"TODAY"

If today were my last day on Earth and I could share 500 words of brilliance with the world, here are the important things I'd want to pass along to others...

I think, we can all agree, life is getting tough. It seems as if everything around us is collapsing, and crumbling before our very eyes. Many people are uncertain about the future, money, relationships, health, and careers. In fact, we are beginning to question the very nature of life itself.

In these uneasy times, even as a world-renown motivator, my advice is simply: When things go wrong, don't go with them. Have you watched the news lately? It's quite depressing isn't it? With all of this mess going on around us, you have to monitor your mind and mouth. I'm not oblivious to shocking headlines and a poor economy, but I can't consume myself with it because, whatever you focus on the longest becomes the strongest.

Everyone has one friend who calls with nothing but bad news. I have to talk to people who see opportunities in the eye of the storm. Not the person who advises me to put my money under a mattress, or recommends taking self-defense classes because crime rates are increasing. I have to observe my surroundings for mental protection or else, I'd be afraid to live!

Elise Robinson said, Things may happen around you and things may happen to you, but the only thing that matters is what happens in you. In the midst of chaos, you have to brace yourself, build your faith, feed your mind with positive materials, and seek opportunities you've never considered before. You should be getting stronger, smarter, and strategizing to launch a new life, blindsiding everyone with your success and tenacity.

In times like these, we have to look for opportunities and act fast like never before. I agree with speaker Steve Duncan, Opportunity stands by silently, waiting for us to recognize it. And remember, opportunities may not come in cute, carefully wrapped packages. Opportunities may come in defeats, setbacks, and failures.

Dr. Robert Schuller once said, Tough times never last, but tough people do. Make no mistake about it, times are tough, but you are tougher. What are the odds of surviving 400 million sperm? Those are the odds you beat to get here! You are resilient beyond your wildest imagination. Stop looking at the circumstances around you and as Tony Robbins would say, bring out the Giant Within.

Lastly, find your true self. We live within the conversations in our heads and the recommendations of others. For years, I operated as DT, which was my childhood nickname meaning, the dumb twin. Believe it or not, I answered to it!. There was one person, my former teacher, who interrupted the years of negativity and low expectations for me by saying, Never let someone's opinion of you become your reality.

Les Brown