WHAT IF:

This is my new category. “What if” – will give hindsight to the alternative. The blog will take a curious look at what would happen if- we chose the other choice -without necessarily answering the question and leaving it up to the imagination. I will start a weekly blog here and on Youtube. This is going get wildly popular ! Ready to give it a try? Here we go! Look for my weekly blog and please like and share my blog !

 

1) What if- I decided to take my turn at a stop sign.

2) What if – I decided to not wear underwear today.

3) What if – I decided to order food and not eat.

4) What if- I decided to meet my goals without procrastinating.

5) What if – I decided to actually save 10% of my paycheck bi-weekly.

6) What if-  I decided to not say a word for 1 hour.

7) What if – I decided to exercise 3 times a week.

8) What if -I decided to smile every time I got angry.

9) What if- I looked at someone and knew they had value.

10) What if – I decided it was easier ask for help than expect to just figure it out.

11) What if- I decided it was easy to help others.

12) What if – I decided is what extremely easy to say thank you.

 

Anything is Possible

When we say anything is possible, do we really mean it? I mean realistically speaking, anything IS possible . Afterall that is the title of my book. I believe it is, and I will tell you why. Do you think that if someone can fail, then that same someone can also succeed ?  Do you believe that given certain circumstances or opportunities, a person can be rich or poor? Do you believe that someone can alter their situation? We see it everyday, all the time, right? People setting goals and dreams, setting their plan and Bam !, All that hard work paid off and they did exactly what they set out to do. But how? It wasn’t magic, it wasn’t by chance. They had a positive mindset, attitude and plan. They had goals and they adhered to they had passion. They probably even experienced failures along the way, but guess what. They achieved their final goal! So why are personal and medical obstacles any different? Why are some people better at overcoming obstacles than others ? The answer is – They aren’t ! It’s all in the mind. It’s all in your belief and confidence. Do you believe that if in a situation that seems insurmountable, that YOU can be in a great and positive state of mind. Is it possible for YOU to alter a current negative situation in life to be just a situation and maintain a positive attitude?  The answer to all these questions are yes. Obstacles will happen in all of our lives. But how we look at obstacles is essential. I found out I had NF at a young age- NF is a neurological disorder, It didn’t change the way I live my life. It did change the way some people treated or reacted to me. But I was already used to that. I just continued to live my life the same as before. A young kid having fun with friends, going to school and being positive and happy. I didn’t consider it an obstacle. Why should I ? As far as I was concerned, I still had to live my life and this didn’t change anything. Neither did the back surgery that followed or the brain tumor I got later in life. Obstacles will come and go in our lives. But we must stay on course and go after our dreams. We all have personal adversity that we face but we must be strong and have confidence that we will overcome. This applies to medical or personal issues in our lives. When looked at with the right mindset, Anything is Possible.

You see, the obstacle you’re facing isn’t your “obstacle”.  The obstacle isn’t your breakup or my NF. – It’s understanding it and moving on. Certain things are insurmountable. But overcoming them is possible. There are options. You must have vision.  With vision you can see the future. You must see yourself where you want to be. You see, The obstacle isn’t that you broke up with your GF or that you have NF. That’s just what happened to you. You can’t change that fact. What are you going to do to overcome it and get through this. Life still happens. Start making changes. Understand that you can be happy.

When you have belief and confidence and a positive attitude that you can overcome the challenge you are facing- you will approach that challenge much easier and you will be able to be more confident overcoming any issues that arise.

When we decide our outcome-When we have vision-When we decide to take risk in our life by being confident in our life- When we dare to defy all odds. The odds will be in our favor.

 

Can an author be mightier than their book sales?

Like many of you, I have read many books in my life. From drama to horror to business to self development. Many if not most, have been best sellers. Although, not every single book I read is a best seller. What I find intriguing is that there are many great books written today that are not on the NY Times best sellers list or are from virtually unknown authors. So why do people tend to gravitate away from books or titles and authors that they have never heard of? Well we probably all know the answer to that one. It’s because they have NEVER heard of them !! They have no idea if they write well or if the storyline is good or they may not like the cover etc. There are many reasons not to read an unknown authors book. But there are many reasons to actually read or download and read an author you don’t know. Reason 1- You may uncover a Gem. Reason 2- You may actually enjoy the theme and plot. Reason 3 This author may or the book you’re reading may actually become a best seller one day. There are many sites where you can acquire a free sample(or small sample) of an authors book or a very cheap kindle version. Goodreads is one- Amazon is another. If you like the book, submit a review on the authors page. Every author starts out somewhere. Marketing is what usually improves an authors chances of success however marketing takes many dollars and time. Not every author has both. Take the time to read what interests you and you might be impressed . Lorenzo Victoryhttp://www.lorenzovictory.com

You will overcome, Its all in the mind.

    • Yes, my intentions were there. I had prepared a plan. For the past 3 years, I tried and attempted to be part of TED talks. It was always “sorry we’ve selected other speakers” or “you do not have the experience we are looking for ” Of course I didn’t give up hope. I kept waiting for the right opportunity. I did have a story to tell -I felt anyway and sooner or later, I was going to get my voice heard. I did accomplish my goal of writing my book – Anything is possible- about living thru adversity and overcoming obstacles. I write about viewing those “obstacles” as just parts of life and not roadblocks. I write about success being possible for anyone. So, one day I received a random phone call from the community college. “Lorenzo, how would you like to speak at the college with 11 other speakers? The theme was Dare to Defy. I was thrilled!  I would be  Tedx ! How did you hear about me? He said he read my book on Amazon and it matches their theme perfectly. So I accepted and was honored. I started preparing. I wrote my abstract , made a PowerPoint, wrote a bio and speech that I would read. Although most of what I had to say was memory, I wanted to interject many thought to my target groups — college students. After many days of preparation, the big day came. I showed up ,confident I was ready to shine. I sat, watching presenter after presenter speak. The college administrator even spoke. They were all fantastic. I couldn’t wait to convey my message of confidence, attitude and vision to the students and how important it is in helping to overcome obstacles and getting thru adversity. My turn!! I walked out on stage, to about 200 people, my family and bright lights of course. The moment I started to speak, I felt awesome!! Then about 45 seconds in – it happened. I couldn’t see anything & I totally, completely forgot my next sentence. I didn’t know what the next one after that was either. I sat for a moment thinking. I asked the audience for a moment , then another. I actually thought about walking off stage. But thought, NO, its not an option. I said “I’m sorry, give me a sec ,” . Then suddenly my niece tells something about a part of my speech that she recalls. She had rehearsed with me. From all those people, it was her voice I heard. It jars my memory, and I suddenly start my speech picking up where I I remember last. And I was able to finish my speech. It wasn’t pretty. It certainly wasn’t without flaws. But I finished. I wish I could do it over mistake free, and one day , I will. But I realized something that day. A young autistic boy approached me after my speech and asked me to autograph his program. He said to me -” You were a great inspiration to me. Your speech was about overcoming obstacles and not giving up. It was about believing in yourself. And you did that. Thank you. You could’ve given up but you didn’t. ” That made my whole experience worth it all  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpWQ-172Zx0

Change equals Sanity

What is it about change that makes many of us hesitant to accept it? What is about risk that makes most people nervous about taking it? There is a certain element to the security of staying close to what you know or what you’re used to. We all like to feel the safety of being comfortable or excelling at what we do best. There does come a time however that change may be needed. Times and conditions change. Markets and sales cultures change. Clients and their needs change. So, along with that, we must also adapt and change or- get left behind to wither away. Now don’t get me wrong, Sometimes old school is good, as in old school customer service, which in my opinion has become dramatically worse over the past 10 years. I spent 27 years in the banking industry and am appalled at the type of customer service I see in many industries today. There are however still several great examples of excellent client service.  Back to change and risk. In our current environment, times are changing almost daily. Competition is fierce and whether you’re an employee, a corporate exec or an entrepreneur, it’s inevitable and part of our culture. If we don’t change with the times, we lose, plain and simple. And those that refuse to adapt or wont adapt will either get left behind or have to find a different career. So what do we do? Why then, do some find it fairly simple to adapt and change with the times while others struggle and squirm and make excuses as to why it’s impossible for them to hit goal or achieve success. Is it them or their leadership team or their confidence or their lack of skills? Or, is it just that they are content with staying in the safe zone(or what they deem the safe zone). Do these people have a lack of vision? Maybe and maybe not. or maybe they’ve lost their desire and passion. Either way, in order to stay on track to hitting whatever goals they may have, change in their lives must occur and accepting it is essential. It’s not about if change will happen, because it certainly will. It’s how will you react and respond and how you will evolve with the change. Taking risk is a huge part of this. Without risk, our world would not be where we are. We would not have nearly any of the inventions mankind has today. We would have never achieved great explorations. Technology would have never evolved to the magnitude that it has. Our minds are always thinking and with that come ideas and thoughts that must be researched. Without change and risk not much is possible. Those willing to accept and adapt are the innovators and ones that will move our world forward. We must learn that change is good and risk isn’t always bad but can be great. We must have vision and have dreams and goals that can improve the quality of our future. Change and risk is and always will be part of our life. Lorenzo Victory

Leadership or Honesty- Can we have both ?

Leadership or Honesty- Can we have both ?On one hand- I want to believe that we can be a leader and be honest – both at the same time. We can be moral, with integrity. We can lead by example and inspire all those that follow. We can be a role mode to all our young and all those that aspire to achieve great things. We can only hope that this inspires others have dreams and goals.

On the other hand- Although I believe that many people to have these qualities in our society, I believe that the majority of leaders in our world do not. We see that many of today’s leaders are very strong and powerful. They are charismatic. They are considered leaders by their peers. They may even be loved by all their followers.. But are they 100% honest ? Are they completely truthful or forthcoming answering questions. Are they evasive or do they come across as sounding inconsistent ?  Do they vary on certain  topics from one moment to another. Does it seem that every leader does this? NO maybe not- But many do

This happens in the corporate world. It happens in local politics and it even happens across the world in various countries. Whether it’s individuals or companies or countries leaders, they all seem to have one common theme. They say whatever is necessary to suit their  agenda at the moment with slight variations conveniently forgetting about the past.America and the world is getting duped into thinking we are ok.

Speaking straight forward – Speaking with honesty- Speaking with knowledge

Now I can’t tell you the solution. But I can tell you that the answer isn’t hate or continuing to spend money foolishly or not caring about your family or friends. If you do these things- work hard -OR SMART- care, don’t hate, and save some of your money- you will be fine in life-

When we lead, we need by example. We need 100% integrity and honesty. We need accountability. We need leadership.

Is it possible to have both Leadership and honesty ? ABSOLUTLEY

Lorenzo Victory

Our ability to convey our message

I have many things to say to others. I write quotes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram daily. My quotes are primarily positive,inspiring, thought provoking and usually could apply to anyone reading them. I do receive a fair amount of likes but not even close to the number I would like to see. I know that I reach and affect some that never hit like and likewise I will never know if some do not like my message.  The reason that I post messages and thoughts of motivation and inspiration is that I would like every person know that they have the ability to succeed in life. And that every person has the ability to overcome their adversity and obstacles and find success in their life.

So how do I know this ? How do I know that EVERY PERSON is capable of this ? Because 1st, let me start by telling you a little about me. I am an author- Lorenzo Victory is my author name- Lawrence Nasser is my real name. I have NF- neurofibromatosis- which is a genetic disorder that disturbs cell growth in your nervous system. This has caused scoliosis, a brain tumor,hydrocephylis and multiple tumor growth on my skin,face and internally on my spine eventually  causing severe deformity of my spine.

I’ve had 8 surgeries since I was a child ranging my leg, nose to my spine to my brain (all NF related)-  I have a fantastic family that supported me and a wonderful cast of doctors that treated me for all those years. My worst year probably had to be the year I had back surgery for scoliosis-  No, It wasn’t because I was 14 years old and had to spend 4 weeks in the hospital  in Rochester NY 75 minutes away from home. No it wasnt because 1 of those weeks was in traction , where you hang literally  with nothing but straps holding you. It wasn’t even because I had to wear a body cast from my neck down to my hips with only my stomach and arms exposed for nearly 7 months.  But the worst part, was I had to be tutored at home for my entore ninth grade a couple days a week for a couple of hours.

You would think that would be every kids dream right ? No school ! I didn’t have to sit in a classroom and be bored all day ! Wrong , While all my friends were at school, I was home, all alone, watching tv , waiting for my tutor to come twice a week. My sister was  a senior in high school and both of my parents worked full time. But I got thru this. Once my cast came off, I went to San Diego to visit my cousins for a couple weeks !

So throughout my life, I looked forward to going to school, college, maybe becomg a lawyer or something along those lines. Well , It didnt exactly turn out that way. I enrolled in college in fall of 1985. I majored in criminal justice.  I suddenly had a desire to wor in law enforcemrnt. When I left college , I took the civil service exam , passed and waited . While I waited, I worked full time at a local bank in town. Well, that decision resulted in a 27 year career in banking with 2 banks. I started as a teller and ended as a asst vice president, Branch Manager- Licensed with my Life  & 6/63 (investment license).

I retired 2 years ago – So why did I just go through all of this to tell you my story ? Its because there is a message here-  I want to be able to convey that not once should you ever let ANY obstacle or any adversity get in the way of living your life. I want you to know that Life goes on, every day,every minute. We need to do what we want in life and live our dreams and our goals. We cannot give up ever.

I want to be a motivational speaker, but I’m just not sure what to speak about . So I’m starting with this. Thee are certain things that we must accept in life- Like my NF, and those things , we must live with. And if we don’t accept those things and look at it as a problem, then the problem becomes a problem. We must BE CONFIDENT and have a positive attitude. Set goals for ourselves and go after those goals. Most of all, we must be confident in our own abilities to succeed. I always lived life by being myself, and treating others with respect and kindness.  Now, some may respond to my blog negatively , but I had a 27 year carreer in banking running a 80 million dollar branch very successfully  following the philosophy of give respect first- and you will be respected. Be kind always- care , have integrity and be yourself.  I treated all my clients the same. They didnt care what I looked like- (it wasnt always pretty , believe me), but I enjoyed my career very much !

If you follow those simple rules, you will succeed at anything you do- Perception is everything

Thank you- Lorenzo Victory(Lawrence Nasser)

 

MAKE ME SMILE

Before we can even begin to be happy-we must smile.  But being happy involves many different factors. Why are we happy today- when we werent happy yesterday ?  If you love the sun , and it makes you happy, and its sunny everyday, shouldnt you be happy everyday ? Why then ,are some people not happy everyday ? What outside factors are causing this ? Because its not sunny everyday . When we meet other people in our life, we must realize that everyone is at a certain place in their life. We dont know where they came from. Where theyve been or what theyve been through. What we do know, is that they are here now.

So here we are. This person that you dont know and are about to meet  is a mystery to you , right ?  So step number one – you introduce yourself and maybe shake their hand or say your name.  At that exact moment in time, you dont give a shit what theyve been thru or what their personal history is , right ? I mean, especially if your about to conduct business with this person , right ?  OR maybe youve just met them at a friends house .  You only care about their demeanor at that moment. You only care about their reputation or history but only if youve heard about it first.

So why then do we immediately judge others when we see them in a different setting.  Why do we judge a person that may be walking down the street wearing dirty jeans and a baggy sweater with a jacket with holes in it ? Do we know that person ? If you walked by a person like that on the street, would you smile at him and say hi ? hmmm. Would you ?  We dont know anything about that person- his backround, his childhood or his history. He could own a metal forging company and be on break walking to get a cup of coffee and he happens to like to gets his hands dirty in his own company ? Laughable you say ? No way you say ? Well I happen to know a unnamed company that the owner would actually get his hands dirty and work in his own plant on occasion. He wasnt afraid to wear jeans and a sweater and you would never know he was an extremely wealthy man. But if you saw him on the street walking on break, one might assume needed a handout .  See my point. We often judge when we dont know whats going on with people.

That was one exteme- a persons behavior and actions arent always an indication of the type of individual they are. Especially young teens and kids. Smiling at people is the first step in showing you care. Taking the time to just talk and mostly listen is crucial in building repor with anyone. After 27 years in banking, I learned to NEVER judge anyone I meet because everyone deserves to be treated with respect-EVERYONE- no matter how old you are. Its a practice that worked for my whole career successfully. And it created many followers in my business life. Attitude is everything-Always believe in yourself-always smile at your friends and customers ! Make someones day ! Lorenzo Victory

Why do we worry ?

Is worrying healthy ? Could it even be a positive thing to worry ? We all worry about something to some extent at some point in our life.  Sometimes its our loved ones health or bills, or maybe what other people think of us or whether or not it going to rain. Most of the time, worrying about things do very little good  other than waste your time and cause you grief. Can worrying about something actually be positive ?  Is it possible that if I “worry” about hitting my goal and meeting my deadline that it will inspire me and drive me to work harder so that I actually do reach my goal ?  Some would say that they weren’t really worried at all and that they knew they would reach their goal all along.

When you first set out to reach a dream or a goal, you set the bar high and you know that there are certain things that need to be completed. Sometimes, you don’t know every single step that it will take but you know that it will take determination, passion, attitude, confidence and desire. When you want to excel , you must show that you have the right type of attitude to  excell. You have to do the research and take the necessary steps. You have to ask for the help and guidance.  You have to show the initiative. It will NOT just fall into your lap.  Should this worry you a little at first? Sure, but worry will soon turn into confidence. Confidence will soon lead you to success. The initial worry has become a positive because it caused you to excell.

On occasion, worry can be a problem. The problem with worry, is that we worry about everything in this world . We worry about politics,war,religion,sports,sex,jobs,entertainment,weather,games,cellphones,money,hate groups,movies,healthcare, and the list goes on. It seems ironic that what we dont worry about -is each other.  Yes, WE do individually maybe. We care about our family but does it seem like the world as a whole just really doesnt give a shit about anyone including you or me ? It seems like no one is worrying about us . The world is going on and yes we are all part of it but everyone seems to have their own agenda.  We have to remember that we are all here together. And we still have a code of values and morals to live by-don’t we ?. It seems like many people in our world have forgotten those codes. Sure , Everyones values and morals may differ slightly, but one code that should not differ at all is respect. We have lost that value in this world. And that-worries me.

 www.lorenzovictory.com

Being you in a world of me’s

Being you today is tough. Its always about me-me me.  Many people are focused on “how can I get this for me”  instead of  “What can I do to postion myself for success”.  There IS a distinct difference between those two statements. Knowing and figuring that out could be all you need set you on your way to success. We have all heard that success is mostly about attitude and determination. This is true-it is.  It’s also about goal setting and creating a plan and being focused on that plan and being positive that you are going to get to your goal.  You also have to have the confidence that you can achieve these goals.

But out of all these things mentioned here, the most important important step is NONE of the above- Confused ?  You see, the most important step in achieving success in your life is DESIRE and the WANT to succeed. Without these 2 things , you cannot focus-or plan-or be positive or even be determined.  Yes they are tied in with ATTITUDE  but you can have a positive attitude all you want but if you dont have the desire or the drive, success is hard to come by. 

I wanted to get promoted to Branch Manger-I had the DESIRE and the WANT to succeed. I asked what was needed to get there and I did the things needed to get to my goal. There is no difference between that and success in business or achieving ANY goal. I did have the right Attitude  and I applied it to those principles.  Its hard to maintain that for a long time to achieve a goal but its worth the wait.  Never give up on your dreams.  Always be who you are. Make life about you and work toward your dreams but never be about “me”. Contribute to the world and give back to society if possible. Always be a good person and show the world who YOU are.  www.lorenzovictory.com