Known today as one of the world's foremost motivational speakers himself, Les Brown came to know about the power of motivational speech early on in life. Living in Miami Beach with his adoptive mom (formerly his foster mom), Les would shine shoes for extra money. One of the men whose shoes he shined would often play recordings of motivational speakers while he worked.
"He listened to motivational material all the time," Les recalled. "Zig Ziglar. 'If you give enough people what they want, they'll give you what you want.' Jim Rohn. 'When the end comes for you, let it find you conquering a new mountain, not sliding down an old one'... By listening while shining (this man's) shoes, it began to expand my vision beyond my mental conditioning."
Ultimately, this helped Les tap into the realm of what was possible for him in life. Despite being labeled uneducable and mentally retarded as a child in foster care, he'd serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, marry the singer Gladys Knight, overcome stage-four cancer, and become internationally known as a speaker and purveyor of motivation. Language and positive affirmations genuinely have the potential, he says, to change a life's direction.
"Listening to those motivational messages allowed me to hold a vision of myself outside of my circumstances, outside of the culture that had denied me and demonized me and worked tenaciously to destroy my sense of self. It empowered me to believe that it's possible that, if other people had goals and dreams they wanted to achieve, that I can have them, too."
In this episode of The Anthony Sarandrea Show, Anthony and Les talk about the irrepressible power of the human imagination and how nourishing yours through motivational language can help you unlock your most authentic self.
What You'll Learn:
Favorite Quote:
"Hell to me is what you experience when you die, and you meet the person that you were supposed to become. The work that you were supposed to do as part of your assignment, but you didn't take the time of self-discovery to find out what the greater work for you was."
— Les Brown
Connect With Les:
How to Get Involved:
Anthony Sarandrea, the founder of SiteFlood, is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker known as a renowned customer and lead generator across the globe.
Be sure to follow him on LinkedIn, Instagram, and gain access to his consulting and speaking engagements via his website.
Let us know you enjoyed this episode by visiting us on Apple Podcasts and giving us a review! We love hearing from you and appreciate your support of the show!
