The Resilient Mind - When You Lose Everything, Don’t Lose Yourself - Les Brown

Episode Date: February 20, 2026

Les Brown is a dynamic personality and highly-sought-after resource in business and professional circles for Fortune 500 CEOs, small business owners, non-profit and community leaders from all sectors of society looking to expand opportunity. Take action and strengthen your mind with The Resilient Mind Journal. Get your free digital copy today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download Now⁠⁠This episode was created in partnership with MotivationHub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Resilient Mind podcast. In this episode, you will be listening to when you lose everything. Don't lose yourself with Les Brown. Get access to the Resilient Mind Journal by clicking the link in the show notes. Enjoy. I was in my comfort zone. I was doing just enough to get by. I was working on a job.

They paid me just enough to keep me from quitting. And I were just hard enough to keep from getting fired. How many know people like that? Blank your eyes that you understand what I'm talking about. I was poved. I knew I could do more. But when my mama died, it took something out of me. When I went through divorce, it took something out of me. When my best friend died, it took something out of me. I parked, and somebody said that life is like an onion. You have to peel it one layer at a time. and sometimes you cry.

Life's going to happen to you when you have a dream. You're going to get slapped around, and don't take it personal. Don't ask, why did this have to happen to me? Why not you? Who would you suggest? You want to give us some names, some email addresses? And don't tell everybody. 80% don't care.

And 20% glad is you. It's called life. Suck it up. and move on, get over it. It happens to everybody. Here's the other thing is you look at your goals and look at your dreams. When you're going through some stuff, repeat out to be pleased. When things go wrong, don't go with them.

Yes, write that down. When things go wrong, don't go with them. When you're working on a business deal, you're counting on some money. Someone said you will get the loan, and it falls. through. You have an event and the people that you thought would be there and support you, they don't come through or someone turns against you or you get ripped off. It's going to happen to you. Happened to me. Someone stole all my products. My database, over 180,000 names and addresses. It's not personal. It's going to happen to everybody. It does. 8 out of 10 millionaires have been

financially bankrupt. Walt Disney had seven he profiled bankruptcy seven times and had two nervous breakdowns. It's called life. But I got a saying that life knocks you down, try and land on your back because if you can look up, you can get up. You've got the power in you to do that. You've got something special. You've got comeback power. Here's the other things. Let us say together, it's possible. It's necessary. It's me. It's me. Yes, write that down. It's me. Take ownership for your life.

Nobody can live your dream for you but you. Nobody's going to take care of your business like you. Stop coming up with excuses. Don't give yourself permission to continue to live a small life. You can't fit a big dream into a small life. Give yourself permission to go for it, to test yourself, to challenge yourself, to live full. I like the saying, always strive,

to get on top of light because it's the bottom that's overcrowded. The reason you're here is because there's something in you that says, I can do more. This just can't be it. There's something in you. There's a calling on your life. There's something in your heart that costs you to get dressed and spend the money to go to seminar after seminar and listen to message after message and speaker after speaker. because there's something in you that tells you

this is not it for you. You have not peaked here. There's more in you that you are stressing. Eye is not seen, ear is not hurt, knows it into the heart of mankind. What's in store for you if you challenge yourself? If you persist and persevere, if you take ownership for your life.

George Bernard Shaw said the people that make it in this life, they look around for the circumstances that they want, And if they can't find them, they create them. Create what you want. You have the power of you to do more than you can ever begin to imagine, to control your destiny, to make a difference in our children, to make a difference on the planet, to make an impact. Let us say together, it's me.

And let us say together, it's hard. Said like you know it, say it's hard. Ladies and gentlemen, it's hard. There are people who have seen their retirements taken away from them by the corporations that they work for. They were within two or three years of retiring, and they had it taken from them. The number one entrepreneurs in this country now are senior citizens, the number one employer, number two, McDonald's, and Walmart. And there's nothing wrong with those jobs. I guarantee you those people did not have a plan to end up living their lives at the end of life with those types of jobs.

And they didn't have a plan like you have and while you're investing in yourself not to. And it's hard. There are people making choices between purchasing prescription drugs or paying for gas or mortgage note. It's hard when you're working on a job for 20 years, 30 years, give them, some blood years, and then they come in and tell you we've downsized. In other ways, other words, you'll fire it. And then you have to start all over again. How many of you know it's hard?

Raise your hands, please. It's hard. And it's not fair. One of the things I like about the harvest, he talks about work and investing in yourself. It's not fair with people are going up against that kind of stuff to tell them just think positive and be enthusiastic. and everything will work out all right. Ain't that kind of party. It's hard.

Life will put some knots on your head. I bought my first home from my mother. I was rushing, didn't know what I was doing, and I bought a home that had a lien against it. And they called me, Mr. Brown, yes, there's a lien against your property. We need $55,000 if you're going to stay there. Wait a minute, sir.

I just bought this home. The guy told me there were no liens against it. I'm not the one that owe you the money. You should have checked that out, Mr. Brown. Come on. I call my attorney. We followed up. Yes, Les, as a lien against the property.

But he told me there were no leaves. He lied, obviously. Oh, my God. He told me he wanted to help me because he admired the fact that I was buying this home for my mother and that he was a little bit of, adopted and he identified with me, Les, he's suck at you. He played you, man. So what, well, would they take payment arrangements? Can I, what about $5,000 a month? They want all the money,

Les. They want all the money, or you're going to have to get out of the houses going up for sheriff's sale. Do you have it? No, I, I don't have them. Can they give me some time? Tell them to give me, give me three months, please. Give me three months. My mother's in her 70s, man. She has a bad heart. Don't do this to me. This is my dream. Don't do this, man. Please, let me talk to them. Les, I'm talking to their attorney. They don't want to talk to you. I've got to talk to their attorneys. Do you have the money? No, will they give me three months? No, what about two months? No, Les. They want the money in seven days. Oh, my God. Let me call you back. I'm not sure. And I walked the floor thinking, God, how could this happen to me? I've got to figure this out.

I've got to figure this out. And it seemed like the days were just ticking off, ticking off. Thursday, I had to call them and let them know they called me, Les, do you have the money? No, I don't. Friday, you have to leave. The sheriff will be there. You'll have to leave, Les.

Hey, going to take my house? What about my down payment? You lost it, Les. You lost it. Okay. I got to go, yes, I prayed, Lord, please. If you show me that you're real. If you're really real, you think Paul worked for you.

You haven't seen anything. Don't let me lose this house and watch what I'll do for you. I was trying to cut a deal. Have you ever tried to cut a deal? It's amazing how spiritual you get when you get in trouble, you know what I mean? When I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, I was going to this bed with the with the Bible and the Holy Quran and Science of Mind and Joel Goldsmith, everything I could find. I was paying to Jesus, Yahweh, Melchazidic, everybody.

I was calling on everybody. It's amazing. And there I was walking the floor, 3 o'clock in the morning, and I had to go and wake my mother out. I got on my knees and I said, Mama, I said, I need you to wake up. She said, what's wrong, Leslie? I can hear you walking back and forth. I'm not sleep, son. I said, there's something I need to tell you.

She said, your eyes are red. Why your eyes are red? Because I feel so stupid now. Why? We got to move tomorrow. Why, Leslie? There's a lien against the property, and they want $55,000 and I don't have it.

And we're going to be set out tomorrow. We have to go back to Liberty City. So she said, it's okay. I don't like this house anyhow. I said, why? She said, because of my arthritic knees, it hurts my knees when I go up the steps. I said, and why didn't you tell me?

Because you were so happy. I just said it because you were happy. I'll live in a shack with you, boy. I love you. It's not the house. I love you. I love all my children. I said, thank you,

my mom. Thank you. And the next day, The next day when we were in the truck, going back to Liberty City, and we pulled down 68th terrorists, the neighbors came out and said, whoa, Mamie! Mamie, you're all coming back? Are you back? Yes. What happened to the home you're four-bought for you? Those boys you adopted. Leslie didn't do a title search. He made a mistake. And boy, I was so humiliated. How many ever made a mistake that you would just humiliated?

Raise your hands. I was devastated. I was taking the furniture off the truck. And my mother came and I was crying. And she said, boy, I said, yes, ma'am. She said, hold your head up. I said, mama, I can't. She said, hold your head up.

I said, why, look what I've done. She said, it's okay. It's okay. You are going to make a lot of mistakes in life, young man. You're going to fail your way to success. You have nothing to be a shame up. Keep your head up and take that furniture back in the house. I said, yes, ma'am.

And I learned something for that. If you ever go through something, hold your head up. If you ever make a mistake, hold your head up. If you ever do something and everything go away. wrong, light catch you on the blind side, hold your head up. It's not over. Gerta says, that which does not kill you will make you stronger. Hold your head up.

Shets the one's hand on your right and left and say, hold your head up. Here's something else, ladies and gentlemen. Repeat out to me please. You gotta be hungry. Everybody together, you gotta be hungry. I never forget Mr. Washington said, Mr. Brown, yes, sir. What do you want to do with your life, young man? I said, sir, I want to be a disjalk.

He said, Mr. Brown. I said, yes, sir. He said, you got to be hungry. I said, what do you mean by that? He said, people that are hungry are willing to do the things today others won't do in order to have the things tomorrow others won't have. People that are hungry are willing to invest in themselves. People that are hungry will go to seminars and workshops.

people that are hungry, always searching, always seeking higher ground. So how do you want to make it? I said, I want to be a discharkey. He says, good. Here's what to do. He said, I want you to read 10 to 15 pages of something positive every day. He said, you don't get in life what you want. You get in life what you are.

You must program yourself to success. He said, won't you listen to Earl Nightingale and Zig Zigler? Listen, faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing. He said, I want you to change your relationships. And I don't want you to ever lose your hunger. I said, what do you mean by that? He said, people that are hungry are unstoppable. People that are no matter what people.

They make it happen, no matter what. He said, I want you to listen to Paul Harvey. Who is he? He's the world's greatest communicator. Success leaves clues, young man. Always listen and follow people who are doing what it is you want to do at the level you want to do it and learn from them. I told T. Hobb, when we're step, standing by the stage, I said, hey, man, I want to work more with you. I want you to coach me.

I want to learn from you. See, I found you're never too old to learn and you're never too young to teach. Always have a thirst for learning. So I listen to Paul Harvey every day on the radio. While in school, I would go out and listen in his car. He gave me his keys. I was working to develop myself. and I continued to listen to motivational messages, and he would take me to see the late Dr. Norman Vincent Puehl who wrote the book The Power of Positive Thinking. I toured with him before he passed. You have something special.

You have greatness within you. Don't allow your circumstances to determine who you are. Don't allow your negative thoughts to hold you back. You, you have something special. You can do more than you can ever begin to imagine. Dr. Peel was an incredible man. I admired him when he spoke. He came to me, Gustavus.

I can feel him in my heart. And I never forget, we were coming back to the school. And Mr. Washington said, Mr. Brown, yes, sir. When Dr. Peel spoke, you didn't move. When he spoke, you were hanging on everywhere. When he spoke, we didn't have to tell you to sit down and be quiet. Why?

I said, sir, I could feel him, and he talked. I felt like he was talking to me, sir. He said, he was. I said, but he doesn't know me, but he was speaking to you. Did you feel him in your heart? I said, yes, sir. He said, most people fill him in their head. If you felt him in your heart, he said, listen to him, sir,

follow him, learn from him. And I would go to seminars and workshops. Anywhere I would find where Dr. Peel was, I would be in the audience. I would drive 200 and 300 miles just to hear him speak. and my dream and vision was to share the stage with him. I thought about it. What is your goal?

What is your vision? I want you to hold it in mind. There's some power in that. Because when I became involved in speaking, I never forget. I got a call from Ogmandino who wrote the book, The Greatest Salesman in the World. He said, last, I'm stuck in Philadelphia. I need to be in Kentucky.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peel is appearing. I can't make it. I heard you in Chicago. I said, yes, I am. Can you go in Oklahoma? open for me. I said, yes, man, oh my God, Dr. Pill, I said, yes, I'd love to do it. And I went there and I came, I said, hi, I'm Les Brown. He said, you're not the band of renown? I said, no, I'm Mrs. Mamie Brown's baby boy. I'm here to speak. He said, come back stage and his wife, Martha was

there. And she said, Papa, Les Brown is here, the speaker. And he said, Les Brown, Less Brown shoot for the moon. Because even if you miss your land among the stars, I said, sir, that's my point. I wrote you when I was in the 11th grade. I was a part of a special education class project. That's my quote. He said, I know.

I end all my speeches with that quote. And Dr. Thiel had a great sense of humor. A young man was backstage and I had so many questions to ask him and my mind froze up and the young guy said, Dr. Phil How old are you? And he was up in age. He said, Sonny, I'm 92. Young man looked at him and said, I don't know if I want to live to get 92. He said, that's because you've never been 91.

So I did the things that Mr. Washington suggested. I listened to motivational tapes on a regular basis. I would go to seminars and workshops whenever Zig Ziglar and Dr. Dennis Wakely and Jim Rowan would come to town. And I said, sir, I said, what do you want me to do now? He said, Mr. Brown, I've given you everything that I can give you. He said, develop your mind, put your money where your mouth is, continue to learn how to be an effective communicator, because once you open your mouth, you tell the world who you are.

And always surround yourself with old UP, only quality people. So I went to apply for a job on Miami Beach, WMBM radio station, Milton Butterball Smith, was the program director. Hello, Mr. Voddleball. How are you, sir? My name is Les Brown. Sir, I like to be a disc jockey. He said, young man, you have any journalism in your background? I said, no, sir, I don't. You haven't experienced in broadcasting? I said, no, sir, but I practice all the time, sir. Let me addition for you, sir. Let me show you how good I am. All I need is a shot, sir. He says, no, we don't have any job for you. I'm ever been rejected. Raise your hands, please.

I was devastated. I went back and I told Mr. Washington. I said, Mr. Washington, they said, no. He said, don't take it personally. Most people are so negative. They have to say, no. know seven times before they say yes. He said, you've got to be hungry. Make no your vitamin. Go back again. I said, yes, sir. Hello, Mr. Butterball. How are you, sir? My name is Les Brown, sir. I like to be a disc jockey. Young man, weren't you here yesterday? Yes, sir, I was. Didn't I tell you no yesterday? Yes, sir, you did? Then why are you back today? Well, sir, I didn't know whether or not somebody was laid off or somebody was fired, sir. Nobody was laid off a fire, and I got on out of here.

I came back the next day. Hello, Mr. Butterball. How are you, sir? My name is Les Brown, sir. I like to be a disc jockey. I know what your name is. Weren't you here the last two days? Yes, I was.

Didn't I tell you know the last two days? Yes, sir, you did. Why are you back? Oh, sir, I didn't know whether or not someone got sick or someone died, sir. No one got sick or died. No one was laid off of fire. Don't you come back here again. I came back the next day, talking loud, looking happy like I was seeing him for the first time.

I said, hello, Mr. Vado, Paul. How are you? He looked at me with rage. He said, go get me some coffee. I said, yes, sir. My favorite book says, the greatest among you will be your servant. How many of you are serious about your goals and dreams? Raise your hands. Very good.

Write this down. Provide more service than you get paid for. provide more service than you get paid for. I go to a lot of seminars and workshops. And one of the things I know about T. Hobb, Eckert, when I was sitting in the class of Robert Raup Hill, and all of the other presenters, they hold themselves to high standards,

and they provide more information than anybody else in the industry, bar none. They hold nothing back because their commitment is for your success. And when you hold yourself to high standards, write this down, impact drives income. That's why you're here, because the training, the seminars, been making a difference in your life. If there did not have impact, two or three hundred people would be here if that amount. Impact drives income. So I became the errand board for the disc jockeys. I would go get their lunch and their dinner, and I would bring it to them in the control room.

in the control room, not watch them working the control boards, knowing my time will come. Write this down. I expect to reach my goal. Yes, you want to operate with a spirit of expectation. I expect to reach my goal. So I started preparing for the next position. Never forget one quote that I heard. As you look at your life, look at your goals and dreams, it's better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one,

than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. If you expect to reach your goal, prepare yourself now. And so then pretty soon, the guys at the station may begin to take a liking to me. Write this down. Build relationships. As you're aware, people deal with people that they know like and trust.

And so they would say, Leslie, yes, sir. Come here, yes. Come out of side. Who did this? Oh, your car? Yes, who cleaned my car? I did, sir. I would wax their cars on the weekend, inside and out. How much are you charged?

Oh, nothing, sir. I just wanted to help out. I was providing more service than I got paid for. I was building relationships. They said, whoa, look here. Donna Ross and the Supremes are coming to town. The four tops and the temptations. Here, hear my car keys.

Pick them up for me. Take them to the Fountain Blue Hotel on Miami Beach. I said, yes, sir. I would drive them all over Miami Beach and the big long Cadillacs. I didn't have any driver's license, but I was driving like I had some. Then one day, it was a Saturday afternoon. A disc jockey by the name of Rock and Roger was drinking while he was on the air. It was a Saturday afternoon, and I was the only one there.

Rock and Roger got your drunk, he could not complete the show. He started slurring his words. He's about to fall off the chair. And there I was, looking at him for the first. control room window, walking back and forth, young, ready, and hungry. I was saying, drank, Rock, drink. Drink, Rock. I'd have gone get him some more if he'd asked me to. Then pretty soon the phone rang. It was a general manager, and I answered the phone. He said, hello? He said, young boy, this is Mr. Klein. I said, I know. He said, Rock can't finish this program. I said,

I know. He said, would you call one of the other DJs in? I said, yes, sir. I said to myself, he must be thinking I'm crazy. I call my mom and my girlfriend, Cassandra, said, y'all come out on front porch and turn out the radio. I'm about to come on there. I waited for about 20 minutes, and I call him back. I said, Mr. Klein, I can't find nobody. He said, young boy, you're not a worthy controls? I said, yes, sir. He said, go on there and seg me the record, but don't say nothing here? I said, yes, sir. I couldn't wait to get O'Rock out of the way. I put on a fast record. I said, look out, this is me, L.B. Triple P. Lus Brown, your plight of playing, Papa. There were none before me and there will be none after me. Therefore, that makes me the one and only. Young and

singling love, Domingo, bona fide, and dubleably qualified to bring your satisfaction and a whole lot of action. Look out, baby, I'm your lap man. I was hungry. I was hungry. Get old man a right of applause. I was hungry. I was hungry. You got to be hungry. Shakes someone's hand on your right and left all around you and say, you got to be hungry.

You got to be hungry. To get those dreams out of your head and step into your greatness, you got to be hungry. To give those ideas, a talent, that gift out of your system. You've got to be hungry. To get up off the canvas of life. And understand what Willie Jolly meant that a setback is a set up for a comeback. You gotta be hungry.

People that are hungry are willing to do the things the day others won't do in order to have the things tomorrow. Others won't have. How many of you got value out of what you've heard thus for? Raise your hands please. Very good. I would like to leave this with you. I don't know what your goals are. I don't know what you want to do.

Here's what I know about you. You have greatness within you. Here's what I know about you. I can help you. you to live full and to die empty. I can show you what I've learned. If anybody told me that I would be doing what I'm doing now, I leave here today, I'd go to New Orleans and speak there, then I'll be flown to Barcelona. If anybody told me, given my circumstances, born an abandoned building on a four, in a four section of Miami, Florida called Liberty City,

both my birth parents stood up and said, hello son, I would not know either one. Being labeled, educable, mentally retarded, put back from the fifth grade to the fourth grade, fell again when was in the eighth grade, no college training. Anybody told me the principles that I would teach you that they would have the impact that it has had on my life, this Les Brown that you see, I did not know he existed. And I tell you that you have greatness within you, he had the ability to do more than you can ever begin to imagine.

Come into the room with me, and I guarantee your life will never be the same again. I like to leave this with you. I don't know what your goals are. Mine is to find a cure to autism. Mine is to find a cure to breast cancer and to prostate cancer. Mine is to work with our youth and to reduce the recidivism rate in our prisons and help young people learn how to become an asset to our society rather than a liability.

Mine is to train speakers to become great communicators that speak from their hard, not their heads, and teach them how to impact and create a new conversation so people can see the possibilities of life and overcome the possibility blindness that held me hostage for 14 years. I don't know what your goals are, but here's what I know about you, and I don't know you. You've got greatness within you. And I like to leave this with you, something my mother used to love to hear me say, Leslie, yes now, Mama. Say that thing for me, boy, that makes me feel good.

I dedicate this to you, to the greatness in you, and to the dream that you showed up on the planet to produce. And it's simply this. 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, and if you gladly sweat for it and fret for it, and lose all your terror of the opposition for it, and if you simply go after that thing that you want, with all of your capacity, strength and sagacity, faith, hope, and confidence, and stern,

and pertinacity. Thank you for listening. Continue strengthening your mind by subscribing and listening to our other episodes.