Dennis Haber represents a unique voice in personal transformation. As an attorney, Ziglar Legacy Certified trainer and coach and author of multiple books including Your Finest Hour and Don’t Play with Fire, he brings both professional rigor and hard-won personal wisdom to the conversation about human potential. His latest work promises readers the tools to reclaim their lives through three fundamental “superpowers”: thought creation and thinking control, appropriate response, and awareness. In this expanded conversation, we explore how these concepts can help anyone live life at a level they never thought possible.
Q: Dennis, your book opens with a promise of “living life at a level you never thought possible.” What inspired you to write Your Finest Hour?
Dennis Haber: I wrote this book because I lived too long in a fog of limitations that I helped create. Like many, I blamed others, feared the truth, and avoided responsibility. But once I started to internalize what I now call the Learning Mode Effect, I realized I could rewrite my own story. Your Finest Hour is about helping people do just that—reclaim their life by tapping into important mental capabilities most of us have let go dormant.
The transformation didn’t happen overnight. It required me to confront uncomfortable truths about how I was showing up in the world. But that confrontation became the gateway to freedom.
Q: Can you share a specific moment when you realized you needed to make this shift?
Dennis: During college I worked as a real estate agent. I had a client—a woman looking for her dream home. She asked me detailed questions about neighborhoods, school districts, property values, etc. All good queries. I couldn’t answer any of them. She started yelling at me, and rightfully so. I was playing the tour guide, pointing out obvious features like “here’s the kitchen,” instead of providing real value.
That moment was my wake-up call. I realized that if no one else was going to give me the tools to succeed, I had to develop them myself. That’s when I discovered the world of personal development, starting with Dale Carnegie’s How To Win Friends and Influence People. It changed everything.
Q: You mention three superpowers: thought creation and thinking control, appropriate response, and awareness. Why these three?
Dennis: Because they are the foundation of personal liberation. Thought creation and thinking control is your ability to manufacture a mindset that serves you. Appropriate response is emotional maturity in motion—choosing how to act, not react. Awareness is the lens through which we observe and interpret everything. These three in harmony allow you to see clearly, respond wisely, and imagine the unimaginable. That’s real power.
Let me break them down:
Thought Creation and Thinking Control: This is about recognizing that you’re not a victim of your thoughts—you’re their author. Most people let their minds run on autopilot, replaying old scripts of limitation. But you can write new ones and when you do you can ask yourself an important question- What does this situation now make possible?
Appropriate Response: Life will always throw curveballs. The question is: Will you react from old habits or respond from wisdom? This superpower is about creating calming space between stimulus and response, as you solidify important relationships. It is helpful to ask yourself, What do I want to have happen?
Awareness: You become the observer of your own thoughts and feelings, your predicaments and the menu of choices to choose from. Now is a great time to ask yourself, What information is missing? This will stop you from jumping to the wrong conclusion.
Q: The idea of the “Learning Mode” is central to both Your Finest Hour and your earlier book Don’t Play with Fire. Can you explain what it means to live in Learning Mode?
Dennis: Learning Mode means refusing to be imprisoned by your past and choosing instead to treat every experience—even painful ones—as opportunities to grow. It’s about replacing the phrase “If only I had…” with “Next time I will.” That shift creates resilience. You begin to evolve, rather than revolve around the same mistakes. You now have the key to unlock your mental prison.
Think about it: When a child learns to walk, they fall hundreds of times. But they don’t conclude “I’m not a walker.” They get up and try again. Somewhere along the way, we adults lose that natural learning instinct. We start fearing failure more than we desire growth. Here is the thing to keep in mind: On the other side of fear is the life you should be living.
Q: How does someone practically implement this “Next time I will” mindset?
Dennis: Start small. The next time something doesn’t go as planned—maybe you fumble a presentation or have an argument with your spouse—resist the urge to beat yourself up. Instead, ask: “What will I do differently next time?”
Then—and this is crucial—mentally rehearse the improved next best move and response. Athletes do this all the time. They visualize a successful performance. You can do the same with your life situations.
Q: You wrote, “Your comfort zone is actually a hidden danger zone.” That’s a powerful idea. Can you elaborate?
Dennis: Sure. Comfort zones feel safe, but they often smother progress and improvement. It reinforces old patterns that are no longer relevant and limit possibilities and potential. The real danger is not even trying to do something new. However, once you reframe failure as feedback, the effort becomes growth, not damage. Having confidence at the exact moment you need to excel is the shift I want people to make.
Here’s what most people don’t realize: Your comfort zone is just a familiar place, and is often filled with quiet desperation, unfulfilled dreams, and the nagging sense that life is passing you by. True comfort comes from growth, from knowing you’re becoming who you’re meant to be. So, it’s important to become comfortable being uncomfortable as new skills take time to develop and take hold.
Q: But growth can be scary. How do you help people push through that fear?
Dennis: Every hero in every story was afraid of something. Yet, they prevailed. They understood that fear is a product of the mind and only exists in the mind. It is important to know that on the other side of fear is the life you should be living. Knowing this makes it easier to take action in the presence of fear.
Q: The way you talk about practicing thoughts like a pilot in a simulator is unique. How can someone do this?
Dennis: Visualization and journaling are two key tools. Think of an emotional trigger—say, a difficult boss. Now imagine the next encounter. Instead of reacting the way you always have, rehearse a new response. Play it out in your mind. Because you have created mental reps, those new responses become default and dominant behaviors.
This isn’t just positive thinking. It’s strategic mental preparation. Just as a pilot doesn’t wait until they’re in an emergency to figure out what to do, you shouldn’t wait until you’re in a crisis or jam to develop a better plan and better responses.
Q: Can you give us a specific example of how this works?
Dennis: Absolutely. Let’s say you tend to get defensive when criticized. In your mental simulator, imagine your boss giving you feedback you don’t like. See yourself taking a breath, saying “Thank you for the feedback. Let me make sure I understand…” Having a conversation instead of a debate is key.
Write out the scenario. Include what they might say, what you’ll say, even how you’ll manage your body language. The more detailed, the better. When the real situation arises, you’ll have already “lived” through it successfully multiple times-just like our pilot.
Q: How does this inner work affect our relationships with others?
Dennis: Profoundly. When you are no longer toxic, others around you can relax. When you take responsibility for your growth, you stop blaming others for your limitations. This creates space for authentic connection.
I’ve seen marriages transformed when just one partner commits to this work. I’ve seen workplace dynamics shift when one person stops playing the victim and starts taking ownership of their situation. You can’t change others, but when you change yourself, others often respond differently to you. It’s quite amazing to watch this happen.
Q: You credit influences like Zig Ziglar and Dale Carnegie. What’s one timeless lesson you took from them?
Dennis: Zig said it best: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care about them.” That’s not just for relationships; it’s for living life. It certainly applies to your business, family and personal life.
This principle enhanced my legal career. It is important to understand that if people like you they will listen to you. When they trust you, they will do business with you.
Q: What’s one simple action step someone can take today to start living their finest hour?
Dennis: Write down one belief you know is holding you back. Then rewrite it—on purpose. Turn “I’m not good at public speaking” into “I’m developing my talent as a public speaker.” Then act like the second belief is true. Small shifts create massive change over time.
Here’s why this works: Your brain doesn’t distinguish between what’s “true” and what you repeatedly tell it. If you keep saying, “I’m not good at public speaking” your brain will find evidence to support that. But if you say, “I’m developing my talent as a public speaker,” your brain will start noticing improvements. The confidence and competence will start to feed off each other.
Q: Are there other daily practices you recommend?
Dennis: Yes. Every morning, ask yourself: “What will my best effort look like?” Every evening, ask: “How could I have improved those efforts?” This simple practice keeps you in Learning Mode.
Also, practice gratitude for your challenges. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but your challenges are your classroom. They’re life’s way of helping you develop a better way to think, rethink and unthink. You’ll become curious about what you don’t know and doubt what you do know. This is a great way to make sure that your knowledge is solid. Now you can continue on your journey with confidence.
Q: Your work seems to go beyond just personal achievement. There’s a deeper purpose here.
Dennis: Absolutely. This isn’t about becoming successful in the world’s eyes. It’s about becoming successful in your own eyes—living with integrity, purpose, and joy. It’s about looking in the mirror and smiling and winking at the person looking back. You are your own competition. That is enough.
When you live your finest hour, you inspire others to live theirs. Your transformation gives others permission to transform. That’s how we change the world—one finest hour at a time.
Q: What are you working on now? What’s next for you?
Dennis: I have been asked to publish a book of my Morning Nuggets that are not included in my Finest Hour Coaching, Consulting and Mentoring program. Receiving these nuggets could help you achieve mental victories first thing in the morning, every morning. You’ll have a leg up on the competition. You’ll be ready with your next best move-they will not.
We’re bringing our message of hope and productivity to organizations, nonprofits, and individuals who want transformation, not just inspiration. It’s time you stop living in default mode and start living deliberately and intentionally.
I’m also working on deeper applications of these principles for specific challenges—relationships in crisis, career transitions, health transformations. The principles are universal, but the applications can be very specific.
Q: Final words for our readers who feel stuck or invisible?
Dennis: You are not broken. You are not finished. You simply aren’t where you want to be in life YET. You are simply being invited to imagine your finest hour. And living your finest hour starts now—with a single thought, a single step, and a single decision to believe that your best life and the best you are closer than you think.
Remember: Every master was once a disaster. Every expert was once a beginner. Every success story started with someone who felt exactly like you feel right now. The difference? They chose growth over comfort, learning over ignorance, becoming over stagnation.
Your finest hour isn’t some distant achievement. It’s available right now, at this moment, as you choose to see yourself and your life through the lens of possibility thinking rather than through the lens of limitation and negativity.
Dennis Haber’s message resonates because it’s not theoretical—it’s lived wisdom. He’s walked the path from limitation to liberation, from playing with fire to extinguishing it. His work reminds us that transformation isn’t about perfection; it’s about progress. It’s never about having all the answers; it’s about being willing to learn and then learn some more.
In a world that often feels chaotic and overwhelming, Haber offers something precious: a practical path to personal power. Not power over others, but power over your own thoughts, responses, and awareness. Understanding what is in your control and what is not and acting accordingly, is life changing.
If you’re tired of asking “Is this all there is to life?” you can finally live life as if you were living for a 2nd time. This time you are smarter and wiser. This is what accumulated wisdom from being in Learning Mode can do for you. Your Finest Hour might indeed be the manual you didn’t know you needed. But more than a manual, it’s an invitation—to step into the fullness of who you’re meant to be.
As Dennis would say: Your finest hour begins now. The question is: Will you answer the call? LIke most things in life the choice is yours.
For more information about Dennis Haber’s work, visit www.DennisHaber.com
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