SECRETS TO UNLEASHING YOUR HIGHEST POTENTIAL

Les Brown

Throughout the course of my life, I have seen stories that I never read, understood thoughts I never imagined to be possible, and seen sights that I thought were far beyond my wildest dreams! It all started with a seed of greatness that was implanted within me by my high school teacher, Mr. Leroy Washington. Was he talking to ME? Me? I? He? …the one who was labeled educable mentally retarded and coined as the “dumb twin” by classmates who feasted on my failure like a five-course meal?

“YOU HAVE GREATNESS IN YOU!”

His words clapped like lightning, jolting me into a future that I never dreamed for myself, and I had no other choice but to believe him! With beads of sweat developing on my brow and the hairs on my neck standing at attention, I was afraid to blink! Breathing was barely an option! I thought about what he said. I questioned it, and then I knew that even with my questions, I had no other choice but to believe him. He couldn’t be wrong! I needed him to be right with every fiber of my adolescent being. I felt like it was my birthright because as an adoptee, I never really knew what it felt like to have one. My identity was hanging in the balance as I contemplated his words. My very future depended on it! It was a life-changing awakening for me, an “AHA!” moment, if you will. He saw greatness in me, and his sight gave me new eyes to see! Eyes that set me on a course to go to the next level of my life and carried me into the highest potential that I could have ever conceived. I saw myself through his eyes. They would be my compass until it was downloaded and developed into my own vision. After hearing and believing those profound words, I would never, ever be the same! I am not alone…You have greatness within YOU! You have what it takes to get to the next level and unleash your highest potential! Do you believe it? You should! You should not only believe it, but you should also know it and never let anything shake your faith! Be unstoppable! Be hungry! Know that it’s possible! Afterall…

Your potential is the birthplace of possibilities!

As I reflect on the lifelong greatness journey that I have been on and still remain, there are three secrets that helped me get there…

Three gems that I will share with you from my treasure chest of success: Be humble! Be watchful! Beware!

These three simple, yet profound, principles will carry you through trying times and transform you as you emerge into times of great triumph and fulfillment, so join me as we unpack three practices that will propel you into a life of achievement and endless possibilities!

Be Humble!

“Humility is the most difficult of all virtues to achieve; nothing dies harder than the desire to think well of oneself.” T.S.

Eliot, Playwright

In order to reach your highest potential, you must start low and stay low. What do I mean by this, you ask? Two simple words: Be humble. T.S. Eliot’s view of humility is an uncommon one, according to today’s standards, especially with the use of social media and the role it plays in giving people a platform to brag, exalt themselves, and impress others with their accomplishments and “snapshots” (you know, the pics that they share with the digital world that encapsulates their lives but filtered through a lens through which they want us to see them). Perception becomes a creative mechanism that is contrived by “the click of a button,” and pride is fueled by each “follower” and “like.”

If we’re not careful, we may begin to take our successes, whether in real life or virtually, and allow those mountaintop experiences to give way to a warped perspective in which we think that we are the greatest humans to walk the earth! This concept robs us of humility and self-awareness and is a dangerous mindset to adopt as we seek to go to the next level and unleash our highest potential. To some, starting low and staying low may seem counterproductive to going to the next level, but actually, these two things coupled with focus and determination can allow you to successfully stay on the path that you need to take to get to where you desire to go.

Resisting the temptation to inflate your self-image based upon haughty beliefs is the best thing that you can do for yourself. There is nothing more limiting than pride. Pride is delusional and one-dimensional. Pride is self-driven, self-centered, and selfish. After pride has its way, an individual is left with little to stand on when the reality sets in that pride is a fraud, a mere illusion, and even worse, a distraction that blocks progress and kills potential. Show me a person who is humble, and I will show you a person destined for greatness! Be humble!

After one is humble, one must begin to watch…even if you don’t know what you are watching for, watch anyway, for surely, if you wait long enough, you will see it rise to the surface. Just wait for it…

Be Watchful

“Why not be silent, patient and watchful like a photographer?” Michael

Almereyda, Film Director

Most people think that going to the next level and unleashing your potential is wrapped up in what you do. However, if you look deeper, there is another factor to success that is often undervalued, underplayed, and overlooked. It is the factor of watching what is being done. Some of the greatest people to do anything amazing found themselves in the early stages of their evolution as a “fly on the wall” or a “damp sponge” soaking in everything that they could as it related to their point of interest. Many of us are so quick to run and do and be that we forget to be still and watch. It is in the waiting and in the watching that one can learn valuable insights and lessons that will carry them from one point to another.

Consider Michael Almereyda’s analogy of a photographer. Think about the insight, the time, the patience, the stillness, the silence, and the presence of mind to capture what is seen and record it for future reflections that take place within the mind of a thoughtful photographer. And so it is with you and me. We are photographers photographing our journey, yielding to opportunities, and discovering the beauty in things unseen that go beneath the scope of most onlookers. Photographers don’t just look. They study, they pause, they capture, and they showcase what is seen in a beautiful and creative way.

As you move through life taking “snapshots” of your mentors, life lessons, the things that you are studying and putting together, your successes and failures as a collection of “stills,” what story do your photos tell you about yourself and your life? What have you learned that can carry you from one level to the next? What do you need to take up to go with you as you unleash your potential, and what do you need to “crop out,” get rid of, and leave out of frame? What are you focused on, and what do you need to blur out and allow to remain in the background? Think like a photographer. Adjust your focus. Be still. Get the shot and take a moment to look at the beauty of what you captured before you share it with the world. Your life will reflect successes that few have seen when you are willing to see the unseen in the early stages of greatness! Be watchful! Beware!

“I’m very cautious of people whose actions don’t match their words.”

-Anonymous

Greatness isn’t just a prerequisite to going to the next level and unleashing your potential. Greatness begins with caution! People who do great things are calculated and cautious because they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that greatness is costly. If doing and achieving great things doesn’t cost you anything, you’re not doing it right. Some people run head first into brick walls and “knock themselves out of the race” when they could have hopped over the wall or avoided the wall altogether if they simply would have looked for the warning signs that read something like this: “STOP!,” “SLOW DOWN!,” “YIELD!,” and a tiny whisper that sometimes rises up from deep inside of us that whispers a cautionary word that can free your future and place you on a road that will lead to numerous victories if one is willing to listen “BEWARE!”

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when greatness will require you to be fearless. Yet, there are times when caution and discretion is a healthy meal to munch on as you unleash your highest potential. There are many roadblocks, hindrances, and obstacles that can stand in the way of your mission as you strive to go to the next level. One chief deterrent can be an invisible and internal enemy, a sneaky little rascal that can take out your dreams and knock you off course like the flicker of a match in a windy forest. This culprit is one word hypocrisy. Beware of hypocrisy! Oftentimes, hypocrisy lures an individual into a dull state of numbness and slumber that can leave them defenseless and cause integrity to hide away, behind massive accomplishments, unchecked. When hypocrisy hides or, rather, is masked by successes, hypocrisy gets comfortable and begins to grow and expand into a beast that is hard to contain.

Hypocrisy ruins credibility, limits effectiveness, and renders one's words useless to the ears of people who would otherwise listen were they not blinded by the obvious. Hypocrisy is a critical agent of suffocation that can take your dream and drain it down to the last drop if it goes unaccounted for and neglected. The best way to defeat hypocrisy is to face it head on and have a team of people you love and trust who can hold you accountable. Have check-ins to measure your words and your actions. Self-evaluate ways in which you can better manage underlying issues that don’t match your mission or mirror who you truly are and where you desire to go. Going to the next level means being levelheaded and honest with yourself. Give yourself the grace to look hypocrisy square in the eye and make the necessary changes so that you can move past it and become a better, more refined, and learned version of you. You owe it to your future self to be as self-aware as possible so that you can continue to evolve into the person that you are destined to be. In order to go to the next level and attain your highest potential, you need to take hypocrisy out and recognize it for what it is…Beware! You have a great future ahead of you! As you strive to get there, be wise and, by all means, be cautious. Heed the lessons so that you aren’t lessened by the grip of hypocrisy! Avoid it at all costs so that it doesn’t cost you your potential… Be wise! Flee hypocrisy! Beware!

Carry these three tools in your arsenal as you navigate your journey to the next level and reach unlimited potentialBe humble! Be watchful! Beware!

Your future depends on it…

As a renowned author, speaker, television and radio personality, Les Brown has risen to national prominence by inspiring others to shake off mediocrity and live up to their full potential. With no formal education beyond high school, Les has distinguished himself as an international authority on harnessing human potential.

Born a twin in low-income Liberty City in Miami, Florida, Les and his twin brother were adopted when they were six weeks old by Miss Mamie Brown. As a single woman with a big heart, Miss Brown had very little education or financial means. With young Les’ inattention to school work, his restless energy, and the failure of his teachers to recognize his potential, Les was misdiagnosed as educable mentally retarded. Suffering for years by the label and the stigma, Les was nevertheless driven by his passion to learn and his hunger to achieve his goal as a radio disc jockey.

In a humorous twist of fate and cunning, Les rose from a hip-talkin’ morning DJ to a broadcast manager; from voracious reader to author; from community activist to community leader; from political commentator to three-term state legislator; from a banquet and nightclub emcee to a premier keynote speaker for Fortune 100 companies.

Award-Winning International Speaker & Television Host

In 1986, Les entered the public speaking arena on a full-time basis and formed his own company, Les Brown Enterprises, Inc. Aimed at individuals and organizations, the company provides motivational products, personal development programs, speaker development workshops, keynote presentations and interactive business trainings

In 1989, Les received the National Speakers Association's highest honor: The Council of Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE). In addition, he was selected one of the World's Top Five Speakers in 1992 by Toastmasters International and became the recipient of the Golden Gavel Award.

Commencing in 1990 and recording the first in a series of six PBS specials, Les launched You Deserve which was awarded a Chicago-area Emmy. It became the leading fundraiser for pledges to PBS stations nationwide.

In 1993, Les became the host of his own nationally syndicated daily television talk show, The Les Brown Show, in which he focused on solutions to the day’s challenges rather than the problems.

Bestselling Author & Radio Personality

Recognized internationally, Les is the author of four bestselling books: Up Thoughts for Down Times, Live Your Dreams, and It’s Not Over Until You Win and, Fight for Your Dreams.

A leading authority in understanding and stimulating human potential, Les’ electric and powerful delivery, stage presence and personal insights have built his international brand of “It’s Possible.” Les' customized presentation is driven by his approach to each unique audience. Before he gives a speech, he builds a speech. The end result is that Les teaches and inspires each audience to new levels of awareness and achievement

For more information, contact ARISE BY VNP 954-724-0900 –arisebyvnp@hotmail.com

FOREWORD 2: JAMES MACNEIL

Everything Is Perfect & Everything Is Improving

EVERYTHING IS PERFECT & EVERYTHING IS IMPROVING!

James MacNeil

Read those words again slowly, “Everything is Perfect and Everything is Improving!” and ask yourself, could this be true? Your brain wants to reject it in light of hatred, war, and suffering. “Everything is Perfect and Everything is Improving!” is a mantra and a “koan.” A koan is a paradoxical riddle designed to, when meditated upon, invoke enlightenment.

I invite you to expand your consciousness and reconsider your perspective on the meaning of life and the meaning of the universe because, according to Max Planck, the originator of Quantum Theory, “when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

The “problem” with the traditional perspective on our world, our sciences, our religions, and ourselves is a “problem mindset.” We have approximately 10,000 religions, countless spiritual belief structures, and innumerable sciences and they all have this fatal flaw in common: they assume the “problem mindset.” Who says sunshine is better than rain, more money is better than less money, and a life of ease is better than one with drama and trauma? The rain dancers, the happy poor, and those who have transformed themselves through difficulties into positive world change agents would suggest that this universe exists with the “Yin Yang” duality that allows every blessing to be a curse and every curse to be a blessing. The only real problem, therefore, is not in the world but in our judgment of the world and of ourselves producing a fundamental state of discontent. Judgment causes separation psychologically and spiritually. The most commonly used Greek word for “sin” in the Bible is “hamartia” which means

“separation.” The problem mindset is one of judgment, which causes separation from DivineLove, other people, and our higher selves.

Welcome to my monstrously reduced and absolutely audacious explanation of the universe, the spirit world, and the purpose for this existential experience we call life, which is my attempt to prove that Everything is Perfect and Everything is Improving, including YOU

Let's begin at the beginning! Our quest as a species to understand ourselves, our universe, and the spiritual realm began with Astronomy and Astrology

Astronomy And Astrology

What we now call “Astronomy” is the first of the sciences appearing in the earliest records of our history, from Ancient Mesopotamia, India, Egypt, Greece, and China. In these ancient worlds, astronomy and astrology were one a single, unified approach to explaining the universe. There was no distinction between what we now refer to as science and spirituality.

As the abundance of theories and frameworks expanded in each region of the world, these streams of thought split like a major river into countless streams when researchers would expand on one element thereby building it into its own distinct body of thought producing various sciences, spiritual traditions, and religions. These divisions with specialized knowledge and focus dramatically increased efficiency, depth, and development. From these origins we now have the aforementioned religions, spiritual belief structures, ancient traditions, and varieties of sciences.

Science And Religion

Each science, religion, and spiritual stream brings its unique treasures to the whole. The Age of Enlightenment in the 17th century and the Scientific Revolution of the 18th Century drove an important wedge between science and religion creating what Stephen Jay Gould called "Nonoverlapping Magisteria" (or NOMA) that is, two distinct realms of inquiry, investigation, and authority, one focusing on facts and the other on values. This division between science and spirituality was the best thing that could have happened for our scientific progress. Until then, it was too easy for scientists to hide behind the “God” answer to all remaining mysteries. The separation demanded deeper scientific understanding by removing the “God of the Gaps” option (that is, appealing to God as the explanation wherever and whenever there is a gap in our scientific knowledge). Each religion and spiritual stream, by seeing itself as The Truth, forced them to seek the answers to everything within their unique framework and belief system

When finite minds seek to understand infinite mysteries, they will likely appear to disagree. Disagreement, or perceived disagreement, provides the opportunity for next-level understanding, and that excites me greatly. Sadly, these sciences and spiritual traditions have been built in the “problem mindset” which causes judgment and separation and therefore perceives differing perspectives as threats and justification for aggressive disputes with an “either-or” binary position rather than a “yes, and” inclusive position.

We, as individuals and as a species, are on the same team, and we can lovingly and openly bring our gifts of insights and perspectives to the whole and openly and curiously learn from each other. We unlock the vault of infinite knowledge when we seek the truth in love and speak the truth in love.

The Unified F Ield Theory

The idea of a “Unified Field Theory” is an exciting quest to fully understand the power of the universe. A group of scientists began attempting to formulate what they called The Unified Field theory in 1912, and they were soon joined by Albert Einstein. In physics, there are believed to be four fundamental forces in the universe: gravity, electromagnetism, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear. At the time of this writing, there are physicists who speculate the existence of a fifth force called “quintessence” (remember this word). When a force is described by a mathematical formula, the formula representing the force is referred to as a “field.” The unified field theory, therefore, is a quest to create a master mathematical formula that describes all forces in the universe. Albert Einstein’s proposed Unified Field Theory, which was a marriage of The Theory of General Relativity and Electromagnetism, has been generally concluded as unsuccessful. Unified Field Theory has given rise to many attempts to produce a grand unified theory including String Theory and M-Theory and, most notably, The Theory of Everything which seeks to merge Einstein's Theory of General Relativity and Max Planck's Theory of Quantum Mechanics. At this time, The Theory of Everything has yet to be proven successful.

The Real Theory Of Everything

My assertion is that any theory of “everything,” to be complete and successful, must include the spiritual/metaphysical dimension (the prefix

“meta” in the word metaphysical means that which exists before, after, and/or beyond the physical world).

When the human quest for understanding began, there was an assumption that everything was connected from the basic elements of the universe to the human soul and the spiritual realm. Albert Einstein, founder of the Theory of General Relativity, and Max Planck, the founder of Quantum Mechanics, agree.

Albert Einstein believed in the existence of a divine force that permeates and rules the universe. He felt understanding this force, however, was “too vast for our limited minds.” When asked what he believed about God, Einstein stated, “We see a universe marvelously arranged, obeying certain laws, but we understand the laws only dimly. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that sways the constellations.”

Max Planck (the founder of Quantum Mechanics) stated, "As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear-headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force… We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind This Mind is the matrix of all matter.”

The Spirit World

The spirit world is both transcendent and immanent which means it exists beyond the parameters of time, space, and matter, and at the same time, it penetrates and permeates the entire physical universe. The spirit world created the universe including time, space, and matter.

THE UNIVERSE WHAT IS EVERYTHING MADE OF?

Our understanding of matter, all that physically exists, started with the classical elements of water, earth, fire, and air. There were many deep, rich, insightful, and lasting efforts to uncover and understand a “fifth element” or “quintessence” (still more to come on this).

The quest to understand “what’s that made of?” finally produced the periodic table in 1869. Scientists have identified 118 elements, made up of atoms which are made of a nucleus, protons, and electrons.

Thirty-one years later, in 1900, Max Planck went even smaller to the subatomic level and birthed Quantum Theory. The word “quanta” means “how much?” The question Planck was asking and answering was “what is the minimum amount of energy that could be gained or lost by an atom?” Planck named this minimum amount the “quanta” (plural of quantum). For example, one photon of light carries exactly one quantum of energy.

According to Wikipedia, we now have the following subatomic elementary particles:

“Six ‘flavors’ of quarks: up, down, strange, charm, bottom, and top; Six types of leptons: electron, electron neutrino, muon, muon neutrino, tau, tau neutrino; Twelve gauge bosons: the photon of electromagnetism, the three W and Z bosons of the weak force, and the eight gluons of the strong force; and The Higgs boson.”

Thus, humankind moved from believing in four elements (earth, wind, water, and fire) to five elements (adding quintessence) to 118 elements (the periodic table) while also observing that these elements are all really just made up of the same three atomic elements (protons, neutrons, and electrons), and then we discovered numerous subatomic particles.

Nevertheless, behind it all, something is constant…

Everything Is Energy

Einstein’s most famous formula, E = mc2, fundamentally asserts that energy and matter are interchangeable as they are different forms of the same thing. All matter is made up of atoms and subatomic waves and particles which, according to Einstein and quantum mechanics, are all made up of energy. These subatomic particles and subatomic waves are better defined as “energetic occurrences.” These energetic occurrences are the building blocks of every atom which are the building blocks of every element. Therefore, Einstein and the scientific community, in general, have concluded that everything is energy.

The Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics agrees that the universe is made up of energy. This energy is subdivided into 27% dark matter, 68% dark energy (the term “dark” means it's currently unobservable and thereby unavailable for research and study), and 5% “visible” matter and energy. The universe is made up of energy, some in physical form and some not, some observable and some not.

The fact that our greatest astrophysicists are currently only able to observe 5% of the known universe is a helpful reminder that humility, curiosity, and openness are the only reasonable postures for this discussion