July 21, 2022by Brian WeinerNo CommentsChanging The World One Thought At A Time.

It takes courage and bravery to show up for yourself and express what you want.

It takes courage and bravery to show up for yourself and express what you want.

CHRISTINE VARGO

Are you truly a great advocate for yourself?

At first blush, we might all assume that we are such. But upon closer examination, we are not as good at this as we might be.

These moments show up throughout the spectrum of our lives. In our personal relationships, professional relationships and our interactions with third parties or entities, etc. 

Sometimes we just suck it up and allow things to be. Other times we might be so angry, disappointed, annoyed, scared or intimidated as to derail the opportunity in which we would wish that we were “together” enough to have handled with tact, courtesy and decorum. 

It is difficult, while in the peak of emotion, to stay clear and focused and operate in a consistent manner with how we believe we might behave. In these emotional swings, our judgement and reason are awash with distortion and muddied with the lack of clarity that arises from feeling off center.

It is in those moments that I believe Christine’s aphorism rings most clearly. Navigation through our own distorted emotions is critical in order that we may truly show up for ourselves and clearly communicate our needs. The courage to overcome an emotion swing from rage to fear and come off as strong and effective is no small feat. Our ability to see through the current tide of emotion and envision an outcome that will honestly reflect what we have predetermined to be our true need, and then to simultaneously be capable of expressing that to whatever party is required in order that we may see our requirements met, is a complex combination of skillsets, each requiring their own specific parameters of self control, intelligence and proper communication.

The quality of life available to each of us will ultimately depend on our ability to understand each of these skillsets and to find the courage and determination to vocalize our needs in the most understandable and tactful means possible. 

Having personally both succeeded and failed miserably at these key moments in life, I can only share that learning to master this quality from within, can be among the most cathartic and life-changing choices we can focus our energies on.  

Find the courage and be your own best advocate. Once you have done so, you will never be willing to settle for less again.

Happy Thursday!

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Written by Brian Weiner
When I was 5 years old, I discovered that the lemon tree in the backyard + dixie cups + water and sugar and I was in business. I have been hooked on that ever since. In 1979, I borrowed $14,000 to create a brand new product... photographic greeting cards with no text on the inside, called Paradise Photography. That was the start of The Illusion Factory. Since then, The Illusion Factory has been entrusted by all of the major studios and broadcasters with the advertising and marketing of over $7 billion in filmed, live, broadcast, gaming, AR, VR and regulated gaming forms of entertainment, generating more than $100 Billion in revenue and 265 awards for creativity and technology for our clients. When I took a break from film school at UCLA to move to Hawaii, my mother did not lecture me. Instead, she took 150 of her favorite aphorisms and in her beautiful calligraphy, wrote them artistically throughout a blank journal. That is the origin of the Lessons from the Mountain series. Since then, on my journeys to the top of a mountain to watch the sunrise, I have spent countless hours contemplating words of wisdom from the sages of all races, genders and political persuasions, constantly accumulating the thoughts to guide me on my life path. I hope you enjoy my books. Please let me know your thoughts, as I highly value your feedback!