Forecasted Dreams

Movie and television stars with these “perfect” lives…At some point, we all have wanted just a little piece of what they have. 

Who designs these images of a “perfect” life; with the best house, family, marriage, job, and overall situation? 

Why do we all feel like we deserve better than what they have more times than not?

 A prosperous and meaningful life comes from what you can “hang your hat on”. Your faith, confidence in yourself, unconditional contentment to YOUR situation, joy, true friends, trusted family, passions and your dreams. Not from sitcoms and storylines drilled into your mind every waking moment.

 How dare we let commercials and movies and these petty unhappy, unsettled, uneasy celebrities set these unattainable standards for us that only exist in scripts and the imaginations of a few.

The little things that make you smile and the people who make you feel truly loved and your dreams that make you feel alive are the only things in this world that we should be completely and totally focused on every second of everyday.

Because inside of you is the greatest script, situation, and story that could ever be told.   But nobody has any time to direct their own movie because they’re too busy or distracted with the FOX Network, ABC, CBS, NBC, the WB, ESPN, HBO, and MTV. These combinations of letters spell out disaster for our culture’s future, because we’re all trying to find or explain ourselves through what these letters put in front of us 24/7.

These combinations of letters mean more to people than engaging in real, challenging conversations; meaningful debates and life altering circumstances. Movie stars, media, and athletes take us farther and farther away from our own personal ideas and dreams every day.

 I urge you! Go write, direct, and act out your own story from start to finish, never leaving any little detail out! 

Promise yourself your dreams and strive to get to that place as soon as possible! It’s going to be hard to get there but nothing meaningful ever happens in this world without a little pain! That place you truly feel YOU, the place you can say anything and not get judged for it, the place you can do no wrong, the place in your dreams you want everyone you’ve ever loved to be a part of…The place that you used to think about when you were 7 years old lying in bed staring at the ceiling filled up with excitement while you couldn’t get to sleep! You know what I’m screaming here!

 So…

Why do we let society’s standards with their movie and television puppets create these dreams for us? And tarnish our once pure and passionate place that we could so clearly see ourselves in before they crept into our lives and we made them more important than us.

Are You Wearing Crap Colored Glasses?

Why are people so hard on themselves, all the time?

 I hear so much, “I’m tired” or “I’m bored” or “This sucks” or “I’m having a bad day”, etc!

Seriously, start listening, it’s all around you! What a horrible command to your being.  With every negative statement you sabotage your mind and you also abuse the souls of those around you and you don’t even know it…

Think about it this way:

You’re standing in an elevator racing down and someone says something like, “today’s going to be a nasty day!” You immediately feel those words and respond in kind with, “yeah” or “you’re right.”  Once you confirm that statement you believe it and put things into motion into the world that is pushing you to live right into that nasty day!

You get off the elevator, walk outside, and get splashed by a puddle leaving a mess on your clothes on your way to your first appointment. You get into your car and take that frustration you now feel about your clothes right onto the road and get mad at the traffic and how people don’t know how to drive in “nasty” weather.

You get to your first appointment and the person you are meeting is an hour late because of the same traffic you just fought for 45 minutes. So, while waiting, you spark up a conversation with the receptionist about how frustrated you are today because of your clothes and then the traffic and how horrible the day is going.  She then “naturally” sympathizes with you, verifies your story with her words, and in turn feels some of your frustration.  She then tells a co-worker about how “nasty” it is out there, thus confirming her day of nastiness from there on out, and also creating a clearing for that innocent bystander she explained everything to, to have a nasty day as well.

   So back to you… 

You go through your appointment with a bad attitude and, of course, you have to first explain all the “nasty” things that have gone on because you see the frustration on your late appointment’s face as if he’s feeling some of this too.   (Pause right here, you’re now wearing your crap colored glasses so that’s all you see in people’s faces and actions FOR THE REST OF THE DAY, IDIOT).  After you do that he confirms all those things with his words about the traffic and the nastiness out there and then he expands because you’ve given him a great space to tell you about all the things that have gone wrong for him with his family that morning.

You confirm those words with something like, “that sucks” or “I feel you,” creating a terrible circle of nastiness between the two of you.  Obviously, because you started off your appointment that way, it doesn’t play out the way either of you planned because you have empowered each other to be pissed off and have doomed one another to a day of nastiness.

It builds,  you walk back out of your appointment with your glasses on, see that same receptionist and, because you forced your horrible attitude on her in the first place, she says with power as you walk out, “only 6 more hours to go.” 

Because you’re appointment went bad and everything else you’ve let in damaged you, you reply with a sigh, “can’t wait till it’s over, just one of those days you know?” She laughs and confirms you again with a head nod. Immediately you have confirmed your life with other days like this one by saying “just one of those days” completely expecting that it may happen again.

Wow! I hope you (the reader) are starting to see what’s happening here…

You leave the building and get into your car and take the frustration back to the road.  Needless to say your bad attitude escalates and because you’re crap colored glasses are getting thicker– making it harder for you to see the good all around you– you become even more “nasty”,  criticizing other drivers and criticizing yourself  for not capitalizing on that appointment.

You get back to the office and snap at the first person that says, “How you doing?” and this is all done before noon.  Just imagine what the rest of this “nasty” day looks and feels like for them and everyone else they come in contact with.

 Crazy huh? I would submit this is all around us. Most of the time people have no idea how powerful the statements they let into their minds really are. I mean REALLY ARE!

Some of you reading this may say I’m deranged for painting this picture the way I did. Am I? I’ve spent the last 5 years of my life meeting over 50,000 people in 13 different states all across America in office environments just like this and have been the easy target for people’s frustrations because I’m always the outsider coming in for the day.

THIS DEFINITELY GOES ON, EVERYWHERE! And when I ask them where this “nastiness” is coming from they can never give me a straight answer except for, “just one of those days, you know.” Isn’t that unbelievable?!?!?!?!!

Ownership ya’ll, there’s no such thing as one of those days, you created that day exactly how you said and confirmed it. Again, stop being so hard on yourself  because you have no idea what your words could mature into.

 Remember, it all started with one comment that you confirmed in an elevator.

 The only true solution is to attack this negative statement right up front. When stated, you fire back with a response that is a positive shift on the situation, something like, “It’s great because I’m the only sunshine people are going to see, or “I can’t wait to get out there and attack it,” or “Today’s going to be an amazing day!”

 Whatever, just an upbeat response is all that’s required to shift your mentality to the better and also create a clearing for the initial person that spoke to have an amazing day as well.

 Come on!!! How sweet is that?!?!  So simple but yet so hard in the heat of the moment because it’s easier to just respond the way everyone else does and confirm their horrible comment thus bringing it into your life.

 Les Brown told me if you do what’s easy your life will be hard…but if you do what’s hard your life will be easy. So make a stand for yourself and that person in the elevator to have a “beautiful day” and respond positively to his comment and see what happens. You might just change the world.  In fact, encouragement and positive speaking is always present when interacting with a world changer. I know this! 

 Your turn…

Don’t Do it!

Forever I have been one of the biggest proponents of excommunicating yourself from your relationship with your snooze button. It is a horrible way to start your day, literally starting your day off with procrastination…

Are you kidding me? Why?!

For a few more minutes of indulgent sleep? There’s a reason you set the alarm in the first place. To get you up and going and heading towards a great day, right? I found an incredible video that is included here that talks about that “extra” nap you get by popping that snooze button one or two times first thing. Take a look, it was incredibly eye opening to me (and validating . Integrity in anything says you will do what you say you are going to do and when you set your alarm for a certain time that is your word/bond with the next day. When you change that up in an unresponsive, vulnerable state you are setting yourself up for little indulgent choices that may show up in bigger, more important decisions that day.

*But of course there are great ways I have heard of the snooze button being used and this is the only one I am OK with. You are allowed to hit the snooze button once, in that time you lay awake in bed and go through the list of things and people you are thankful for in your life. Taking the first 8 or 9 minutes to get yourself in a grateful state. Brilliant!

Enjoy! – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6zcSFA7ymo

Enthusiasm…Your Untapped Brilliance

Enthusiasm is the God inside of us. We have been given a power to create from our creator. When God created the world I believe he was full of enthusiasm with what was to come. We share that same ability being created in his image so why the tired sighs and rebuttals at the prospect of being enthusiastic all the time?

My life is a living breathing example of what you can do with enthusiasm. I give everything I have, to everything I do. Whether it’s breaking a 150 year old sales record, becoming the 1999 High School Texas Athlete of the year or even making sure to put the toilet seat down when I’m done doing my thing. It does not matter! I have created a high level of accountability personally towards giving my best at all times. Think about the last time you had a conversation with a new human you had never met that inspired you in some way. I guarantee you were enthusiastic through the process. I can almost see you talking with your hands, staring deep into that person’s eyes, hanging on ever word, thinking your response through and holding onto other subjects that come up in your mind as you are talking…Excited to perfectly place that new subject in this life inspiring conversation at the opportune moment. I don’t have to know you to know this is what it looked like. When you act this way and bring all you have into anything you do it is also contagious to those around you. Let’s pinpoint the conversation example we just laid out. By acting enthusiastically in your interaction with this person you then create a wonderful environment to which you have this sparkling conversation. It all starts with you though, don’t for a second think that this happened by chance or consequence. It was you bringing all you had into this situation and for that you both benefited and potentially created a friendship that could last a lifetime. Enthusiasm is not just something you do on occasion it’s your connection to your best possible life for yourself in action.

I understand how hard it is to try and create this emotion when you are up against a bad attitude or a conversation that went wrong. Especially when that negative voice inside your head keeps telling you you’re not capable of enthusiasm with how you’re feeling right now. But enthusiasm is not an emotion is a state of being that can be summoned whenever you want it. Call it mastering a piece of human existence that only the best of us have achieved. It’s hard to find someone that chooses this emotion in the face of hardship but they are out there. I’m personally working everyday at it!

When I have seen enthusiasm called out of a negative situation I can say that there was movement involved. Whether it was standing up quickly, running, laughing for no reason, shouting out loud, or something as simple as reaching their hands up toward the sky as high as high as possible. Enthusiasm was created with movement. Something I have done all my life really speaks to this point. Literally when I start running even if for small distances in the house or through the halls of the office I literally feel enthusiasm running through my veins. I immediately have this huge smile and usually have a giddy laugh that accompanies it. All my life I can harness all the power I need in just a quick change in speed from a walk to a jog/run.

What is your trigger or switch?

This is mine. Maybe because I have played sports my whole life and running triggers fun in my brain or when I’m moving fast I am seeing more people and getting to where I need to go faster which brings me joy; I don’t know. But I do know that you have this same power inside of you and you just need to know how to let it out. I bet it involves some sort of movement as well. Even if it is something small, movement is the key. Objects in motion have an energy that is put off into the world that even the smartest people can only explain as “energy” so maybe there is something there you can pull from here. I hope so because this ability to call on your enthusiasm at will can only bring you closer to figuring out why you are on this earth. When you are enthusiastic you are in control of your future on top of your negative emotions, literally blessing everyone around you because your enthusiasm stirs up theirs inside of them. It’s contagious and it’s the best kind of contagious on earth if you ask me.

PlAy It FoRwArD

Everyday families an friends are split up for a number of reasons. Many spend their lives trying to provide for the ones they love only to have everything taken from them. You have to believe that there is always a perfect plan. When you treat people right, honor the rules of the world and do the right thing even when everything inside you says otherwise the result at the least is peace. You have to have faith that God will take care of you and your family and almost bank on the fact that your example has inspired others to live the way you do which is the greatest reward. Most of the time this fact is the only other thing you can think about other than surviving because the pain of being away from those that you love is killing you.

I have never had to exist in any of these circumstances. For that I am incredibly thankful to the ones that came before me that provided me with this freedom. That is exactly what it is, a freedom from always having to think, “how am I going to get through this day?” My life is amazing, I have so many things to be thankful for and so many people that never knew me fight through all these circumstances for me so that I can live my life free. The privileges are unbelievable when you think about it. I have a choice to be the person that I want to be everyday without any of these stresses above. It is easy to love my life. My hat is off to all of those that created this freedom for me. The love list could literally go on forever.

When you get present to your petty thoughts and struggles up against all this they disappear and all you’re left with is gratefulness for everything. Thank you lineage, soldiers, inventors, pioneers, martyrs, religious leaders, visionaries, and teachers that thought of me when they were fighting for the hundreds of thousands that would come after them and reap the benefit of their daily struggle. It’s fun to think about how many of them are looking down excited to speak with me one day about how it was to live in a world where their dream they died for made it possible for me to have anything I could ever want. Words don’t express the gratitude the only way to thank them is to play it forward every second of everyday. Don’t see someone inconveniencing you see someone that is a beneficiary of the same freedoms you have thus making you and them, family. That means there is a deep, intrinsic love there for them no matter what the situation and all the negativity instantly disappears. When we put our brain to work with this “play it forward” type of mentality you blatantly realize how insignificant and wasteful negative thoughts are. When you come to the realization that your feelings and thoughts don’t matter it frees you up for everlasting joy. What the greatest of mankind constantly fight for is others even with the reverse is being reciprocated. The greatest have developed the habit of choosing love over any other feeling that creeps up inside them especially in the midst of ridicule.

Grateful Saturday!

“Your Tongue Didn’t Slip–Your Heart Leaked”

I am forever listening to the little, self-defeating nuances all around us that are killing the spirit of our culture.

One of the biggest revelations of mine over the past few years has been how people answer the question,  “How you doing?” or “How are ya?”  The reason why it’s been so revealing is because the responses are so freaking negative! People are so used to saying the same dang things when someone asks them this, that they are dooming their whole lives with a disgusting phrase which is programmed into their mind for no other reason than, “that’s what they’ve always said.”

 I’ve heard everything from, “not good because _____”, “tired”; “just trying to make it through another day”, “good, I guess”, “alright”, “you know”, “whatever”, “still alive”, “holding on” and so on and so on.

Try this…Next time you’re around a lot of people just listen in to the responses that are given to this never-ending question. It will baffle you and give you quite the insight into the inner dialog of the reciting party which tells the story of their life in one phrase. I would contend that what we constantly say to ourselves is the biggest defining factor in what we have and what we don’t have.

Self talk is so key.  I recently heard a story from a millionaire that asked a billionaire what is the biggest thing that causes people to fail in this world? The billionaire with no hesitation said, “Self Talk!!!” Emphatically with a HUGE smile…“I have said the same positive things to myself everyday all day long and the only thing that has changed over the years is that the numbers have gotten bigger.”

I love that story because it reveals such a secret in the mind of a genius that is so easy for all of us to carry out.

Now why is it that we all don’t speak ourselves into the life that we want? Well, we fall into the trap of answering things and speaking the way everyone else does. And 99% of the time those words are not empowering at all.

I was at a bowling alley today and all around me people would roll their bowling ball down the lane and if it didn’t do what they wanted it to do or knock down the pins they were aiming for, their words got so negative that it made me laugh in disbelief and truly feel hurt for them as well.  I heard a guy say loudly, “You idiot, you always screw up right at the end!” and another say, “what the heck am I even doing here, I’m no good at anything!”  They would say these life shattering, gut retching phrases as they were walking back to their circle of friends/family and everyone would just sit there and laugh and not say anything and just smile.

What?!??!?!?!??? I mean they are speaking into being some of the nastiest, self defying material imaginable for themselves and their family and nobody is checking them on it…Why?  Well, it gives the listeners own self-defeating thoughts a place to freely spawn and worst of all because it’s 2^nd nature to say horrible things to yourself when you fail. It’s all around us!

People pursue an outlet to justify themselves not being all they could be. They go into everyday situations with horrible attitudes and self talk that cuts their character deeper than anyone else ever could, and then they say these things to themselves over and over again. It pisses me off to think of the lives that have been destroyed through this devastating habit of negative self talk.

 The solution…Very simple.

•  Be overly cautious of the words inside your head.
• Protect your mind against the nasty nature that is all around us.
• And the only way to combat and fight off these disempowering thoughts is to create positive things to say to yourself ALL DAY LONG.

Things like:

• I have an abundance of money that I am saving every month.
• I live in a large, beautiful home of my building and choosing with all the things I want.
• I am in great physical condition, I have visible 6 pack abs and am 180 pounds of solid muscle.
• I am an expert in my field and people seek my knowledge everywhere I go.
• I am the biggest servant on earth; I look for ways to serve everyone around me.
• I have the most loving and supportive spouse/partner on earth and I am constantly falling more and more in love with them every day.” 

Just to list a few, many more where that came from.

The purity in these phrases above is that by saying them all day long it forces me to take every step in accordance with their outstanding message.  This is the real deal ya’ll! You control your thoughts and words; in turn you control your destiny. Your tongue is the most powerful tool you have in your life, what are you saying to yourself?  Be conscious of everything you speak and strive to say the most positive things you can all day long to yourself and everyone around you. Remember, neutral is definitely negative.  Neutral thoughts/neutral words is a conscious choice of yours to not participate in what we’ve outlined here which will also destroy you.

 The reward is priceless, your heart will leak with joy and abundance!  Live it and please tell me how it goes!

I’ll be talking to you soon

Dave Brown, Speaker and Trainer, will soon be publishing a regular blog  here to share motivational sales training concepts and  personal anecdotes about the world of sales.

Dave Brown works with a division of the Southwestern Company called “Southwestern Consulting. ”

 He travels the US, bringing fresh concepts and immediate results sales training workshops to business managers with sales staffs.  He is currently working in the St. Louis, Missouri vicinity, connecting with companies who want to give their sales staff a new edge.

 See what his clients have to say:

“Dave exemplifies integrity and loving what you do. He makes sales people feel good about who they are in the face of adversity. He is detail-oriented, passionate, and spiritual and it shows every time we meet. I would recommend Dave to motivate your child, rev-up your staff or just make you smile after the worst sales day you have ever had. Dave is truly a strong character that can endear himself to all.” June 14, 2011 Babette Gonzales De Garcia

 “The highest recommendation I can give Dave Brown is that I wish I could be exactly like him. Dave’s genuinely sunny persona combined with his astronomical creativity and a stellar sense of humor makes him the supernova of the sales coaching universe. In particular, Dave’s advice on how to approach the frightening prospect of cold calling can be applied to overcoming all the rest of life’s fears and limitations. This outstanding young man has truly transformed my life and career.” June 17, 2011 Samuel Hiatt

 

To see Dave at work, check out http://www.youtube.com/user/SWConsulting#p/a/u/1/HZRbe6tR7_g