The Power of Love

In this episode of A Conversation of HOPE, Brett talks about how love is the most powerful force in life, stronger than fear, money, or success. He explains that love is not just a feeling but a daily choice to show patience, forgiveness, encouragement, and compassion, even when it’s hard. Brett illustrates this through powerful real-life stories, including a father who ran over 1,100 races pushing his son with cerebral palsy, the Amish community that chose forgiveness after tragedy, and Sylvester Stallone’s mother whose belief helped shape his future. Throughout the episode, he emphasizes that love builds confidence, heals emotional wounds, strengthens relationships, and creates meaningful leadership. Brett ends by challenging listeners to live boldly in love every day, because the most important legacy we leave behind is the love we give to others. 

Og Mandino | Life is a Game

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-quote-of-the-day-show-daily-motivational-talks/id1163094296?i=1000753525608

Terri Savelle Foy | Do This in Private, Get Rewarded in Public

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/terri-savelle-foy-podcast-audio/id274538089?i=1000744831333

Joel Osteen | Greater is Coming

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joel-osteen-podcast/id137254859?i=1000747777794

Daily Healthy Lifestyle:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1coeDFfQP3wt1DX-nRvIi4Q0W9IJSB8Mr/view?usp=drivesdk

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Welcome to A Conversation of Hope with Brett. This podcast is all about you. The mission to remind you that you are a masterpiece. To inspire you to dream again. To equip you with simple, actionable strategies for success. Strategies you can start using today to begin your journey towards the incredible life you deserve. He wants to remind you of the champions you were born to be. No matter your past or current struggles, Rick firmly believes that your best days are still ahead. He's grateful you're here and promises to give us all each week to help you create the life you were meant to live. So buckle up. Let's get started.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Welcome, welcome, welcome to a conversation of hope. I am so glad you tuned in this week. I am so excited to share with you. Today, we're going to talk about the power of love. Right from the jump, though, I want to remind you, you are enough. You have what it takes. You are in fact a champion whose absolute best days are straight ahead. This week, we're talking about the power of love. Love is the most powerful emotion there is. When you really love someone with all of your heart, you'll do anything in the world for them. You think of all the amazing things mothers do every day for their families. Fathers going all out for the ones that they love, doing amazing things for the people in your life, whether it's your spouse, partner, brother, sister, sons, daughters, knowing you're truly loved by someone fills your soul with pure joy. Walking in love to all around you is truly the greatest way to live. Alright, let's get right into it. I am so excited to share this with you. So we talk about the power of love. There is a force in this world more powerful than money, stronger than fear, more lasting than success, more transformational than any motivational technique ever created. That force is love. Love is not weak. Love is not passive. Love is not soft in the way the world sometimes defines softness. Love is power. Love builds families. Love restores broken hearts. Love rebuilds lives after failure. Love gives courage to the fearful. Love gives hope to the hopeless. Love gives strength to the weary. When you look at the greatest movements in history, the leaders who changed the world were fueled not by hatred, but by love. Martin Luther King junior spoke about love driving out hate. Mother Teresa showed the world that loving the forgotten changes humanity. Nelson Mendela walked out of prison without bitterness and chose love over revenge. Love is not naive, love is courageous. It takes no strength to criticize. It takes no character to tear down. It takes no vision to complain, but it takes enormous strength to love when you've been hurt. It takes maturity to love when you've been misunderstood. It takes wisdom when you've been betrayed to continue to love. Love is not just something you feel. Love is something that you choose. And that choice changes everything. Love changes you first. Before love changes the world around you, it transforms the world within you. When you choose love over resentment, your heart becomes lighter. You choose forgiveness over bitterness. Your mind becomes clearer. When you choose compassion over judgment, your relationship becomes stronger. You can carry anger for years. You can replay offenses over offenses. You can hold on to grudges like trophies. But here's the truth. Resentment doesn't punish the other person. It imprisons you. Love sets you free. Love says, I will not allow someone else's actions to control my peace. Let me say that one again. That's so powerful. Just like Eleanor Roosevelt's quote that says, only you give someone the power to make you feel bad about yourself. So this one says, Love says, I will not allow someone else's actions to control my peace. Love says I release what hurt me so I can become who I'm meant to be. Love says I refuse to let darkness live in my heart. And when you live that way, you walk differently, you speak differently, and you show up differently because love has changed you. Every person listening to this speech wants meaningful relationships. We want to be seen. We want to be valued. We want to be understood. But here's the shift. The secret to receiving love is learning to give it. Real love listens. Real love is patient. Real love chooses kindness even when it's inconvenient. Real love celebrates other people's successes without envy. Real love tells the truth but tells it gently. Love is not keeping score. Love is not I'll treat you well if you treat me well. Love leads first. When you walk into a room and choose to bring encouragement instead of criticism, everything changes. When you speak belief into someone who doubts themselves, everything changes. When you hug your child like they matter more than your phone, everything changes. Small acts of love create massive impact. One word of affirmation can echo into someone's heart for decades. That's so true. One word of affirmation can echo in someone's heart for decades. One moment of compassion can pull someone back from the edge. One act of grace can restore broken connection. Never underestimate the ripple effect of love. Love builds unshakable confidence. This may surprise you, but love is directly connected to confidence. When you know you are loved, truly loved, you become bold. You stop performing for approval. You stop chasing validation. You stop trying to impress people who don't value you. Love anchors you. When you love yourself first, not in arrogance, but in a healthy self respect, you stop tolerating what diminishes you. You raise your standards, you protect your peace, you pursue your calling, you take risks. Why? Because love tells you that you are worthy. And when you operate from love instead of insecurity, you become unstoppable. Love heals what success cannot. The world will tell you that success is the ultimate goal. More money, more recognition, more achievement, more applause. But when you have it all and still feel empty, that's because success without love is hollow. You can build a business and lose your family. You can win all the awards in the world and lose your integrity. You can gain status and lose your soul. Love keeps you grounded. Love reminds you that people matter more than possessions. Love reminds you that relationships matter more than recognition. Love reminds you that who you are becoming matters more than what you are accumulating. Ooh, I like that one. Let's do it again. Love reminds you that who you are becoming matters more than what you are accumulating. At the end of your life, people won't remember your titles. They'll remember how you made them feel. Do they feel seen? Did they feel valued? Do they feel loved? That is your real legacy. Love requires courage. Let's be honest. Love is risky. To love is to be vulnerable. To love is to open your heart. To love is to risk disappointment. But the alternative is far worse. A closed heart is safe but lonely. A guarded spirit is protected but disconnected. Love requires courage because it says I will show up fully even if I'm not guaranteed the perfect a perfect outcome. That kind of courage changes marriages. That kind of courage restores friendships. That kind of courage rebuilds families. And yes, sometimes love means walking away from what is toxic. Sometimes love means setting boundaries. Sometimes love means choosing peace over chaos. Love is not weakness. Love is strength under control. Love is a decision that you make daily. Love is not a one-time declaration. It's a daily practice. You wake up and choose patience. You wake up and you choose gratitude. You wake up and you choose forgiveness. You wake up and you choose to believe the best. Some days it's easy, some days it's hard. But every time you choose love, you grow. And the more you practice love, the more natural it becomes. You begin to see people differently, you begin to speak differently, and you begin to lead differently. You begin to live differently. Love is the ultimate leadership skill. If you lead a family, a team, a business, or even just yourself, love is your greatest advantage. People don't give their best to someone they fear. They give their best to someone they trust. Love builds trust. Love sees potential before it's obvious. Love believes in someone before they believe in themselves. Love corrects without crushing. Love guides without humiliating. The greatest leaders lead with love because they understand something powerful. People thrive where people are valued. If you want to change your workplace, lead with love. If you want to change your home, lead with love. And if you want to change your community, lead with love. Love is contagious. The world needs your love. Look around. There is division, there is anger, there is fear, there is loneliness. And in the middle of all that noise, you have a choice. You can add to the chaos, or you can become a source of love. You don't need a platform to love, you don't need wealth to love, and you don't need perfection to love. You need willingness. Smile at the stranger, encourage the discouraged, forgive the offender, appreciate the overlooked, speak life instead of criticism. It seems simple, but simple does not mean small. Love changes atmospheres, love changes homes, and love even changes generations. How are y'all so today? I challenge myself, I challenge you. Love boldly, love generously, love courageously, love yourself enough to grow, love others enough to forgive, love deeply enough to make a difference. Let love guide our decisions, let love shape our words, let love define our legacies. Because in the end, the most powerful thing that we will ever build, it's not going to be our careers, it's not going to be our bank accounts or our reputations. It is the love that we give and the love that we leave behind. And when you live from that place, you will not only succeed, you will matter. And that is the true power of love. Wow, y'all. Alright, let's look at a couple different stories of love, a father's unbreakable love. In 1977, during a high school track meet in California, a young runner named Rick Hoyt was competing in a race. Rick had cerebral palsy and used a wheelchair. Many people believed he would never be able to experience sports the way other kids did. But Rick had a dream. He wanted to run. Rick could not run himself, but his father, Dick Hoyt, made a decision that would become one of the greatest examples of parental love the world has ever seen. I'm not joking, y'all. Like look it up, Dick Hoyt on YouTube. Amazing man. He would run for his son. Dick pushes Rick's wheelchair in that first race. They finished near the back of the pack, exhausted but proud. Afterward, Rick typed something on his communication device, because he had no use of his limbs, y'all, so he typed it with his mouth, and it changed everything for their relationship. He just typed in, Dad, when we're running, it feels like I'm not disabled. That one sentence lit a fire in Dick's heart. This is crazy. I'm telling you, look it up. I've known about this for decades. Over the next four decades, Dick pushed Rick through more than eleven hundred races, including marathons, Ironmans, and triathlons. In Iron Man races, Dick would swim while pulling Rick in a boat, bike while Rick rode in a custom seat, and then run the marathon pushing him in his wheelchair. Every mile was an act of love. No spotlight, no applause. Just a father determined to give his son the freedom to experience life. That is the power of love. Love that says if you can't do it alone, I'll carry you. Another wonderful story about love, love that forgave the unforgivable. In two thousand six a tragedy shook a small Amish community in Pennsylvania. A gunman entered a one room schoolhouse and carried the devastating West Nickel Mine school shooting. Five young girls lost their lives, the entire nation watched in grief and shock. But what happened next? Stunned the world. Instead of responding with anger or revenge, the members of the Amish community did something almost unimaginable. They forgave the gunmen. Within hours, Amish families visited the shooter's widow and parents to comfort them. They brought food, offered prayers, and told the grieving family they were not alone. One Amish father who lost a daughter said something profound. We must not think evil of this man. This wasn't weakness. This wasn't denial. This was radical love, y'all. Love that refuses to let hatred multiply. Love that chooses healing instead of revenge. That act of forgiveness became one of the most powerful modern examples of compassion the world has ever seen. Because sometimes the strongest love isn't loud. Sometimes the strongest love is the quiet courage to forgive. And then our last story, y'all, of just an example of love, a mother who refused to give up. When Sylvester Stallone was born, the star of all the Rocky movies, doctors told his mother something devastating. Due to nerve damage during birth, part of his face was paralyzed, his speech was slurred, and his appearances was different from the other children. Doctors told his mother that he might struggle his entire life. Many people mocked him growing up. Teachers doubted him. Casting directors rejected him again and again. But his mother believed in him fiercely. She told him he could still accomplish great things. Years later, struggling and nearly broke, Stallone wrote a screenplay about an underdog boxer who refused to quit. That movie became rocky. The film won the Academy Award for the Best Picture and Sylvester Stallone became one of the most recognizable actors in the world. Behind that success was a mother who refused to let the world define her son's limits. Her love built his belief. Sometimes love is not dramatic. Sometimes love is simply someone standing beside you saying, I believe in you, even when nobody else does. And that belief can change the trajectory of an entire life. Wow, everybody, that is fabulous. The power of love. It really truly is incredible. I hope everyone buckles up because I think we all know what time it is. It's time to enter the laugh zone. So at the end of the day, it's night. Really neat ones. I was very excited to share these with the community. All right, first story up. He carries shelter dogs around the city in a backpack to help get them adopted. That's pretty cool. It all started with a corgi in a backpack in a crowded subway car. Brian noticed that his dog Maxine had a way of cheering people up, bringing some light into their lives during their daily commutes underground. Serious faces became smiles. Stress faded out, heavy loads got lighter. It's hard not to be happy when there's a little corgi staring at you from inside a backpack. Before long, Brian, a New York resident, started posting videos of his urban adventures with Maxine on social media. Soon his dog won over everyone on the web, growing into a viral sensation with millions of views. She was known as the dog in the backpack all over the world, Brian said. It was crazy and totally unexpected. He ended up quitting his job to create a dog backpack brand called Little Chonk, and a friend encouraged Brian to see if he could help some homeless shelter dogs too. So he met with the people at Best Friends Animal Society, and together they came up with an idea. Every week, Brian picks up a shelter dog and takes it into the city in a backpack that has an adopt me label on it. He shoots videos with the dogs and adds his professional polish to turn the abandoned pets, many of whom have been in shelter for months, into social media superstars. At last count, his content has surpassed 75 million views. It's such a more a morale booster for the team, said Julie, who's the CEO of Best Friends Animal Society. When Brian comes in and uses his channels to influence adoption, he's a hero to these dogs and to our staff. Eleven dogs have been featured so far, with every one of them getting adopted, except for one that was plagued with an ongoing medical problem. But what's even more impressive is that adoptions at the shelter have increased substantially. Castle said that about a hundred, wow, you guys, a hundred y'all, a hundred more dogs have been adopted than this same time last year. And the backpack is likely the reason why. One of his recent videos featured Bertha, a six-year-old bulky white dog that rode piggyback, adding some sixty-five pounds to Brian's backpack. Bertha strolled through Queens, rode on the subway, gave plenty of slobbery kisses, and seemed to capture the hearts across both New York City and the internet. Miss Bertha was just adopted by a lovely family on Long Island. It says, Your best friend is waiting for you, and you don't even realize it. I cry happy tears every time you do one of these amazing posts, said the runners, and said the team that has all the animals that are ready to adopt. My heart gets so warm. Wow, what a neat deal! It turned out from just something that he started with his little corgi to now over a hundred dogs that are getting adopted. I love there's always something we can do to impact the world in a positive way. Alright, y'all. Next one up. A volunteer team of grandmas dispense street side wisdom to those who need a considerate ear. From Canada. As it happens, comes a true story by way of Texas Grandma Stand where volunteer elders offer to lend an ear to anyone beset by troubles. Anyone can walk by the purple lemonade stand and sit down across from a real grandma to chit chat, ask advice, or just vent a little to someone who's seen it all. The idea was dreamt up by New York City reporter Mike Matthews, who recommended a female coworker call his grandma for a talk. The coworker, whom he described as a guarded Brooklyn hipster, admitted it was the weirdest thing that anyone's ever said to her. Nevertheless, she called Matthew's grandmother, ninety five year old Eileen, and was so impacted by the connection after separating with her boyfriend of five years that the two had chats every week for years. The difference that Wilkins' empathy and years of wisdom made for Matthew's co-worker gave him the idea of opening a grandma stand on the streets of Brooklyn. His nanny lived in Washington, so he left a cheap laptop and a video chat open and wrote a sign on the box that anyone who needed a bit of company could sit down and talk. I have no idea how many people she talked to over those years, but he said it was at least a thousand. She had never had any hesitancy in carrying and being just present with whoever sat down in that chair. Wilkinson passed away at the age of 102. Wow. But her legacy at the booth took on a life of its own. Now in McKinney, Texas, a team of volunteer grandmas rotate counselor roles behind the same style of purple lemonade stand that Matthews first used with his grandmother and a laptop. I'm officially old now, said 71 year old volunteer grandma Nancy. What's the use of being old if you can't share from your life experiences? The grandma's stand is not Matthew's exclusive copyright and instead is replicated by others around the U.S. and may soon jump north to Canada. This spot in McKinney is a holiday type pop up, and McClennan was recruited through a local senior center. On her first hundred and fifty minute shift, she spoke with a father of three who wanted parenting advice, a young married woman with a fear about losing connection with her husband, and a couple struggling with fertility issues. She admits she didn't have all the answers for everyone, but it felt good to listen, and it felt good for the speaker to know that there was someone listening, even if she was a stranger they had never seen. Western society has done an effective job of cocooning people into little pods. But through connections like this, we can all get better. Wow, everybody, another great story. And just think of for the grandmas too, at that age, they're probably getting just as much out of it as the people that get a chance to talk to them. It's like a win-win. Alright, y'all. Time for my top three podcast episodes of the week. I like you am always trying to get better. I love listening to podcasts to try to get some new knowledge apply to my life to be a better person. Um, first one up, Ogmandino. Life is a game. Og says, learn the rules of the game of life. People lose hope when they give up on life. Some people die at 35 or 40 when all of their dreams die, but we don't end up burying them until the late 70s. Everything he has learned has come from books. Your input will determine your output. Og was a homeless bum for years of his life and almost took his own life, but now he is one of the top speakers in the world, and it all came from changing what went into his mind. Some people might smile on the outside but are dying on the inside. Some people self-medicate just to escape. Posting thoughts, positive thoughts and beliefs will turn your life around. Associate with people wanting to do better in their life. Be the person others want to be around. Add value to others every day in every way. Fill your mind with growth books and podcasts. Guard everything that goes into your mind. Speak life over yourself and all around you. Believe big and expect great things. Make time for yourself to grow and develop. What we become is what we read. You will be the same person five years from today, except for the people that you meet and the books that you read. Wow, so powerful, y'all. The link to the full episode is in the show notes. Number two Terry Savell, my morning routine. Terry says your public success is built on your private routine. God sees what you do in private and promises to reward you openly. Plan each day the night before. Plan on paper and wake up focused. You don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your plans. What gets scheduled gets done. This eliminates confusion. Practice advanced decision making. Remove excuses before excuses even arrive. Lay out your gym clothes the night before. If you wait until you feel like it, you won't do it. Some people sleep in their gym clothes so they can just get up and go work out without even any excuses hitting them. Build the habit before the hustle. Like taking vitamins before you go to work out. Discipline is little things done daily, not always just one big thing. Tiny wins help reinforce your new identity. God says he or she who is faithful with the little things will rule over bigger things. Exercise in the morning, move your body and master your mind. Exercise is not just physical, it is mental, emotional, and identity shaping. Confidence is built by keeping your promises to yourself. Nothing builds confidence more than like moving your body first thing in the morning. You will love who you are becoming when you follow through on what you say you're gonna do. You will become more addicted to being a very disciplined person. Exercise trains you to do the hard things. It reminds your flesh that flesh you're not in control. Link to the full episode in the show notes. And last one number three. Greater is coming with Joel Osteen. When we go through loss and disappointments, it's easy to think that that's always gonna be the way it's gonna be. But our God is a God of restoration. He promised He would pay us back for the wrongs and restore what was stolen. When you're in tough times, remind yourself, this is not how my story ends. The loneliness, the bad break, it's not your destiny. Greater is coming. Greater joy, greater strength, greater relationships. It's all coming. An unfair childhood did not stop you from all that God has for you. The trouble is temporary. The glory is permanent. Thank God for the greater in the middle of the difficulty. Your attitude in the suffering will determine if you come out greater or not. The suffering is not permanent, it's going to pass. To see the greater, you have to go through the suffering. Don't live bitter because someone walked away. Don't settle in depression, thinking that is your lot in life. Keep an attitude of faith and go through it. Keep believing when every thought says it will never change. Keep speaking God's favor over your life and the ones that you love. God has already called you to live a victorious life. God is about to do something new in your life. The right people, divine connections will find you, and greater is in fact coming. Every setback is a setup for God to take you further. Once again, link to the full episode in the show notes. Alright y'all, time for the challenge of the week. Let's all of us, including myself, um ask, are we walking in love and assuming the best in others? Do we offer grace and mercy when the ones we love make a mistake? Are we living a judgment free life and truly wanting the best for all around us? If not, let's all try to work towards that and change the trajectory of our lives and all around us for the better. Alright, let's close this thing out. Let's close it out the way we started. You are enough. You have what it takes. You are in fact a champion whose absolute best days are straight ahead, and you are loved and appreciated. Thank you for being a part of our great community as we roll to one million. Have an epic day and an absolutely magnificent week.

SPEAKER_01 31:03

Thank you once again for listening to a conversation of hope with Brett. Brett wants to remind you that you are loved and appreciated. If you found value in this episode and know someone who could use a little bit of encouragement, please like and comment. Be sure to check out the show notes for links to Brett's top three podcasts and leaders. Until next time, watching you and your family an incredible leader. And ultimately, a great life. Because you're