I was flunking out of college at a 1.7 grade point average. I hope none of you can relate.
At a 1.7 grade point average, I was sitting in my mother's beauty parlor.
And I'm looking in the mirror, and I see behind me this woman under the dryer.
And every time I looked up, she was looking at me. Just looking me in the eye.
I don't know who she was. She said, "Somebody give me a pen, give me a pencil. I have a prophecy."
March 27, 1975. She said, "Boy, you are gonna travel the world and speak to millions of people."
Now mind you, I flunked out of college. I'm thinking about joining the army. I didn't know what I was gonna do.
And she's telling me I'm gonna travel the world and speak to millions of people.
Well, I have traveled the world and I have spoke to millions of people.
But that's not the most important thing, the success that I had.
The most important thing is what she taught me, and what she told me that day has stayed with me since.
I've been detected. I've been directed. I've been corrected.
Fail big.
That's right. Fail big.
You only live once, so do what you feel passionate about.
Take chances. Professionally, don't be afraid to fail.
There's an old IQ test with nine dots and you had to draw five lines with a pencil within these nine dots without lifting the pencil.
The only way to do it was to go outside the box.
So don't be afraid to go outside the box. Don't be afraid to think outside the box.
Don't be afraid to fail big, to dream big.
But remember, dreams without goals are just dreams, and they ultimately fuel disappointment.
So have dreams, but have goals.
Life goals, yearly goals, monthly goals, daily goals.
I try to give myself a goal every day.
And understand that to achieve these goals, you must apply discipline and consistency.
You have to work at it every day. You have to plan every day.
Hard work works. Working really hard is what successful people do.
And in this text, tweet, twerk world that you've grown up in, remember just because you're doing a lot more doesn't mean you're getting a lot more done.
Remember that: Just because you're doing a lot more doesn't mean you're getting a lot more done.
And anything you want good you can have. So claim it. Work hard to get it.
When you get it, reach back, pull someone else up. Each one, teach one.
Don't just aspire to make a living.
Aspire to make a difference.
