It's All About the E

This episode of A Conversation of Hope focuses on the importance of bringing positive energy—what the host calls "BTE" (Bring The Energy)—into every area of your life. He encourages listeners to act as thermostats who set the emotional tone, rather than thermometers who merely react to others. Practical ways to spread positive energy include smiling, being present, expressing gratitude, and performing acts of kindness. The host shares two heartwarming stories: one about a former teacher who became guardian to a special needs adult, and another about a mailman who adopted a dog after its veteran owner passed away. He also recaps powerful podcast episodes from Jesse Itzler, Joel Osteen, and Lisa Nichols, emphasizing the transformative power of words, hope, and self-affirmation. 

Jesse Itzler:  The Words That You Speak Matter

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-quote-of-the-day-show-daily-motivational-talks/id1163094296?i=1000718921501

Joel Osteen:  Your Time is Coming

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joel-osteen-podcast/id137254859?i=1000714390315

Lisa Nichols: From Shattered to Unstoppable

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-resilient-mind/id1562025210?i=1000716763022

Simple Daily Routine:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1njZbEbTg-NKLto1OptvAkglc6mxdXKo7/view?usp=drive_link

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to a conversation of hope with bread. 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 champion you were born to be. No matter your past or current struggles, God 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 are meant to live. So buckle up. Let's get started.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

Hey, welcome, welcome, welcome to a conversation of hope. I am so thankful you took your valuable time to tune in to the show. Right from the jump, I want to remind you that you, yes, you have what it takes. You are more than enough. You are a victor, not a victim. You are a champion and your best days are straight ahead. This week we talk about BTE. BTE stands for bring the energy. It is all about the energy. As you know, everything on the planet is energy. We get to choose if we are going to bring positive or negative energy into everything that we do. I always think about the elevator principle, which is that you are either going to bring people up or you're going to tear them down when you encounter them. When you enter a room, the champion that you are, people should be lifted up and feel better about themselves because you were there. You never want to make people feel less than because they were around you. Think about someone you know who, whenever they are around you, they make you feel better. We want to be those people to every relationship in our lives. I also talk about being a thermostat instead of a thermometer. As you know, the thermometer is like someone who just conforms to all around them. If a room of people are negative, then they will be negative with them. However, a thermostat sets the tone or energy in a room. By being positive and upbeat, you ensure a positive atmosphere in the room that you're in. Or let's say if it doesn't turn positive, you certainly can leave. Guard your energy. Here are some powerful and practical ways to bring positive energy into your work, your home, and whenever you're out and about in the world. Here we go. So for mindset and presence, how about start with a smile? It's simple, disarming, and contagious. And remember, selfishly, when you smile, it tells your body, it tells your mind that things are going well. And practice active listening. People feel energized when they feel heard. Be fully present. Put the phone down. Look people in the eyes and be there. Express gratitude often. Thank people for the little things and thank them with sincerity. Maintain a calm, steady demeanor. Calm is strength in chaos. And then think about how your words uplift people. Give sincere compliments. Notice the effort people are making around you. Kindness, creativity, or courage. Use encouraging languages. Swap the you should for you've got this. Speak hope into others and their dreams. Say I believe in you and I mean it. Avoid gossip and complaints. Be the person who brings light, not drama. Share positive stories, uplifting news or success stories. Spread energy. And then acts of kindness are huge. Hold the door. Help carry something. Small actions equal big ripple effects. Buy someone coffee or lunch. Random acts equal random joy. Send surprise notes or text of encouragement. Out of the blue is even more powerful. Just randomly send something. Celebrate others' wins. Even small ones. Make people feel seen. Volunteer your time or skills. Serve with joy. Energy boosting habits. Take care of your health. Your energy influences everyone around you. Irradiate optimism, not toxic positivity. Be hopeful, honest, and real. Laugh often. Humor lightens the heavy moments. My wife is great about that. So is my daughter and my son. Oh my my son laughs more than anyone I know. Alright, create uplifting environments, music, sense, lighting, and your own attitude. Encourage people to rest and grow. Not hustle harder, but live better. Remember, be the thermostat, not the thermometer. Set the tone, don't just react to it. Wow. Super good stuff, y'all. It is so awesome that you get to choose the energy that you bring into every situation in your life. Be that person people love to see coming, knowing that you will lighten up any room. This is something I consciously think about every day, as I know I want to always bring great energy and enthusiasm to my team, my family, and everyone around me. All right, y'all. Let's do some quotes of the week. Here we go. The price of success is much lower than the price of failure. When management and labor or employees and employers both understand that they are all on the same side, that's when they'll each prosper. When we clearly understand that there is no superior sex, superior race, we will have opened the door of communication and laid the foundation for building winning relationships with all the people in this global world of ours. The only way to coast is downhill. So some great quotes from Zig Ziegler, and then also we have our foundational quote. And when we make a difference through relationships, that's where you make all your difference. Don't neglect what matters most in your life. You don't want to be chasing a gold nugget and then lose out on all the great people that are right around you. It's the journey. That's the fun part. Alright, here we go. Once again, if you're on a treadmill, I would suggest just kind of stepping off for a minute. If you're cruising down the road, you might want to pull over. These are the jokes. And we got two of them, as always, and they are fabulous. So I just don't want anyone to get hurt or get in a car wreck or something. Here we go. What fish only swims at night? Let's starfish. Alright, why did the cookie go to the nurse? Because he felt a little crummy. Okay, y'all. I know that's kind of kind of rugged, but we gotta laugh it up. Here we go. We've got two great stories this week for y'all. I think you'll really enjoy them. Just always good to hear about the good that's going on in the world. Alright, here we go. After special needs man was found wandering the streets without a family, his former teacher took him in. A thirty-year-old man with special needs has been given a whole new lease on life thanks to his former teacher who he had not seen in years. Two months ago, police found Chris Barrington wandering the streets of Gatesville, Texas. Since Barrington's father had been struggling with late stage leukemia, he had also lost the ability to move, leaving him unable to care for his son. Barrington, who can only function at a cognitive level of six, had been lost in the city for two days before he was picked up by police officers. He told the department that he had no other living family members, but he did remember the name of Michelle Gerard, his former junior high school teacher. It had been years since Gerard had been in contact with her former student. But when the police reached out to her about Barrington's predicament, she couldn't help but feel responsible for him. I said, What happens if I don't take him in? Will he get into a group home? They said no, he'll go into an institution. Gerard said, I said, not on my watch. He's not gonna have that happen. Gerard then took Barrington into her care. Since his father passed away on August 1st, Gerard has been applying to become the young man's official guardian. Not only that, she threw him his first ever birthday party earlier this month. He's never, remember, he's 30 years old. He's never had a birthday present, a birthday party, he's never had a Christmas, a Thanksgiving, nothing, she added. So this year, it's gonna be a bunch of firsts for him. Oh man, is that awesome! I'll tell you what, and just think about that dad when he knew he was losing the ability to take care of his son. That was probably one of the biggest fears in his life was who in the world's gonna take care of my son down the road? And then she steps up and does it. That is just a phenomenal, phenomenal lady. Oh my gosh. Golden rule at its finest. All right, our next one, everyone. Here we go. Texas mailman adopts beloved dog from his old route after its Vietnam veteran owner passed away. That old stereotype of mailman running from dog has been turned upside down by a Texas letter carrier and a pooch named Floyd. Ian first met the dog while delivering mail in Denton three years ago. Floyd, a German shepherd in Border Collie mix, came charging up behind him and introduced him as an energetic puppy that he was. During his regular postal route, Burke got to know Floyd and his owner, a Vietnam veteran who was confined to a wheelchair after serving for his country. Hats off to that gentleman. Floyd was equal parts service animal and friendly companion. Over time, Floyd's house became one of Burke's favorite stops, with the mailman delivering pets and pats and gentle scratches for his four legged friend that treasured the affection. He loves to be hugged, said Burke. He treats everybody like a friend, like you've known him forever. Burke also learned that Floyd actually had a full name, Pretty Boy Floyd, after the infamous bank robber, although this pretty boy only steals extra belly rubs. A year and a half ago, Burke's delivery route changed and he lost contact with Floyd and the owner. Then earlier this month, bad news arrived. Floyd's owner had passed away, and a dog matching Floyd's description was now housed at the City of Denton's animal shelter. Burke was the first in line at the shelter's front door when the hold on Floyd expired, and moments later the beloved black dog now had a forever home with his former mailman. Based on the media that's out there in the world and some old, old, old wives' tales, mailmen and dogs don't always get along. But it's good to see that they actually do. Wow! There you go. Hats off to that mailman stepping up, taking care of the dog. And I just think that is the coolest thing. And it's such an adorable dog. All right, y'all, here we go. Three podcast recaps of the week. I told you they'd be more detailed and just more meat and potatoes for you. Because I know you have a busy schedule. You don't always have time to listen to all of them in detail. So I want to give you the good details. I hope you do have time to listen to them. I'm excited to share these with you, especially the first one this week. I'm calling it my podcast of the year for me as far as the best podcast. I really enjoyed this story. I really, really, really hope that you have a chance to get to listen to this one in detail. It's only 14 minutes long, but it's absolutely fantastic. And I heard it about six days ago. Since then, I've listened to it probably 10 times. Jesse Itzler, your words matter. True story. This is a true story. And it's just, man, I listened to it. I was like, wow, your dialogue does make such a difference. All right, so here we go. And once again, if you if you listen to the podcast that he put out, it's pretty awesome because he adds some music and some other stuff to it. Very dramatic, but it's awesome. So I'll try to tell it like he did. Jesse was going to compete in a race called The Last Man Standing. It's a race where people compete by running until literally the last man is standing because everyone else has dropped out. While training for this, Jesse kept hitting a wall around 38 miles. Good lord, hats off to Jesse. I don't even, there's no way I'd run 38 miles. But once again, see, there's that self-dialogue. Probably could. And he couldn't get past that 38 miles. He kept going and going and couldn't get past it. And then he heard about a Navy SEAL named Chad Wright, who said he took a guy that had only run five miles in a race, and he helped him complete a 100-mile race by simply saying over and over again, I will not quit. And he just kept saying that over and over again. So Jesse called Chad Wright and asked him if he could come help him out. And Chad accepted and came to Jesse's house. He told Jesse three things before he started to run with him. Number one, never give our pain a voice. Although it's going to be hard, and we will feel the pain, we do not want to give it a voice or it gives it power. Number two, never die in the chair. No matter what, we will never quit. Number three, be grateful. Think about all the great things that you have and think about it often while you're running the race. So that day Jesse annihilated his 38-mile best. That is amazing. Just that inner dialogue and what he was saying really changed how that body responded. 30 days later, Jesse and Chad got ready to run a hundred-mile race. Jesse gets to mile 74, so he's already way ahead of where he was before he met Chad. But his body shuts down. He's broken. He has hypothermia, five toenails floating around in his shoes. He is shivering uncontrollably. And Chad stops him and says, You want to know a little secret about me? And Jesse talks about this point. He's like, Man, I don't want to hear none of your stuff, man. I am done. I'm over. And then Chad looks at him and says, I never get tired. He's like, I never get tired. He tells Jesse to say it. Jesse's like, What? Okay. Alright, Chad. I never get tired. Chad says, No, no, no. Say it like you mean it. She's like, I never get tired. I never get tired. Chad says to go to the aid station and tell them the secret of Chad and Jesse. Jesse goes to the aid station, gets some Gatorade and soup, tells the AIDS, you know, Chad and I, we never get tired. We really never get tired. And so then Chad grabs his shoulder and says, Alright, man, let's go. Here they go. They're hitting mile 78, mile 82. I never get tired. I never get tired. Mile 86, 89, 94, I never get tired. Finally, mile 100, he completes this 100-mile race that he has never been able to do before. And he shouts out, your words, what you speak matters. And my goodness, it made me, wow, I was thinking, you know, how is my inner dialogue? And what words am I saying to myself? This really spoke to me, made me evaluate what I'm saying to myself. Am I setting myself up for success? Am I putting myself down? Am I using poor vocabulary? This story just resonated with me on how powerful our words are to go from a 38-mile barrier that he just couldn't even get by to literally not changing diet, not changing this, that, the other. Simply the dialogue and the words. And he literally did a 100-mile race. It's just so awesome. I have that one saved because I'll probably listen to it at least once a week. All right, y'all. Next up, Joel Osteen, your time is coming. Stay filled with hope and believe your time is coming. Get your fire back and just keep that hope going. God says, no matter how hard it is, in his time, everything will work out. God is in control. Hope is believing the promise God put in you will come to pass. What kind of attitude do you have? Are you believing for God's blessing? Live in a land of hope and faith where you believe anything is possible. Because it is with God. In the natural, you may have lost all hope. But believe what God believes for you, and that is that your time is coming. Draw the line in the sand and believe today is a new day. And believe and dream and hope again. The path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter every day. Your time is coming. Stand on that promise. Stay in an attitude of faith and expectancy. God can and will do the impossible. God is your vindicator. It's never over until God says it's over. He always has the final say. He will make your wrongs right. Please be sure to check it out. The whole podcast was great, as always. Everything Joel puts out is awesome. Last recap is Lisa Nichols, From Shattered to Unstoppable. Wow, what a great tile. It was her reality, as you'll hear. When you feel like you don't know yourself anymore, it is a very low place, Lisa says. Lisa found herself in a verbal and abusive relationship and she lost herself in the process. She tells how she turned her crawl into a walk, and then her walk into a run and then into a soar. She figured if she gave herself away, she is gonna get herself back. Get in front of the mirror, she says, daily and ask yourself three questions. State your name and say, I am proud of you because of, and then review all of your previous victories that you've had. Because we've all had really good victories. Sometimes we just forget about them. Once again, number two, say your name and then say, I forgive you for. So anything that's that you have shame or guilt for, just forgive yourself for it. We've all made mistakes. And number three, your name and say, I commit to seven different things. Stuff like when I say yes, I'm gonna stick to it. And I'll put pause and all the negative self-talk. I will stand up for myself moving forward. I give me a thousand chances to get it right. When you do this, you will sell it, start celebrating yourself. When you do this, you'll release all the old baggage. When you finally show up for you, that's when you can show up for everyone else with overflow. Once again, all three podcasts are linked in the show notes. Check them out when you get a chance. They are fabulous. And here is our challenge of the week. So we talked about it's all about the E B T E, bring the energy. So bring the energy to every day this week. Right on the three by five card. I am a thermostat and not a thermometer. Set the tone for every room that you walk into in the future. You can do this because you are a champion, period. All right, now let's close this out the way that we started it. You are more than enough. You have what it takes, you're a champion, and your absolute best days are straight ahead. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever stop dreaming big for you and your family. Thank you for being a great part of our community while we are on the road to one million. Until next time, have a great day and an even better week. God bless.

SPEAKER_00 20:23

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 can use a little hope of encouragement, please like and comment. Be sure to check out the show notes for links to Brett's upgrade. Until next time, wishing you and your family an incredible leader. And ultimately a great life.