The Last Wishes of Alexander the Great

A great short story - well worth the read.

"The last wishes of Alexander the Great:
On his death bed, Alexander summoned his generals and told them his three ultimate wishes:
1. The best doctors should carry his coffin
2. The wealth he has accumulated (money, gold, precious stones) should be scattered along the procession to the cemetery, and
3. His hands should be let loose, hanging outside the coffin for all to see.
One of his generals who was surprised by these unusual requests asked Alexander to explain.
Here is what Alexander the Great had to say:
1. I want the best doctors to carry my coffin to demonstrate that, in the face of death, even the best doctors in the world have no power to heal
2. I want the road to be covered with my treasure so that everybody sees that material wealth acquired on earth, stays on earth
3. I want my hands to swing in the wind, so that people understand that we come to this world empty handed and we leave this world empty handed after the most precious treasure of all is exhausted, and that is TIME.
TIME is our most precious treasure because it is LIMITED. We can produce more wealth, but we cannot produce more time.
When we give someone our time, we actually give a portion of our life that we will never take back.
Our time is our life."

Powerful questions to ask yourself:

Are you living the life you want to live? If no, what needs to change?


How will you spend Your time today? What are three things you can do that will add happiness, joy, and fulfillment to your day?

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

Unlocking Your Greatness

Hey there!

I hope this blog post finds you smiling and enjoying life.

It is the morning after Unlock Your Greatness 2016 in Santa Barbara, California - what a special and transformational last two days it has been.

As I type this I am filled with this overflowing amount of joy and gratitude... overflowing literally (I am crying haha) reflecting on what myself and the amazing group of people experienced together the last two days.

Any time you enter into an immersive environment like UYG you know the potential for magic is there.  When the magic happens it always exceeds anything I could have imagined.

I consider myself honored to have had the opportunity to spend this time with an amazing group of people. I was treated to a front row seat as I watched people change right before my eyes. 

Limiting beliefs disappeared, emotional baggage that had been carried for far to long was let go of, love was abundant, pain's were eliminated, and new possibilities were unlocked.

On one of the breaks someone came up to me and said, "For so long I used to feel so much pain (towards a certain traumatic life event) now I can't even remember how to feel how I always felt."

Awesome!

My favorite part of the process - watching people become taller, literally physically taller.

As we let go of the things that weighed us down, we grow.

As we gain confidence and clarity, we grow.

As we discover purpose and unlock possibilities, we grow.

As we connect with love and let go of pain, we grow.

As we believe in ourselves and tap into the greatness that is inside of us, we grow.

What I would like to leave you with is one of the biggest things I was reminded of from this years Unlock Your Greatness:

When you decide to create change in your life, when you decide to live at a new standard, anything is possible.

To those of you who attended - thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your guide during this portion of your life's journey. 

To those who are going to attend in the future - I look forward to helping you grow taller and Unlock Your Greatness :)

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

Six Years Later...

My Dad died on Monday February 1st, 2010.

I had the good fortune to speak with my Dad on Sunday January 31st, 2010.

I say good fortune because looking back on that day six years later,  I feel like I won the lottery having had the opportunity to speak with him just one day before his passing.

My Dad and I did not talk regularly - I held onto childhood baggage that I allowed to keep me at a distance.  Our relationship was alright, which I recognize is much better than the relationships many kids have with their parents.

I am grateful for much of my time I had with him and I regret some of the opportunities I wasted.

Looking back I can recognize and appreciate both my Dad and I did the best with what we knew.  The last couple years our relationship had started to grow because we both had chosen to begin to grow as people.

I have shared quite a bit about my Dad in various other blogs and videos.  I do not want to make this post as much about the past as I want to make it about the present.

I know with 100% certainty that my Dad loved me and in the end that is what is most important.

As I type this I find myself reflecting on some of the most significant life lessons I have learned since my Dad's death.


1 - Say I love you when you get the chance:

Had I known my Dad was going to die I would have said I love you over and over until my voice stopped working.  There were 1000's of day to day opportunities I let pass me by because I always assumed there would be another chance.  Imagine the chance you have right now is your only chance... let people know that you love them as if this is your only chance to tell them

2 - Give your parents a chance... let them be proud of you.  Your baggage isn't worth depriving yourself of love

Only reason I spoke with my Dad on January 31st 2010 was because I had been in Haiti early that month helping out with the earthquake recovery efforts.  My Dad was so excited and proud of me that he had emailed me that week a very thoughtful note telling me so.  I realized I hadn't gotten back to him so I decided to call.

There were countless times over the years I did not allow my Dad to be my Dad, to love me, to be proud of me.  I had my walls up, I justified every ounce of emotional baggage I held onto... you know the drill.

The irony of it was I would always circle back to choosing to feel like my Dad didn't care, didn't love me, or wasn't proud of me, I was resentful because he didn't "love me" the way I wanted him to, or at the times I wanted him to.  So because he wasn't doing it "MY WAY" I deprived both myself and him of experiencing a closer connection.

3 - Make the effort

I can appreciate wanting others to put forth the effort or not wanting to be the one "Always" having to make the effort.  I have been there and I have done that.

Trust me when I say this: when the people you care about die, you will wish you had made the effort.

4 - Tomorrow isn't promised

A phrase said so many times it often sounds cliche, but it is so true.  Today millions of people did not wake up who went to sleep last night planning to wake up.  At this very moment, people are being killed, dying of diseases, meeting their end because of a tragic accident.

All we are guaranteed is right now.  Please treat this moment as the gift that it is.  Ask yourself, "If this moment was my last, what would make it meaningful?"  Whatever your answer is, please do that.

5 - Forgive

Forgiveness is a biological gift we have all been given.  Tragically so many of us choose to never unwrap it.  Your life will only improve, the meaning of your life will only deepen, the love you experience will only grow when you forgive.

6 - Choose Love

No one ever said it would be easy and in a world where "being right," and someone else "being wrong" is sadly often valued in the moment more than love; love can be a challenge.

Send love towards others and most importantly choose to love yourself.  You are the one 24-7 relationship you will always have.

Nurture you, love you, and then love yourself some more.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com

http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

The Holiday Season - Reflecting and Planning for the Future

I don't know about you, but for me the holiday season is a time of reflection and planning.

Reflecting on the year I have lived, and planning for the year to come.

I hope you don't mind, I want to share some of the questions I ask myself to help me prepare for the year ahead.

If you feel like sharing your answers, I would love to read them in the comments below.

I hope you find value in this. :)

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

In 2016...


1 - What do I want to accomplish?
2 - Why do I want to accomplish this?
3 - What can hold me back from achieving this goal?
4 - What can I do now to address #3?
5 - How will accomplishing this impact my life?
6 - Is the accomplishing of this in alignment with my higher values?

I challenge you to ask yourself the above questions and dig deep, especially when you get to question #3.  That is the one that derails most people because they will often settle for an answer like "lack of time, or lack of money."  

If it is something you really want to accomplish, I promise you that if you fully commit to doing it, you will be able to find the time, and figure out the money part along the way.

P.S.

I have a weekly segment I post on the 1 Year 1000 Challenge Facebook page where I answer questions asked by the 1000 Challenge Community members.  Would it be helpful to you if I started posting those answers, along with other videos I do here, in this blog?

Making Dreams Come True

We all have dreams.

Tragically, not enough of us make those dreams come true.

The reasons "why" are many: "I don't know how," "it's impossible," "it's to hard," "I don't have enough money," "if only," etc... Do any of these sound familiar?

Over the course of its' four year life, this blog has been about a lot... dreams, goals, life, death, love, and the ongoing journey of living and experiencing life to the best of my ability.

I try to be open and share with you all in hopes that my candor may inspire you in how you choose to live your life.  In no way am I suggesting your life should look exactly like mine, what I am saying is that perhaps you can gain inspiration for your journey as you share in mine.

Recently my journey brought me to a day that I had dreamed of for years.  My first ever Jesse Brisendine live event!

Up to this point I had spoken to numerous audiences and organizations, been a featured presenter at corporate training's, and gifted with the opportunity to educate and inspire students at several High Schools and Universities.  This all was, and continues to be amazing (something I want to keep building on), however I had never hosted my own event.

Something that was uniquely mine in everything from the content, to the music, to the location, and most importantly the jokes (haha) all of it was "Jesse."

This had been a dream because I want to help people, a lot of people, live extraordinary and fulfilling lives.  To be able to help as many as I want to, I need a platform that allows me to interact and work with multiple people at once.  Enter Unlock Your Greatness - a program conceived by the idea to bring people together from all over the world to learn, to grow, to let go, and to move forward.

Last week (I cannot believe it has been a week already) I hosted the first ever Unlock Your Greatness (UYG) live event in Santa Barbara, California.

It was attended by folks from seven different countries and 15 different States.  If I had only one word to describe it, I would say WOW.

WOW... because I was proud of what I created, WOW because of the moments I shared with the participants, WOW because of the breakthroughs people had, WOW because of the feeling I had watching the attendees Unlock a Greatness that had always been inside of them, and was waiting to be let out.

I titled this post "Making Dreams Come True," because dreams can come true, but not because you wish them to, dreams come true because you make them come true.

Any great dream deserves a great amount of work and effort that goes into making that dream a reality. Most dreams will require 100's, maybe even 1000's of hours or more of hard work, commitment, sacrifice, and the proverbial "blood, sweat, and tears," to make them come true.

You know what?  I can happily tell you that it is and will be worth it when you realize your dream.

Unlock Your Greatness was the start of a new beginning for me; the next chapter in my professional career and life purpose.  UYG also was the culmination of 1000's of hours of hard work, study, sacrifice, decision making, life lesson learning, forward step taking, choice making, and life living.  All of it came together for two magical days in Santa Barbara, California. 

Below are some photos from the first event.  I hope to see you at a future Unlock Your Greatness, I am excited to share it with you. :)

Lastly, to all the people who made the journey to attend - thank you.  You all believed in me at the beginning.  I will always be grateful for that.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

P.S. What is one dream you have that you are committed to making come true?

http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

International Sunrise & Sunset Day 2015

When I did the 1 Year 1000 Challenge, hands down my favorite of the over 1000 challenges/experiences I did that year, was an event I called International Sunrise and Sunset Day.



The 1000 Challenge community had grown to several thousand around the world.  I had the idea that it would be really cool if on one day, we all shared the sunrise and sunset together. 

The result was amazing! 100's of people from all over the world participated.  You can see that first video by clicking here.



In late 2013 my best friend was tragically killed. Being that he was a well known public figure, the world talked about him, a lot. 


As his birthday approached in 2014, I wanted to do something that would honor him for the man he was/is and not his job.  I decided to move International Sunrise and Sunset day to his birthday and have it be a celebration day and fundraiser for the his charity Reach Out World Wide.

The day was amazing!  Over $50,000 was raised and more than 3,000 people participated in the event.


This year I recently hosted the event.  Again over 3,000 people participated with 10's of 1000's of dollars being raised for Reach Out World Wide.




As I did in years past, I put a video together to commemorate the day which I have shared below.  I hope that when you watch the video, you take the message to heart and it adds an enormous amount of love and value to your life.

2015 Sunrise Sunset Day video

International Sunrise & Sunset Day is such a special event to me.  Not only does it mean a lot being able to honor my friend, I love the experience of so many people from all over the world coming together to share their sunrise and sunset. 

Even though we live miles a part, we are all neighbors here on Earth.  It was a joy watching the sunrise and sunset with You, neighbor.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

P.S.

Did you participate?  What did you learn from the video?

P.P.S

The Sunrise and Sunset photo albums will be posted to the 1 Year 1000 Challenge page this week.

My 101 Life Time List

Several years ago I made a list of 101 things I wanted to do/see/experience/accomplish in my lifetime.

Recently I read a blog post by Jack Canfield where he shared his list and talked about the importance of creating a similar list.

The reason, Jack said, is because "the brain is a goal seeking organism."

Meaning that we need to feed our brain goals for it to focus on and seek out ways to accomplish.

After reading Jack's blog I was inspired to revisit my list.  When I did, I was pleased to see I had accomplished about 20 from my original list.

I've now created a new list.  This list includes many from my original list and quite a few new ones as well.





The goals are in no particular order.  I just wrote them as they popped up. :)

I hope the sharing of my list inspires you to make a list of your own.

What are some of your goals? 

Are you committed to realizing them?

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

1. Positively Impact the lives of 2 Billion people
2. Travel to every continent (been to four)
3. Travel to every State in the USA (30 so far)
4. Become a Master of my Thoughts and Emotions
5. Travel to at least 100 Countries  (18 so far) 
6. Speak at TED
7. Speak to a live audience of over 20,000 people (largest so far about 600)
8. Sit Ringside at Wrestlemania
9. Attend Men's World Cup
10. Attend Women's World Cup
11. Centre Court at Wimbledon 
12. 100,000 success stories from clients and various program participants
13. Meet with two in office President's of the USA and have conversations with them
14. Meet 5 head's of State from other Countries.
15. Walk the Great Wall of China
16. See the Northern Lights
17. Scuba Dive with Great White Sharks (in a cage)
18. Scuba Dive Great Barrier Reef
19. Scuba Dive the Red Sea
20. Stay in the houses on the water in Maldives
21. Host Unlock Your Greatness workshops in 50+ Countries
22. Help people from all over the world achieve 10 million + pounds of weight lost
23. Fly in a fighter jet
24. Create charity/scholarship to honor my Dad
25. Create charity/scholarship to honor Gabe
26. Climb the Seven Summits
27. Dive with Whale Sharks
28. Do the Rocky run and celebration up the Rocky Steps in Philadelphia
29. Attend Mr. Olympia
30. Write a bestseller 
31. Earn $10,000,000 in a year
32. Retire my Mom and provide for her so she can do things she enjoys
33. Compete in one bodybuilding/fitness competition 
34. Bench press 315lbs for 15 reps (made it to 13 one time)
35. Mud Run
36. Grow the Sunrise/Sunset around the World day into an annual event honoring Paul that raises a minimum of $250,000 a year for Reach Out World Wide
37. Grow International Trash Clean up Day to an annual event with over 50,000 people participating
38. Grow the One Billion Steps in March to an annual event where over One Billion steps are walked in the month.
39. Keynote speaker at a High School Graduation
40. Keynote speaker at a college/University graduation
41. Run for President (if, when the time comes, I would bring value to my country)
42. Speaking role in two Hollywood movies (one so far)
43. At least 3 published books (1 so far "Ouch My Heart is Broken")
44. Grow the 1 Year 1000 Challenge community to over 1million members.
45. Photo of a Sunrise and Sunset over all four of the Oceans (Pacific, Atlantic, 
46. Stay at the Absolute Suite in Cesar's Palace
47. Stay at the Skyline Suite at MGM Grand
48. Stay at the Hardwood Suite at The Palms
49. Give over 100 Million to charity in my Lifetime
50. Create a foundation that pay's for alternate forms of education for teenagers and adults (ex: personal training certification, yoga certs, etc...)
51. Visit where King Arthur is from
52. See all the Seven Wonders of the World (3 so far: Christ Statue, Colosseum, Machu Picchu)
53. See all Seven Wonders of the Natural World (2 so far: Harbor at Rio and Grand Canyon)
54. Dance the Tango in a Tux (True Lies style)
55. Run a Half Marathon in 1hr 40 minutes
56. Hold a plank for 10 minutes
57. Safari in Africa
58. Read/Listen to over 10,000 books/audio cd's
59. NLP Trainer
60. Do a language immersion course in the native country
61. Give a speech on leadership to Congress
62. Flight to Outer Space and Back
63. Earn over $300 million in my lifetime
64. Give over $100 million to charity in my lifetime
65. Pilots License
66. Compete on celebrity Jeopardy
67. Play in the main event at the World Series of Poker
68. Bowl a 300 game and 700 series (current highs 277 and 688)
69. Walking Lunges for over two miles without stopping (current best is 1.25 miles)
70. Workout with Arnold Schwarzenegger
71. Cut the ribbon at a ribbon cutting ceremony
72. Learn to Surf
73. Learn a Martial Art
74. Read Le Morte De Arthur
75. Attend a Robin Sharma workshop
76. Take a Cooking Class
77. Climb the Pyramids in Egypt
78. Kiss a special someone on top of the Eiffel Tower
79. Stay in a European Castle
80. Ring the Opening Bell on Wallstreet
81. Go White Water Rafting
82. Go on an African Safari 
83. Have a conversation with the Dalai Lama 
84. Drive a car at a speed of over 130 mph
85. Drive a Ferrari
86. Have a replica Round Table as a dinner table
87. Own a home with a secret passage way that leads to a kick ass game room 
88. Take a Dance Class and learn some rhythm 
89. Customized Carpe Diem license plate
90. Founder/Cofounder of at least two nonprofit charity organizations (one so far ROWW)
91. Create a system that is teachable to millions on how to help humans live thier bast lives
92. Forgive anyone that may have cuased me pain be it intentional or unintentional
93. Love and accept myself fully
94. Form a core group of friends to travel through life with
95. Own several vacation homes in beach and mountain locations 
96. Attend a dinner at the White House
97. Create multiple scholarship programs for future generations
98. Donor and advocate for animal rights
99. Take a photography class
100.  Master my thoughts and emotions
101. Have my photos featured in a major exhibit
102. Interviewed by Oprah
103. Interviewed by Ellen
104. Interviewed on one of early morning news programs (Today, Good Morning America)
105. 
     

Perspective is Everything

Recently one of the members of the Zero Limits Mastermind shared this video and I thought it would be of value to you.

Coca Cola advertisement aside it conveys a powerful message of just how much our perspective shapes our reality.

The video opens with the word prejudice and I encourage you to allow yourself to think of other words like: perspective, judgment, assessment, etc.. when you watch this video.

What we see is not always what is

What we believe is what will determine the reality we live in.

If you do not like your present reality, take a good long look at your beliefs.

Change your beliefs and you will change your reality.

What did you think of the video?

What did you learn?

How are you going to apply what you learned?

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

To Take a Step Forward You May Have tor Comfort Zone

Hi Everyone!

Recently one of the team members in the Zero Limits Mastermind shared a great article on words of wisdom passed on from Business leaders to college graduates at commencement.  (You can read the entire article here)

As I read through, I noticed there seemed to be a common theme that these titans of their respected industries were trying to impart on the next generation: Take risks and pursue your passions.

The concept is not a new one - heck I would guess in a slow week I hear the above phrase no less than 10 times.

Yet for some reason while reading this article, I started thinking of my own journey and where I am at professionally at this moment.

I love helping people - it has been what I have wanted to do since I was a little kid, (aside from being a professional basketball player) and I want to be able to grow my ability to help people.

For that to happen, for me to move forward towards doing more of what I want, I have to be willing to put myself out there in a way I have not done before. Some might call this "taking a risk."

You see the old adage, "nothing changes if nothing changes," is so true. Change is constant in our world yet so often there is so much fear around change.

Earlier this year I took a massive step forward professionally by announcing I would be hosting my first live event called Unlock Your Greatness.  This was a huge step out of my comfort zone as it took me from an area I was totally comfortable in, working one on one with folks, and put me in a new realm of event planning, coordinating, and teaching to audiences of many.

I'll be honest, I was scared.  My biggest fear was "What if no one signs up... what if it is just me in the room and all I could hear is crickets chirping in the background (Do crickets even chirp?)."

I hemed, I hawed, I dilly dallied, I weighed the pros and cons, I tried to make every excuse under the sun of why now is not the right time; and it all almost worked except for I kept coming back to the one thing that was my trump card for all the excuses: my passion.

I kept asking myself if my life will ever be fulfilled at the level I want it to be if I spent my whole life not sharing my gifts on the level I know I am capable of.  The answer kept coming up no; and you know what?  That no was way way wayyyyyy more terrifying than the fear of the crickets that might be chirping.

I kept worrying that to move forward I had to risk giving up my comfort zone.  Then I stopped myself and reminded myself that the real risk was if I stayed put... how much of my passion, my purpose, my joy and happiness in life would I be giving up?  OUCH!

It is true, to move forward you may have to leave your current comfort zone behind.  What I might argue is the whole concept of "risk taking."

I believe the greatest risk in life is risk-less living.  I believe that far more pain awaits us if we never try than even if we do and fall flat on our faces.

We are meant to grow, to change, to evolve, and to move forward.  Ahead lies the fruits of our labor, the joy, the happiness, and the love we seek.

Where we are might be ok, but will it ever be great?

Hmmmm... Something to think about.

What are your thoughts?  I look forward to reading your comments.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com
http://www.facebook.com/1year1000challenge

P.S.

My fear about Unlock Your Greatness was quickly put at bay.  To date there are people from 8 countries and 15 different States coming.

There are still spots left and I would love for you to be a part of what will be a very special event.

After all, how often in life can you say, "I was there at the beginning?" :)

Click the ticket below to grab your spot.