Michael T Brown

All too often, when something unpleasant or unplanned occurs in our life we ask the question, "Why Me?" This has such a negative connotation and should not break you down. In this topic I discuss how to approach this question with a positive mindset. What am I supposed to learn from this that will make me a better, leader, person, friend, confidant...? I focus on how your life experiences help to fuel your success. To do this, I share some of my hardest hitting experiences, times that I woefully asked, "Why Me?" and some of the techniques I used to leave the negative behind. I also talk about my ongoing journey to ask this question with earnest for the answer to come. It is my belief that the answer to, "Why Me," reveals itself in incredible and unexpected things. I dream of helping others believe the same.

I am a dreamer and venture to guess that many are, in fact, it is my hope that my daughters grow up to be dreamers. Simply dreaming isn't enough. You have to do everything within your power to achieve your dreams and when you fall short, you must determine what must change. Sometimes you must adjust your approach and apply effort in a new direction. Other times you must evaluate if that dream still matters to you. An unrealized dream may be what you need to realize a new dream and provide you the fuel you need to pursue that new goal. For years, I was terribly hard on myself about a "failed" dream until I learned that I had to walk down one path to learn about another. "Next Summit" unpacks this journey and shares a message of finding a new goal. The title was chosen when a close friend shared some unfortunate career news with me and stated that they "peaked." In that moment, I reminded them that there is always another mountain to look up to and another peak to summit.