Legendary motivational speaker Les Brown has overcome the most profound challenges. Over the course of his incredible career, he went from being labelled mentally retarded and working menial jobs to inspiring audiences of up to 80,000 people at a time. On this episode of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu, Les Brown shares the truth about how everyone has to fail their way to success. He also details his strategies for improving his mindset, explains exactly how he transformed the story he tells himself about himself, and talks about how to deal with negative thoughts and negative people. This episode is brought to you by: Butcher Box: Sign up now and get $20 off your first box plus 2lbs of wild Alaskan salmon at butcherbox.com/IMPACT or enter promo code IMPACT at checkout. Better Help: Get 10% off your first month at https://betterhelp.com/impacttheory Skillshare: Explore your creativity at skillshare.com/impacttheory for 2 free months of Premium Membership. SHOW NOTES: Life is a battle for territory [3:07] Les discusses his battle with cancer, which he has been winning for over 20 years [4:35] Les explains how he changed his beliefs and the stories he told himself about himself [7:21] Les shares his experience with prejudice, and how he learned to have hope [11:53] Les explains how the dominant culture dismantles people’s creativity and sense of self [17:15] Les describes the most important lessons about success he ever learned [19:46] Les strongly advocates embracing your own uniqueness [22:53] Don’t live the life that was given to you by your circumstances [26:40] Les strongly recommends reading, changing your social circle, and finding a mentor [29:13] Les makes some surprising book recommendations [32:23] Les talks about holding negative thoughts in check [33:31] Les details his strategy for continuously improving his mindset [35:43] Les shares the impact his mother had on his life [37:25] Les tells the story of how he learned to be unstoppable [43:02] Les advocates listening, telling stories, and orchestrating an experience [45:37] Les shares the impact he wants to have on the world [47:30] QUOTES: “Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality.” [21:34] “Life is a fight for territory. Once you stop fighting for what you want, what you don’t want will automatically take over.” [3:45] “No excuse is acceptable.” [24:18] “You will fail your way to success.” [24:46] “If your achievements outgrow your sense of self, you will unconsciously engage in self-destructive behavior.” [36:59] “If information could change people, everybody would be skinny, rich and happy.” [46:59] FOLLOW LES: WEBSITE: lesbrown.com EMAIL: [email protected] INSTAGRAM: https://bit.ly/2QRxyRo FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/39Q70IQ TWITTER: https://bit.ly/36xr14R BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: “The Road to Your Best Stuff”, Mike Williams https://amzn.to/37KlIzd “Live Your Dreams”, Les Brown https://amzn.to/2FuV3dH “Secret of the Ages”, Robert Collier https://amzn.to/2FA859H “As a Man Thinketh”, James Allen https://amzn.to/35u1cl7