The Winner Inside of You w/ John LeBrun

Are you a winner? I'm not asking if you've won first place in a game, match or contest rather. Are you a winner at your core currently at this exact moment as you're listening intently to my voice? You likely have obstacles in front of you, obstacles that have the potential to hold you back.

Obstacles that look like giant mountains of struggle, pain, suffering, fear and doubt. You look and say to yourself, how in the heck am I supposed to get over it fast? Let me give you the answer today. The exact formula to literally step by step how to overcome your obstacles.

I want to welcome you to the unscripted, authentic leadership podcast. I'm John LeBrun. This week's host of the unscripted off script moment, if you're looking to level up your leadership game, you're in the right place at unscripted. We are building leaders to better serve their families, businesses and communities.

I have to tell you this segment is powered by Patriarch CNN.com slash unscripted leadership because of your contribution. We are making huge waves. We're now in 45 countries and well over 600 cities across the globe. So thank you from the bottom, my heart, unscripted fans.

You can join the movement at Patria on CNN.com. Slash unscripted leadership so you're staring down your big obstacle. The one thing standing in your way of victory, it just seems too much to bear. Too much to overcome. You may even hit your knees and ask God to simply move it out of the way.

Fam, it's not moving. It's not going anywhere. God doesn't need to move it because he sent you to conquer it. Remember this statement? God will never allow anything in your life that you cannot handle. You're sitting there and saying, But John, you don't understand.

I've had so many obstacles and so many mountains. How do I know that this climb is worth it? Friends listen to me closely. Mountains are not conquered in one giant leap. Mountains are scaled one step at a time.

Let me say that again. Mountains are not conquered in one giant fleet. They are only scaled one step at a time. Your reward is not on top of the mountain. It's not the prize. On the other side of the obstacle, your reward is what you are gaining every step up the mountain.

When you scale your mountains, you may get a pot of gold. There may be fame and fortune at the top. But fame, fortune, followers and attaboys can all go away in an instant, which you actually receive in the pursuit of the mountain.

Are the lessons learned and self-respect gained by taking those steps to climb the mountain? The monetary rewards are a byproduct. The one thing no person can ever take from you is the knowledge and self-respect earned through perseverance as you continued to take every hard, difficult and sometimes uncertain, step up the mountain.

Let me tell you a story about a young boy named Dru. Is it true? Is that kid who is full of hard, passionate energy but lacks in size and sometimes natural talent? In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, Drew decided to join the youth wrestling team.

At the young age of nine, he had to attend practices without parents supervision because parents were not allowed in the gym due to the new protocols. Remember pandemic, so he attends every practice. During the season, first during his first season, he lost every single match, but one the only reason he won this match was because the other

player just gave up. Drew literally wore him out. Apparently, what he lacks in skill, he made up an effort that season. So at the end of this amazing season of one win and a whole bunch of losses, he spent his entire offseason attending voluntary open markets.

And this is outside of his other sport and school commitments. He never complained, never questioned the work. Fast forward to November 2021. He started a new season with a renewed confidence. You see, he's now a veteran. He put in extra time that no one else did and feels ready to quote unquote dominate in his first six weeks

of competition. He posted a staggering two and seven record. That's right, you heard me. two wins, seven losses, a whopping one more win than the whole last season. And this was capped off when he was placed in a slightly heavier bracket and went own three.

And it wasn't the pretty own three. It was a rough, bad day of competition. You see, wrestling is hard. Your face is literally getting smashed into the mat next turned in unnatural directions, arms pulled back tears and your eyes.

It's not something you enjoy doing when you're losing. And boy, was he losing at least. On the statute, you see, Drew. Was only one move away or one point away? Who's always so friggin close to a win every match she got a little better, a little closer, one step at a time.

The first week, the first six weeks, constant failure on the stat sheet, but Drew's next three weeks. He went to post an eight and one record. That's right. eight wins. one loss. You see, the light bulb went off.

He then went to a larger regional tournament where he had to face stronger competition in a larger bracket of athletes. And he once again found himself losing a match in this tournament pretty early. And he had to win the next three consecutive matches in hopes to have a third place finish.

He never doubted. Never complained. Always believed in himself. And would you know it? Drew won the remaining matches and got that third place ribbon. And boy, was he excited. Drew may have lost some matches, but he was winning every step of the way.

Mountains were never meant to be easy. If the mountains and the obstacles were easy, everyone would climb them. You see, I was blessed to watch this journey of Drew in person. That little boy's real name is John Andrew LeBrun.

The fourth is my son, my little man, my baby boy. We call him Andrew. He's literally the best son a dad could ever hope to raise. Andrew isn't perfect. He has his strengths and weaknesses and his own mountains to climb.

He's the smallest kid on every team, but the best teammate a player could ever ask for. With all of Andrew's imperfections and cards seemingly stacked against him, he chooses to focus on the cards in his favor when the cards are dealt and you receive a ten.

A loser says, Oh, this is worse than all of the face cards, the Jack Queen King ace. When Andrew gets bitten. He says, Oh yeah, baby. This is the start of my royal flush. How do you perceive the cards dealt to you?

Do you see an instant failure or the opportunity for something great? Don't allow fear to get in the way of your next opportunity to grow. Hard work always beats talent when talent fails to work hard. You don't have to be perfect.

You don't have to have everything in your favor. You just have to be willing to work hard and take the next step forward. I want you to take this episode and share it with somebody who is facing a mountain and obstacle, and they don't know how to overcome it.

Someone who needs to know that there is a team, a team called unscripted who believes in them is rooting for their success. Unscripted fam, I believe in you. You have the seeds of greatness inside of you. It is time to let their greatness shine.

Step out. Step up. Let's overcome those obstacles, and let's win. As always, we pray that you be the leader that God has called you to be. Until next time.