Kant is not an option it's either I I
will or I won't I can I know I can but I
will or I won't you know and that's the
thing and in some cases you may try your
hardest and you just don't win or you
don't pass a test or you don't succeed
that's part of life understanding it's
gonna take hard work discipline and and
learning how to work with other people
in order to get to the next level the
first rule is to love and respect
everybody you come in contact with
you're not gonna agree with them you're
not gonna even know I come on some
occasions but you love them and you
respect them number two is to be your
best you know if your best is a C on the
test
even if it's D or F on the test I you
know you can never be disappointed if
you know you gave it your all and then
you know number three is we don't use
the word can't you know it's not in our
vocabulary I was told my entire life
you'll never do this you'll never do
that you can't do this you it's
impossible for you to do that when you
tell somebody what they can't do for
some people that drives them you know
because you're not gonna tell me what I
can or cannot do but for other people
when you tell them all you'll never be
able to do that like that that could be
the break in straw you know
and that back for that person that's
their spirit to actually go out and
succeed so I never tell my kids if they
come to me and they may have the most
outrageous idea I'll say all right cool
let's figure out how we're gonna do it
I'll never say oh man you can't do that
we in doing that as a work ethic you got
to be passionate about whatever it is
what you're gonna do whether it be you
know an artist entertainer sports bigot
political like whatever it is should you
decide to do in life you have to have an
extreme work ethic you gotta be willing
to do stuff other people aren't willing
to do
you have to have respect the first thing
I've taught my kids when they can
understand it was how to shake
somebody's hand if your if your agenda
is to help make an impact on people's
lives and it shouldn't matter if your
names at the top of the banner it
shouldn't matter if you know your your
gifts have certain name tags or whatever
what it however you want to do it I'm
super competitive so nobody's gonna tell
me what I can't do I mean somebody don't
you I can't sing but don't tell me I
can't sing let me give you my best thing
it possible it's not that I can't sing
it's just I don't sing well but you know
I'm saying so it's like for me I always
had a drive to like not prove people
wrong but to prove God's right you know
God said that he has great plans for me
so my grandmother passed away from
breast cancer in 1995 I was going to the
hospice the woman that was her roommate
per se was very she was from South you
know and she was very racist you know
every time I come in the room she'd say
oh well that goes up boy I had to do
everything I could she you know I knew I
had grown because I didn't respond the
way I probably should has she caught me
a couple years earlier but you know my
grandmother after a few weeks my
grandmother you know she reached over
and pull grab my arm and she was like
you know if I if I if I have to happen
to dog
or she does I want you to come back and
see her and I'm like no it's just not my
grandmother talking right now and so I
you know it should end up happening like
three weeks after my grandmother said
that my grandmother passed away and so
my grandmother I saw something at a time
that I didn't really understand why she
was doing it but I went back and I go
into this room and the lady's like like
most sits up on her seat and she's just
started bawling crying and this is the
racence lady yes and then she was like
I'm I'm so glad I got a chance to see
you again I thought I'd never see you
again
you know I apologized for how I treated
you you know I've gone to church I've
done so many things you know in church
I've served the homeless etc etc but I
did I wasn't doing the one thing and I
know that God would have approved of the
most and I was loving his people and
then she she asked me if I can give her
a hug and I said in my TED talk you know
I was a little apprehensive about doing
that because she she could have you know
saintly or something like that on the
side but uh you know I hug during that
when I hugged her she said yeah you're
like the son that I never had and I'm
going okay I never understood inundated
out and then the lady said you know the
lady's up front they were like I was so
beautiful to witness because you know
essentially the reason why she has so
much anger towards you was because she
kind of got dropped off which it happens
a lot in nursing homes
or you know care centers the family
dropping off and she has two daughters
and the daughters just couldn't handle
the scene there you know their mom in
that position and
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my grandmother saw that before I would
have ever saw it she just saw you know
an opportunity for even the hardest of
hearts to be changed even in their dying
days if you can have impact on somebody
that you know that way then just imagine
what's going to happen when you do that
to a complete stranger and it may not be
I love you and I believe in you it may
be to action of showing me you're worthy
of nice clothes or nice pair of shoes or
you're worthy of you're worthy of being
able to go and enjoy a movie you know
in college the more successful people
are the one most of the time to people
that are more well-rounded you kind of
have an appreciation for what other
people do and whatever the people gone
through but you can be inspired on any
given moment any given day just talking
to people it doesn't get any easier you
just get stronger
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if you want to change don't expect your
life to stay the same expect it to get
harder expect it to actually get really
really tough tougher than you can even
imagine right now and this is where you
can move past the boundaries that used
to hold you back used to hold you by the
neck now you can move towards the
fulfillment that's your future and this
you see this this is where you can
finally feel the satisfaction of your
work this is when you finally get to
feel that success now is the time for
you to step up stand out and become the
person you need to become your future is
in your hands and this is what sets your
life up to be worth the potential that
you deserve your power is and always has
been the thing that's gonna take you
towards the life that you have earned
don't fail yourself perseverance is the
aspect that takes you towards a future
worthy of your strength worthy of your
progress so take pride in that more than
anything you have and you always will
have this this potential to improve this
potential to adapt and this potential to
change this is what you've been working
for go on and receive that
one mistake shouldn't hold you back for
more than one day the rise is the most
important part of your progress the rise
makes your future something different it
makes you you makes you strong in the
intelligence of that takes you to a
power worth your future and value this
this moment of pain is not gonna last
forever unless you let it last forever
you don't need this so don't let it
happen change your perspective change
your mindset to something always willing
to grow always willing to take courage
make this who you are and make this
worthwhile this power that you have is
valuable because your future is valuable
and your potential is valuable your more
than you could ever imagine and your
power is stronger than you could ever
imagine this progress is gonna take time
but this opening the work
this opening that you have in this
moment it's not always open so take it
take it right now take it now before
it's too late you're more than your last
minute you're more than your last minute
you're more than your last mistake get
prepared for the success get prepared
for the progress you can make this you
make this power yours yours to keep
forever because this is what you're
gonna leave behind this is what your
legacy is made up of the moments when
you get knocked down but rise up over
and over again these are the building
blocks of the legacy that you're
constructing these moments when you push
forward and rise up over and over again
and that is what brings you to the place
where you thrive the place where you
thrive and become better people gave to
me and my family and my mom and other
kids in my situation when they had
nothing to gain in return and that's
character you know when when you can
give someone something and do something
for somebody and it's really not about
you it's really about helping them and
you're not expecting anything return
you have to set the precedence of like
being authentic you know we live in a
very you know inauthentic world where we
don't do nearly as much as we could do
if we didn't have an agenda I don't have
an agenda you know my only agenda is is
to literally change everybody's life
that I could possibly change in one way
or another being authentic and being me
has has literally changed my whole life
because people are really starving for
true
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