ONE OF THE GREATEST SPEECH ES EVER GIVEN

By Daniel Teitelbaum

A speech, given at the end of a long meeting on a beautiful day in May 1941 in London, was probably one of the greatest motivational addresses ever given.

Some historians claim this speech might have even been responsible for literally saving civilization.

And yet, only 15 men heard it.

It was at the very beginning of England's involvement in World War II ... and everything was going wrong for the island nation. Germany was days away from conquering France, and almost a quarter million of England's troops were cornered near the town of Dunkirk oil the English Channel...and seemingly days away from being captured or annihilated by the Germans.

On the surface, England went about its business as usual ... but beneath the surface, the mood was close to panic.

THE MAN THAT GAVE IT...

At the end of May 1941, Winston Churchill and his 14 cabinet members met to review the state of the war.

The Axis powers, understanding that the English government might be considering surrender, had just made a clever offer. Mussolini sent a message to one of Churchill's cabinet members through its Embassy in London, suggesting that if London would like to consider suing for peace, the Italian Ambassador would be available at any time.

Germany, understanding that England had its back against the wall, was subtly providing one avenue that England could use to surrender.

... AND THE MOOD OF HIS AUDIENCE

At the meeting, this offer was being seriously considered, and the mood in the room was grim. Each cabinet member got up to express his take on the current situation, and many recommended that talks with the Italian Embassy at least be explored to find out what Germany's terms might be.

Until the final man to stand up and talk.

Winston Churchill pushed his chair back and stood up to give a short I 5 minute speech. In it, he expressed his indomitable belief that England would ultimately win the war, and that he was determined to keep fighting until the last drop of blood and the last breath in his body.

After Churchill finished his talk, he sat down... and every, member of his cabinet got out of their chairs and rushed around the table to shake his hand, and to tell him that he could count on them to fight alongside of him.

In the months to come, Churchill repeated his message over and over to the English people, and as their determination to win the war grew, their situation began to improve, but most would never learn of England's darkest hour when 14 of its 15 leaders had started to think of giving up.

Years later, Churchill would give most of the credit to winning the war to the English people. "England had the heart of lion," he said, "It was merely given to me to be able to give the roar."

 

Now how does this relate to business and more specifically, to your career as a realtor?

TOP PERFORMERS ARE ALWAYS FOCUSED ON VICTORY

Executives across America are experiencing the very same challenges: as good as the New Economy is, interest rates have gone up 6 times in the last years, and the labor pool is as tight as it's been for the past 30 years... and with the increased speed of today's marketplace, they know that if they don't continually upgrade their products, they'll fall behind their competition quickly.

However most top executives across the country — just like Churchill — refuse to let these challenges affect their mental toughness ... and the way they maintain their attitude is by continually keeping their minds laserfocused on the best‑case potential in every business opportunity they face, as opposed to the problems and frustrations caused by today's market conditions.

Top performers routinely claim the future victories they'll make happen... most people talk tentatively about their futures and don't realize the enormous effect they have on lowering their own attitudes, level of self-belief motivation.

And so, here are two specific challenges for you to help you raise your level of mental toughness: just for the next eight hours, focus on the best‑case scenario in every business opportunity you’re involved in. You may not be able to win every situation, but by continually maintaining this focus on the best‑case scenario and by taking action as if you expect to win, you will raise your batting average.

Secondly, just for the next eight hours, talk and act as if you have absolute confidence and total faith you're about to have the greatest year of your career... especially if you don't feel that way. What you’ll find by 5:00 PM today is that talking and carrying yourself in this manner will have a profound effect on your attitude, your focus... and your mental toughness.


Daniel Teitelbaum can be reached at 1-800-483-1947. For a free copy of “Seven Steps to Raising Your Metal Toughness Today!” from his book, The Ultimate Guide to Metal Toughness, please contact his office.

 back to contents