In this episode, I complete the CliftonStrengths exam by Gallup, more commonly referred to as the Strength Finders exam. As I'm taking the exam, I talk through why I'm choosing the answers that I'm choosing in an effort to help you learn a bit more about the way I "tick".
I got this idea when I was walking my mom through the five love languages exam a few weeks back and wished that I had recorded her doing that. I also share my results and talk through how those things are evident in my life. I take some time at the end to remind you about an incredibly important event coming up soon!!!

If you are interested in learning more about your strengths as a person, I've included the link below where you can purchase the exam for $49.99.

If you know what your five strengths are, I'd love for you to message me about them on instagram @brianbrister

https://store.gallup.com/c/en-us/assessments?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Strengths_ECommerce_Brand_Search_US&utm_content=clifton%20strengths%20assessment&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoJX8BRCZARIsAEWBFMIunagN1UXQc2cWtFeFkCDXDIqR5enyy2od1a4MUsrIqItWjm3Ie7waAgRYEALw_wcB

I finally convinced my sister Cindy Lou to sit down and chat for just a few minutes about couponing, how she got into it and what you need to know if you're interested in getting started. If you're interested in learning about couponing or just want to hear my sister and I have a conversation, check it out. 

Thanks for the listen.

In this podcast, I talk about the importance of your past for what it taught you and what you learned in it. I also talk about honoring your previous body if you've experience major physical changes. I also talk a bit about body dysmorphia and I share my list of why's that I wrote when I first began my health program. A short list of what I wanted to accomplish, why I was here and why I chose those things. I hope something in this inspires you or challenges you in some way.

In this episode, I take some time to talk through an addiction that most people wouldn't consider an addiction and what it looks like for me and how I've taken steps to learn and process and walk through this. I speak about this in hopes that it inspires others to take an account of the things in their lives that they turn to in hard times and that they'll begin to work through what it looks like to overcome those addictions. I also speak about this in an effort to hold myself accountable. If I put it out there for the whole world to hear and know and be aware of, then my friends and family and you can help me continue to be strong in the battle against addiction in my life.

Alternate Title: What Does It Mean To Be A Worship Leader When You're Not Currently Leading A Congregation In Worship?

In this episode I share what my journey has looked like since becoming a worship leader as a young kid in Mississippi, then moving to New York, then Los Angeles and now being in Mississippi due to Covid-19 and a lot of what I've learned in the process.

I'm not here to say that I have it figured out, because I don't yet. I don't know what it looks like (to be a worship leader without a platform), but I do know that me being a worship leader is still true. And me being a worship leader is still directly tied to my relationship with my savior. I was on a call with a group of friends the other day. And we were talking about what are some things that you've learned in quarantine that you didn't realize before? And for me it's been very interesting in the sense that if you had asked me prior to quarantine, "do you have a daily relationship with God?" I would have been like, "Absolutely! Love the guy! BFFs. We talk all the time!" but I completely recognize the need for not having your relationship with God be tied to a building or a church service or a group of people. Your relationship with God has to be yours. 

My relationship with God has to be mine. And I realized in quarantine that while my relationship with God is mine and I do have a relationship with God, there were still very, very many times that my experience with God or my time spent in God's presence was because I needed that for something. So example, I'm going to lead worship on Sunday to a group of people. I can't take people into his presence if I haven't been there. So, I have to spend time in God's presence so that I can take them into God's presence. 

But now I don't have anyone to take into God's presence. So, being in his presence is not for a purpose of accomplishing something else. Being in his presence is simply because I'm in his presence, and because he is my savior and because I love him and because I want to spend time with him.

And that's a whole new ballgame that I'd never played in before.

I talk to a lot of people who say, well, my mom always said _____, or my friend always said ______, or my siblings always said ______. And I mean, they know me better than I do, so it must be true. Nah, get out of here with that. Okay? This is your life. No one else gets to tell you what you are worthy of or what you deserve or what you can have in your life. Only you get to do that. So, I'm sorry. Say buh-bye to the haters and prove them wrong, prove to them that you deserve it, that you are capable, that you are stronger, that you are made to do hard things; that you were made to accomplish whatever you set your mind to.

And when you get to that moment, you are at an incredible crossroad, my friend. You can either choose to continue believing that thing that has held you back for so long, or you can walk down the other road and you can begin to believe something new; and whichever choice you make...Okay. I’m going to be honest with you. I want you to choose the opposite. I want you to believe the different thing that helps you achieve your goal. But the reality is that it's your choice and it's your life. And honestly, there is no wrong answer because it is your journey. And if you want to keep believing that thing, you can. But if you want to accomplish your goals and you want to see your dreams come true and you want to experience an even greater life than what you're currently living, take the other road.

Introduction to who Brian Brister is if we've never met. This episode is a brief overview of my life from being born in small-town Mississippi to getting my bachelors and masters degrees then moving to New York City and Los Angeles and losing 155 pounds and becoming the healthiest version of myself thus far.

instagram.com/brianbrister



Average weight loss on the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan® is 12 pounds. Clients are in weight loss, on average, for 12 weeks.