[Music]
today we’re living in the time where
it’s very important to have strong
people as societies grow you know it
kind of feels like you know everything’s
closing in on you I mean we have social
media I mean we have sites on social
media like MySpace and every time you
look around it seems like it’s just not
enough space and people don’t know that
the space that they’re in belongs to you
often I deal with kids that come to
school and when they get to school they
realize that they’re they have some
expectations and we’re all made out of
the things that were prepared with we
start out kind of like this canvas okay
it’s empty from the time we’re born and
then people give us things that will
help us to arrive to moments when we get
to those moments are we prepared for
those moments because we were given the
things that we need to well we have an
opportunity in front of us that we’ll be
able to capitalize on because of faith
that means things that are predetermined
things that have been decided before we
got there or will we be destined for the
moments that we arrive to which means
that there was something that we did and
there were a certain set of tasks that
we carry out there was a certain
preparedness that we had that will help
us get to the moments this is one of the
biggest moments of my career as a judo
player judo means the gentle or easy way
now by looking at this photo you’re
probably saying that don’t look too easy
and it don’t look too gentle what’s
funny is I’ve been the guy even though
in this picture I’m the guy that’s on
top I’ve been the guy that’s on the
my childhood was much like that I feel
like I started on the bottom because I
came up in a single-parent household and
one of the biggest things was I didn’t
quite have a support system that will be
able to help me sometimes you know a
village is the most important thing
sometimes more important than faith
faith the things that have been
predetermined you have a village you
have a support system that’s going to
help you be able to succeed help you to
hone your skills your life skills your
critical thinking skills to culminate to
a moment where you could be successful
and capitalize on those moments and then
some of us don’t have all of those
things so today I give you judo judo was
invented in 1882 by dr. Joe Gore
O’Connor dr. Connor was a member of the
Olympic Committee he also worked in
government
dr. Cano was an educator and judo was
invented his teaching said that judo was
invented to help people practice and
train their mental and physical ability
to help cultivate the spirit that means
help you prepare your mental ability and
train your mental ability and train your
physical ability to culminate to a point
where your spirit is alive some of the
greatest things about life starts with
our spirit the most passionate moments
in our life will be the things that help
us get to the moment everything that
helps us get to moments this competition
was a national championship when I was
younger I never thought that I would go
that far with judo I was nine years old
I was a hundred and sixty pounds and
like I thought nobody wanted to play
with me because every time I try to play
basketball
they look me up and down they’d be like
nah this ain’t gonna work and the reason
why is because when it was time to run
down the court I wasn’t too too sure I
wanted to do that you know I stand at
the other end they were like hey what
are you doing
there you are you cherry-picking
I was like who got some cherries you
know yeah you know that was my thing my
thing was kind of stated myself if
somebody could use me if somebody would
appreciate me then I will feel good but
I never know I never knew if if somebody
would appreciate me I thought I was
gonna do very very well when they came
to football I was big after all but I
mean I was nine years old again I was a
hundred and sixty pounds I know men now
that just weigh 160 pounds so at nine
years old I thought it was an advantage
with football until I got on the field
and people’s mind was like whereas birth
certificate there they would say he’s
not playing with my kid and that led me
to be in a position to have to play with
15 year olds when I started playing with
15 year olds I began being bullied at
160 pounds among kids my age I wasn’t
scared of anybody I knew the odds were
in my favor but I never thought that I’d
end up in a position where the odds
weren’t in my favor is far our size that
I wouldn’t be able to substantiate if
somebody called me a name if somebody
pushed me too hard so one day I’m in a
bathroom after school I’m eating a
sandwich now I know a lot of you are
saying what does the dude doing with a
sandwich in the bathroom busy that
hungry like that he got you know I know
he’s 160 pounds was he 160 pounds you
just taking sandwiches to the bathroom
that wasn’t that wasn’t the thing the
reason that I was in the bathroom was
because I would try to sit at the table
with other kids and when I tried to sit
at the table with other kids they would
talk about me when I ate so I would duck
away I will confine myself somewhere and
I just wanted peace I knew I couldn’t
get suspended my mom said some makes
some expectations for me that would say
hey I explain I expect you to go to
school I expect you to learn and I
expect you to represent our family well
and I didn’t really know how to do that
when I wasn’t being accepted so one day
I’m willing on some kids in the bathroom
and I’m eating the sandwich and I’m
fighting these kids because one kid made
me drop my
and I’m like TJ who’s gonna make me beat
you up today and he’s like I’m gonna go
get somebody else and we gonna jump you
so they come back to the bathroom and
when they get to the bathroom I’m there
I’m bigger than them they’re my age
they’re my grade but like I’m bigger
than these kids and I’m taking advantage
of the situation and there’s this little
short guy and I say short because he’s
about five seven who walks in the room
and he breaks to fight oh he hurt
himself in the process a little bit I
probably lost all etiquette I probably
lost all home training because I was
yelling and screaming at this guy and I
was yelling at anger because all I knew
how to do is try to meet my mom’s
expectation and I wanted to go out I
want to represent well I wanted to do
the great thing but I had I had lost my
place and I had got tired of being
bullied these kids were my age but I was
being pushed by two older kids and then
verbally I’ve been challenged by the
younger kids so he challenged me to do
judo that was the ultimate challenge it
made perfect sense
while one day I would join the ultimate
challenge judo team that will give me
the opportunity to travel the world now
I’ve been on every continent besides and
art soccer probably more than once to
compete and represent our country
but my greatest accomplishment is being
able to be valuable to my community
coming up in that land of Georgia we had
a lot of expectations I grew up around
people like Andrew Young who would come
down to my school which was Southwest
middle school now named after his wife
genes how young will come down to my
school and set expectations that we go
back and we in in African tradition and
work Sam Kofi go back and bring the best
from the past so I would go back to my
community and give something be a
village for somebody else because I was
being supported and I now work at a high
school I’m able to give back I’ve been
in a school system for over 15 years and
my life skills help me
sometimes we’re down when you’re down
some of us especially nowadays they’re
thinking who sees this they think about
who sees this it’s a shock to your ego
it’s it’s it’s it’s something that you
feel like you’re not in control of but
what’s in your heart gives you the
ability to get back up the things that
you’re built with gives you the ability
to get back up sometimes we’re on top
and we’re on top things happen to us
like ego we’re starting to boast and
brag about the things that are going on
with us but in order to arrive to the
next moment in order to stay on top
there going to be some things that we
have to remember we have to remember
that it’s easy to be this person if
we’re not capitalizing on opportunities
we have to remember that respecting the
fact that we all started from nothing
and then sometimes that it was our faith
that got us there the things that that
were predetermined and we’re not in
control of that but we were often
challenged to remember that our destiny
is up to us the things that we put into
our moments the Spirit that we’re going
to allow to live in those moments will
define our essence people will remember
us for that so we try hard life skills
are very very important they’re very
very important very very important to
being successful
judo gave me life skills there are some
situations that I can think of in
society that will probably be better if
we have somebody that has some training
that had a controlled environment where
they can practice their skills where
they can practice saying hey man I need
to get up from here life is pushing me
around I know it’s hard to substantiate
but do I take some of the pushing that
I’m getting or should I be fighting back
we need to be able to hone skills that
allow us to discern if we’re going to
take being pushed because pushing or for
the reason that we’re being pushed is
that we’re being pushed to greatness
we’re being pushed to better things and
there sometimes there’s times we got to
push back which means we have everything
we need we’re securing the goals that we
have and with these goals we’re going to
get to the moments that define us judo
again gives us the opportunity to take
advantage of some of the best life
skills that there is it’s the innovation
the new innovation that helps people
gather their skills gather their pros
actualize their cons and be able to be
successful so in today’s society when
we’re looking around for the things that
make kids great in today’s society when
we’re looking around for the things that
make adults great we know that it comes
down to what is in your spirit what is
given to you sometimes our parents give
us things that that’s been in us for a
while and then there’s moments that help
bring them out and then sometimes we
come to places like school it’s an
institution they instill things into you
that will help you define yourself
better yourself for the moments that’s
before you but if you are ever looking
for a way to practice skills
to make sure that you’re mentally
physically spiritually in alignment then
I challenge you to do judo
it’s the chess game of life thank you
[Applause]
today we’re living in the time where
it’s very important to have strong
people as societies grow you know it
kind of feels like you know everything’s
closing in on you I mean we have social
media I mean we have sites on social
media like MySpace and every time you
look around it seems like it’s just not
enough space and people don’t know that
the space that they’re in belongs to you
often I deal with kids that come to
school and when they get to school they
realize that they’re they have some
expectations and we’re all made out of
the things that were prepared with we
start out kind of like this canvas okay
it’s empty from the time we’re born and
then people give us things that will
help us to arrive to moments when we get
to those moments are we prepared for
those moments because we were given the
things that we need to well we have an
opportunity in front of us that we’ll be
able to capitalize on because of faith
that means things that are predetermined
things that have been decided before we
got there or will we be destined for the
moments that we arrive to which means
that there was something that we did and
there were a certain set of tasks that
we carry out there was a certain
preparedness that we had that will help
us get to the moments this is one of the
biggest moments of my career as a judo
player judo means the gentle or easy way
now by looking at this photo you’re
probably saying that don’t look too easy
and it don’t look too gentle what’s
funny is I’ve been the guy even though
in this picture I’m the guy that’s on
top I’ve been the guy that’s on the
my childhood was much like that I feel
like I started on the bottom because I
came up in a single-parent household and
one of the biggest things was I didn’t
quite have a support system that will be
able to help me sometimes you know a
village is the most important thing
sometimes more important than faith
faith the things that have been
predetermined you have a village you
have a support system that’s going to
help you be able to succeed help you to
hone your skills your life skills your
critical thinking skills to culminate to
a moment where you could be successful
and capitalize on those moments and then
some of us don’t have all of those
things so today I give you judo judo was
invented in 1882 by dr. Joe Gore
O’Connor dr. Connor was a member of the
Olympic Committee he also worked in
government
dr. Cano was an educator and judo was
invented his teaching said that judo was
invented to help people practice and
train their mental and physical ability
to help cultivate the spirit that means
help you prepare your mental ability and
train your mental ability and train your
physical ability to culminate to a point
where your spirit is alive some of the
greatest things about life starts with
our spirit the most passionate moments
in our life will be the things that help
us get to the moment everything that
helps us get to moments this competition
was a national championship when I was
younger I never thought that I would go
that far with judo I was nine years old
I was a hundred and sixty pounds and
like I thought nobody wanted to play
with me because every time I try to play
basketball
they look me up and down they’d be like
nah this ain’t gonna work and the reason
why is because when it was time to run
down the court I wasn’t too too sure I
wanted to do that you know I stand at
the other end they were like hey what
are you doing
there you are you cherry-picking
I was like who got some cherries you
know yeah you know that was my thing my
thing was kind of stated myself if
somebody could use me if somebody would
appreciate me then I will feel good but
I never know I never knew if if somebody
would appreciate me I thought I was
gonna do very very well when they came
to football I was big after all but I
mean I was nine years old again I was a
hundred and sixty pounds I know men now
that just weigh 160 pounds so at nine
years old I thought it was an advantage
with football until I got on the field
and people’s mind was like whereas birth
certificate there they would say he’s
not playing with my kid and that led me
to be in a position to have to play with
15 year olds when I started playing with
15 year olds I began being bullied at
160 pounds among kids my age I wasn’t
scared of anybody I knew the odds were
in my favor but I never thought that I’d
end up in a position where the odds
weren’t in my favor is far our size that
I wouldn’t be able to substantiate if
somebody called me a name if somebody
pushed me too hard so one day I’m in a
bathroom after school I’m eating a
sandwich now I know a lot of you are
saying what does the dude doing with a
sandwich in the bathroom busy that
hungry like that he got you know I know
he’s 160 pounds was he 160 pounds you
just taking sandwiches to the bathroom
that wasn’t that wasn’t the thing the
reason that I was in the bathroom was
because I would try to sit at the table
with other kids and when I tried to sit
at the table with other kids they would
talk about me when I ate so I would duck
away I will confine myself somewhere and
I just wanted peace I knew I couldn’t
get suspended my mom said some makes
some expectations for me that would say
hey I explain I expect you to go to
school I expect you to learn and I
expect you to represent our family well
and I didn’t really know how to do that
when I wasn’t being accepted so one day
I’m willing on some kids in the bathroom
and I’m eating the sandwich and I’m
fighting these kids because one kid made
me drop my
and I’m like TJ who’s gonna make me beat
you up today and he’s like I’m gonna go
get somebody else and we gonna jump you
so they come back to the bathroom and
when they get to the bathroom I’m there
I’m bigger than them they’re my age
they’re my grade but like I’m bigger
than these kids and I’m taking advantage
of the situation and there’s this little
short guy and I say short because he’s
about five seven who walks in the room
and he breaks to fight oh he hurt
himself in the process a little bit I
probably lost all etiquette I probably
lost all home training because I was
yelling and screaming at this guy and I
was yelling at anger because all I knew
how to do is try to meet my mom’s
expectation and I wanted to go out I
want to represent well I wanted to do
the great thing but I had I had lost my
place and I had got tired of being
bullied these kids were my age but I was
being pushed by two older kids and then
verbally I’ve been challenged by the
younger kids so he challenged me to do
judo that was the ultimate challenge it
made perfect sense
while one day I would join the ultimate
challenge judo team that will give me
the opportunity to travel the world now
I’ve been on every continent besides and
art soccer probably more than once to
compete and represent our country
but my greatest accomplishment is being
able to be valuable to my community
coming up in that land of Georgia we had
a lot of expectations I grew up around
people like Andrew Young who would come
down to my school which was Southwest
middle school now named after his wife
genes how young will come down to my
school and set expectations that we go
back and we in in African tradition and
work Sam Kofi go back and bring the best
from the past so I would go back to my
community and give something be a
village for somebody else because I was
being supported and I now work at a high
school I’m able to give back I’ve been
in a school system for over 15 years and
my life skills help me
sometimes we’re down when you’re down
some of us especially nowadays they’re
thinking who sees this they think about
who sees this it’s a shock to your ego
it’s it’s it’s it’s something that you
feel like you’re not in control of but
what’s in your heart gives you the
ability to get back up the things that
you’re built with gives you the ability
to get back up sometimes we’re on top
and we’re on top things happen to us
like ego we’re starting to boast and
brag about the things that are going on
with us but in order to arrive to the
next moment in order to stay on top
there going to be some things that we
have to remember we have to remember
that it’s easy to be this person if
we’re not capitalizing on opportunities
we have to remember that respecting the
fact that we all started from nothing
and then sometimes that it was our faith
that got us there the things that that
were predetermined and we’re not in
control of that but we were often
challenged to remember that our destiny
is up to us the things that we put into
our moments the Spirit that we’re going
to allow to live in those moments will
define our essence people will remember
us for that so we try hard life skills
are very very important they’re very
very important very very important to
being successful
judo gave me life skills there are some
situations that I can think of in
society that will probably be better if
we have somebody that has some training
that had a controlled environment where
they can practice their skills where
they can practice saying hey man I need
to get up from here life is pushing me
around I know it’s hard to substantiate
but do I take some of the pushing that
I’m getting or should I be fighting back
we need to be able to hone skills that
allow us to discern if we’re going to
take being pushed because pushing or for
the reason that we’re being pushed is
that we’re being pushed to greatness
we’re being pushed to better things and
there sometimes there’s times we got to
push back which means we have everything
we need we’re securing the goals that we
have and with these goals we’re going to
get to the moments that define us judo
again gives us the opportunity to take
advantage of some of the best life
skills that there is it’s the innovation
the new innovation that helps people
gather their skills gather their pros
actualize their cons and be able to be
successful so in today’s society when
we’re looking around for the things that
make kids great in today’s society when
we’re looking around for the things that
make adults great we know that it comes
down to what is in your spirit what is
given to you sometimes our parents give
us things that that’s been in us for a
while and then there’s moments that help
bring them out and then sometimes we
come to places like school it’s an
institution they instill things into you
that will help you define yourself
better yourself for the moments that’s
before you but if you are ever looking
for a way to practice skills
to make sure that you’re mentally
physically spiritually in alignment then
I challenge you to do judo
it’s the chess game of life thank you
[Applause]
Please follow and like us: