This is a work of nonfiction. I have rendered the events faithfully and truthfully just as I have recalled them. Some names and descriptions of individuals have been changed in order to respect their privacy. To anyone whose name I did not.
I was late once and it cost me $50,000. I figure it was cheaper to wear two watches.
There was a language specific to all things. The ability to learn another language in one arena, whether it was music, medicine, or finance, could be used to accelerate learning and other arenas, too.
The future was uncertain, absolutely, and there were many hurdles, twists, and turns to come, but as long as I kept moving forward, one foot in front of the other, the voices of fear and shame, the messages from those who wanted me to believe that I wasn’t good enough, would be stilled.
People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you that you can’t do it. You want something? Go get it.
Strong people stand up for themselves. Stronger people stand up for others. The irony is that while sleep sometimes brings nightmares, it’s the reality of my waking hours that can cause me the greater fear.
I just wanted to make a million dollars. But I couldn’t sing and I couldn’t play ball, so I said to my mother, ‘How am I going to make a million dollars?’ And she said to me, ‘Son, if you believe you can do it, you will.’
We all understand genetics. You get your eyes from your dad, your mom’s nose, there’s nothing you can do about that. But your spiritual genetics you can choose, pick, embrace and commit to. That’s what I did.
Then again, what seems like nothing in the eyes of the world, when properly valued and put to use, can be among the greatest riches.
But if you don’t take the necessary steps to make them happen, dreams are just mirages that mess with your head!
No one ever laid out the sequence of events that led to my mother being prosecuted and imprisoned for alleged welfare fraud.
Well, I really don’t want to be a high-powered corporate lawyer. I’m really passionate about painting.
One of the things young people always ask me about is what is the secret to success. The secret is there is no secret. It’s the basics. Blocking and tackling.
As busy as I am wherever I am, I...
I hold one thing dearer than all else: my commitment to my son.
Every time he came back, apologetic, contrite, he’d start off being real nice. But he was as predictable as rain. No body knew when he’d go off, but at some point everybody knew he would.
If you have a dream and a desire to pursue it with every fiber of your being, but can’t move past excuses or circumstances that seem to be standing in your way, there is a life lesson ahead with your name on it. If you are tired of the status quo and are dying to shake up your life, reinvent yourself, and find a pursuit you love doing so much that you can’t wait for the sun to come up in the morning, you’ve come to the right place. If.
Mr. Gardner, why people gotta keep you down when you have your dream?” Again, I was having a long overdue conversation with myself. “Well,” I said, “people who can’t do something themselves, they’re jealous, so they wanna tell you that you can’t do it. But you know what? You got a dream, it’s yours and you gotta protect it. So, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. If you want something, go get it. Period.
You won’t find magic potions here. No matter how enticing they may seem, promises of quick fixes mostly set us up for failure and do more to deter us than empower us.
Don’t listen to them,” I said. “In fact, don’t ever let anybody tell you that you can’t do something. Not your parents, your teachers. Nobody.