You've greatness in you
Les Brown is one of the world's foremost motivational speakers and thought leaders on self-improvement and goal-setting. However, it wasn't always that way for him. Born in Liberty City, Miami on the floor of an abandoned building, he has known struggle and hardship his entire life.
Academically, Les was a struggling student from the get-go. The story goes that during his school days he was labelled "educable mentally handicapped" by the academic intelligentsia of his day and placed back from 6th grade to 5th grade. To make matters worse, he had a twin brother who was exceptionally bright and gifted, and as such Les became commonly referred to by his peers as the "DT"—the "dumb twin."
One day a teacher asked him to come up and solve a problem on the chalkboard, but Les refused and said that he couldn't. "Of course you can," the teacher responded encouragingly. "Young man, come up here and solve this problem for me."
"But I can't," insisted Les. "I'm educable mentally handicapped." The rest of the class erupted in laughter. At that point, the teacher stepped out from behind his desk and looked Les straight in the eye. "Don't ever say that again," he told him firmly. "Someone else's opinion of you does not have to become your reality."
Les never forgot those words, and spent the rest of his life overcoming incredible odds and pursuing his goals with passion and fervour. Time and time again, thanks to that one teacher's powerful revelation, Les has lived the phrase he's famous for all over the world: You have greatness within you.
Source: https://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/4-stories-great-teachers
Academically, Les was a struggling student from the get-go. The story goes that during his school days he was labelled "educable mentally handicapped" by the academic intelligentsia of his day and placed back from 6th grade to 5th grade. To make matters worse, he had a twin brother who was exceptionally bright and gifted, and as such Les became commonly referred to by his peers as the "DT"—the "dumb twin."
One day a teacher asked him to come up and solve a problem on the chalkboard, but Les refused and said that he couldn't. "Of course you can," the teacher responded encouragingly. "Young man, come up here and solve this problem for me."
"But I can't," insisted Les. "I'm educable mentally handicapped." The rest of the class erupted in laughter. At that point, the teacher stepped out from behind his desk and looked Les straight in the eye. "Don't ever say that again," he told him firmly. "Someone else's opinion of you does not have to become your reality."
Les never forgot those words, and spent the rest of his life overcoming incredible odds and pursuing his goals with passion and fervour. Time and time again, thanks to that one teacher's powerful revelation, Les has lived the phrase he's famous for all over the world: You have greatness within you.
Source: https://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/4-stories-great-teachers
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