From Silent to a Voice

Some things you may not know about me:

I grew up feeling shy, insecure, and ashamed.

My family did not have a lot and there was a constant emphasis on what we did not have.

I felt a tremendous amount of guilt - felt responsible for my parents financial situation.

At around eight years old I wanted to kill myself - tried to push a knife through my heart.  

I thought if I was gone then my parent's would not struggle financially (they would not have to spend money on me anymore) and if they didn't have to struggle financially then they could be happy.

I felt ashamed I could not follow thorough with it and carried that burden and responsibility for a long time.

Throughout most of my teenage years my morning routine consisted of:

Spending time in front of the mirror telling myself how worthless I was, how ugly I was, how I was a mistake, how no girl would ever want to date me, how I must be God's punishment to my parents.

The irony of this is in my quiet moments of listening there was a faint voice that said I was meant for more.

I have always wanted to help people - ever since I was around 9 to 10 years old I knew that was what I was put on the earth to do.

Problem: I was not going to help anyone the way I felt about myself.  

I said I was shy and insecure. 

Insecure because I was so uncomfortable in my own skin.  When I started high school I broke out in hives the first week - was so afraid that people would find out what a horrible person I was and I would end up in the trash can.

Insecure because I thought so lowly of myself that I thought there was no way anyone could think any higher of me.

Shy - I could not make eye contact without going pink in the face.  I could not talk to a stranger, especially a female without turning purple and breaking out in a full on sweat.

There was still that faint voice that said I was meant for more.

I tried listening to the voice, but would always derail myself - limiting beliefs and negative self talk will do that and I was a master of both.

I won't go into the full story of transformation here, I have written on that before and that is not the intent of this blog.

What is the intent is to talk about that faint voice and how it lead me to writing this to you today.

It would whisper that I had a message to share, but the problem was I could barely speak up to a stranger let alone a crowded room.

As I began to make changes in my life the voice became louder.

As I began to follow the steps laid out by various mentors and coaches, the voice became louder.

As I began to believe in myself, the voice became louder. 

As I began to help people make positive changes in their lives, the voice became louder.

As I began to realize and live my mission, my purpose, the voice became louder.

I no longer feared that voice, I wanted to embrace it, I wanted to embody it, I wanted to use it to help more people and to be able to reach across time zones, oceans, and boarders.

I knew I needed to start speaking, presenting, get on stage and in front of a camera to facilitate trainings, workshops, and events.

My focus shifted to doing that.  Tapped into resources like Toastmasters.  Began listening to speakers/presenters when driving, when working out, when brushing my teeth etc...

Started speaking in front of the camera.  Have put myself out there continuously - 100's of videos have been published.  It took 1000's of attempts to get those 100's.

One of my personal speaking goals is to one day attend the Toastmasters International Convention as a competitor. Yesterday, (Saturday) I took a step towards that goal winning round two of the competition for my area. (See picture below).

I share the above as I hope it inspires you.

Inspires you to see that my story is likely not that different than yours.

I grew up in a small town from humble beginnings.

I walked through most of the early part of my life with my head hanging down, ashamed of who I was.

I walk tall today not because of my height, but because I know how it feels to make transformational changes in ones' life.

If you are in a space in your life to receive inspiration about what could be possible for you, I hope you receive this blog as that inspiration.

I am where I am today not because of what happened in the past, I am where I am today because I made decisions about the future I wanted and began to work towards building that future.

If I could do it, I promise you that you can too.

Need a little help getting started on your journey, it would be my honor to do so.  Click this link to get the process started.

Any questions, leave them in the comments below.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com

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

Letting Your "It" Go

We all have an "it".

 

 And no your "IT' is not this one:

 

 

 

although "IT" might feel like that sometimes. 

"It's" are those things, thoughts, feelings, etc... that we hold onto and thus allow to negatively influence our life and the direction it takes.

An it can be a bad relationship, the time you were wronged, the lie a friend once told you, and many many more.

It's come in so many different shapes and sizes that it can be hard to recognize them and even harder to eliminate them.

One of the greatest gifts you can ever give yourself is the gift of freedom.  A freedom that can only come from letting your "it" go.

When we are free to think, feel, and choose how we want to live our lives, then we are truly alive.

Watch this short video below to learn more about letting "it" go.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

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


Do you have an "it," you want to let go of?  Lets you and I set up a time to chat so you can learn how I can help you eliminate the "it" and the hold it has over you.  Click here to begin to let your IT go

It is Time To Get Rid of Your Expired Stuff

Honesty Time!! 

Have you ever let food go bad?  Have you ever forgotten about a piece of fruit, only to be reminded about it a week later because the smell of it become overwhelming?

 

When food expires it stinks and is no longer edible.  When the trash can gets to full it smells and it is no longer usable, thus it needs to be emptied.

 

The same is true for our life.  "Stuff" goes in and out of our lives.  If we hold onto the expired "stuff," we limit ourselves and our ability to move forward and enjoy life to the fullest.  

Much in the same way that if we only ate expired, rotten food, we not only would miss out on enjoying the taste of fresh food, but we probably would not last that long on that kind of diet.

In this short video below, I explain why it is so crucial that you get rid of the expired "stuff" in your life

 

Is there "expired stuff" you need help eliminating from your life?  How much longer are you going to keep it around for?  If you are ready to get rid of it now, once in for all, then click this link to set up a time for us to chat so I can help you.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com

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

Never Give Up

We have all heard the phrase "never give up," thrown around so much that it almost sound cliche.  

The problem is that people with the best of intentions and ambitions say it, encourage it, like the idea of it, but fail to follow through with it.  This lack of follow through sadly robs many people from the power that resides in this simple phrase, "Never Give Up."

I often think about what all of our lives could be like if we never gave up on our dreams.  

The video below is about 15 minutes long and easily one of the best talks I have heard in recent memory on this very important subject.

The speaker is an expert on "Never Giving Up," and persevering when others long doubted that she could accomplish her dreams. 

Please do yourself a favor and watch the video below.  As you do, listen very carefully to her words.  Notice the obstacles she was up against, notice how hard she had to work, and notice the insight she has to share at the end.

As you watch, ask yourself, "What am I am willing to go after, what am I willing to pursue to see come to fruition?  What can my life become if I adopt and embody the mantra: "Never Give Up."

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

http://www.jessebrisendine.com

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

P.S.

What is something in your life where you need to push forward on?  Have you considered to utilize coaching to help you get there?  Lets set up a time to talk and see how I can help you.

To get the process started, click here.

How to Create More Time

I would be willing to wager that all of us, at some point in our lives, have found ourselves wishing to have more time.

"If only we had a few extra minutes..." how much more could we accomplish, how much less stress would we have in our lives, how much more time would we have for the things that matter most to us.

Well, there is a way to create more time.  It is a practice that has been around for 1000's of years. Many of the most successful people that I have studied, incorporate this practice into their daily routine.

This short video below will explain the practice, how you can begin incorporating it, and the benefits that come from it.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

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

P.S.

If you find yourself constantly being a slave to time and are looking reverse the roll and become the master of your time, then you can I need to chat about exactly how you can do this.  To set up a time to chat, take a few minutes to fill out the short form here.

3 Ways to Conquer Your Fears Fast

Fear will literally suck the life out of your life if you give it the keys and allow it take over the drivers seat of your life.

Fear will rob you of more experiences and more special memories than just about anything else.

Fear will keep you playing small while deep down you know you were born to play big.

Fear has likely already robbed you of many spectacular moments and I want to help you prevent that from ever happening again.
Which is why I recorded this video for you!

In it I share three, well actually four, awesome strategies to help you conquer your fears fast.

You can watch it here: https://www.facebook.com/1Year1000Challenge/videos/1473426642684071/

 Be sure to leave a comment and let me know which strategy is working best for you.

Looking forward to you living a fearless life.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

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

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Lessons Learned from 9 Years of Entrepreneurship

Hi!

Recently I hit a milestone professionally and I as I was reflecting back on it, I thought there were a few insight worth sharing.

September 3rd marked my ninth year of becoming an entrepreneur and making the decision to work for myself. Nine years, I cannot believe that!  I still vividly remember the day I walked out of my job as an employee for the last time. It was feeling that was both scary and liberating at the same time.

I remember waking up the next day and one of my first thoughts was: "Now what?"

In the nine years since my career has been filled with ups, downs, lefts, and rights.  I have traveled the world and have spent many a long days/nights/weeks/months in my bedroom or office trying to push things forward.

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart, but I promise you this, if you heart is filled with a message to share with the world, and you are willing to be bold and ride the waves of uncertainty, there is nothing better, in my opinion, than calling your own shots, setting your own schedule, being your own boss, and walking your own path through life.


Lessons learned

Do it because you are passionate about it:

Life is way to short to do it for any other reason. No matter how long my days are or how much frustration may enter into them (yes I get frustrated and even pissed off at times) there is nothing else I would rather do.  Ask yourself this: at the end of your life would you rather sit on a mountain of money, but feel empty inside, or would you rather sit on a couple coins, but be filled with happiness, joy, and a ton of amazing memories? Pursue your passion and life will deliver.

It ain't easy:

As the saying goes, "If it were everyone would do it."  Lots of long days that meld into long nights. You often learn that just because you think you have a great idea doesn't mean everyone else does.  Restless nights, take out, paperwork scattered everywhere, odd hours, saying "no" to going out and hanging with friends, and instead saying yes to waking up early (7 days a week).  But heck, the time will pass anyways, right, so why not invest that time in the pursuit of what you truly want.

Make sure you have a strong stomach and are prepared for the swings:

I silly-ly (when you walk your own path you get to make up your own words) thought that I was going to be running the "Field of Dreams" of Personal Training (when I first started out) and Life Coaching Services.  "If I built it they would come," welllllll it doesn't always happen exactly like that.  At first you are often playing for an empty ball park, and while it may not be the most desirable outcome at the time, you know what, something magical happens when your customers do start showing up.  You learn to appreciate them that much more.  Not every season will be a winning season, the loses make you much more appreciative of the wins.

Put yourself out there:

One thing is for sure, nothing will happen if you do not share your gift with the world.  I long ago had the idea in my mind that I wanted to become a speaker and use my voice to share my message with the world.  The problem: I never had really spoken publicly or on video.  When my first website was set up (the original http://www.jessebrisendine.com ) I decided no better way to kick off my quest to become a speaker than to slap a video on my website for the whole world to see. I have now dug this video up (see below) to share with you.  We all start somewhere...

Believe in yourself:

In anything you do there will likely be skeptics and critics.  Something I learned early on is to always ask myself: "Does this person (the person who is doubting me) have everything in their life they want in this particular area?" 99.999999% of the time the answer was NO.  Often people will cast shade on what you are pursuing because you have the courage to pursue something they want, but are too scared to go after.  There will be doubters and naysayers along any path worth traveling.  Listen to them, you will never get to where you want to go.  Listen to your internal compass and it will lead you to your destination.

Learn to embrace people telling you "No."

We all are in "sales." Some of us may not directly negotiate a price, ask for a fee, or shake hands over a deal, but we are all "selling" ourselves all the time. I'm on the side where I offer services and for people to utilize those services they pay a fee to me.  In those exchanges (a customer has the opportunity to invest money in a service I provide) I have been told No far more than I have been told Yes. I won't lie, the initial No's hurt, but if you allow them to, they get exciting really fast because every "No," brings you one step closer to a "Yes." Keep pushing forward in-spite of the "No's," the "Yes's" need you!

Celebrate the little wins:

Often when we begin something new we want to hit a home run right out of the gate and given the choice between a home run and a single, who wouldn't choose the home run?  The home run is what brings the crowd to their feet, it is what makes the highlight reel on Sportscenter.  Life isn't always a home run, sometimes it is just stepping up the plate and giving your best effort. You won't always be at a 100%, but you can always give 100% of whatever you got that day.  When you step up to the plate don't swing for the fences every time, step up with the intention to give your best.  When you do that, celebrate the effort, take a breath, and evaluate how you can improve.

Life is to short not to go after what you want:

See above about Passion.  We have all heard it before and it is worth hearing again "Life is to short to be miserable."  If the work you do does not fulfill you, if the relationship you are in leaves feeling empty, if you go to bed a night dreading the alarm clock in the morning, something needs to change.  Your life is precious, you would not be here if that wasn't the case.  Treat your life like the treasure it is and you will find a world of wonder waiting for you.  Make the changes you know you need to make, life is to short not to.

Have a plan, but most importantly be prepared to work hard:

When I began working for myself I had a vague (at best) plan.  The plan consisted of crunching a few numbers and me showing up.  What I have learned is the best laid plans will often encounter challenges and no well laid plan will ever be a substitute for a relentless work ethic. Plans help with efficiency and give you guidance as to how to best focus your efforts, but at the end of the day nothing gets things done like an unbreakable work ethic.  When things get dirty, be prepared to roll up your sleeves and dive in.

Even as I type, I have more memories, ideas, and thoughts I could share with you, but I think I will save those for later and instead leave you with this:

Time will continue to pass, life will move forward, things will always change, 7+billion people are responsible for living their lives, and you are responsible for living yours.  If you do not like how things are going right now, be courageous enough to change it.  An amazing life is not given, it is created.

Carpe Diem and thank you for being a part of my first nine years,

Jesse

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

P.S.

If you need help on your journey, and you would like me to be your guide to help you get what your heart desires, you can contact me here.  Note, this is only for those of you who are committed to living your greatest life. If you are content to settle and keep things as they are, please do not click on this link.

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