The Champion’s Brew is a weekly assembly of material I am reading, listening to, watching, or thinking about that is designed to equip and call you to uncommon leadership. I often add my own little spin based on my takeaways and would love your input as well. Any of the points especially impact you? Drop me a note at [email protected], or comment on the blog to keep the conversation going! I believe you will discover that the format is not only useful, but also that you can consume it within the time it takes you to enjoy your daily ‘brew’! Become a member of the Champions Brew Nation by subscribing here!!
Here is your weekly drink of what I have been reading, listening to or watching to equip me to:
- Read More (and Work Hard!): I have a goal to read a book a month in 2022. In February, I completed You’ve Got to be Hungry by Les Brown. I had heard him on a podcast and found his story very inspirational. After hearing him on the podcast, I could ‘hear’ his voice throughout the book as well. Here are a few nuggets from the book:
- Not failure, but low aim is sin.
- “Opinions are like behinds, everybody’s got one!” – Brown’s mother when it came to limiting beliefs others try to place on you.
- HUNGRY = When you have a Heart Centered, Unshakable faith, compounded with Now urgency, that is Growing continuously, with the right Relationship impact, and an unequivocal Yes Lord, your chances of winning will be improved exponentially
- To Do something you’ve never done, you must BEcome someone you’ve never been
- “Anger is a wind that blows out the lamp of the mind. Focus all of your energy on being a better person so you can become successful, no matter what the signs say.”
- Rob the cemetery by pouring out everything we have into our dreams and our lives until there is nothing left.
- Love your body the way it is, but love your life enough to get it the way it should be!
- It’s not what you don’t have; it’s what you think you need, that stops people from being happy and successful.
- When John Kennedy asked, “What will it take to get to the moon before the Russians?” , it was Wernher von Bruan who replied and he didn’t talk about the calculations or the money or the risk, he simply answered with 5 words: “The will (Hunger) to do it.”
This last quote was followed by, to me, the most powerful part of the book… the last page… a poem… about Will. It made me reflect on a quote that I have heard many times before and maybe even given it as advice and I think it’s time to change my position. You may have often heard this as well: “Find something you love to do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” That quote is attributed to Confucius. I am not sure why it hit me, but I might change the context of the quote or paraphrase that quote to say something like: “Find something that you love so much that you are WILL-ing to work every day for it SO THAT the effort bears fruit for yourself and others.” What do you think?
Here is the poem that triggered these thoughts:
The Will to Win
“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,
if all that you dream and scheme is about it,
and life seems useless and worthless without it,
if you gladly sweat for it, and fret for it, and plan for it,
and lose all your terror of the opposition for it,
if you simply go after that think you want with all your capacity, strength and sagacity, faith hope and confidence, and stern pertinacity,
if neither cold, poverty, famine,
nor gout, sickness nor pain, of body and brain,
can keep you away from the thing that you want,
if dogged and grim you beseech and beset it,
with the help of God, you will surely get it!”
by Berton Braley
This book no doubt reads like a motivational speech. That isn’t good or bad, it just hit me like that. As I said above, I could ‘hear’ Les’ voice as he read it. He is a fabulous storyteller. You can listen to the podcast here that led me to buy the book. I have reached out to him and asked him to be on the Uncommon Leader podcast, with no response…yet. I am HUNGRY to get him on, though!!
- Quote – “You can’t force someone to respect you, but you can refuse to be disrespected.”
What you need to do:
Call to Action: So, what is it that you love so much that you were WILL-ng to work in a way that the Will To Win poem describes? Are you doing it? What would it take to make that happen?
Let’s continue the conversation. Email me at [email protected] or comment on the blog about what you find valuable with the Champions Brew this week. Is there something you would like to see me add? I am open to feedback!!!
I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Champions Brew. If you did, I would appreciate it if you would share it with a friend who might enjoy it as well and ask them to subscribe! I will make sure they automatically get this email every week.
Until next time, go and Grow Champions!
Season 2 of the Uncommon Leader Podcast is in full swing!! My first guest is Rick Morrison, retired captain of the Roanoke police department in Roanoke, VA and the founder of Inspired Policing Solutions. He has an incredible story of community transformation that took place in Roanoke, VA. You don’t want to miss it!! Click here to listen to his story and find out how to win a copy of his book, Change Is Possible. Are you interested in being a guest on the Uncommon Leader Podcast? Do you have a story to tell? Email me [email protected] and lets have a chat and set something up!!
