How to be very Strategic about Creating Wealth | Les Brown

Importance of Listening and Reviewing

I want you to take the time to listen, and I encourage you to listen to it again and again and again because sometimes when you hear something at a different time, your life is in a different space, and you hear some things that you did not hear the first time, like going to see a movie that you’ve seen before. There are some things that you’ll see, and you say, “Whoa, I didn’t see that first time.” So the same thing in expanding your consciousness and beginning to elevate the quality of your thinking. It’s a process that you must review on a regular basis. That faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing. But by working and training your mind to serve you, you will accelerate the possibility of creating wealth in your life.

Step 1: The Mindset

Controlling your financial destiny, the first step, which is major that I talk about all the time, yes, and you know what it is? A mindset, the millionaire mindset that takes a process. I encourage you to think about how much money you want to create; that’s number one. Number two, what are you going to do with it? What’s the purpose of it? Why is it that that’s important to you? The other thing is writing it down and understanding that you must bring some value. What is it that you have? What is it that you’re going to exchange in the marketplace in order to do that? I remember something I heard by Jim Rohn. He said, “You don’t get paid by the hour; you get paid for the value you bring to the hour.” So you have to train your mind to serve you. Dr. K. G. Woodson said, “If you can determine what a man shall think, you never have to concern yourself with what he will do.” He said, “If you can make a man feel inferior, you never have to compel him to seek an inferior status for he will seek it himself. And if you can make a man feel justly an outcast, you never have to order him to go to the back door; he’ll go without being told. And if there’s no door, his very nature will demand one.” And so, engaging in this process of training your mind… Well, how do I do that, Les? One of the things I encourage you to do that I did for years and still do today: train yourself to read 30 to 40 pages of something positive every day to train your thinking. See, we can’t control the thoughts that come in our minds, but we can control the thoughts that we dwell on. By reading 30 to 40 pages of something positive every day, you’re saturating your mind and overpowering the negative thoughts that psychologists say that we think over 87 to 90% of our negative thoughts every day that goes undetected by our conscious mind. So, that’s the value of reading something positive every day and listening to something every day that’s positive that will train your thinking.

Step 2: Information

Now, the next thing, not only is the mindset important, but information. In 2007, Time Magazine said, “The computer is the person of the year,” and people were puzzled by that. Why? Because for the first time in the history of the world, everyday people have access to information that wealthy people have, and that really makes a difference. There’s a slogan I hear with some radio stations that said, “Information is power.” No, information that is applied in your life, that’s power. And so you now have access to information that can help you to build and design the kind of life that you want, that you can learn anything that you so desire. You could just Google it, and there it is, available at your fingertips.

Step 3: Network

The next thing is network. The man who’s still around today that I love is Dennis Kimbro. He said, “If you’re the smartest one in your group, you need to get a new group.” In order to create wealth and control your financial destiny, it’s important that you have a network of friends that you can learn from, that you can grow from, friends that can help you to begin to access parts of yourself that you don’t know right now, friends who have contacts and relationships and resources that you don’t have, people that you can learn from, that you can grow from. You want to develop a network of friends. My mother used to say, “If you run around with broke people, I guarantee you, you’ll become number 10.” So you want friends that have more than you, people that will.

Step 4: Dedication

The next thing, not only a network of friends that’s important but dedication. See, if you are casual about your goals and dreams, they will never happen. You have to dedicate yourself. How you spend your time tells me who you are. See, there’s a difference between working from 9 to 5 to working from five until you faint. You’ve got to be willing to dedicate yourself to do whatever is required. Al Williams had a saying that I love very much: “All you can do is all you can do, and all you can do is enough. But make sure you do all you can do.” And so, in creating your financial destiny and controlling it, it requires dedication.

Step 5: System

The next thing is a system. There’s no secret to success; there’s a system, and you must learn the system. A lot of people say, “Well, I’m not a detailed person,” or “I never worked for a major corporation.” That’s what I think said. I gave myself an excuse in the past for not learning the things that I needed to learn, and I never forget what my mentor said. He said, “Brownie, all of us are born the same way: dumb, naked, and speechless.” You can learn. Creating wealth, controlling your financial future, it requires a system. It’s something you can’t wing; it’s something you can’t do by flying by the seat of your pants. You must learn to put together a system, have people around you who have the skills and the knowledge and the ability to put together systems that you can execute that will allow you to control your financial future.

Step 6: Energy

The next thing is energy. If you’re casual about your dream, you will end up a casualty. It requires energy. You’ve got to be fired up. I call it hunger. You’ve got to be hungry. And when you are willing to put forth the energy, when you’re willing to do the things today others won’t do in order to have the things tomorrow others won’t have, the energy that you must invest is above and beyond that which is commonly accepted. And most people are low energy, flat energy. You’ve got to work on yourself. As you think about creating wealth, I want to ask you something: What’s your strategy for being here? You’ve got to have a strategy. See, in order to create wealth, it requires a lot of energy, a lot of work on your part, dedication on your part. So that means that you want to get a physical checkup; you want to exercise; you want to set aside time that you’re going to take care of you so that you will have the energy and be able to put in the time necessary to accumulate wealth that will allow you to control your financial destiny.

Step 7: Managing Your Time

And the next thing is managing your time. That is managing yourself. Time is important, and so where you putting your time, how you’re using your talents, abilities, and skills, that’s important to know. Because whatever you’re doing with your time, that tells me who you are. And so, it’s important to prioritize what’s important to you because when you look at the end of the day, all of us have 24 hours. And so, you’ve got to ask yourself, what’s important? What is it that I need to do? One of the things that I encourage you to do is get a list of something that you know that if you do these things—I’ll say, let’s say, get a list of seven things that you know that these are seven action steps that will move you in the direction of your dream. Now, when you get ready to go to sleep at night, think about what is it you want to get out of the day that’s coming up the next day. Most people just trying to get through the day. You want to get something out of the day. And so, you list seven things that’s important to you that would move you closer to your dream. You write those things down the night before; you read those things before going to sleep. And when you get up the next morning, you read those action steps, and you start working immediately on those action steps. And don’t do anything else until you have checked them all off to make sure that you’ve got that done. If you make a habit of doing that, of taking the seven most important action steps that will move you closer to your dream, of the seven steps of creating financial independence, if you do that, you’ll be surprised how fast you’ll be able to reach your goal. You’ll be surprised how.

Step 8: Realizing Your Potential

Fast, you’ll be able to accumulate wealth and control your financial future. You have something special; you have greatness within you. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. I want you to think about your goals and dreams, what is it you want to do with your life, particularly now, because what we know is life is fragile. I was planning not to come out till 2027, and then somebody whispered in my ear, called life, who said, “You’re going to be here in 2027.” I know you want to be. Did you remember Michael Jackson? They spent millions of dollars saying, “This is it.” That was it, but it was not the it they had in mind. Only put off for tomorrow the things that you don’t mind dying in you today. And I said, “I got to come out.” I, you, I’ve been in so long. I’ve been talking to squirrels. I even have a squirrel friend who’s taught me squirreling, which said right then and squarely, I’m so glad to be here and talk to you about focusing. Because in order to make it now with all the distractions that’s going on, you have to focus. You have to make a conscious, deliberate, determined effort. A lot of people have focused on entertainment; a lot of people have checked out. A lot of people are snapping, having knockdowns in traffic, road rage in grocery stores, arguing about toilet paper, family members arguing in the bedroom about their relationship, waking up in the morning and saying, “You know what? I don’t want to do life with you anymore.” “I feel lonely whenever you are around. I’m out of here.” And so, as we look at ourselves, look at our goals and dreams, one of the most important things we have to do is focus on what gives you a sense of peace.

Step 9: Prioritizing Peace

I’ve been ending relationships that don’t bring value to me and that are not peaceful. See, I’ve come to know that you don’t have to help life bring drama. Life will traumatize you by itself. You don’t have to augment and complement the process. But there are people who have a propensity for drama, and any little thing can take them and tilt the needle in that direction. No, this is the time you want to focus on peace. If you don’t have a peaceful state of mind, if you don’t pour into yourself, a person that doesn’t have a sense of peace, they are subject to snap at any time. That’s why we’re seeing unexplained violence. We see people making dumb, stupid decisions that cause them to throw their lives away because of the decisions they make. When anger goes up, ignorance increases, and intelligent thinking goes down. And so, this is the time that you want to focus on peace. And then you want to focus on this question: Am I on course? Is this the best way for me to live my life right now? And you want to focus on your relationships and ask the question: What is this relationship doing to me? Is it an asset or liability? Is it bringing out the best of me? Is it holding me accountable? Is it creating the next greatest version of myself? Do I feel good when this person is around? I have a friend that I was telling her. I said, “Tell me how you feel when your husband comes near you.” And she

Step 10: Recognizing Toxic Relationships

She called me; she said, “I feel threatened and uncomfortable.” I said, “You need to get out of there. I said that’s unhealthy.” She’d been having cervical cancer surgery for several years. After she left him, she didn’t have any more. There are people who can make you sick, you know? You say, “You make me sick.” That’s real. There’s a book I read called, “Who’s the Matter with Me?” So you want to focus on the relationships. You want to focus on the environment because the environment can determine how you feel about yourself and how you see the world. So I’m saying to you at this point in time, focus on that which is positive that can give you a sense of optimism. Focus on the relationships that can empower you, that can hold you accountable. Focus on your strength so that in the events that are going on right now, you can turn those adversities into your creativity and your advantage. You have greatness in you, and you have to be hungry for greatness. Doesn’t happen automatically. You have to work hard. You have to make a conscious, deliberate effort. You have the power, authority, and dominion on living life on your terms. I’m speaking. Focus is important.

Reflection on Distractions

Yes, what I love about what you said was when you were talking about the distractions. MH back when you were a kid, how many channels were there on TV? Three. You had three distractions. Yes. How many YouTube videos have you watched today? None. You watched 30 YouTube videos every… Oh, I… How many channels? Oh, yeah, you don’t watch TV. You don’t have a television. We don’t watch TV in the… You know why? Because you look at what you tune into, what you listen to, you turn into. All right? Yeah. Yeah. Now, what you listen to, what you watch, you turn into. Yes, yes, sir. And what has happened as time has grown as new technologies emerge, guess what? It becomes tougher and tougher to have focus. Yes. So, that is right. You need to focus on your dream. That’s why we’re inviting you to New York on August 14th. If you’re going to be there, you need to focus on your family. That’s why this is a family affair. If you want to be a part of the first family of motivation and our first event since the pandemic. And here’s something that’s important: you need to focus more on your destiny than you are to your distraction. That’s real. You know what happens when you focus? You tune out the world around you, and you start to identify something. You get laser focus, as Miss Lisa Nichols would say. And then after focus comes faith. Oh, yes. Yes, faith, faith. Faith stands for what? Finding answers in the heart. Yes, what does it mean? Why are you going to focus? Because it’s hard to make it today if you don’t know how to take control of your own mind. And that’s what Les Brown’s going to help you to do at the Hungry for Greatness event, how to reclaim your power so that you can tap into the power of faith. How do you become the number one motivator in the world? How do you have millions of fans? Not because of how you shoot a ball or how you dribble or how fast you drive or any type of athlete, because your words help them to believe in themselves and change lives. And change lives. You know what, right now, coming out of a pandemic, when the suicide rate has risen over 14%, when… and in the military, over 50%, in the military, over 50%, when you could turn on almost any channel and see death and disruption and war and misogyny, it’s…

Step 11: Importance of Faith

It’s very rare that you can be a part of an event that boosts your faith. Talk to people about why they need to have faith in themselves. If you want to achieve your goals, you have to see the value of making a conscious, deliberate, determined effort to feed your faith, as Klo Dollar would say, and allow your doubts to starve to death. When you look at where we are right now, that most people have lost themselves, this is a time to keep your commitment to your faith, in your faith. Hold on. Say that one more time. Keep your commitment to your faith in your faith. Look at this question right here: How can I risk establishing my own business without support from others? Guess what? It’s going to take faith. Yeah. You do what you can do, and God will do what you can’t do. I started with nothing. Hello, no money, no color brochure, don’t have any MBA. Labeled educable, born in an abandoned building on the floor, foster kid adopted. I had this dream of buying my mother a home. I never did that before. There’s a reason we’re taught to walk by faith and not by sight. There’s a reason we’re taught to call for those things that be not as though they were. Those aren’t just words printed on a page, and we have to demonstrate that. We’ve got to make our prayers equal to our performance. Whoa. And a lot of people are throwing in the towel. A lot of people are giving up. And as we look at ourselves, that faith, it drives us. Faith not tested can’t be trusted. It doesn’t mean that things aren’t going to happen to you. You can tithe; you can speak in tongues, and life will still kick your butt. The messenger of misery will still come to your house and say, “Get me some coffee and a newspaper because I’m going to be here for a minute, watching Netflix. I’m going to make your life a living hell.” That’s the part of the… But I’ve been good. I’ve been… Now, come over here so I can gang… This… That’s so true. And you know what’s important? Sometimes, dad, what we have to be real. Everyone doesn’t have faith, and sometimes you can go through things that force you to lose your faith. But I know for me, when I lost my faith in myself, my dad’s faith in me… Ki, you know why faith is powerful? Why faith isn’t just for you? No, it’s for others. Without any question. And you know what we’re doing now? One of my children just said, “I want to work with you.” I’ve seen this for several years, and he was judging the possibilities of what I can do based upon my past, based upon the fact that I was diagnosed with fourth-stage cancer. And I’m glad. Some things happened to you; some things happened for you. I said, “You don’t know me like that. Come on now. You know I’m coming. Listen, come here. I’m here. You don’t know me like that.

Don’t write me off because I’m 77. Don’t write me off because I’ve had some failures and disappointments and setbacks in the past. Don’t write me off because somebody with a stethoscope around their neck talking about how long I got to be here. Like with one of our members in our Hungry Dis Speak group said, ‘You be the doctor; I’ll let God be the timekeeper.’ There’s a scripture that when I first heard it and read it, I just said, ‘Oh boy, that’s… That’s cold-blooded.’ I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it. It didn’t have any compassion in it. He that hath shall get, and he that hath not, even that that he has shall be taken away. Oh my God, you’re saying he that hath, the person who has, they will get, and the person who doesn’t have, even that little bit they have shall be taken away. That doesn’t seem right. But there’s a question: he that hath… What? Vision. People without vision perish. Ambition. Drive. The willingness to work.

Step 12: Stubbornness, Perseverance, and Faith

Stubbornness, perseverance, faith—qualities that roar so loudly they don’t give you an opportunity to hear the doubts within yourself. If you have those qualities, you will get everything you lost and more. Angels will make room for you. But let’s intervene here, because you won’t quit, she won’t stop. We’ve done everything, and they won’t stop. We’ve got to intervene now and then. Let’s go find a wimp, somebody who’s stopped, somebody who’s allowing themselves to be consumed by fear. They’re weak. God has not given them a spirit of fear, but of power. They ain’t got no power; they’re consumed in fear. They can’t even think straight. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of a sound mind. This place where you are, where I am, this place we’ve been picked out to be picked on, this place—we are more than conquerors. This place is a testimony. No test, no testimony. This place—no guts, no glory. This place—faith not tested can’t be trusted. This faith will find a way.

We need to saturate ourselves with words that will empower us. Right now, our children are watching. Our children are not okay. There’s an article—Google it—our kids are not okay. The suicide rate among children, teenagers, and younger, sorry, because they’re watching us. How we live our lives, Jim Rohn said this, how we live our lives—it can be a warning or an example. Did you hear me? How we live our lives, our children are watching. It will be a warning of what not to do or an example of what to do when tragedy, interruptions, and crisis show up. “Therefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” This is our time to stand. This is our time to be actively engaged in this thing called life. Our children are watching us. There are generations yet unborn that are depending on us. There are people who gave their lives, like John Lewis said, “Create some good trouble.” It’s our time.

You have something special. God is on your side. As God is for you, who can be against you? You’ve got a winning team. If at some point in time, when you’re a little kid or a grown person, you’re going through some stuff and you heard my voice, and the reason you heard it is because what’s in me is also in you. And the reason you responded and came out of the darkness into the light is because there’s a calling on you to do the same thing. You and I are cut from the same cloth, your branches of the same tree. If my message and my method and my approach resonate with you—put “voice” in the comment section.

Put “voice” in the comment section and allow us to introduce you to the PowerVoice system that teaches you how to tell your story, that teaches you how to create an experience with your voice and your story to transform people individually and collectively. Allow me to mentor and to coach you to bring out the greatness in yourself and to bring out the greatness in others. If that’s your calling, I’d love to tell you, and I will always remind you, a job is what you get paid for.

A calling is what you’re made for. If it’s your calling, put “voice” in the comment section. If you can hear me in your heart—I’m not challenging your ability to hear with your ears, because you wouldn’t still be here with me. I don’t have any prints translating my word. So if you’re still here, the only reason you’re listening is because what’s in me is in you. You and I are cut from the same cloth; we are branches of the same tree. It’s time to make a decision. Put “voice” in the comment section. We don’t know how much time we have left, do we? Michael Jackson said, “This is it,” and it was. Okay, put “voice” in the comment section. Each day is it, where your last, because what we learned from the coronavirus—one day, it will.

Toby Gatson’s Reflections and Advice

Toby Gatson reminisces about his high school days, recalling his graduation in 1963 from Bugatti Washington High School in Miami. He expresses joy upon learning that a classmate, Toby, recovered from COVID-19, emphasizing Toby’s resilience and fighting spirit. Gatson fondly remembers their high school days, characterized by their playful antics and camaraderie with classmates like Larry Litt, who played for the B fitness Bo. He humorously contrasts the youthful behavior of today’s Millennials with the experiences of his generation, remarking on his age of 75.

Gatson shares his aspirations for his future at 75, aiming to train the best speakers globally and inspire individuals to make a lasting impact with their lives. He emphasizes the importance of being tenacious in pursuing goals, advising against giving up and instead encouraging flexibility, versatility, and seeking help when needed. Gatson reflects on his decision to become a professional speaker, driven by a desire for more fulfillment and control over his destiny. He recounts his experience working as a salesperson at Sears and the disappointment of not receiving a promised promotion, leading him to take a chance on himself and pursue new opportunities.

Seizing Opportunities and Embracing Change

Gatson highlights the importance of seizing opportunities and stepping out of one’s comfort zone to discover untapped potential. Drawing from his background in radio, he explains how he leverages technology to engage and inspire audiences virtually. Gatson encourages individuals to push beyond their comfort zones, learn new skills, and explore their capabilities. He reflects on his journey into public speaking, inspired by witnessing others’ success and motivated by regular exposure to motivational messages. Gatson emphasizes the transient nature of both good and bad times, urging listeners to capitalize on the present moment and prepare for future challenges.

Seizing Opportunities and Taking Action

Gatson emphasizes the importance of seizing the moment and taking action. He shares his personal approach of operating as if he has no money even when he’s financially comfortable, encouraging others to work diligently towards their goals. Gatson believes that successful individuals are willing to do what others won’t, such as learning new skills and adapting to change. He highlights the significance of being proactive and taking control of one’s destiny, stressing the value of independence and self-reliance.

Embracing Hunger and Determination

Gatson advises listeners to cultivate a sense of hunger and determination, especially in today’s competitive and uncertain job market. He acknowledges the challenges faced by many, including job losses due to factors like artificial intelligence and the COVID-19 pandemic. Gatson urges individuals to be relentless in their pursuit of success, emphasizing the need to outwork the competition and continuously improve oneself.

Investing in Personal Growth

Gatson underscores the importance of investing in personal growth and increasing one’s value. He shares his own experiences of taking on additional responsibilities without extra pay to enhance his skills and value to employers. Gatson encourages individuals to adopt a growth mindset and continuously seek opportunities for learning and self-improvement. He challenges listeners to assess their own worth and commitment to personal development, highlighting the significance of being proactive and ambitious in pursuing success.

Standing Out in the Attention Economy

Gatson discusses the concept of the attention economy and the need to stand out amidst competition. He stresses the importance of offering unique value propositions and differentiating oneself from others. Gatson encourages individuals to strive for excellence and set new standards, quoting Henri David Thoreau’s famous adage about blazing one’s own trail. He concludes by urging listeners to embrace innovation and creativity in their endeavors, emphasizing the importance of setting oneself apart in a crowded marketplace.