Hello, I'm Dr. Howard Dennis, your certified high performance coach. Today, I want to begin something special with you — a deep dive into the 12 Charge Sessions , a transformative framework that has the power to pull you out of any slump and propel you toward extraordinary results.
We'll actually cover this in 13 or 14 sessions because I want to break the first one into two parts. There's just too much valuable information to rush through.
So pull out your journal, grab a pen, and let's begin.
Before we dive in, I want to share something powerful with you.
I recently heard Brendon Burchard talking about writing his book The Charge , and he shared something I witnessed firsthand. Brendon had suffered a serious brain injury from a four-wheeler accident, and the 10 charges he wrote about in that book literally helped pull him out of his brain injury .
I was actually at that seminar — the Experts Academy, I believe it was in 2011 over Labor Day — right before he was bringing this material out. He had a cast on and everything. I was there when he was going through it, though I didn't know the full extent of what he was facing at the time.
And here's what's interesting: my wife and I had just found out she was pregnant with our little boy. We were going through quite a bit ourselves. One of my best friends was battling Lou Gehrig's disease — what a horrible, devastating disease. And at the same time, I was losing a couple of properties and my life savings. I had wasted it.
But you know what? When you see one of your best friends going through Lou Gehrig's disease, it makes you feel like you have no right to cry about your finances .
And the very things we're going to go over in these Charge Sessions — these principles — helped me pull out of my slump .
And they can help you get out of yours too. Whatever that slump is.
But here's the beautiful part: even if you're not in a slump, we can all step it up right now . Every single one of us has room to grow, to expand, to become more.
Here's a truth that changed my life: What we choose that's going on inside of us right now precedes our success.
Getting the mind right lays the foundation for success.
Brendon calls it "progress mode." I like to call it "forward mode." Our brains are created to go forward.
Remember what I shared with you from Hebrews 12:1-2 — "Lay down the weight and the sin, the weight. We need to lay it down."
We need to get our minds right before we have success. We don't say, "When I get successful, I'm gonna change." No. We change, and then we get successful.
That's the order. That's the secret.
So what are we trying to accomplish today? Here are our goals:
✔ Identify where you're feeling caged, comfortable, or charged
✔ Introduce you to this new framework — the 10 Human Drives
✔ Examine what makes you feel most alive and fulfilled
✔ Master your internal world
That's what we're talking about here — mastering our internal world. Because when you master what's happening inside of you, the external results will follow.
Today, I'm going to walk you through five of the 10 human drives . I want you to rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 :
The goal of this short assessment is to help you identify areas for improvement. This isn't about perfection or getting hung up on exact wording. It's about overall self-reflection .
I want you to think about this past year as you rate yourself. If you're watching this at a different time, think about the past two to three months of your life.
Ready? Let's go.
Definition:
I sense I'm in control of my overall life right now. I feel like the captain of my ship. I have a handle on my life. I'm progressing with confidence. I know I can bounce back from setbacks and continue forward with strength.
Rate yourself 1-10.
How much control do you feel you have over your life this year? Are you steering the ship, or are you just reacting to the waves?
Definition:
I have the knowledge, skills, ability, and wisdom needed to achieve my goals. I'm regularly learning new things that help me progress. I know what I must learn in the coming months to be more successful.
Rate yourself 1-10.
Are you growing? Are you learning? Do you feel equipped to achieve what you're after?
Definition:
I'm living in alignment with my values and who I want to be as a person. I treat others the way I hope to treat people. I'm honest and trustworthy. I feel I'm living in integrity with what I believe and tell people.
Rate yourself 1-10.
Are your actions matching your values? Are you walking your talk?
Definition:
I care for myself. I'm kind to myself and mindful of consistent self-care. I feel cared for by other people. People are kind to me and make me feel cared for and appreciated. I also deeply care for others, and I demonstrate it regularly by expressing my appreciation.
Rate yourself 1-10.
Are you taking care of yourself? Do you feel cared for? Are you showing care to others?
Definition:
I feel deeply connected to people in my life. Overall, I have healthy relationships. I focus on improving my relationships, and I feel lucky and happy to have great people in my personal and professional life.
Rate yourself 1-10.
Do you feel connected? Do you have meaningful relationships? Are you investing in them?
Now that you've rated yourself, I want you to ask yourself these questions:
Think about this. Ponder it. Journal on it over the next few days.
Because here's the key: Once you identify what's working in one area, you can apply those same habits, beliefs, and behaviors to other areas of your life.
This is about mastering your internal world. Whatever is going on with you right now matters — but it doesn't have to define you.
Here's the truth: No matter where you are in your life right now — whether you're down or up — you can go forward in a much better way.
You do not have to let your old stories and what's going on with you now hold you back. You can create a new story. You can lay down the weight and choose to grow.
But when we don't? When we let fear, pride, or pain hold us back?
One day becomes one week. One week becomes one month. One month becomes one year.
And before you know it, years have slipped away.
I know someone right now — middle-aged, dealing with issues with their daughter. Instead of doing the right thing, instead of making contact and making things right, they're stuck.
They're stuck because they don't want to feel the hard emotions of saying "I'm sorry." They don't want to face the consequences of repairing the relationship.
So rather than step up and make the right decision, they pretend a nice talk took care of the issue. But it didn't.
We humans are funny like that. We let things hold us back. We avoid the hard conversations. We stay comfortable in our cages.
Don't let another day slip away.
You can change today. You can take control. You can step into connection. You can live in congruence.
If you're ready to work through whatever's holding you back, I want to help you.
Text "CLARITY" to 423-460-9757 and I'll send you my FREE 5-Step Clarity Blueprint — a simple, powerful tool to help you unlock clarity, confidence, and focus.
You can change today. Go make a change today.
I'm Dr. Howard Dennis, your certified high performance coach.
Let's master your internal world together.