rock out of the way I put on a fast
record I said look out this is me LD Triple P Les Brown your platter playing
papa there were none before me and there will be none after me therefore that
makes me the one and only young and single and loved Domingo certified
bonafide indubitably qualified to bring you satisfaction and a whole lot of
action look out baby I'm your love man I was hungry get it old matter out of
applause I was hungry I was hungry shakes one town and you're riding left
look him in the eyes and say you got to be hungry do that right now shake
someone's hand and say you got to be hungry people that are hungry a willing
to do the things today others won't do in order to have to think tomorrow
others won't have people that are hungry believe always strive to get on top in
life because it's the bottom that's overcrowded people that are hungry know
if you want to be successful you must be willing to do the things a day others
won't do in order to have the things tomorrow others won't have I didn't do
what I'm doing right now because it was hard how many of you decided not to do
something because it was hot raise your hands please I want you to write this
down if you do what is easy your life will be hard complain porn at your
circumstances give up your power blame the government blame the economy if you
do what is easy your life will be hard but if you do what is hard your life
will be easy it's hard to make a radical change in
your behavior it's hard to take ownership it's hard to swallow the
bitter pill that wherever you find yourself at some point in time you made
an appointment to be there as hard as hard if you do what is easy your life
will be hard but you do it as what is hard your life will be easy I don't know
what your goals are I don't know what you want to do with your life here's
what I know about your being here that there's something in you that Waits and
listens to the voice of the genuine in yourself it will be perhaps the only
guide you will ever have 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 I
submit to you the reason that you're here is that in your heart of hearts
you've said I'm gonna pull my own strength I say to you the reason that
you're here is something about you that says I'm gonna control my own destiny as
something about you that when you pointed your fingers at your
circumstances you realize you had three pointing at yourself so I want to
dedicate something to you that my mother loved to hear me say mama was a 22-year
breast cancer conquer I want to dedicate this to you to the achiever in you to
the greatness in you to the unexpressed gifts talents and abilities that you
have in you that's hungry to get out and it says simply this Leslie yes ma'am
mama say that thing for me boy that it makes me feel good says simply this
if you want a thing bad enough to go out and fight for it to work day and night
for it to give up your time your peace and your sleep for it of all that your
dream and scheme is about it and life seems useless and worthless without it
and if you gladly sweat for it and fret for it and plan for it and lose all your
terror of the opposition for it and if you simply go after that thing that you
want with all of your capacity strength and sagacity Faith Hope and confidence
and stern pertinacity if neither cold poverty families are gold sickness of
pain of body and brain can keep you away from the thing that you want
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