there was a day that I became wealthy
I’ll take me a day I know that day I was
rich I was broke I was pissed I was
angry at everybody else but who myself
I had a friend that I loan money to when
I had barely enough and I knew he needed
it and I gave him $1,200 and I’m here
not able to eat I’m down to like 25 26
dollars and i’m sandi him calling in and
he’s not returning my call and I just
need some money he’s ignoring me I
didn’t you’re an enzyme test I’m
frustrated the midst of all this I’m
also pragmatic I got 25 and change
called $26 what the hell am I gonna do I
don’t have any plans for economics
I got overhead that’s crazy I’m living
this little tiny apartment and it’s
worth eating Venice California
[Music]
I should have been freaking out how am I
gonna eat but I didn’t I
flew because something inside of me and
finally got past scarcity to finally
realized something inside of us more
than our limits specialist thing called
money that I had let terrorize me I got
home and the mailman came that day and
had no idea I was gonna have my next
meal if weather comes and it’s from the
guy I loaned the money to handwritten
notes saying I’ve been avoiding you it’s
wrong I’m so sorry you were there when I
needed you
here’s what I owe you plus a little bit
more and the 12-under was there was not
a hundred for the time that I had to
take care
and I cried and then I decided what does
this mean
I bought this means that whenever you
give it’s always gonna come back so you
don’t have to ever think about that
but again just give I don’t know if
that’s coincidence but I decided to
believe that day was a blessing when I
became rich and I can tell you honestly
I’ve had tough days in my life
economically emotionally like all of us
but I’ve never gone back to the scarcity
I never will the secret to living is
giving do it when you don’t have it but
I promise you
scarcity will leave your life if you
want to even want to live in your
passion whatever your passion is you
have to be willing to not make money at
it you want to do what you love you got
to do yes do you people you have a
choice you can choose money or you can
choose what you love
my parents and I’m sure like most
people’s parents say get a good job try
make some money make a good living yeah
and cuz I think that’s secure if you
make go and make money but if you do a
job you make money lose that job you
know then you lose the money you have
nothing if you choose your passion X
doesn’t matter where you make money to
lose money because there always been a
passion to be happy so it doesn’t
actually matter not your circular right
and and but the challenge of that is
that it might be eight years or four
years before you’re actually making a
living at it versus versus something
else
and really when I wrote it I thought
nobody would read it I thought nobody
would read it I thought this story’s so
crazy I just have to tell this story
these things that seemed you can spend
all your time trying to engineer the
perfect thing and the truth is we have
no control we just don’t know what’s
going to work or what’s not going to
work
we’re here because we’re meeting we’re a
little bit broken something to learn we
haven’t so as you do it you want to take
it all the criticism that comes in and
work on what you need to work on so
don’t take it personally you have to
have this filter inside that takes in
all criticism not personally and not
judgmentally you take in the criticism
you think is that true and you take a
hard look at yourself and if it’s true
you work to solve it and change it it’s
not you just throw it out and move out
enjoy the journey not the destination a
lot of us delay our happiness when I get
to this level when I get my degree when
I get the kids when I get married I’m
going to be happy enjoy the journey
enjoy the whole step the whole process
every day that you get up to strive for
whatever it is you’re after you know I’m
a goal-oriented guy yeah so you don’t
celebrate when you get to the finish
line
celebrate all along
the way some here
[Music]
how do I stay driven because I couldn’t
even comprehend the alternative the
biggest poison in us is regret
you won the ultimate ultimate lottery
and you’re not driven and you’re not
fired up and you’re not going for it and
you’re willing to sit like a lump and
just wait till you die success without
fulfilment is the ultimate failure
[Music]
success without fulfillment is the
ultimate failure
if you’re going to have an extraordinary
life one of the master skills for
actually creating that life is mastering
this
mastering the ability to take what you
envision and make it real
it’s always worth it to do your best
and to believe in something and to work
towards the attainment of the goal and
if it is that you have to expand your
vision then you climb higher and you do
that and you don’t be afraid to
I’m sitting the plain intellect and
instinct intellect can describe it but
only instinctive
[Music]
and from the premise of that ideology I
need you to go back to all of my life
and begin to see not only me but others
how if they position themselves between
intellect and instinct and low flame to
you to which one that makes me think
whether it’s an elephant an
entrepreneurial pursuit or raising a
family
it is simply over there if for instance
I put in it what it takes to withstand
the pressure slap your neighbors say you
don’t know what you got
you don’t know what you’ve got until all
hell breaks loose
you don’t know what you can take until
the price
to your life
or in tribute until people start
away from you you don’t know how much
courage you have into you building the
bar and I’m their struggle and I’m the
tribulation you can’t learn what’s in
you sitting back in the lazy boy turning
the remote control
watching HBO and Cinemax
that’s when you get to see what you got
hope and creativity are two of the most
important things in the world to any
creative person who’s had a door slammed
in their face
[Music]
or actors who have had their auditions
cut off or waited for a callback that
didn’t come or anybody anywhere really
that feels like giving up sometimes but
finds it in themselves to get up
keep moving forward I share this with
you
[Music]
because the truth is if you want to be
an anomaly you’ve got to athlete
I love the climb through the setback is
exciting
I learn with something goes wrong it’s
where I sign the most
this is hard every day is hard and if
you don’t have the stomach to weather
the storm you will not be successful
what you got touch said Haven sound made
of something
we’re really strong we’re just being
sold that we’re not because there’s a
lot of money a lot of money and telling
us that we’re not pretty enough thin
enough smart enough good enough that I
want to tell you your best condition
if you really want to change you’re
really stuck I know nothing I’m letting
go of everything and I’m sort of going
to relearn as I go with a childlike mind
sort of being in touch with you and
going where you want to go and not being
afraid of leave people behind is what’s
gonna actually make you a leader just
choose one thing to move toward and then
the path and then just go with the path
and you’ll end up somewhere where you
stand you’re trying to decide what to do
you’ll still be here in a year two years
three years four days just choose
something you kind of like and don’t
hate and then start moving toward it and
you’ll find that the course and path of
life will bring you exactly we’re
supposed to be and you can make money
doing anything and the thing you’ll make
the most money on is the thing you like
the most
don’t take it personally not just for
pickup but for life in general
everyone’s a jerk to you someday and you
and when someone’s an asshole the street
and bumps into you and says stuff it’s
not about you it’s you know he’s a jerk
if you have a day and you lose your job
and your girlfriend breaks up with you
and you crash your car the world doesn’t
hate you you just had a bad day
but if we don’t physically make a
decision how we’re going to live then
we’ll show up like everybody else
because the human mind is not going to
make you happy
this brain of yours won’t do it you have
to direct it and there’s no worse fate
to achieve everything and not be
fulfilled
never place the gallery I think but you
never learn that until much later on I
think but never work for other people at
what you do always always remember that
the reason that you initially started
working was that there was something
inside yourself that you felt that if
you could manifest it in some way you
would understand more about yourself and
how you coexist with the rest of society
I think it’s terribly dangerous for an
artist to fulfill other people’s
expectations I think they produce
they’re generally produce their worst
work when they do them and if the other
thing I would say is that if you feel
safe from the area you’re working you’re
not working right now always go a little
further into the water than
a little bit out of attack
and when you don’t feel but your feet
are quite touching the bottom you’re
just about in the right place to do
something exciting I think you only
influence to a certain extent I think
what happens is that you look at
somebody and think that maybe something
you had as a small seed in your own mind
you see maybe that person has extended
that or gone quite a long way with what
you think you might like to do anything
yeah that person’s doing what I really
like to do and that’s what could happen
that’s what I can do with what I’ve got
then half their lives trying to avoid
bad things happening to them I’m of the
impression that bad things are something
that really are important to one’s life
bad experiences I’m not necessarily a
bad experience
you can learn from tragedy and I think
you can I’m not sure that I don’t think
they should be looked at negatively at
all
there’s a certain kind of regret that
when you haven’t been adventurous with
your ideas there’s when you get into a
later life and you haven’t even tried to
do some of the things you really wanted
to do and you can look back and say damn
I really if only I’d had a go at that
you know things might have been
different or I would at least know if I
could do it or not and the people I
looked up to when I was a kid like
William Burroughs and like Little
Richard and like John Lennon that they
did it you know and I thought well I’m
gonna burn an absolute fool of myself
but I’m gonna you know go for it too
I didn’t strive the success I strive to
do something artistically important
and my brother’s face just tells the
story I go into the emergency room and I
was like Donald Smith and like I’m sorry
he passed and they took me into the room
was my father laying on a gurney just
dead
it still has a tube sticking out of him
and they’re trying to intubate him or
something like that but just motionless
quiet
no breathing whatsoever when I was a kid
I used to lie on the floor mom my father
watched bowling for dollars and he would
lay kind of a like if the TV’s here he’d
lay on his back and I would lay on the
floor on his stomach watching bowling
for dollars in shit and so after I saw
him on the stretcher I put my head on
his chest because I realized I was it
was the last time I was ever gonna so
ever I remember ask him once dad what
were your dreams and he was just like
well I just want to get married and have
kids so I guess it kind of happened he
was a good dude and he worked at the
post office his whole fucking life you
know just to pay for the family that he
had he didn’t necessarily like working
for the post office or believe in the
mail or something but it was what he
needed to do to pay for his fucking wife
and his kids and stuff like that
good dude deserved way better than to
die screaming but that good dude he did
die screaming and I remember thinking oh
my god in this world where even a good
man like my old man is going to die
screaming there’s no point I’m not
trying to achieve every fucking dream
that I have this is my eventual end one
day that’s it I want you to ponder these
four questions here’s the first one and
that’s why why pay the price
why work this hard
why go this far why try to learn this
much why try to do it all why try to see
it all why try to have it all why do it
why learn it why study why put yourself
out why try to take on this much
responsibility
why develop yourself to the full why try
to become all that you can possibly
become
why try to earn as much as you can earn
share as much as you can share develop
every skill you possibly can see every
human you possibly can go to every class
you possibly can touch everybody you
possibly can
why do that much why go that far why
share that much why give that much away
why try to see everything why try to do
everything why try to become everything
that’s a good question why and you’re
the only one personally that can answer
that question for yourself you’ve got to
have your own list of wise
here’s what I want you to do when you go
home after you’ve left this extravaganza
work on your list of wives one of the
big threats for success is to come up
with a strong enough why
[Music]
in leadership training here’s what we
learned if the Y is powerful the how is
easy but if the Y isn’t strong if your
goals aren’t powerful if the vision
isn’t clear the old prophet said without
a vision we die without a vision we
perish without a dream or nothing this
is my future we’re all probably going to
go out screaming so the best thing to do
prior to that is to try to pack that
life with as much wonderfulness fun
productivity surround yourself with
people that are going to fucking help
you do that you know because in this
world there’s not a lot of support man
you tell people something they’ll tell
you why throw a rock and you’ll hit
somebody with Y like hey man I want to
make a movie why why do you think you
could do that why why nobody else is
doing it why are you doing it there’s so
much fuckin why you go out and find why
not you surround yourself with why not
people are just like why not we’re like
hey man I’m gonna try something like I
why not let’s give it a shot people will
try to help you do your dreams make your
dreams come true and shouldn’t you do
the same for fucking them we’re all in
this together but I’ve been trying to
impart one simple lesson for nearly 20
fucking years anybody can do this you
know what I’m saying like I wasn’t born
into a business or the film business or
born with a mic in my hands I have no
fucking discernible talent whatsoever
man I have no connections to the
business or you miss a hundred percent
of the shots you never take it’s always
worth the fucking shot
live a Whynot life man because we’re all
going to die fucking screaming so make
sure when you die screaming you’re
totally fulfilled you like I took all
the shots I did it I’d went after
everything I wanted to or at least tried
take the shot
the shot is always fucking worth taking
so I’m here to tell you man give it a
shot go out and try without a dream we
are nothing I’m asking you to make a
list of what what you want what kind of
health do you want what kind of skills
do you want what kind of income do you
want what kind of gifts do you wish to
bestow what kind of power would you like
to have what kind of influence would you
like to have I’m asking you to go home
and work on the why because if you can
come up with a strong enough list of why
Herbalife’s confer knees to hell why not
see how much you can earn why not see
how much you can learn why not see how
many skills you can develop why not see
what kind of person you can become
why not see what kind of influence you
can have I want you to establish some of
your goals I want you to give thoughtful
consideration to your goal and why not
the perform boy can wander out of Idaho
and finally arrived at this extravaganza
why not you if Mark Hughes can walk away
from the tough side of town and find a
few people and make a dream come true
why not you
why not why not you’ve got to stay here
till you go I mean what else are you
going to do why not see how much you can
do how far you can go why not now there
never was a better time
[Music]
now most of us do our best not to think
about death but but there’s always part
of our minds that knows this can’t go on
forever we part of us always knows that
we’re just a doctor’s visit away or a
phone call away from being starkly
reminded with the fact of our own
mortality or of those closest to us you
must know how uncanny it is to suddenly
be be thrown out of the normal course of
your life and just be given the full
time job of not dying or caring for
someone who is
but the one thing people tend to realize
at moments like this is that they wasted
a lot of time when life was normal it’s
not just what they not just what they
did with their time it’s not just that
they spend too much time working or
compulsively checking email is it that
they cared about the wrong things they
regret what they cared about their
attention was bound up in petty concerns
a year after year when life was normal
we all know this epiphany is coming
don’t you know this is coming
don’t you know that there’s going to
come a day when you’ll be sick or
someone close to you will die and you’ll
look back on the kinds of things that
captured your attention and you think
whoa what was I doing
you know this and yet if you’re like
most people you’ll spend most of your
time in life tacitly presuming you’ll
live forever I think you know you know
you if you know what you’re supposed to
do keep down beside I think everybody
does a lot of people just don’t go after
it you know like most people start out
they say I want to be at this but I’m
gonna give that to make sure I have
something to fall back home and what
you’re doing is you set yourself up for
failure cuz you’re going there’s a
possibility that i’ma fall back and when
you put that out there then you fall
back but just say hey this is what I
want to do and you go do it you usually
get your stuff the way you want it right
because it comes down to a simple choice
really get busy later you get this he
died
because even if you live to be a hundred
there’s just not that many days in life
way too many people just remember going
to spend the next 30 40 years of their
lives trying to check the boxes other
things that they’re not as good at and
that you’re going to waste a lot of time
in these
I want you to look back on the journey
that brought you here
what moments challenged you most when
were you asked to step outside of your
familiar territory in order to rise to
the occasion of your potential how have
you pushed past your fear you can follow
someone else’s script try to make
choices that will make other people
happy avoid discomfort do what is
expected and copy the status quo or you
can look at all that you have
accomplished today and use it as fuel to
venture forth and write your own story
[Music]
if you do amazing things will take shape
[Music]
[Music]
don’t follow the path prescribed by
someone else don’t give in to fear
continue to define your unique path you
and you alone are the only person who
can live the life that writes the story
that you were meant to tell
[Music]
you don’t get this far you don’t get to
this point
and just stop you are heroes who have
faced fears and taken risks and forged
ahead to conquer one of the most
important chapters of your life
you see when you’re in that darkness you
want to sit there and wait for the light
to come when you’re in that darkness it
feels uncomfortable the only way out is
to step forward to face your fears to
become your own light
[Music]
I want you to be fearless I want you to
be decisive I want you to make a
decision right now that when you fail
and you fall to your knees I want you to
remember the power of you and I want you
to get back up on your feet make a
decision today that when you’re in the
darkness you’ll remember the power of
you
nobody is going to take you to the front
of the line unless you push your way to
the front of the line
but I want to ask you a real question do
you know how powerful you are I had to
make a decision I had to decide to
become my own life I had to believe in
myself like never before
but I didn’t care because it was like
I’ve still got to do what I love that’s
the thing is that people think was a
struggle it’s like well no because you
know I loved it too much I still got to
go skate and I had time to skate I
didn’t have to go sit behind a computer
for eight hours and then hope I get time
to skate but I hope that they’re not
afraid to try something different
because you can’t listen to the haters
that’s my best advice to anyone if I had
listened to the haters I would have quit
a long time ago
I would accruing I was 11 years old that
there are people with incredible talent
and no motivation and then there are
other people that are willing to work
their ass off who don’t have a natural
ability but will become successful
because they’re so determined
[Music]
you cannot achieve success without
failure
you’re convinced that you’re going to
fail our fall or get hurt
that will come to fruition because
that’s what you’re visualizing I never
vision you know I was willing to get
hurt along the way but I didn’t
visualize myself getting hurt along the
way and I think that’s what that’s what
stops a lot of people and that’s really
what separates a lot of people from from
being world champions or from being as
good as they can because they stop at
some point saying oh no I I am not
capable of this or I’ll probably get
hurt doing this and if you approach
anything with that hesitation you’re
gonna fail I always approached it like
this is going to work I’m going to
figure this out even if it takes me
hundreds of attempts
[Music]
is this what you dreamt I didn’t dream
any of this none of this was possible or
even considered a reality when I was a
kid you know when I started skating like
the best you could hope for was your
picture in a magazine maybe a pro board
maybe and free gear that’s it and then
once you reach an age of responsibility
and this is I’m talking about when I was
like 12 once you reach an age of
responsibility say 18 your career is
over because you’re not you can’t make
money doing it you can’t do it into your
adult life here’s the thankful to still
be able to do this for living like this
is this is what I love doing more than
anything and I would do it for free like
any day of the week
living the dream I don’t I’m not talking
about financial success I’m talking
about loving what you do you know if you
love art and you do art and maybe you
get a little bit of success at it you’re
living the dream
I’ll take me a day I know that day I was
rich I was broke I was pissed I was
angry at everybody else but who myself
I had a friend that I loan money to when
I had barely enough and I knew he needed
it and I gave him $1,200 and I’m here
not able to eat I’m down to like 25 26
dollars and i’m sandi him calling in and
he’s not returning my call and I just
need some money he’s ignoring me I
didn’t you’re an enzyme test I’m
frustrated the midst of all this I’m
also pragmatic I got 25 and change
called $26 what the hell am I gonna do I
don’t have any plans for economics
I got overhead that’s crazy I’m living
this little tiny apartment and it’s
worth eating Venice California
[Music]
I should have been freaking out how am I
gonna eat but I didn’t I
flew because something inside of me and
finally got past scarcity to finally
realized something inside of us more
than our limits specialist thing called
money that I had let terrorize me I got
home and the mailman came that day and
had no idea I was gonna have my next
meal if weather comes and it’s from the
guy I loaned the money to handwritten
notes saying I’ve been avoiding you it’s
wrong I’m so sorry you were there when I
needed you
here’s what I owe you plus a little bit
more and the 12-under was there was not
a hundred for the time that I had to
take care
and I cried and then I decided what does
this mean
I bought this means that whenever you
give it’s always gonna come back so you
don’t have to ever think about that
but again just give I don’t know if
that’s coincidence but I decided to
believe that day was a blessing when I
became rich and I can tell you honestly
I’ve had tough days in my life
economically emotionally like all of us
but I’ve never gone back to the scarcity
I never will the secret to living is
giving do it when you don’t have it but
I promise you
scarcity will leave your life if you
want to even want to live in your
passion whatever your passion is you
have to be willing to not make money at
it you want to do what you love you got
to do yes do you people you have a
choice you can choose money or you can
choose what you love
my parents and I’m sure like most
people’s parents say get a good job try
make some money make a good living yeah
and cuz I think that’s secure if you
make go and make money but if you do a
job you make money lose that job you
know then you lose the money you have
nothing if you choose your passion X
doesn’t matter where you make money to
lose money because there always been a
passion to be happy so it doesn’t
actually matter not your circular right
and and but the challenge of that is
that it might be eight years or four
years before you’re actually making a
living at it versus versus something
else
and really when I wrote it I thought
nobody would read it I thought nobody
would read it I thought this story’s so
crazy I just have to tell this story
these things that seemed you can spend
all your time trying to engineer the
perfect thing and the truth is we have
no control we just don’t know what’s
going to work or what’s not going to
work
we’re here because we’re meeting we’re a
little bit broken something to learn we
haven’t so as you do it you want to take
it all the criticism that comes in and
work on what you need to work on so
don’t take it personally you have to
have this filter inside that takes in
all criticism not personally and not
judgmentally you take in the criticism
you think is that true and you take a
hard look at yourself and if it’s true
you work to solve it and change it it’s
not you just throw it out and move out
enjoy the journey not the destination a
lot of us delay our happiness when I get
to this level when I get my degree when
I get the kids when I get married I’m
going to be happy enjoy the journey
enjoy the whole step the whole process
every day that you get up to strive for
whatever it is you’re after you know I’m
a goal-oriented guy yeah so you don’t
celebrate when you get to the finish
line
celebrate all along
the way some here
[Music]
how do I stay driven because I couldn’t
even comprehend the alternative the
biggest poison in us is regret
you won the ultimate ultimate lottery
and you’re not driven and you’re not
fired up and you’re not going for it and
you’re willing to sit like a lump and
just wait till you die success without
fulfilment is the ultimate failure
[Music]
success without fulfillment is the
ultimate failure
if you’re going to have an extraordinary
life one of the master skills for
actually creating that life is mastering
this
mastering the ability to take what you
envision and make it real
it’s always worth it to do your best
and to believe in something and to work
towards the attainment of the goal and
if it is that you have to expand your
vision then you climb higher and you do
that and you don’t be afraid to
I’m sitting the plain intellect and
instinct intellect can describe it but
only instinctive
[Music]
and from the premise of that ideology I
need you to go back to all of my life
and begin to see not only me but others
how if they position themselves between
intellect and instinct and low flame to
you to which one that makes me think
whether it’s an elephant an
entrepreneurial pursuit or raising a
family
it is simply over there if for instance
I put in it what it takes to withstand
the pressure slap your neighbors say you
don’t know what you got
you don’t know what you’ve got until all
hell breaks loose
you don’t know what you can take until
the price
to your life
or in tribute until people start
away from you you don’t know how much
courage you have into you building the
bar and I’m their struggle and I’m the
tribulation you can’t learn what’s in
you sitting back in the lazy boy turning
the remote control
watching HBO and Cinemax
that’s when you get to see what you got
hope and creativity are two of the most
important things in the world to any
creative person who’s had a door slammed
in their face
[Music]
or actors who have had their auditions
cut off or waited for a callback that
didn’t come or anybody anywhere really
that feels like giving up sometimes but
finds it in themselves to get up
keep moving forward I share this with
you
[Music]
because the truth is if you want to be
an anomaly you’ve got to athlete
I love the climb through the setback is
exciting
I learn with something goes wrong it’s
where I sign the most
this is hard every day is hard and if
you don’t have the stomach to weather
the storm you will not be successful
what you got touch said Haven sound made
of something
we’re really strong we’re just being
sold that we’re not because there’s a
lot of money a lot of money and telling
us that we’re not pretty enough thin
enough smart enough good enough that I
want to tell you your best condition
if you really want to change you’re
really stuck I know nothing I’m letting
go of everything and I’m sort of going
to relearn as I go with a childlike mind
sort of being in touch with you and
going where you want to go and not being
afraid of leave people behind is what’s
gonna actually make you a leader just
choose one thing to move toward and then
the path and then just go with the path
and you’ll end up somewhere where you
stand you’re trying to decide what to do
you’ll still be here in a year two years
three years four days just choose
something you kind of like and don’t
hate and then start moving toward it and
you’ll find that the course and path of
life will bring you exactly we’re
supposed to be and you can make money
doing anything and the thing you’ll make
the most money on is the thing you like
the most
don’t take it personally not just for
pickup but for life in general
everyone’s a jerk to you someday and you
and when someone’s an asshole the street
and bumps into you and says stuff it’s
not about you it’s you know he’s a jerk
if you have a day and you lose your job
and your girlfriend breaks up with you
and you crash your car the world doesn’t
hate you you just had a bad day
but if we don’t physically make a
decision how we’re going to live then
we’ll show up like everybody else
because the human mind is not going to
make you happy
this brain of yours won’t do it you have
to direct it and there’s no worse fate
to achieve everything and not be
fulfilled
never place the gallery I think but you
never learn that until much later on I
think but never work for other people at
what you do always always remember that
the reason that you initially started
working was that there was something
inside yourself that you felt that if
you could manifest it in some way you
would understand more about yourself and
how you coexist with the rest of society
I think it’s terribly dangerous for an
artist to fulfill other people’s
expectations I think they produce
they’re generally produce their worst
work when they do them and if the other
thing I would say is that if you feel
safe from the area you’re working you’re
not working right now always go a little
further into the water than
a little bit out of attack
and when you don’t feel but your feet
are quite touching the bottom you’re
just about in the right place to do
something exciting I think you only
influence to a certain extent I think
what happens is that you look at
somebody and think that maybe something
you had as a small seed in your own mind
you see maybe that person has extended
that or gone quite a long way with what
you think you might like to do anything
yeah that person’s doing what I really
like to do and that’s what could happen
that’s what I can do with what I’ve got
then half their lives trying to avoid
bad things happening to them I’m of the
impression that bad things are something
that really are important to one’s life
bad experiences I’m not necessarily a
bad experience
you can learn from tragedy and I think
you can I’m not sure that I don’t think
they should be looked at negatively at
all
there’s a certain kind of regret that
when you haven’t been adventurous with
your ideas there’s when you get into a
later life and you haven’t even tried to
do some of the things you really wanted
to do and you can look back and say damn
I really if only I’d had a go at that
you know things might have been
different or I would at least know if I
could do it or not and the people I
looked up to when I was a kid like
William Burroughs and like Little
Richard and like John Lennon that they
did it you know and I thought well I’m
gonna burn an absolute fool of myself
but I’m gonna you know go for it too
I didn’t strive the success I strive to
do something artistically important
and my brother’s face just tells the
story I go into the emergency room and I
was like Donald Smith and like I’m sorry
he passed and they took me into the room
was my father laying on a gurney just
dead
it still has a tube sticking out of him
and they’re trying to intubate him or
something like that but just motionless
quiet
no breathing whatsoever when I was a kid
I used to lie on the floor mom my father
watched bowling for dollars and he would
lay kind of a like if the TV’s here he’d
lay on his back and I would lay on the
floor on his stomach watching bowling
for dollars in shit and so after I saw
him on the stretcher I put my head on
his chest because I realized I was it
was the last time I was ever gonna so
ever I remember ask him once dad what
were your dreams and he was just like
well I just want to get married and have
kids so I guess it kind of happened he
was a good dude and he worked at the
post office his whole fucking life you
know just to pay for the family that he
had he didn’t necessarily like working
for the post office or believe in the
mail or something but it was what he
needed to do to pay for his fucking wife
and his kids and stuff like that
good dude deserved way better than to
die screaming but that good dude he did
die screaming and I remember thinking oh
my god in this world where even a good
man like my old man is going to die
screaming there’s no point I’m not
trying to achieve every fucking dream
that I have this is my eventual end one
day that’s it I want you to ponder these
four questions here’s the first one and
that’s why why pay the price
why work this hard
why go this far why try to learn this
much why try to do it all why try to see
it all why try to have it all why do it
why learn it why study why put yourself
out why try to take on this much
responsibility
why develop yourself to the full why try
to become all that you can possibly
become
why try to earn as much as you can earn
share as much as you can share develop
every skill you possibly can see every
human you possibly can go to every class
you possibly can touch everybody you
possibly can
why do that much why go that far why
share that much why give that much away
why try to see everything why try to do
everything why try to become everything
that’s a good question why and you’re
the only one personally that can answer
that question for yourself you’ve got to
have your own list of wise
here’s what I want you to do when you go
home after you’ve left this extravaganza
work on your list of wives one of the
big threats for success is to come up
with a strong enough why
[Music]
in leadership training here’s what we
learned if the Y is powerful the how is
easy but if the Y isn’t strong if your
goals aren’t powerful if the vision
isn’t clear the old prophet said without
a vision we die without a vision we
perish without a dream or nothing this
is my future we’re all probably going to
go out screaming so the best thing to do
prior to that is to try to pack that
life with as much wonderfulness fun
productivity surround yourself with
people that are going to fucking help
you do that you know because in this
world there’s not a lot of support man
you tell people something they’ll tell
you why throw a rock and you’ll hit
somebody with Y like hey man I want to
make a movie why why do you think you
could do that why why nobody else is
doing it why are you doing it there’s so
much fuckin why you go out and find why
not you surround yourself with why not
people are just like why not we’re like
hey man I’m gonna try something like I
why not let’s give it a shot people will
try to help you do your dreams make your
dreams come true and shouldn’t you do
the same for fucking them we’re all in
this together but I’ve been trying to
impart one simple lesson for nearly 20
fucking years anybody can do this you
know what I’m saying like I wasn’t born
into a business or the film business or
born with a mic in my hands I have no
fucking discernible talent whatsoever
man I have no connections to the
business or you miss a hundred percent
of the shots you never take it’s always
worth the fucking shot
live a Whynot life man because we’re all
going to die fucking screaming so make
sure when you die screaming you’re
totally fulfilled you like I took all
the shots I did it I’d went after
everything I wanted to or at least tried
take the shot
the shot is always fucking worth taking
so I’m here to tell you man give it a
shot go out and try without a dream we
are nothing I’m asking you to make a
list of what what you want what kind of
health do you want what kind of skills
do you want what kind of income do you
want what kind of gifts do you wish to
bestow what kind of power would you like
to have what kind of influence would you
like to have I’m asking you to go home
and work on the why because if you can
come up with a strong enough list of why
Herbalife’s confer knees to hell why not
see how much you can earn why not see
how much you can learn why not see how
many skills you can develop why not see
what kind of person you can become
why not see what kind of influence you
can have I want you to establish some of
your goals I want you to give thoughtful
consideration to your goal and why not
the perform boy can wander out of Idaho
and finally arrived at this extravaganza
why not you if Mark Hughes can walk away
from the tough side of town and find a
few people and make a dream come true
why not you
why not why not you’ve got to stay here
till you go I mean what else are you
going to do why not see how much you can
do how far you can go why not now there
never was a better time
[Music]
now most of us do our best not to think
about death but but there’s always part
of our minds that knows this can’t go on
forever we part of us always knows that
we’re just a doctor’s visit away or a
phone call away from being starkly
reminded with the fact of our own
mortality or of those closest to us you
must know how uncanny it is to suddenly
be be thrown out of the normal course of
your life and just be given the full
time job of not dying or caring for
someone who is
but the one thing people tend to realize
at moments like this is that they wasted
a lot of time when life was normal it’s
not just what they not just what they
did with their time it’s not just that
they spend too much time working or
compulsively checking email is it that
they cared about the wrong things they
regret what they cared about their
attention was bound up in petty concerns
a year after year when life was normal
we all know this epiphany is coming
don’t you know this is coming
don’t you know that there’s going to
come a day when you’ll be sick or
someone close to you will die and you’ll
look back on the kinds of things that
captured your attention and you think
whoa what was I doing
you know this and yet if you’re like
most people you’ll spend most of your
time in life tacitly presuming you’ll
live forever I think you know you know
you if you know what you’re supposed to
do keep down beside I think everybody
does a lot of people just don’t go after
it you know like most people start out
they say I want to be at this but I’m
gonna give that to make sure I have
something to fall back home and what
you’re doing is you set yourself up for
failure cuz you’re going there’s a
possibility that i’ma fall back and when
you put that out there then you fall
back but just say hey this is what I
want to do and you go do it you usually
get your stuff the way you want it right
because it comes down to a simple choice
really get busy later you get this he
died
because even if you live to be a hundred
there’s just not that many days in life
way too many people just remember going
to spend the next 30 40 years of their
lives trying to check the boxes other
things that they’re not as good at and
that you’re going to waste a lot of time
in these
I want you to look back on the journey
that brought you here
what moments challenged you most when
were you asked to step outside of your
familiar territory in order to rise to
the occasion of your potential how have
you pushed past your fear you can follow
someone else’s script try to make
choices that will make other people
happy avoid discomfort do what is
expected and copy the status quo or you
can look at all that you have
accomplished today and use it as fuel to
venture forth and write your own story
[Music]
if you do amazing things will take shape
[Music]
[Music]
don’t follow the path prescribed by
someone else don’t give in to fear
continue to define your unique path you
and you alone are the only person who
can live the life that writes the story
that you were meant to tell
[Music]
you don’t get this far you don’t get to
this point
and just stop you are heroes who have
faced fears and taken risks and forged
ahead to conquer one of the most
important chapters of your life
you see when you’re in that darkness you
want to sit there and wait for the light
to come when you’re in that darkness it
feels uncomfortable the only way out is
to step forward to face your fears to
become your own light
[Music]
I want you to be fearless I want you to
be decisive I want you to make a
decision right now that when you fail
and you fall to your knees I want you to
remember the power of you and I want you
to get back up on your feet make a
decision today that when you’re in the
darkness you’ll remember the power of
you
nobody is going to take you to the front
of the line unless you push your way to
the front of the line
but I want to ask you a real question do
you know how powerful you are I had to
make a decision I had to decide to
become my own life I had to believe in
myself like never before
but I didn’t care because it was like
I’ve still got to do what I love that’s
the thing is that people think was a
struggle it’s like well no because you
know I loved it too much I still got to
go skate and I had time to skate I
didn’t have to go sit behind a computer
for eight hours and then hope I get time
to skate but I hope that they’re not
afraid to try something different
because you can’t listen to the haters
that’s my best advice to anyone if I had
listened to the haters I would have quit
a long time ago
I would accruing I was 11 years old that
there are people with incredible talent
and no motivation and then there are
other people that are willing to work
their ass off who don’t have a natural
ability but will become successful
because they’re so determined
[Music]
you cannot achieve success without
failure
you’re convinced that you’re going to
fail our fall or get hurt
that will come to fruition because
that’s what you’re visualizing I never
vision you know I was willing to get
hurt along the way but I didn’t
visualize myself getting hurt along the
way and I think that’s what that’s what
stops a lot of people and that’s really
what separates a lot of people from from
being world champions or from being as
good as they can because they stop at
some point saying oh no I I am not
capable of this or I’ll probably get
hurt doing this and if you approach
anything with that hesitation you’re
gonna fail I always approached it like
this is going to work I’m going to
figure this out even if it takes me
hundreds of attempts
[Music]
is this what you dreamt I didn’t dream
any of this none of this was possible or
even considered a reality when I was a
kid you know when I started skating like
the best you could hope for was your
picture in a magazine maybe a pro board
maybe and free gear that’s it and then
once you reach an age of responsibility
and this is I’m talking about when I was
like 12 once you reach an age of
responsibility say 18 your career is
over because you’re not you can’t make
money doing it you can’t do it into your
adult life here’s the thankful to still
be able to do this for living like this
is this is what I love doing more than
anything and I would do it for free like
any day of the week
living the dream I don’t I’m not talking
about financial success I’m talking
about loving what you do you know if you
love art and you do art and maybe you
get a little bit of success at it you’re
living the dream
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