Dennis Mbogori on Using Positive Affirmations to Build Authority and Momentum

Welcome back to the Authority Is podcast, where we help you to grow your business, attract new opportunities, and outpace your competition. My name is George Wright III. I'm your host, and I've been partnering up with Valiant CEO Magazine to bring you the hottest entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and experts from around the world that are crushing it in business. Together, we're going to unpack strategies and tactics that they're using to become the authority in their field. And my goal is to help to inspire and motivate you to do the same. So let's get right into it. Okay, welcome back, George Wright III. And I'm joined today by a guest. I think you're going to really get a lot out of this. His name is Dennis Bogory. And I think what we're going to be covering today will be something critical for your mindset. So Dennis, welcome to the show. Thank you. Thank you, George. Appreciate it. I'm glad we were able to get our calendar and things lined up because you've got some great, powerful stories. And before we get going, I want to give everybody a little bit of an introduction for you, at least where you're coming from. You were born in Kenya, moved to the U.S. during college. And Dennis was inspired, which was what kind of attracted me to the conversation. Dennis was inspired by John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. And he's gone through some programs with him. He's developed some of his own. He's a coach, a motivational speaker, a writer, and he's the author of Affirm Your Greatness, Harnessing the Power of Positive Affirmations. So I'm really excited to kind of get into it with you today. But Dennis, maybe what you could do is start by giving us a little bit of your origin story. You know what? Tell us about your story about coming to the U.S. and what sparked your passion getting into personal development. Sure. Thank you, Judge. I was born in Nakuru, Kenya, which is in the Rift Valley region, or in East Africa. Basically, I lived my early life all the way through second year of college. And my father had decided to relocate the entire family to the United States in 1999. So we arrived in the middle of summer and it was July of 1999 and found us in Georgia. So this was my first time in the United States. I had traveled in Africa, I had been to Tanzania, Malawi, South Africa, but this was my first time in the West. Wow. So we arrived here in the middle of summer, everything is blazing hot. So it took time to adjust to the weather. And then there's the whole culture show. People couldn't understand what I was saying. I couldn't understand what they were saying. Wow. We were both speaking English. I guess with time, I was able to adjust and we were able to communicate. I figured along the way that the main complaint was I was speaking too fast, so I learned to slow myself down so that at least I could get some understanding. So once we arrived, now it's settling down, trying to figure out, okay, where do we start? Where do we go to for work? Where do we get groceries? And it was a whole adventure, you know, trying to figure out, okay. First of all, we are moving from Kenya shillings. Now I'm dealing with the US dollars. I'm dealing with all these. Trying to figure out what is a diamond and a nickel. And something interesting that I'd like to mention, as we are judges, for most of us, in migrating from Africa or other countries, when you go to the show, your first thing to do is you start computing the price according to your native currency. So I'll pick up a loaf of bread and I'm converting the $2 loaf of bread into Kenne Sheilis and I'm like, man, this is too much. So it would be being back and trying to price things. But it took a while to realize I'm now here. And so my mindset should be here. I leave the conversion to the people at home and learn to do things here. So with that, finally settled down, got my first job, working in a grocery store, part-time. And I was a telemarketer, believe it or not. Yeah. Do what you got to do, right? And this was the time when we were taking a long distance phone call service. I was working for NCI WorldCore. And I would get on the phone calling people at night. And there was this ad on the TV featuring Michael Jordan. So that was our pitch. Hey, have you seen this ad by Michael Jordan? You know, you're still presenting NCI WorldCore. And then people hung up on you because you're calling them at dinner time. I mean, talk about struggle. You're literally trying to figure out language. And this is really important. And I'll tell you why, Dennis, it's so important for people to hear because you're trying to understand language. You're trying to change your mindset. You're trying to get a job. You're faced with all these obstacles as you come over here, which is a pretty overwhelming thing. Most people are just struggling with the day-to-day. You've got to completely change everything you're doing. So what shifted you or what event happened that you felt kind of was a point that shifted you into this space of a career around personal development? That was a couple of years later, once I enrolled in Bible College, Beulah Heights Bible College in Atlanta. And one of the courses that we had to take was a course on leadership. And our textbook was the 21 Retutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell. And so we went through the whole semester going through the book. I think we were doing like a chapter a week. So, and at the end of the book, the edition that I had, it had a contact information for the John Maxwell organization. If you're interested in starting coaching or want to start a speaking career, write us an email on this address and I will get back to you. So I let it sit for a little bit. As I told you, I enrolled finally in 2016. That's when I was getting certified. About 10 years that I graduated college. But the thing had been reoccurring in my mind. In your mind. In my mind. And I was watching John Maxwell. He had this, a minute by Maxwell, a one-minute video clip on YouTube. So I would watch those. And every time I would watch it, you know, I would get intrigued. I'm like, wow, this is interesting. You know, if you have listened to him, he's just very calm and very fatherly. Uh, and you know, in one minute he was able to communicate a lot. So, and at the end of, he had a call to action at the end of the video. If you're interested in enrolling for coaching program, click the link in the description. So I eventually did 10 years after graduation. Well, and let me ask you, cause I'm curious. it's gelling in your mind the whole time. And you obviously were on a path of some personal development yourself. Was there a reason that you chose to take action then? In other words, was there a turning point that you decided I've got to do something? What made you take that action at that point, 10 years later? Well, it was twofold. I graduated with a biblical studies degree, basically a theology degree and getting a pastoral assignment And in the U was hard or by itself It was difficult because you go to a church they start all these questions Where are you from? What do you want to do? How long are you going to be here? It was a challenge and a half. So, I just put that on the side and started to focus strictly on the motivational route, on the speaking route. So, I continued digesting a lot of John Maxwell materials, signed up for Audible, consumed a lot of Audible books, especially not only for John Maxwell, but a lot of things to do with motivation. a positive mindset, you know, listen to Grant Cordon and... Was it also though, because like you read that book obviously in college, but was it because you were using it for yourself personally, as well as that it was so exciting to you to kind of get into the motivational and personal development space? Because it seems like in your life when we have our conversation, you know, it was something that you naturally felt was helping you in your life, but you also wanted to do as a career as well, right? Yes, it was. And there was one law that actually stood out, the law of big more, the law of momentum. And for some reason, even after I finished the book, I will keep getting back to this because I felt like, okay, now I'm here, but my life is not moving. I'm not having the momentum, so I will keep rereading it. What is this law of big more? Why don't I have momentum? I've graduated from college. I'm not getting a job. Well, I have a job. It's not what I would like to do. So I would keep circling back to it and I'm like, I need some momentum. So I get looking and researching, watching YouTube video after YouTube video, listening to audio books. And of course, you know, you will know this, but you know, as the more material you consume it, gets into you and starts changing and transforming slowly by slowly. Yes. So eventually now come to, speaking of the book, in 2020, COVID hits and, uh, everywhere, you know, the world is shut down. And, um, so for a while, I wasn't going to word and I will get these newsletters in my email box. Some of them were junk mail, but there was one that popped up, do you want to write a book? Click this link. They sent out a book template. That was the origin for the Got Goals book. They basically sent a book template and said, okay, these are the steps to do. So fill out the template, put your introduction and then publish it on Amazon through Amazon KDP. So I was like, oh, wow. All right. So I did my thing, looked for quotes that resonated with me. Of course, I had to write the introduction and give part of my story and my journey, especially concerning leadership and motivation and the whole issue of goal setting and why they should consume the book. So eventually, I got the book up on Amazon. After getting the cover designed on Fiber, I did a lot of Googling. Well, you had to figure it all out, it sounds like. Yeah. You did it all. yeah so i'm like okay where do i get a cover design and so get the book done put it on amazon i got there for a little bit but thankfully thank god for friends you know it started to grow yeah they feel pity on me they're like okay i'll get a couple of books for myself you know what's interesting though dennis i gotta i gotta put i because i want to dig into the book here but i don't want to pass over something i think the the listeners need to hear sure and that is this idea of momentum, because, you know, I think that there are a lot of people out there consuming the thing that they want to become like personal development and knowledge and motivation. And I think you and this is the reason I wanted to have you on the show is I think you did and you teach what most people don't do. And that is that you can be consuming all these things and wondering where it is. But the key thing is you have to make a decision and take action. And what you did, for example, back when you clicked on that link and went into the John Maxwell training program, or when you clicked on the link for the book and decided to do the book, you didn't, I'm going to make a really big point about this to the listeners. You didn't know what you were doing. You didn't have any plan. You just took action. And it was through that action that the momentum started to build, right? Because you didn't even know how to design a book cover, let alone do motivational training, right? So it's that action. Yeah, it was a leap of faith, to say the least, you know, compiling the book, making sure the format is right, getting the cover design, and then, okay, getting it on Amazon, and then having to figure out, okay, well, what do you do to market the book? So you're going on Facebook, you're Googling, and as I said, you know, friends come in handy. They're like, okay, I have this book on Amazon. Promoting. Buy a copy from me. I'm like, okay, I got good goals. I get a copy. So I had, you know, I began like, post full and save CDs from the back of their cars. I'll have a couple of books and like, you want a copy? And so, yeah, basically that's how this whole journey started. Well, Dennis, I think it's important for people to know that I say and you say take action to get momentum. But the thing I love and the reason I emphasize this on my show is it's the way you think that gets you to take action, not just the action. So you, obviously coming from Kenya, not knowing what to do, you've always had this mindset of you'll figure it out. You'll figure it out. And it's that that got you to take action and do things. So I think that people need to really recognize that it's the way you think. You didn't have the answers, but you knew, at least from what our conversations have been, you knew you would figure it out, right? Yeah, you make sure you research, look for information, find resources, talk to somebody. Yeah, because the answers are out there. If John Maxwell is publishing all these books and other people are publishing, so just have to find someone to ask. There is no self issue the information anyway. And research and, you know, figure it out. Figure something, figure out how to do this thing. figure out how to publish the book, figure out how to bring a speaking engagement. I'm so glad to be on this podcast. You know, it's a milestone for me. Well, you, but you, you've done a lot to, I mean, let's be honest. We do thousands of interviews in our magazines and I have lots of different hosts and there's a lot of people that request. In fact, I was going last night and looking through, I had a hundred requests to be on our podcast just in the last week, but you had kind of sorted through the crowd And so there's a lot to be said for if you're listening to this podcast, having the right mindset of you'll figure it out. That's a real big key. So now let's pivot. And I wanted to ask you in the time we have left, why did you choose the topic of positive affirmations for your book? Because, you know, a lot of people are skeptical of affirmations and, you know, they've heard it all the time. I say those things all the time, but it doesn't help me. Like why did you pick that topic Help me understand a little bit about positive affirmations in your book Thank you Well it kind of relates to my background and my upbringing Back home in Kenya, growing up, I was the firstborn son, two other brothers and a younger sister. And growing up, you know, I don't think my parents intended this, especially my father. You know, when you don't do things right, you know, I don't think you'll amount to anything. And, you know, when you get to hear those kind of statements, they kind of seep into your subconscious. For sure. You strive, you graduate high school, but there's that inner voice that rings. You'll still not achieve what you think you'll be able to achieve. So there was that voice of self-doubt, a feeling of inferiority complex. And when I had time to sit down, I was like, you know, I keep singing all these quotes. I just read a book by Zig Ziglar and he had a book of quotes and relating to, you know, affirmation and changing of mindset. So I was like, well, I'll become my own doctor and diagnose myself out of this, you know, negative thing. I love that. Diagnose yourself out of that. And then negative self-talk and that's what I dove into the whole affirmation thing. I did the research and the science behind it. You know, I was intrigued. As I was writing the book and I was researching it, they were talking about neuroplasticity. And that how, you know, the affirmations basically change and mold your brain physically. You're like, wow, I can actually change the structure of my brain by talking, speaking to myself in a positive manner. It's very easy to say, oh, I've gained weight, you know, I'm losing hair. You know, there's something about human beings, you know, sliding towards the negative. So, as I said, I had to diagnose myself and say, okay, I need to change the trajectory of my life. and trajectory of my speaking of my words. I'm a preacher on Sunday, and I tell people how to live life and everything. But then come Monday morning, and I'm going to work, and then I'm like, oh boy, it's Monday, I have to go and deal with these goals. So there's this blanket of negativity that just falls on you. So I was like, no, peace has to change. and so I started researching and read about neuroplasticity and you know the power of affirmations and how speaking them to yourself you know looking into a mirror or putting sticky notes on the wall and repeating these statements can actually change you and change how you live your life so I love that though you you hit a couple of really important things I want to kind to emphasize. One is that you, I love the fact that you decided to just diagnose yourself and make a change. That's kind of cool. I haven't heard that before. But the other thing is that I think you're right. I think that affirmations is not just some personal development type of topic. It's literally a technique that will change your brain because neuroplasticity is a real thing. You know, if you are struggling with negativity, if you're struggling with self-doubt, if you're struggling with those things, you're not just saying something that's not true. You're literally programming your mind and your mind is your best tool unless it's working against you. So I love the science in addition to the personal development aspect. But I wanted to note for the listeners, because you probably forget you've done this, your title really appealed to me because your title is not just positive affirmations, the power of positive affirmations. It's affirm your greatness and i think that speaks to the fact that you're not just trying to become something great you're already something great you're just trying to have you're trying to feel the onion right you're trying to feel the title of your greatness it actually implies that you have greatness in you, it's just that you have to take off the layers, like peeling an onion or peeling a carpet, and get to the core of your greatness, get to the core of who you are, who you are made to be, who you are created to be, if you're of a period of persuasion, because, you know, I hear this a lot, God doesn't make junk. junk, and that means regardless of how you were born into this world, whether the circumstances were good or bad, there's a reason you are here, there's a reason you are alive at this time, and you have a purpose to fulfill. So it is up to you to dig deep and find out, why am I here? What am I good at? And what legacy can I leave on this earth? What is your footprint that you want to leave in this place once you leave? So that people will say, you know, in 2025, there was this preacher from Africa called Dennis. and you know he said this and he said that and it really changed my life so each and every one of us george myself you know and you uh our listeners there's something in you there's a story in you that is just waiting to come out you may you may not become a motivational speaker but i i guarantee there's a story in you but you just have to dig deep get rid of of the of the set and negative self-talk and you know find find what makes you what what makes your heart sting what what makes you you know jump in the morning whether it's monday or wednesday or friday you know always thank god it's friday but in reality we should thank god whether it's every monday or thursday yeah you know you should you know jump out of the bed with excitement and we resist for life and um so affirm your greatness tool a handbook basically to to remind you that there's greatness in you yes how to search it out bring it out and put it to the forefront i love it i love it and you know i loved some of the sections of the book um i haven't been completely through it yet but i've I'm kind of a quick reader and I loved it because you have putting the science behind it, crafting your affirmations, integrating it with your life, overcoming limiting beliefs, your health and wellness and finance. So there's a piece for all this, but I want to note to the listener also that, and I say this a lot, but it's how individuals like Dennis think that is the key. And you do things, I think a lot of times in life, you and I very much alike. We do things out of just habit now, but consuming books, learning and getting knowledge. When you wanted to do whatever you wanted to do in every one of these areas, you went and learned about it, figured it out, tried to go. So you were teachable You applied affirmations You took action These are not the solutions These are the results of how you think You think a certain way You decided to program your mind as a result. You're consuming books. You're doing all these things. So I really love that as an example because success leaves clues, right? So I want to ask you this about the book because we'll put a link in the show notes for the book so people can go check it out. But what do you think is something that someone can do if they're really struggling with self-doubt right now? Because I'm sure they've heard, start doing affirmations, but at a real high level, I wanted to ask you personally, what do you say to someone that's really struggling with self-doubt or maybe they just feel like they're overcome right now with life? what's the first step they should do to start down that path of positivity and growth and momentum, right? Where does someone start that's really overwhelmed right now? Do you have some suggestions for them? I'll say that my life has a purpose. As I said, none of us arrived here accidentally, regardless of the circumstances surrounding your path. Know that you do have a purpose. Life has a mandate and you matter. And so you have to talk to yourself and say, I am somebody. I do mean something. I do have a purpose. And regardless of the situations, whether it's bills that are not paid, whether it's, you know, I don't have a job or you have one and, you know, the boss is just on your case. Just remind yourself, I do have a purpose. I have a vision, whether it's writing a book, whether it's running a marathon, and just focus on that purpose and put it up on a vision board if you have to. or, you know, if you have a smartphone, like I do, I write these things in my notepad. And just to remind myself, like when I was writing the book, I was like, I have to get this book done. It took a while, but, you know, when you have something that constantly reminds you, or if you have a friend that you confide in and you share your vision with them, And, you know, whenever you're having that negative slam, have someone to, you know, get you back on track and life is going to get better. You can do better. And I love that. In fact, you said something that really kind of I just wrote it down because I really liked it. There's a lot of people out there struggling to find a purpose, right? They're struggling to say, you know, do I really matter or whatever? And I love your point about make a decision and tell yourself that you have a purpose. But I think as I look at your story, you also did something pretty significant is you created a purpose, meaning you decided to engage in becoming an international speaker and an individual that went through and certified with John Maxwell. You also decided at one point to write a book. You learned, you grow, you did it and you went. And what I find with a lot of people I talk with is that your purpose a lot of times comes along the path. But if you're not on the freaking path, you're never going to get there. So making a decision. So I love, so I'll tie it together here. When you said, tell yourself you have a purpose. And I would add to that, pick a purpose. Just pick something to start working on. And if it happens to be, like in your case, something in a positive arena, a book, whatever it is. sometimes that purpose in the short term is what leads you to your purpose where now you can look back and say, I'm a speaker, I'm a mentor, I'm a coach, I'm an author. And now you're helping people individually because of your story. And so I really love that idea that, you know, stop wondering what your purpose is and just make a decision that you have a purpose and pick one and remind yourself about it every day, right? Do you have any, I'm going to ask you this question because I ask most my guests. Do you have a set of daily rituals that you normally have, like where you, you know, some people journal and meditate and some pray, you know, whatever. Do you have kind of daily rituals that you consistently focus on? Sure. And in the morning, of course, I get out of bed, pray, get my day started. During the day, I'm listening to inspirational music when I'm not listening to podcasts or audiobooks. So I actually very rarely listen to talk show or news because there's a lot of negativity in there. So I try to saturate myself. It's audio books, inspirational songs, devotionals. When I get home in the evening, as I speak with my wife, we have dialogue and Bible study. So that's basically my regimen. I love it. I love that. Listening to inspirational music, listening to inspirational talk shows or podcasts or audio books. Well, I love that because that's a pretty consistent thing for myself as well. And so, well, listen, I've enjoyed having you here. Before I let everyone go, where is the best place to have individuals connect with you? Would it be your website at dennismotivates.com? Yeah, that would be the perfect central area. So dennismotivates.com and you'll find everything that you need. I love it. I love it. I've been on the site. You've got a lot of great inspirational blog posts and content. So yeah, what I'll do, guys, if you're listening to this episode, I'll share the links in the show notes to his social media links. You can connect with him there. Or if you want to just connect with Dennis and just follow the great messages he's putting out on his site. He's got morning affirmations. affirmations for all kinds of areas of your life, content, and articles. So go check it out. Dennis, it's been a pleasure having you on the show. I hope that those listening will share this show. Do us a favor, get this message out. If you've got a story, if you've got something you're overcoming in your life, we can all be inspired by the messages that are out there. Is there anything you want to leave them with before we take off, Dennis? The people that you surround yourself with matters. When you're dealing with negative self-talk, surround yourself with positive people. Surround yourself with people who will speak greatness into you, even when you can't see it in yourself. Have someone to speak it into you, whether it's the audiobook, whether it's a podcast, or a physical friend that you can talk to. Have someone to dialogue your life with. I love that. I love that recommendation because we are by nature a lot of times leaning as human beings towards negative. And I love that suggestion. Surround yourself with the right people that will speak that into you. You already have greatness. As I mentioned at the end of all of our shows, I believe that you do have greatness inside of you. And I believe it's never too late to start creating the life that you were meant to live, that your best life. But you've got to do something about it. And so take action, share this show, hit me up on the Daily Mastermind on Facebook or Instagram. And I look forward to talking with you again tomorrow. Once again, this is George Wright. You've been hanging out with Dennis and George. Have a great day. Thank you.