VANCITYBRETT

“If you want to change your life you have to raise your standards” – Tony Robbins. If you don’t set baseline standards for what you’ll accept in your life, you’ll find it easy to slip into behaviours and attitudes and a quality of life that’s far below what you deserve. In this episode Brett talks about the impact of our subconscious standards and how to raise them into conscious actions.

“Pain doesn’t tell you when you ought to stop. Pain is the little voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue you will change.” – Kobe Bryant. People constantly reference "Trust the process" to me it's almost the same as "Good things come to those who wait". No, good things come to those who work. In this episode Brett talks about the great benefits of the mindset shift regarding challenging the process.

“You just have to appreciate who you, are and let the world see what a superhero is about.” – Lucy Liu Each of holds a special power and mission. That’s precisely why we are all so unique and our gifts so diverse. In this episode Brett talks about our unique gifts and how to utilize them, so we can live the fulfilled life we have always dreamed of.

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called present." - Bill Kean. We have all heard people talk about the importance of living in the moment. It all sounds wonderful, but how exactly can we live in the moment when our mind is constantly racing, worrying about the past or future? In this episode Brett talks about living in the present and how it can drastically improve our health and life.

"The most important conversations you’ll ever have are the ones you’ll have with yourself." - David Goggins. At times that little voice in our heads can be so helpful, but on the flip side tit can often be more harmful than helpful, particularly when it gets into the realm of emotions. In this episode Brett talks about the power of self-talk, and how to separate the emotions and the facts to take better control and use it to your advantage.

"Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure." – Oprah Winfrey One of the most powerful tools that we have at our disposal is our breath. When used properly, it can bring us to the present moment, discipline our minds, or use it to our advantage when performing. In this episode Brett talks about the power of breathing, and how it can not only benefit us in the short term but also how it can transform our life.

“Next to love, balance is the most important thing.” – John Wooden Life, in many ways, is a balancing act, walking a fine line juggling between work, health, finances and relationships. In a fight to accomplish all we often fail to understand the importance of having balance in our lives. In this episode Brett talks about creating balance and learning to do so with some great insight and by making a conscious decision.

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” - Margaret Thatcher. Adversity is inevitable, and you wouldn't want it any other way, because it's part of what has made us who we are today. In the constant pursuit of better, resilience is a fundamental part that should never be overlooked. In this episode Brett talks about the importance of being resilient and how to take steps to build it.

“If you focus on results, you will never get change. If you focus on change, you will get results.” - Jack Dixon Challenging the status quo can result in both personal and professional growth. Just because something has worked until now, it doesn’t mean that there’s no need for reassessment, or room for improvement. In this episode Brett provides three key fundamentals for success in challenging the stats quo.

"Don’t let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice." -Steve Jobs We all have our own thoughts, perspective and core values that make us up as individuals. Which also make up our own emotions, and they can be very powerful. In this episode Brett shares one of his own rules called "Triple A". The fundamentals of this rule will all contribute to becoming a better version of yourself and living a happier life.

“The only constant in life is change”-Heraclitus Change affects us all and we each deal with it differently. This only constant in life, the only thing we can be sure will happen, change is inevitable. In this episode Brett reminds us all that changes are a normal part of life, and how we choose to perceive it and transition through it all will dictate our future.

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” -Mahatma Gandhi Every single one of us is made up of our own core values that are specific too oneself. However, at the same time we all have the same needs as human beings. In this episode Brett talks about aligning our core values with our human needs so we can live a clearer, connected life, filled with contribution.

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Curchill There is no greater gift in life than the gift of giving, and furthermore to give with no expectations and for no other reasons other than the compassion from your heart. In this episode Brett talks about a personal story of love and gratitude, and how it impacted him to forever continue to pay it forward.

“He who conquers others is strong. He who conquers himself, is mighty.” – Lao Tzu It starts with our own awareness; how well do we actually know ourselves? Everyone is different, and we all change depending on our current state, how we feel in this moment is a reflection of our own perspective. In this episode Brett talks about the importance of self-awareness and how to enhance it to become a better, more aware version of yourself.

“My message is the practice of compassion, love and kindness. These things are very useful in our daily life, and also for the whole of human society these practices can be very important.” – Dalai Lama In this episode Brett talks about the the greatest display of compassion, the heroic efforts of those on the front-line with Covid-19. With the greatest levels of appreciation, love and compassion Brett embarks on a journey of living a life filled with compassion.

Keep your ultimate purpose in the front of you mind as it will help bring clarity, even in a state of uncertainty. As life evolves and is in constant change, it’s easy for us to get caught up in uncertainty and the discomforting thought of what’s next. In this episode Brett talks about the opportunity to turn uncertainty into productivity. How to break down barriers that are potentially holding you back from becoming a better version of yourself.

"Demand more from yourself than anyone else could ever expect." - Julius Erving We all have expectations in our lives, even when we say we don’t there are still underlying expectations for what we want, and who we want to become. I believe one of the keys to happiness lies within the management of our own personal expectations and the expectations of people and circumstances. In this episode Brett talks about how having external expectations can be detrimental, and how internal expectations can be your biggest asset.

“Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all-time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit." -Vince Lombardi In this episode Brett talks about lessons from his childhood and career in coaching some of the greatest athletes in the world. There are direct similarities from success in life and winning in sports, they both come back to creating a habit of winning.

“Of all human powers operating on the affairs of mankind, none is greater than that of competition” -Henry Clay In this episode Brett talks about the benefits of competition and how our success is a direct by-product of it. The rewards of perseverance are priceless and to experience such rewards, you need a reason, and competition is that reason.

“The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing.“ – Socrates Every day is an opportunity, an opportunity for us to grow! We all have our specialties, whether it’s training, coaching, cooking or being an incredible mother and role model for your family. But how is it that we expand our specialties? How do we get better and build our broad spectrum of knowledge? In this episode Brett talks about how asking one question lead to him getting onto the TedX stage and more.

"The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.” –Winston Churchill The thoughts that pass through our minds are responsible for everything that happens in our life. The predominant thoughts influence our behavior and attitude and reflect actions and reactions. We make decisions based on how we feel, and how we feel in this moment is a reflection of what we are thinking. In this episode Brett talks about the power of our thoughts and how everything we do starts and ends with our mind.

“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” —Zig Ziglar In this episode Brett talks about gratitude and how we all have the ability and opportunity to cultivate gratitude. Simply take a few moments to focus on all that we have. Developing an “attitude of gratitude” is one of the simplest ways to improve life.

"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing." – Camille Pissarro Perspective determines how we react, to every situation in life. We alone hold the power. When we endure a hardship, a loss, a tough time, we determine the outlook we will have. We can choose to wallow in misery, in pain, in loss, to focus on what isn’t there anymore, what has been taken from us. In turn wee can also make a decision to focus on the positive, to focus on the support and love all around us. What each of us must come to realize is that this is our choice. In this episode Brett explains that perspective is our choice. Brett shares his personal story of how in one moment his perspective of life changed forever.

"True happiness is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose." - Helen Keller In this episode Brett talks about how motivation may come and go, but purpose lasts forever.

Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions.” - Elizabeth Gilbert The power of emotions, in one moment they have us filled with a rush of love and happiness and the next crying out for sorrow. Emotions are the one thing that really separates us from one another. One thing that I have said and talked about many times is how we ultimately control our own emotions. As they are a reflection of our thoughts. Everything we think throughout our day will end up changing the way we feel. In this episode Brett talks about the power of emotions, and how they can be our biggest attribute if utilized and directed with control.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” - Viktor E. Frankl Let’s think back to the days when we were kids, we wake up with absolutely no worries in the world! Did our things the way we wanted to, without the worry of anyone else’s opinion’s. Played outside on our terms, didn't have to respond to unnecessary notifications or have a constant distraction other than our new favourite toy that didn’t bother us when we were sleeping. In this episode Brett talks about how we have created a culture where everything is important and must be addressed immediately. Well if everything is important, then nothing actual is.

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." - Dale Carnegie So many successful people credit their success to their confidence. But at the same time, so many of these people can’t really explain where their confidence came from. In this episode Brett shares some of the best insight on where and how to leverage your confidence to become the best version of you.

“If you do nothing unexpected, nothing unexpected happens.” -Fay Weldon When faced with 35,000 decisions daily, how do we turn subconscious decisions into conscious action and choose the correct path? In this episode Brett talks about the 3 different types of decisions we make daily, and how to leverage perspective and core values to decide what's best.

Learning is a gift, even if pain is the teacher. In this episode Brett speaks passionately about pain, and how if leveraged can become your biggest asset. Pain is a gift and after listening you will choose to open it.

Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting. To say patience is a virtue is an understatement. It’s really more of a skill especially in today’s day and age. In this episode Brett shares valuable lessons surrounding the impact internally and externally patience can have. Patience is a life changing attribute. To be mindful of life’s circumstances, will allow you to flip the script. Control the uncontrollable and ultimately live the life that you choose to live.

You can turn your adversity into your advantage and live a freer and happier life. But it will happen only if you make it happen. In this episode Brett shares some of the greatest lessons and tools on how to face adversity, and ultimately turning it into your advantage. Adversity will create mountains, and only making a conscious decision, will move them.

That final evening before the big day, the reality starts to set in and the nerves catch up to you. What do the best presenters, athletes and coaches do to prepare themselves for what's next to come. In this episode Brett shares some of the greatest lessons from the most successful speakers, mentors and parents. These teachings are used in a wide range of fiend which can be beneficial to all walks of life.

Vince Lombardi Quote: “Mental toughness is Spartanism, with all its qualities of self-denial, sacrifice, dedication, fearlessness, and love.” In this episode Brett talks about the way of a Spartan warrior and how their ethos can be a lesson for today. At their peak, the Spartan army was the most dominant, and feared, military force in ancient Greece, which was built on the singular mentality and strategy it brought to the art of war. The foundation and mentality of the Spartans is formed since birth, and there is a direct correlation between the continued training and how it can be applied to our present life. The Spartans heading into battle didn’t save anything for the way back, the faced the enemy head on without thought of retreat. They lived the ethos embodied in the charge given by their mothers and wives as they left for battle: “Come back with your shield or on it.” This, ultimately, was the way of the Spartan. With it or on it.

The power of one man's belief that changed the outlook on life for the entire world. It all starts with the belief, on May 6, 1954 Roger Bannister broke through the 4-minute mile, at a time of 3 min and 59 seconds. This is after it was thought that it was physically impossible for a human being to do so. As soon Bannister accomplished it, his competitors sighed a sigh of relief. Once it was proven possible in as little as 46 days later it was broken again. Now to this day thousands have done what seemed to be impossible. Impossible becomes possible when it starts with one’s belief.

Life is made up of choices, in this very moment where you are standing is a direct reflection of them. Is this the reality that you have always dreamed of? Or is it time to decide; to take a stand for what you believe in. To let your results be the representation of your conscious decision, that you will be the creator. That feeling of pushing yourself to the point everything is telling you to stop, but you don’t; because you are in full control. You break down the walls of adversity and continue going farther than you’ve ever gone… because you can. This idea is getting you one step closer to everything you’ve ever wanted…. This is your life, and there is only one thing greater than this idea… it’s doing it.