you have to be the hero of your own
story and you can do that 90% of is just
showing up get there and start working
like you’re not gonna feel perfect every
day
it’s got to be those days you push
through and there they’re probably gonna
be more numerous than the days you don’t
and so the benefit of discipline in my
eyes has always been that through
discipline I get things done write down
everything you want to do this is what I
want you to do write down what you would
like to fix about your life and then
just if you’re 30 pounds overweight you
want to lose 30 pounds do it the right
way
go start eating vegetables monitor your
calories write down what you eat
exercise every day force yourself to do
it the brain is the general the troops
of the body and you get up and you do it
and then you get to write it down our
bodies for whatever reason most people
their associations are to avoid anything
that’s uncomfortable
[Music]
it’s so illogical because when you look
at comfort and you look at success and
progress and then eventual the feelings
of accomplishment and of getting past
certain hurdles and in terms of like how
you feel about life a lot of those are
connected to discomfort like discomfort
is your friend it really is a discomfort
and and not being happy and content with
certain situations in life or certain
feelings in life one of the big problems
is sitting down and doing the work and
he labels it like an enemy calls it
resistance you know and that you have to
sit down you have to overcome resistance
and that the pro goes to work and it
doesn’t matter if you’re sick doesn’t
matter if you have kids it doesn’t
matter what you you’re a pro and you go
to work and that and that just it puts
it in your head that this is what I do
you have pride in that and then when you
are in front of that keyboard and your
ear you got you look down the count it’s
set for 2017 when you know you should
write or you know you should paint or
you whatever uses sculpt whatever these
things are that you pursue and that
there’s this thing that comes up that
tries to keep you from doing
this resistance
[Music]
you’re not a hero in your own eyes
you’re not you’re not someone who you
respect you know you’re doing what you
got to do to get by but ultimately
you’re not respecting yourself and I
think we all have a certain amount of
appreciation and respect for hero
figures you know like we all look at
like the guy who never lies and it
always does the right thing and fucking
helps everybody out and that’s the John
Wayne character you know that’s that’s
the ultimate hero and he’s like this is
a battle that you will fight for the
rest of your life but the key is to
fight it not to give in don’t give in to
that resistance to fuck just to fight
that resistance and in doing so every
day you do so you have won the battle
for that day and you will continue to
fight that battle and when you look at
your own life and you don’t stack up
you’re a thief you stole money from your
wife’s purse and you know you don’t want
to smoke cigarettes but you fucking have
to you can’t deal with the stress and
smoke you devalue yourself you slowly
start devaluing yourself you look at
yourself you realize that if you were
judging yourself you would judge
yourself unfavorably so no matter who
you you can’t pretend you’re the hero of
your story
you can be the hero of your own story
that woke up today you could be the hero
of your own story that at forty years of
age stopped got out of bed and said I’m
not doing this anymore
only by my instincts and only by my
morals and my ideals and my mind and I’m
gonna be dead honest with myself because
I’m realizing this is not gonna last
forever and I’m gonna get myself in
shape but I’m gonna eat healthy and I’m
gonna do this cuz this is me this is me
now
[Music]
I decided this is me
[Music]
and people have to realize that you are
not your past you are not all the times
you fucked up they’re not all the times
you were drunk that’s not you what you
you are the person who’s learned from a
great deal of experience when you’re
alone with your thoughts you get an idea
of what your thoughts actually are you
live your life just acting constantly on
the momentum of other people’s
expectations of you wanting to be liked
by these other people you can run into a
trap
and you you you set up a life that you
didn’t really want your life is
certainly some sort of a journey it’s
certainly some sort of a journey
you’re trapped in this situation where
you have a mortgage
you’ve got credit-card bills you’ve got
student loans you have to pay you have a
bunch of shit going on you have to
continue to feed and all that and
especially if you have a family and you
have to feed them oh my goodness
then you’re fully locked in you can’t
take any chances whatsoever and
oftentimes people make the mistake of
getting stuck and it is just a tactical
mistake just like it would be a mistake
if you got stuck on a video game just
like it would be a mistake if you
followed a map incorrectly and you got
stuck in the woods your life is
certainly some sort of a journey it’s
certainly some sort of a journey and we
have to all be aware that when we’re
making journeys we’re not going to
always make the right steps and
sometimes you have to back up and try
again and if you’re in a position where
you can’t back up and try again you’ve
trapped yourself as people define
themselves by the past instead of
thinking about who they are now instead
of they still look back at a mistake
they made and don’t just get past that
mistake grow and learn
but dwell on it think it defines them
I mean there’s definitely pitfalls in
life you’re gonna run into him we all
are
no you can learn and grow if you survive
somewhere along the line they didn’t
face enough of the adversity to realize
that there’s sometimes you just got to
get up and get shit done there’s
sometimes we have to fucking pull
yourself up and you have to push forward
even if you want to stay in bed having
that safety net just provided him with a
way to stay in bed kept him weak have an
opportunity every time things go wrong
every time things feel terrible you have
an opportunity to learn from whatever
makes you feel terrible and never allow
it to happen again
push forward the system will set out
honey pots for people to get trapped in
the system will set out the ideas of
retirement the ideas of the Golden Ears
providing you benefits providing you a
healthy work environment why well
because they want people to work for
them they don’t want people to realize
their own dreams and escape they want to
set it up so that you stick around stick
around some sort of an unsatisfying
world it’s up to you to see that video
game problem to see that issue as it
comes up on the map known I think this
is a right turn to see all the problems
that could potentially lay in front of
you and calculate your your future and
then also look around all the people
that didn’t do it and look at the misery
that they’re in and learn that you don’t
want to be like them
and most people get stuck in these
patterns or they define themselves on
the person who doesn’t follow through on
their ideas or a person who doesn’t
pursue the real interests in loves you
define yourself by that well you know I
guess when I start things and I quit no
you don’t know you have started things
and you quit and it gives you a horrible
sense of regret that’s made you define
yourself by that you don’t have to do
that I look back on anything I’ve ever
done mistakes I’ve ever made a pass that
I you know what something I put out that
I didn’t quite yeah maybe I waited three
months before I released that or maybe I
should have you know rieta that blog
post a couple more times before I put it
online or things that I’ve done have
driven me crazy but yelling at someone I
didn’t have to yell at them for whatever
but the most important thing is always
for all people to recognize me you’re
not who you were a year ago you’re not
who you were five years ago you’re not
who you were last week so you gotta
regulate how much you dwell on regrets
of the past you really got to be careful
it’s also directly proportionate to the
amount of hardships that people face in
life their ability to face hardships you
know and there’s a lot of folks that
live life on a cushy cloud of
marshmallows and bullshit and then one
day something goes wrong and then look
at the people that are have kind of
taken chances and navigated their way
what did they do differently
[Music]
[Music]
what insight into their own mistakes are
they willing to delve into that you’re
not that you step back and go you know I
don’ts don’t I just don’t want to look
at myself that closely but the person
who’s able to look at themselves the
closest is gonna get the more rational
results seize the day
winning isn’t everything it’s the only
thing do not wait for your ship to come
in swim out to it when the going gets
tough the tough get going you miss on
our percent of the shots you know take
if you can dream it you can do it
wherever you go go with all your heart
if man has done its best what else is
there success is going from failure to
fair without losing your enthusiasm for
so you don’t succeed try try again
genius is 1% inspiration 99%
perspiration I think I can I think I can
I think I can there’s no substitute for
hard work willing is not enough we must
do live the life you imagine do or do
not there is no try
action is foundational key to all
success discouragement fair the two of
the share of stepping-stone success that
yours not to dream less but to dream or
to dream it all the time you don’t know
where we’re going you’ll wind up
somewhere else just do it I heard those
quotes growing up all the time when I
first heard something I memorized them
others I wrote down but not one of them
motivated me for more than a day or two
it was a much less inspirational quote
that inspired me from a much less famous
person it was a doctor at UCLA he said
Steve you’ve got inoperable tumors all
over your liver
worst-case scenario you have five years
to live and I can’t control the cards
I’m dealt just how I play the hands
if you need inspiring words don’t do it
today’s talk is not about death it’s
about life and how to live specifically
about childhood dreams and about how you
can try to achieve them
dreams will come to you if you live
properly the dreams will come feed
and I was dreaming always dreaming it
was an easy time it’s the dream when you
turn on your television set and men are
landing on the moon anything is possible
and we should never lose that spirit
okay bad news I cancer I was dying but I
got more bad news
you are all dying too and what are you
dying to do don’t skate forward any
further in your life without answering
that question
[Music]
yeah I mean I think a lot of it comes
down to you know a lot of people throw
like Oh like you know you must be a
super tough motherfucker and all this
other shit and I think it comes down
more to just like how bad you want it
like in life like if you just want
something so fucking bad like I just
remembered like when I was doing the 50
meter underwater swim was really hard
for me I never been able to do it
outside of you know SEAL training and
the only two times I did it was when I
like how to do it and I just remember I
was just like well I’m just gonna swim
until I fucking reach the wall or
blackout like there just wasn’t another
option for I was just like I just wasn’t
gonna quit didn’t want it so bad they
say that nothing good happens in the
four am out well I can guarantee you
this it’s 4:45 a.m. and still dark
outside look at that lights just went
out and I’m getting ready to kill this
Ham cardio you can’t even see me but
it’s gonna be so good it’s bad
[Music]
you gotta have a mind the mindset to go
with some of these physique you admire
you see all the hard work you know you
see the genetics and all this but you
don’t see the mindset there’s been many
times where I went to the gym why and
wanna fucking go
[Music]
how many of you guys actually went to
the gym when you really did they want
think it just comes down to like you
just gotta want it you just got to
fucking just want it really bad
[Music]
the weapons and hard work determination
motivation I think without without a
doubt if anything else by watching me
it’s simply an example of hard work pays
what you put into your craft you can get
out to it if you put a hundred and ten
percent into it and I’m just an example
of that it’s a day’s time it’s it’s
literally just about you realizing your
own potential and being creative within
your own potential mm-hmm oh this is
what I can do so I need to master this
this and this
reflecting now back in my career like my
dedication is what made me successful
because I’ll be honest I wasn’t the most
genetically blessed guy on stage I just
had a lot of dedication and commitment I
was relentless
you know nowadays you know if you want
to commit to something and do something
positively you have to commit yourself
you have to schedule it in your life and
build your lifestyle around it and
looking back you know that created a
huge opportunity for me to be as great
as I was and be able to be competitive
at the highest level and not only that
but build a brand which anyone watching
these youtube videos you know working on
their own channels or now climbing that
that ladder of you know being socially
aware of what’s going on it’s it’s crazy
I mean I’ve built such a crazy platform
and you know what the funny part is is I
was just being me and that’s the most
important thing you just be yourself and
I keep preaching that over and over is
you can’t copy this guy or that guy you
just have to find a direction that works
for you and I can’t stress it enough but
you have to be dedicated you have to
stay committed to it
because the truth is if you want to be
an anomaly you’ve got to act like
I love the climb to me the setback is
exciting I love when something goes
wrong it’s where I shine 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 when we
strong will just be assured 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
and good enough that
[Music]
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 that 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 and they
did it you know and I thought well I’m
gonna absolute fool of myself but I’m
gonna you know go for it too
but I basically just given you all the
same diagnosis I was given your time is
limited and that’s a real diagnosis so
what now
[Music]
okay like most people when they’re told
they’re dying you’re probably going
through the five stages of grief the
first stage is denial I’m not dying I’m
healthy stage 2 is anger stage 3 is
bargaining okay we’re all dying stage 4
is depression stage 5 the final stage is
acceptance
okay I’m not immortal
[Music]
so what now let me tell you what I did
when I was told I might only have five
years first of all I got a lot of advice
a lot of friends want to help
Brenda my wife told me that maybe this
this news would give me a whole new
perspective someone else told me that I
should live every day like it was my
last
[Music]
so what were my childhood dreams being
in the national football news this is
one of the childhood dreams I didn’t
achieve all right and it’s very
important to know that if you don’t
achieve your dreams you can still get a
lot by trying for there’s an expression
I love experience is what you get when
you don’t get what you want but most
wonderfully my parents did was they let
me paint my bedroom I said one day I
want to paint stuff on the walls and
they said okay try it a rocketship and
we lived in a ranch so I wanted an
elevator I wasn’t sure where it would go
[Music]
but the great thing is that they let me
do it and they felt that letting me
express my creativity was more important
than the pristine nature of the walls
the brick walls that are in our way are
there for a reason they are not there to
keep us out they are there to give us a
way to show how much we want it
[Music]
but what I kept coming back to when I
had time by myself and no one was giving
me advice was my dreams the dreams I had
put aside the ones that I thought I had
plenty of time to reach but now that I
realized I had a finite amount of time
I’d ask myself what did I want to
accomplish I’m not a worst-case scenario
guy but if I really only had five years
to live what was it that I wanted to
make sure happen for me as a comedian it
was a dream I had since I was 12 years
old it was from for my comedy on The
Late Show with David Letterman so let me
be clear before I move on I was a
comedian already okay I was making a
living at no day job full-time comedian
making a good living in comedy clubs
colleges corporate events around the
world that was a pretty big feat in
itself but six years into my comedy
career I kind of stopped chasing the
Letterman dream I was waiting for it to
come to me I was waiting for some day
not chasing anything that’s a very
important lesson for all of us mortals
here today some day isn’t on the
calendar
Friday Saturday Sunday that’s on there
about four times a month no someday but
when it comes to our dreams it’s
probably the busiest day of the week cuz
someday right so learning that lesson I
just try it decided that I was gonna
refocus my intention back on that dream
I was gonna pull out all the stops and I
gave myself a goal of getting on
Letterman within one year I was gonna
make someday happen I started yelling my
dream to anyone who would listen started
calling in every favor I was over I
found out everyone who worked on the
show and begged them to help me get an
audition I even started asking people at
comedy clubs after they see me to email
the show and beg Dave to book
and guess what I didn’t make it
my ironically named deadline came and
went but I was so renewed about my dream
and my newfound passion for it I decided
to get myself in an extension one more
year to get on letter didn’t happen and
then another nope sounds like bad news
right well it was I would have loved to
get on the show in that first year but
something great happened over there
those years those three years weren’t
spent dying
they were spent living living a dream
and let me tell you there is something
if you’ve ever chased a dream you know
that it lights a fire in your heart then
whether you reach it or not it warms
everyone around you and everything
around you so I decided you know what
I’m gonna keep going cuz that dream is
so important you can’t wait can’t wait
for some day to happen you need to make
things you need to make things go out
wouldn’t the world be a better place if
if we’re all inspired if the world
wasn’t full of uninspired people I know
I felt better when I was inspired why do
people stop chasing their dreams I don’t
think people choose to be uninspired
[Music]
why do you think people stop chasing
their dreams everyone wants to achieve
them why do people leave them behind
that was a tough question to answer I
wanted to give her an honest answer
not some cliche response or a
motivational line so I thought about it
for a long time
I knew that cancer it motivated me to
pick my dream up again but why did I
stop chasing it in the first place why
does anyone stop well when the answer
came to me was hard to swallow a little
own spit out and say it loud but I told
her we’re all taught that life is tough
life’s a bitch life is hard but it’s not
pretty easy right it’s pretty easy to
skate by and go through life right we
wake up every day most of us in the
world with a roof over our heads a big
comfy bed under our butts
fridge full of food most of us in the
world especially here in America never
have to worry about starvation or
homelessness we have friends and family
that will help us out when those things
come those are the things that made life
dangerous 100 years ago now we complain
hips life is inconvenient this isn’t a
statement on modern society this is a
statement about motivation life and easy
easy to skate by
[Music]
[Music]
it’s pretty easy to grow up put your
dreams aside leave your passions behind
take a job that you read you don’t even
really mind raise some kids who will
most likely be inspired to do the exact
same thing go from point A to point B to
Point C until you end up at point Z
where you pass away and there’s a line
of people waiting to get up and tell
everyone else who knew you what a good
life you had nothing bad about that
nothing wrong with that but nothing
great about it nothing inspiring about
that it’s easy to look at a dream as
something way off in the distance
something that might or might not be
accomplished a thing an object a goal
thought that runs through our mind every
now and then a noun a dream is also a
verb
has to be lived it has to be done has to
be further – has to be acted about it
needs to be chased it’s not just a idea
or a result to dream encompasses every
step that it takes to get there
so I’m going to give you all a challenge
here figure out the answer to that
question what are you dying to do
don’t stay forward any further in your
life without answering that question but
if you don’t know the answer don’t go to
sleep tonight without answering that
question
don’t wait till Sunday to answer that
question there’s nothing more important
in your life than figuring that out when
you do figure it out
then when you go to sleep sleep like a
kid again
because then you’ll be going to sleep
not to dream but with the dream and
waking up with
thank you
[Music]
I told you about my dream I didn’t reach
my I Letterman dream by my deadline or
my extended deadline nope
it took me five years ladies gentlemen
please welcome Steve Maison five years
of living five of the years of living
for that dream and I was very lucky my
tumors here in that time they didn’t
grow i stayed healthy but I had that
wake-up call and I’m giving you all the
same wake-up call we’re all dying but if
you’re not chasing your dream
you’re already dead I don’t think
complaining and whining really solves
the problem this is Jackie Robinson
first black major leaguer had it in his
contract not to complain if people spit
on him now I don’t care if you’re Jackie
Robinson or if you’re a guy like me
who’s only got a couple of months to
live you can choose to take your finite
time and energy and effort and you can
spend it complaining or you can spend it
playing the game hard which is probably
going to be more helpful to you in the
long run
[Music]
the talk isn’t just about how to achieve
your childhood dreams it’s much broader
than that it’s about how to live your
life because if you lead your life the
right way the Karma will take care of
itself
that we all have people that we don’t
like that have done things we don’t like
and what I have found is no one is pure
evil if you wait long enough they will
show you their good side you can’t make
them do it in a hurry but you can be
patient
he said when life can no longer threaten
you with death so what else is there
what else is there
and the majority of the fears that we
have are not life or death fears but not
those kind of feelings
[Music]
if you want to begin to move you’ve got
to clear your mind of all the
unnecessary luggage and baggage that’s
weighing us down I couldn’t move I
couldn’t feet about what am I going to
do to get out of this situation because
I was so concerned about what happened
and what he did to me and how bad it was
I was sold stuck in that I couldn’t even
focus on what I should have done
[Music]
so what’s the worst thing that they can
do to you kill you and he just decided
hey this is what I came here to do I
know that there’s some risk involved and
I’m gonna do it
come what may he said I’m not gonna be
afraid anymore feeling sorry for myself
and angry none of that was taking me
anywhere
so pretty soon I’ll learn through effort
made it conscious deliberate determined
effort I had to let it go I had to
forgive it let it go and begin to focus
on developing myself and I say to you
you’re gonna have people to do things to
you things are going to happen to you
and the most important thing to do is to
harness your will and let it go move so
you can grow so you can get on with your
life it doesn’t matter about what
happens to you what matters is what are
you going to do about it
what are you going to do now less this
is the instinct that says you’ve had
enough this is the instinct that says
you’ve you’ve given it your best shot
you can you can stand down you can back
off you can take a knee
this is the instinct that says you can
rest now do not listen to that instinct
do not listen that instinct is a liar
and wants to bring you down that that’s
the instinct that’s a defense mechanism
it wants to give you an out place to run
to
a lot of people never get to where they
want to be because they’ll never stop
complaining about where they’re at I
must say it again a lot of people will
never get to where they want to be
because they will never stop complaining
about where they’re at
the word complain means to remain or to
stay overnight so if you want to stay
right where you’re at
just keep complaining about it and I can
pretty much guarantee you that you’ll
still be there and they’ll tell you you
did the best you could now they’ll say
the DAC the deck the deck was stacked
against you and they’ll say it’s not
your
and they’ll tell you it’s okay to stop
it’s okay to settle it’s okay to give up
[Music]
and that is the in-state you need to
fight you need to Porsche back to smash
into the ground do not take the easy way
out
do not give up the based on instinct if
you are forced to stand down to retreat
so that you can build Andrea tack
so cool
but make that decision based on logic
not on the instinct of surrender and
defeat get up go fight on my history of
being sort of on all sides of my journey
you know I didn’t I didn’t have success
very early and I went through some very
dark times and you know the main one
thing I kept doing is you know inspiring
myself looking for inspiration and
growing and and it hasn’t stopped and I
want to keep doing that and I also want
to inspire others you know there were
millions of me sitting at home right now
and they don’t know it and it’s just
good to be able to get any sort of
platform tests or to say come on man go
for it so listen man no sir
yes I don’t do things for money and I’ve
been broke most of my life so because of
that I can’t sort of suddenly go I need
to do a job just to get some cash you
know I mean I know that a lot of times
it is people’s motivations because
people need to eat but in my position
I’ve been poor most of my life so now
I think I think my imaginations always
kept me going in the lane
you know just imagine myself collecting
awards just imagine myself you know I
mean getting big parts imagine myself
working with the greatest actors my
imagination was the one life and then I
mean like I’ve known you but not
overthinking but you just kind of like
yeah man I see myself driving that car
one day but I get
[Music]
actually if I can see myself doing it I
probably did it she can’t fold up and
sell it to someone evil can do it or you
can’t but everybody can imagine
themselves you know that
[Music]
I mean it’s important not to give
yourself boundaries which we can do
quite easy okay
people talk about aiming for the skies
sometimes even aiming for the skies is
intimidating just don’t give yourself
boundaries your sky and my sky might be
different
did I mean but neither of us have
touched the sky if we give ourselves
bounties and I mean whatever your sky is
whatever your biggest dream is but I’ve
already touched that you know so in
other words what sky where does the sky
end I’d rather people go you know what
I’m not gonna restrict myself to the guy
and I can only do this so I can only do
that or I have to do it this way or I
have to do it that way
the first step before anybody else in
the world believes it is you have to
believe it there’s no reason to have a
plan B because it distracts from plan a
I was 16 contemplated being an actor I
was in sound systems DJ and I mean and
you know it was like that or this so I
was going back to DJ I always have a
studio I would have turntables always
been doing that a long time in anime and
there was a there was a drive to be
famous to be you know that that pinnacle
to be that guy and I’m not not that not
it’s not it’s not my ambition hat isn’t
that as much you know I mean good work
keep working so it’s gonna be hard for
me to sort of glide me be like you know
I’m lifted up by this wonderful life
that I have I love it but you know I’m I
feel you’re on the ground you know it’s
um you know it’s work it’s a job
achievement achievement is inspirational
to me you know people doing it someone
that on Monday didn’t know how to do
this by Friday can do it that is an
inspiration to me I’m not afraid to fail
I’m not afraid to fall over make a
mistake that often time cripples people
on the onset of getting too into
anything the first time ever picked up a
DJ decks was horrible horrible now but
I’m not afraid of that I’m not afraid of
that feeling it actually propels me it
works quite the opposite
but I really loved to do it so I just
said I want to do what I love you know I
mean
like I can do 18 22 hours a day easily
it’s definitely one of those components
to me as a human being my makeup my
genetics that allows me to actually keep
moving
I’m a veteran at being able to look at
an opportunity and go is that gonna take
me further or not you know some people
don’t have that you won’t is something
you develop you know that’s why most
times out of 10 any head of a company
has been doing it for a long time
because they inherently can make a
decision in the blink of an eye but you
have to learn that
the other thing that’s important I think
is to keep your head down you know keep
your head down like when I swim 25 laps
guaranteed if I look up and start
counting those laps I’m Pete it out by
15 if I put my head down I keep working
away and work a technique work it
internal rhythm work it ooh I hit that
length I don’t even know what length
from one guarantee you I’ll look up
it’ll be 20 and two more three more to
go
and that’s a very simple device but I
think people find themselves be
incrementally checking how far they’ve
gone and now you know when you compare
to anybody else or whatever it’s just a
it’s a recipe for disaster just keep
banging on you know
[Music]
mountain climbers would probably tell
you the same thing you know there’s no
point looking at the difference between
climbing a hundred feet and climbing 500
feet
it’s a point of view you don’t know
you’re at the top until you get there
pal and that’s what you need to remember
[Music]
[Music]
you know gana just don’t look down
[Music]
the more I grow renown 43’s point now
considered a middle-aged man and
happiness is without a doubt the best
thing that I I strive for health and
happiness kid you know I couldn’t any of
it means nothing if I’m not happy about
it my breakthrough was actually decided
I wanted to be an actor and go into a
drama college not a drama college I did
a performing arts course they changed my
life it turned my dreams into a reality
it gave me an actual tangible target to
go oh actually I could do this
that was my break room because it was a
breakthrough of my mind
[Music]
that was my biggest break from of course
they’ve been numerous breakthroughs over
my career in my life which I’m all proud
of but none so much is that realization
that I want to be an actor to thrive in
whatever you to please understand your
terrain know what your target is don’t
guess it because Crudup is the next man
because that’s that’s that cheap petrol
that’s your fuel to get you moving if
you don’t know where you’re going what
your targets are you’re never gonna get
there period work hard sleepless
[Music]
you
strive for success I strive to do
something artistically important 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 trying to make some money
make a good living yeah and then cuz I
think that’s secure if you make go and
make money but if you do a job and you
make money you lose that job yeah then
you lose the money you have nothing if
you choose your passion actually just
matter where you make money to lose
money because you’re always gonna have
your passion to be happy so it doesn’t
actually matter that’s your safety net
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
yeah versus versus something else
this is my future we’re all probably
gonna 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 gonna fucking help you
do that you know cuz 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’d go out and you 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 why
not let’s give it a shot people will try
to help you do your dreams make your
dreams come true and shit 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 fuckin
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
we’re from fucking New Jersey and stuff
you miss a hundred percent of the shots
you never take it’s always worth fucking
shy
live a Whynot life man because we’re all
gonna 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
[Music]
nobody can guarantee we’ll be successful
right so I think the only thing that can
guarantee our success is keep the
passion keep believe in the future keep
on investing the young people and keep
on the missions that helping other
students excel if we keep on that we
have the chance to be successful if we
think well we are rich enough let’s
enjoy the life and we that will never
work and now we’re getting more
competitors all the guys entrepreneurs
if you do business we will always have a
competition don’t worry about the
competition because your competitors
also worried by the new
I’m of the impression that bad things
are something that really are important
to one’s life bad experiences are not
necessarily a bad experience you can
learn from tragedy and I think you can
I’m not sure that a bad experiences in
America they’re so keen for you not to
have a bad experience they spent half
their lives trying to avoid bad things
happening to them I don’t think they
should be looked at negatively at all oh
[Music]
he who is their courageous enough to
take risk or coverage known in life
[Music]
great moments
are born a great opportunity and that’s
what you have here tonight
that’s what you’ve earned here tonight
one game
if we play them ten times they might
want in mine
not this game
not tonight
tonight we skate
tonight we stay with it and we shut them
down because we can
you don’t play ball cuz you got to I
don’t have to go in the gym and put up
extra shot cuz I got to you don’t learn
Sprint’s cuz you got to something built
let’s just sleep some built and built
like this did nobody get in there and
put the gloves on for me you nobody go
out there on that road and run miles and
miles for me nobody took the broken ribs
or what he took the blood he knows I did
it on I dedicated myself to my craft and
I bust my ass
I never overlooked no opponent I trained
for every fighter the same way
push myself
I believe in my skills and I believe my
challenging it’s don’t like lose man and
we were sitting here playing Domino
playing cards running back and forth and
you kept beating me whatever we’re doing
I hate the rules I hate to Loomis I
don’t care what it is that’s that’s my
biggest problem is that I can’t accept
losing and I want to sell losing I want
evidence ever lose ever no one LVN able
to calm you’re losing to my face
[Music]
you got fighters then maybe faster than
he got fighters in a tower
but you don’t have no fighting that can
make adjustments like me
you know fighters they could be on my
mother
mentally
it’s never personal for me
it’s always business
[Music]
you get to what you try to get to by
staying focused standing on a parallel
path my thing is this I keep my eyes on
the prize I never focus on things
outside the way my focus is the guy
that’s in front I always had a dream and
my dream was to be the best no matter
what happens
when it comes down to boxing I’m the
best at this
give me your best you keep going that’s
it
you got more than that you’ve got to
keep moving let’s keep moving let’s go
don’t quit till you got nothing left
there you go keep movin keep movin keep
movin let’s say you keep driving keep
your knees off the ground keep driving
their very best your very thick your
very best keep moving that’s it that’s
it that’s it keep going
don’t quit on the hip go keep keep your
knees off the ground
Mary they don’t keep fried feet back
don’t quit till you got nothing
my life to be this is the reason for my
existence this is why I am here I come
too far I work too hard
I am going to cross this finish line
[Music]
most of us go through life without
plates on holding back not giving all
that we have not sharing all of
ourselves most of us go to our graves
still holding on rather than releasing
it
it is impossible and to some
it has the audacity to believe that no
matter what the expert or the doctor
says I can still do this
[Music]
you
[Music]
I can’t do that I won’t even try I won’t
even try
I give up before I even tried no oh I
tried but I feel sure I try my best but
out there a sore
[Music]
is there victory in there
goddamn right
[Music]
when you have butterflies and feeling
anxious and you have anxiety or nervous
that’s when your most powerful I believe
a lot of people instead of homing this
power and using it they allow it to just
consume them
a big challenge a big pressure is like a
fire instead of a raging fire either you
can allow this fire to consume you and
take you off completely or you can gain
control of this fire and harness that
[Music]
key to winning is not Talent it’s not
looks it’s not degrees I’ll be the key
to winning is being the best you can
possibly be
I believe if you’re proud of your
abilities and your opportunity look in
the mirror and you say that guy’s
supposed to win you know he’s supposed
to be somebody will you
will you rise above it all
unleash your visions and ideas and gifts
on the world
see you gotta prepare to win the first
few plays are critical
you got a hard in show him who’s boss
see see somebody’s gonna quit you were
here
you can do is everything that’s
[Applause]
are you crazy
I have trained my whole life devoted my
life to this this is the reason for my
existence this is why I am here when you
go out there and you go fight and you’d
be the best you can be you’re gonna have
a lot of the features along the way
it’ll be in so many situations
it looks so hopeless but if you just
keep me in the best you can be
it’s gonna look impossible time just
keep being the best you can be all you
can do is all you can do but all you can
do is enough
[Music]
you
[Music]
I wish there was no suffering then it
just comes with the job some of the
greatest work comes from pain or some
great work comes from
from love from loss it’s like wanting to
be the best at whatever you do never
stop it to you the best like I don’t
believe in doing anything halfway I
believe in going all the way
so another style
[Music]
if you’re gonna be good at something it
does take a while just enjoy the game
there you’re gonna get fed up we’re
gonna get disheartened and people gonna
tell you you’re useless and all that but
what I can say after about 15 or 20
years I learned how to do something well
and I enjoyed that getting there as much
as being there
if I knew what I knew now I probably
wouldn’t have started a company
mostly because I would have been afraid
so I actually think youth is an
advantage or like flexible you’re like
you know it’s back from anything the
world is your oyster you’re positive
right naive yeah I mean it’s a little
bit naivete but in some ways like that
actually works to your advantage for
those that want to I actually I’d say
there’s no time like the president
because you’re young do a lot of stuff
and I what I said to myself was at its
worst if this didn’t work out
at least I have a lot on my resume that
I was like trying to be an entrepreneur
and I learned to run a company and
hopefully raise some money and I think
that the costs of running business are
so low that like you can do that with a
relative success
[Music]
Bush until it hurts or you sort of you
want to be always pushing beyond what
you’re comfortable with and you’re
sweating just a little bit all the time
and and when that happens when you’re
when you’re constantly pushing beyond
what you think what you know is possible
you’re always sweating a little bit and
you’re always a little bit nervous but
that is the drug and so when you’re
pushing like that and you’re never
really relaxed then it always feels
small
[Music]
[Music]
maybe it’s a healthy family maybe it’s a
happy marriage maybe it’s to help others
to be famous be spiritually sound leave
the world a little bit better place than
you found it continue to ask yourself
that question now your answer may change
over time and that’s fine
but do yourself this favor whatever your
answer is don’t choose anything that
will jeopardize yourself prioritize who
you are who you want to be and don’t
spend time with anything that
antagonizes your character be brave take
the hill but first answer that question
what’s my hill
[Music]
you know you can’t let anyone else tell
you who you are and how good you are
because everyone has their own opinions
but this I hope that they see that wow
this e we Lindsay didn’t listen to them
and she went back it was able to prove
them wrong like I can do that
like if someone at school is mean to me
it doesn’t mean that I’m a bad person it
doesn’t mean I’m a dork or a loser you
know I can I can become whoever I want
to be and I hope that people see that
because that moment proved that to me
you know and it’s it’s true
I feel so strongly that the reason I’m
here is I dreamed big dreams I dream the
kind of dreams that other people said
would not be possible I’m also living
proof this isn’t a Hollywood movie
I count literally from the other side of
the tracks if you saw where I grew up
and we took a picture of it the
neighborhood the setting you say it’s
not it’s impossible that someone could
come from there and get here but it is
possible
[Music]
you can do anything
but there will be people along the way
and I remember this who will say to you
you know you’re dreaming too big it’s
not possible those things just can’t
happen don’t allow anyone friend family
acquaintances teachers whoever it is
don’t allow anyone to tell you that what
you are dreaming for yourself and your
family is not possible
it is possible don’t be one of those
people twenty years from now are going
to be walking around a nine-to-five job
miserable and angry and bitter because
you let your dreams get away from you
because you did not believe stronger
enough it strongly enough in yourself
and what was possible don’t allow that
to happen this is an unbelievable time
and I can’t encourage you enough to
continue to think that things are
possible and that your dreams can come
true
[Music]
[Music]
can’t live my life based upon what other
people think about me so I can’t concern
myself too much with what other people
think you know it’s just not healthy I
don’t think I could continue to do what
I do if I was constantly worrying about
what somebody thought about it
[Music]
[Music]
the best thing that ever happened to me
the best thing that ever happened to me
is I hit rock bottom
by far the best thing that ever happened
to me is hitting rock bottom I think I
think for men I have two boys and I’m
gonna be in pain when I witnessed these
guys go through this but I think the
best thing that can happen to a man is a
heartbreak a very strong heartbreak and
a very big failure early on in business
and it happened to me early on in life
both heartbreak and business that happen
early on because I thought I knew it all
and it was a slap in the face to save
Socrates says the only thing I know is
that I know nothing if the greatest
minds on their deathbed are saying
things like that what makes you and I
think we know everything
you
fear is the disease Hustle is the
antidote
you can’t count on sales you can’t count
on anything but just crazy hustle and
just grit your teeth claw your way to
success there was just no easy way to do
it
in order to be this disruptive to what’s
going on you have to have you have to be
willing to to fight and you have to not
be it you can’t be shy never stop it to
you the best like I don’t believe in
doing anything halfway I believe in
going all the way
[Music]
[Music]
you
story and you can do that 90% of is just
showing up get there and start working
like you’re not gonna feel perfect every
day
it’s got to be those days you push
through and there they’re probably gonna
be more numerous than the days you don’t
and so the benefit of discipline in my
eyes has always been that through
discipline I get things done write down
everything you want to do this is what I
want you to do write down what you would
like to fix about your life and then
just if you’re 30 pounds overweight you
want to lose 30 pounds do it the right
way
go start eating vegetables monitor your
calories write down what you eat
exercise every day force yourself to do
it the brain is the general the troops
of the body and you get up and you do it
and then you get to write it down our
bodies for whatever reason most people
their associations are to avoid anything
that’s uncomfortable
[Music]
it’s so illogical because when you look
at comfort and you look at success and
progress and then eventual the feelings
of accomplishment and of getting past
certain hurdles and in terms of like how
you feel about life a lot of those are
connected to discomfort like discomfort
is your friend it really is a discomfort
and and not being happy and content with
certain situations in life or certain
feelings in life one of the big problems
is sitting down and doing the work and
he labels it like an enemy calls it
resistance you know and that you have to
sit down you have to overcome resistance
and that the pro goes to work and it
doesn’t matter if you’re sick doesn’t
matter if you have kids it doesn’t
matter what you you’re a pro and you go
to work and that and that just it puts
it in your head that this is what I do
you have pride in that and then when you
are in front of that keyboard and your
ear you got you look down the count it’s
set for 2017 when you know you should
write or you know you should paint or
you whatever uses sculpt whatever these
things are that you pursue and that
there’s this thing that comes up that
tries to keep you from doing
this resistance
[Music]
you’re not a hero in your own eyes
you’re not you’re not someone who you
respect you know you’re doing what you
got to do to get by but ultimately
you’re not respecting yourself and I
think we all have a certain amount of
appreciation and respect for hero
figures you know like we all look at
like the guy who never lies and it
always does the right thing and fucking
helps everybody out and that’s the John
Wayne character you know that’s that’s
the ultimate hero and he’s like this is
a battle that you will fight for the
rest of your life but the key is to
fight it not to give in don’t give in to
that resistance to fuck just to fight
that resistance and in doing so every
day you do so you have won the battle
for that day and you will continue to
fight that battle and when you look at
your own life and you don’t stack up
you’re a thief you stole money from your
wife’s purse and you know you don’t want
to smoke cigarettes but you fucking have
to you can’t deal with the stress and
smoke you devalue yourself you slowly
start devaluing yourself you look at
yourself you realize that if you were
judging yourself you would judge
yourself unfavorably so no matter who
you you can’t pretend you’re the hero of
your story
you can be the hero of your own story
that woke up today you could be the hero
of your own story that at forty years of
age stopped got out of bed and said I’m
not doing this anymore
only by my instincts and only by my
morals and my ideals and my mind and I’m
gonna be dead honest with myself because
I’m realizing this is not gonna last
forever and I’m gonna get myself in
shape but I’m gonna eat healthy and I’m
gonna do this cuz this is me this is me
now
[Music]
I decided this is me
[Music]
and people have to realize that you are
not your past you are not all the times
you fucked up they’re not all the times
you were drunk that’s not you what you
you are the person who’s learned from a
great deal of experience when you’re
alone with your thoughts you get an idea
of what your thoughts actually are you
live your life just acting constantly on
the momentum of other people’s
expectations of you wanting to be liked
by these other people you can run into a
trap
and you you you set up a life that you
didn’t really want your life is
certainly some sort of a journey it’s
certainly some sort of a journey
you’re trapped in this situation where
you have a mortgage
you’ve got credit-card bills you’ve got
student loans you have to pay you have a
bunch of shit going on you have to
continue to feed and all that and
especially if you have a family and you
have to feed them oh my goodness
then you’re fully locked in you can’t
take any chances whatsoever and
oftentimes people make the mistake of
getting stuck and it is just a tactical
mistake just like it would be a mistake
if you got stuck on a video game just
like it would be a mistake if you
followed a map incorrectly and you got
stuck in the woods your life is
certainly some sort of a journey it’s
certainly some sort of a journey and we
have to all be aware that when we’re
making journeys we’re not going to
always make the right steps and
sometimes you have to back up and try
again and if you’re in a position where
you can’t back up and try again you’ve
trapped yourself as people define
themselves by the past instead of
thinking about who they are now instead
of they still look back at a mistake
they made and don’t just get past that
mistake grow and learn
but dwell on it think it defines them
I mean there’s definitely pitfalls in
life you’re gonna run into him we all
are
no you can learn and grow if you survive
somewhere along the line they didn’t
face enough of the adversity to realize
that there’s sometimes you just got to
get up and get shit done there’s
sometimes we have to fucking pull
yourself up and you have to push forward
even if you want to stay in bed having
that safety net just provided him with a
way to stay in bed kept him weak have an
opportunity every time things go wrong
every time things feel terrible you have
an opportunity to learn from whatever
makes you feel terrible and never allow
it to happen again
push forward the system will set out
honey pots for people to get trapped in
the system will set out the ideas of
retirement the ideas of the Golden Ears
providing you benefits providing you a
healthy work environment why well
because they want people to work for
them they don’t want people to realize
their own dreams and escape they want to
set it up so that you stick around stick
around some sort of an unsatisfying
world it’s up to you to see that video
game problem to see that issue as it
comes up on the map known I think this
is a right turn to see all the problems
that could potentially lay in front of
you and calculate your your future and
then also look around all the people
that didn’t do it and look at the misery
that they’re in and learn that you don’t
want to be like them
and most people get stuck in these
patterns or they define themselves on
the person who doesn’t follow through on
their ideas or a person who doesn’t
pursue the real interests in loves you
define yourself by that well you know I
guess when I start things and I quit no
you don’t know you have started things
and you quit and it gives you a horrible
sense of regret that’s made you define
yourself by that you don’t have to do
that I look back on anything I’ve ever
done mistakes I’ve ever made a pass that
I you know what something I put out that
I didn’t quite yeah maybe I waited three
months before I released that or maybe I
should have you know rieta that blog
post a couple more times before I put it
online or things that I’ve done have
driven me crazy but yelling at someone I
didn’t have to yell at them for whatever
but the most important thing is always
for all people to recognize me you’re
not who you were a year ago you’re not
who you were five years ago you’re not
who you were last week so you gotta
regulate how much you dwell on regrets
of the past you really got to be careful
it’s also directly proportionate to the
amount of hardships that people face in
life their ability to face hardships you
know and there’s a lot of folks that
live life on a cushy cloud of
marshmallows and bullshit and then one
day something goes wrong and then look
at the people that are have kind of
taken chances and navigated their way
what did they do differently
[Music]
[Music]
what insight into their own mistakes are
they willing to delve into that you’re
not that you step back and go you know I
don’ts don’t I just don’t want to look
at myself that closely but the person
who’s able to look at themselves the
closest is gonna get the more rational
results seize the day
winning isn’t everything it’s the only
thing do not wait for your ship to come
in swim out to it when the going gets
tough the tough get going you miss on
our percent of the shots you know take
if you can dream it you can do it
wherever you go go with all your heart
if man has done its best what else is
there success is going from failure to
fair without losing your enthusiasm for
so you don’t succeed try try again
genius is 1% inspiration 99%
perspiration I think I can I think I can
I think I can there’s no substitute for
hard work willing is not enough we must
do live the life you imagine do or do
not there is no try
action is foundational key to all
success discouragement fair the two of
the share of stepping-stone success that
yours not to dream less but to dream or
to dream it all the time you don’t know
where we’re going you’ll wind up
somewhere else just do it I heard those
quotes growing up all the time when I
first heard something I memorized them
others I wrote down but not one of them
motivated me for more than a day or two
it was a much less inspirational quote
that inspired me from a much less famous
person it was a doctor at UCLA he said
Steve you’ve got inoperable tumors all
over your liver
worst-case scenario you have five years
to live and I can’t control the cards
I’m dealt just how I play the hands
if you need inspiring words don’t do it
today’s talk is not about death it’s
about life and how to live specifically
about childhood dreams and about how you
can try to achieve them
dreams will come to you if you live
properly the dreams will come feed
and I was dreaming always dreaming it
was an easy time it’s the dream when you
turn on your television set and men are
landing on the moon anything is possible
and we should never lose that spirit
okay bad news I cancer I was dying but I
got more bad news
you are all dying too and what are you
dying to do don’t skate forward any
further in your life without answering
that question
[Music]
yeah I mean I think a lot of it comes
down to you know a lot of people throw
like Oh like you know you must be a
super tough motherfucker and all this
other shit and I think it comes down
more to just like how bad you want it
like in life like if you just want
something so fucking bad like I just
remembered like when I was doing the 50
meter underwater swim was really hard
for me I never been able to do it
outside of you know SEAL training and
the only two times I did it was when I
like how to do it and I just remember I
was just like well I’m just gonna swim
until I fucking reach the wall or
blackout like there just wasn’t another
option for I was just like I just wasn’t
gonna quit didn’t want it so bad they
say that nothing good happens in the
four am out well I can guarantee you
this it’s 4:45 a.m. and still dark
outside look at that lights just went
out and I’m getting ready to kill this
Ham cardio you can’t even see me but
it’s gonna be so good it’s bad
[Music]
you gotta have a mind the mindset to go
with some of these physique you admire
you see all the hard work you know you
see the genetics and all this but you
don’t see the mindset there’s been many
times where I went to the gym why and
wanna fucking go
[Music]
how many of you guys actually went to
the gym when you really did they want
think it just comes down to like you
just gotta want it you just got to
fucking just want it really bad
[Music]
the weapons and hard work determination
motivation I think without without a
doubt if anything else by watching me
it’s simply an example of hard work pays
what you put into your craft you can get
out to it if you put a hundred and ten
percent into it and I’m just an example
of that it’s a day’s time it’s it’s
literally just about you realizing your
own potential and being creative within
your own potential mm-hmm oh this is
what I can do so I need to master this
this and this
reflecting now back in my career like my
dedication is what made me successful
because I’ll be honest I wasn’t the most
genetically blessed guy on stage I just
had a lot of dedication and commitment I
was relentless
you know nowadays you know if you want
to commit to something and do something
positively you have to commit yourself
you have to schedule it in your life and
build your lifestyle around it and
looking back you know that created a
huge opportunity for me to be as great
as I was and be able to be competitive
at the highest level and not only that
but build a brand which anyone watching
these youtube videos you know working on
their own channels or now climbing that
that ladder of you know being socially
aware of what’s going on it’s it’s crazy
I mean I’ve built such a crazy platform
and you know what the funny part is is I
was just being me and that’s the most
important thing you just be yourself and
I keep preaching that over and over is
you can’t copy this guy or that guy you
just have to find a direction that works
for you and I can’t stress it enough but
you have to be dedicated you have to
stay committed to it
because the truth is if you want to be
an anomaly you’ve got to act like
I love the climb to me the setback is
exciting I love when something goes
wrong it’s where I shine 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 when we
strong will just be assured 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
and good enough that
[Music]
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 that 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 and they
did it you know and I thought well I’m
gonna absolute fool of myself but I’m
gonna you know go for it too
but I basically just given you all the
same diagnosis I was given your time is
limited and that’s a real diagnosis so
what now
[Music]
okay like most people when they’re told
they’re dying you’re probably going
through the five stages of grief the
first stage is denial I’m not dying I’m
healthy stage 2 is anger stage 3 is
bargaining okay we’re all dying stage 4
is depression stage 5 the final stage is
acceptance
okay I’m not immortal
[Music]
so what now let me tell you what I did
when I was told I might only have five
years first of all I got a lot of advice
a lot of friends want to help
Brenda my wife told me that maybe this
this news would give me a whole new
perspective someone else told me that I
should live every day like it was my
last
[Music]
so what were my childhood dreams being
in the national football news this is
one of the childhood dreams I didn’t
achieve all right and it’s very
important to know that if you don’t
achieve your dreams you can still get a
lot by trying for there’s an expression
I love experience is what you get when
you don’t get what you want but most
wonderfully my parents did was they let
me paint my bedroom I said one day I
want to paint stuff on the walls and
they said okay try it a rocketship and
we lived in a ranch so I wanted an
elevator I wasn’t sure where it would go
[Music]
but the great thing is that they let me
do it and they felt that letting me
express my creativity was more important
than the pristine nature of the walls
the brick walls that are in our way are
there for a reason they are not there to
keep us out they are there to give us a
way to show how much we want it
[Music]
but what I kept coming back to when I
had time by myself and no one was giving
me advice was my dreams the dreams I had
put aside the ones that I thought I had
plenty of time to reach but now that I
realized I had a finite amount of time
I’d ask myself what did I want to
accomplish I’m not a worst-case scenario
guy but if I really only had five years
to live what was it that I wanted to
make sure happen for me as a comedian it
was a dream I had since I was 12 years
old it was from for my comedy on The
Late Show with David Letterman so let me
be clear before I move on I was a
comedian already okay I was making a
living at no day job full-time comedian
making a good living in comedy clubs
colleges corporate events around the
world that was a pretty big feat in
itself but six years into my comedy
career I kind of stopped chasing the
Letterman dream I was waiting for it to
come to me I was waiting for some day
not chasing anything that’s a very
important lesson for all of us mortals
here today some day isn’t on the
calendar
Friday Saturday Sunday that’s on there
about four times a month no someday but
when it comes to our dreams it’s
probably the busiest day of the week cuz
someday right so learning that lesson I
just try it decided that I was gonna
refocus my intention back on that dream
I was gonna pull out all the stops and I
gave myself a goal of getting on
Letterman within one year I was gonna
make someday happen I started yelling my
dream to anyone who would listen started
calling in every favor I was over I
found out everyone who worked on the
show and begged them to help me get an
audition I even started asking people at
comedy clubs after they see me to email
the show and beg Dave to book
and guess what I didn’t make it
my ironically named deadline came and
went but I was so renewed about my dream
and my newfound passion for it I decided
to get myself in an extension one more
year to get on letter didn’t happen and
then another nope sounds like bad news
right well it was I would have loved to
get on the show in that first year but
something great happened over there
those years those three years weren’t
spent dying
they were spent living living a dream
and let me tell you there is something
if you’ve ever chased a dream you know
that it lights a fire in your heart then
whether you reach it or not it warms
everyone around you and everything
around you so I decided you know what
I’m gonna keep going cuz that dream is
so important you can’t wait can’t wait
for some day to happen you need to make
things you need to make things go out
wouldn’t the world be a better place if
if we’re all inspired if the world
wasn’t full of uninspired people I know
I felt better when I was inspired why do
people stop chasing their dreams I don’t
think people choose to be uninspired
[Music]
why do you think people stop chasing
their dreams everyone wants to achieve
them why do people leave them behind
that was a tough question to answer I
wanted to give her an honest answer
not some cliche response or a
motivational line so I thought about it
for a long time
I knew that cancer it motivated me to
pick my dream up again but why did I
stop chasing it in the first place why
does anyone stop well when the answer
came to me was hard to swallow a little
own spit out and say it loud but I told
her we’re all taught that life is tough
life’s a bitch life is hard but it’s not
pretty easy right it’s pretty easy to
skate by and go through life right we
wake up every day most of us in the
world with a roof over our heads a big
comfy bed under our butts
fridge full of food most of us in the
world especially here in America never
have to worry about starvation or
homelessness we have friends and family
that will help us out when those things
come those are the things that made life
dangerous 100 years ago now we complain
hips life is inconvenient this isn’t a
statement on modern society this is a
statement about motivation life and easy
easy to skate by
[Music]
[Music]
it’s pretty easy to grow up put your
dreams aside leave your passions behind
take a job that you read you don’t even
really mind raise some kids who will
most likely be inspired to do the exact
same thing go from point A to point B to
Point C until you end up at point Z
where you pass away and there’s a line
of people waiting to get up and tell
everyone else who knew you what a good
life you had nothing bad about that
nothing wrong with that but nothing
great about it nothing inspiring about
that it’s easy to look at a dream as
something way off in the distance
something that might or might not be
accomplished a thing an object a goal
thought that runs through our mind every
now and then a noun a dream is also a
verb
has to be lived it has to be done has to
be further – has to be acted about it
needs to be chased it’s not just a idea
or a result to dream encompasses every
step that it takes to get there
so I’m going to give you all a challenge
here figure out the answer to that
question what are you dying to do
don’t stay forward any further in your
life without answering that question but
if you don’t know the answer don’t go to
sleep tonight without answering that
question
don’t wait till Sunday to answer that
question there’s nothing more important
in your life than figuring that out when
you do figure it out
then when you go to sleep sleep like a
kid again
because then you’ll be going to sleep
not to dream but with the dream and
waking up with
thank you
[Music]
I told you about my dream I didn’t reach
my I Letterman dream by my deadline or
my extended deadline nope
it took me five years ladies gentlemen
please welcome Steve Maison five years
of living five of the years of living
for that dream and I was very lucky my
tumors here in that time they didn’t
grow i stayed healthy but I had that
wake-up call and I’m giving you all the
same wake-up call we’re all dying but if
you’re not chasing your dream
you’re already dead I don’t think
complaining and whining really solves
the problem this is Jackie Robinson
first black major leaguer had it in his
contract not to complain if people spit
on him now I don’t care if you’re Jackie
Robinson or if you’re a guy like me
who’s only got a couple of months to
live you can choose to take your finite
time and energy and effort and you can
spend it complaining or you can spend it
playing the game hard which is probably
going to be more helpful to you in the
long run
[Music]
the talk isn’t just about how to achieve
your childhood dreams it’s much broader
than that it’s about how to live your
life because if you lead your life the
right way the Karma will take care of
itself
that we all have people that we don’t
like that have done things we don’t like
and what I have found is no one is pure
evil if you wait long enough they will
show you their good side you can’t make
them do it in a hurry but you can be
patient
he said when life can no longer threaten
you with death so what else is there
what else is there
and the majority of the fears that we
have are not life or death fears but not
those kind of feelings
[Music]
if you want to begin to move you’ve got
to clear your mind of all the
unnecessary luggage and baggage that’s
weighing us down I couldn’t move I
couldn’t feet about what am I going to
do to get out of this situation because
I was so concerned about what happened
and what he did to me and how bad it was
I was sold stuck in that I couldn’t even
focus on what I should have done
[Music]
so what’s the worst thing that they can
do to you kill you and he just decided
hey this is what I came here to do I
know that there’s some risk involved and
I’m gonna do it
come what may he said I’m not gonna be
afraid anymore feeling sorry for myself
and angry none of that was taking me
anywhere
so pretty soon I’ll learn through effort
made it conscious deliberate determined
effort I had to let it go I had to
forgive it let it go and begin to focus
on developing myself and I say to you
you’re gonna have people to do things to
you things are going to happen to you
and the most important thing to do is to
harness your will and let it go move so
you can grow so you can get on with your
life it doesn’t matter about what
happens to you what matters is what are
you going to do about it
what are you going to do now less this
is the instinct that says you’ve had
enough this is the instinct that says
you’ve you’ve given it your best shot
you can you can stand down you can back
off you can take a knee
this is the instinct that says you can
rest now do not listen to that instinct
do not listen that instinct is a liar
and wants to bring you down that that’s
the instinct that’s a defense mechanism
it wants to give you an out place to run
to
a lot of people never get to where they
want to be because they’ll never stop
complaining about where they’re at I
must say it again a lot of people will
never get to where they want to be
because they will never stop complaining
about where they’re at
the word complain means to remain or to
stay overnight so if you want to stay
right where you’re at
just keep complaining about it and I can
pretty much guarantee you that you’ll
still be there and they’ll tell you you
did the best you could now they’ll say
the DAC the deck the deck was stacked
against you and they’ll say it’s not
your
and they’ll tell you it’s okay to stop
it’s okay to settle it’s okay to give up
[Music]
and that is the in-state you need to
fight you need to Porsche back to smash
into the ground do not take the easy way
out
do not give up the based on instinct if
you are forced to stand down to retreat
so that you can build Andrea tack
so cool
but make that decision based on logic
not on the instinct of surrender and
defeat get up go fight on my history of
being sort of on all sides of my journey
you know I didn’t I didn’t have success
very early and I went through some very
dark times and you know the main one
thing I kept doing is you know inspiring
myself looking for inspiration and
growing and and it hasn’t stopped and I
want to keep doing that and I also want
to inspire others you know there were
millions of me sitting at home right now
and they don’t know it and it’s just
good to be able to get any sort of
platform tests or to say come on man go
for it so listen man no sir
yes I don’t do things for money and I’ve
been broke most of my life so because of
that I can’t sort of suddenly go I need
to do a job just to get some cash you
know I mean I know that a lot of times
it is people’s motivations because
people need to eat but in my position
I’ve been poor most of my life so now
I think I think my imaginations always
kept me going in the lane
you know just imagine myself collecting
awards just imagine myself you know I
mean getting big parts imagine myself
working with the greatest actors my
imagination was the one life and then I
mean like I’ve known you but not
overthinking but you just kind of like
yeah man I see myself driving that car
one day but I get
[Music]
actually if I can see myself doing it I
probably did it she can’t fold up and
sell it to someone evil can do it or you
can’t but everybody can imagine
themselves you know that
[Music]
I mean it’s important not to give
yourself boundaries which we can do
quite easy okay
people talk about aiming for the skies
sometimes even aiming for the skies is
intimidating just don’t give yourself
boundaries your sky and my sky might be
different
did I mean but neither of us have
touched the sky if we give ourselves
bounties and I mean whatever your sky is
whatever your biggest dream is but I’ve
already touched that you know so in
other words what sky where does the sky
end I’d rather people go you know what
I’m not gonna restrict myself to the guy
and I can only do this so I can only do
that or I have to do it this way or I
have to do it that way
the first step before anybody else in
the world believes it is you have to
believe it there’s no reason to have a
plan B because it distracts from plan a
I was 16 contemplated being an actor I
was in sound systems DJ and I mean and
you know it was like that or this so I
was going back to DJ I always have a
studio I would have turntables always
been doing that a long time in anime and
there was a there was a drive to be
famous to be you know that that pinnacle
to be that guy and I’m not not that not
it’s not it’s not my ambition hat isn’t
that as much you know I mean good work
keep working so it’s gonna be hard for
me to sort of glide me be like you know
I’m lifted up by this wonderful life
that I have I love it but you know I’m I
feel you’re on the ground you know it’s
um you know it’s work it’s a job
achievement achievement is inspirational
to me you know people doing it someone
that on Monday didn’t know how to do
this by Friday can do it that is an
inspiration to me I’m not afraid to fail
I’m not afraid to fall over make a
mistake that often time cripples people
on the onset of getting too into
anything the first time ever picked up a
DJ decks was horrible horrible now but
I’m not afraid of that I’m not afraid of
that feeling it actually propels me it
works quite the opposite
but I really loved to do it so I just
said I want to do what I love you know I
mean
like I can do 18 22 hours a day easily
it’s definitely one of those components
to me as a human being my makeup my
genetics that allows me to actually keep
moving
I’m a veteran at being able to look at
an opportunity and go is that gonna take
me further or not you know some people
don’t have that you won’t is something
you develop you know that’s why most
times out of 10 any head of a company
has been doing it for a long time
because they inherently can make a
decision in the blink of an eye but you
have to learn that
the other thing that’s important I think
is to keep your head down you know keep
your head down like when I swim 25 laps
guaranteed if I look up and start
counting those laps I’m Pete it out by
15 if I put my head down I keep working
away and work a technique work it
internal rhythm work it ooh I hit that
length I don’t even know what length
from one guarantee you I’ll look up
it’ll be 20 and two more three more to
go
and that’s a very simple device but I
think people find themselves be
incrementally checking how far they’ve
gone and now you know when you compare
to anybody else or whatever it’s just a
it’s a recipe for disaster just keep
banging on you know
[Music]
mountain climbers would probably tell
you the same thing you know there’s no
point looking at the difference between
climbing a hundred feet and climbing 500
feet
it’s a point of view you don’t know
you’re at the top until you get there
pal and that’s what you need to remember
[Music]
[Music]
you know gana just don’t look down
[Music]
the more I grow renown 43’s point now
considered a middle-aged man and
happiness is without a doubt the best
thing that I I strive for health and
happiness kid you know I couldn’t any of
it means nothing if I’m not happy about
it my breakthrough was actually decided
I wanted to be an actor and go into a
drama college not a drama college I did
a performing arts course they changed my
life it turned my dreams into a reality
it gave me an actual tangible target to
go oh actually I could do this
that was my break room because it was a
breakthrough of my mind
[Music]
that was my biggest break from of course
they’ve been numerous breakthroughs over
my career in my life which I’m all proud
of but none so much is that realization
that I want to be an actor to thrive in
whatever you to please understand your
terrain know what your target is don’t
guess it because Crudup is the next man
because that’s that’s that cheap petrol
that’s your fuel to get you moving if
you don’t know where you’re going what
your targets are you’re never gonna get
there period work hard sleepless
[Music]
you
strive for success I strive to do
something artistically important 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 trying to make some money
make a good living yeah and then cuz I
think that’s secure if you make go and
make money but if you do a job and you
make money you lose that job yeah then
you lose the money you have nothing if
you choose your passion actually just
matter where you make money to lose
money because you’re always gonna have
your passion to be happy so it doesn’t
actually matter that’s your safety net
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
yeah versus versus something else
this is my future we’re all probably
gonna 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 gonna fucking help you
do that you know cuz 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’d go out and you 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 why
not let’s give it a shot people will try
to help you do your dreams make your
dreams come true and shit 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 fuckin
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
we’re from fucking New Jersey and stuff
you miss a hundred percent of the shots
you never take it’s always worth fucking
shy
live a Whynot life man because we’re all
gonna 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
[Music]
nobody can guarantee we’ll be successful
right so I think the only thing that can
guarantee our success is keep the
passion keep believe in the future keep
on investing the young people and keep
on the missions that helping other
students excel if we keep on that we
have the chance to be successful if we
think well we are rich enough let’s
enjoy the life and we that will never
work and now we’re getting more
competitors all the guys entrepreneurs
if you do business we will always have a
competition don’t worry about the
competition because your competitors
also worried by the new
I’m of the impression that bad things
are something that really are important
to one’s life bad experiences are not
necessarily a bad experience you can
learn from tragedy and I think you can
I’m not sure that a bad experiences in
America they’re so keen for you not to
have a bad experience they spent half
their lives trying to avoid bad things
happening to them I don’t think they
should be looked at negatively at all oh
[Music]
he who is their courageous enough to
take risk or coverage known in life
[Music]
great moments
are born a great opportunity and that’s
what you have here tonight
that’s what you’ve earned here tonight
one game
if we play them ten times they might
want in mine
not this game
not tonight
tonight we skate
tonight we stay with it and we shut them
down because we can
you don’t play ball cuz you got to I
don’t have to go in the gym and put up
extra shot cuz I got to you don’t learn
Sprint’s cuz you got to something built
let’s just sleep some built and built
like this did nobody get in there and
put the gloves on for me you nobody go
out there on that road and run miles and
miles for me nobody took the broken ribs
or what he took the blood he knows I did
it on I dedicated myself to my craft and
I bust my ass
I never overlooked no opponent I trained
for every fighter the same way
push myself
I believe in my skills and I believe my
challenging it’s don’t like lose man and
we were sitting here playing Domino
playing cards running back and forth and
you kept beating me whatever we’re doing
I hate the rules I hate to Loomis I
don’t care what it is that’s that’s my
biggest problem is that I can’t accept
losing and I want to sell losing I want
evidence ever lose ever no one LVN able
to calm you’re losing to my face
[Music]
you got fighters then maybe faster than
he got fighters in a tower
but you don’t have no fighting that can
make adjustments like me
you know fighters they could be on my
mother
mentally
it’s never personal for me
it’s always business
[Music]
you get to what you try to get to by
staying focused standing on a parallel
path my thing is this I keep my eyes on
the prize I never focus on things
outside the way my focus is the guy
that’s in front I always had a dream and
my dream was to be the best no matter
what happens
when it comes down to boxing I’m the
best at this
give me your best you keep going that’s
it
you got more than that you’ve got to
keep moving let’s keep moving let’s go
don’t quit till you got nothing left
there you go keep movin keep movin keep
movin let’s say you keep driving keep
your knees off the ground keep driving
their very best your very thick your
very best keep moving that’s it that’s
it that’s it keep going
don’t quit on the hip go keep keep your
knees off the ground
Mary they don’t keep fried feet back
don’t quit till you got nothing
my life to be this is the reason for my
existence this is why I am here I come
too far I work too hard
I am going to cross this finish line
[Music]
most of us go through life without
plates on holding back not giving all
that we have not sharing all of
ourselves most of us go to our graves
still holding on rather than releasing
it
it is impossible and to some
it has the audacity to believe that no
matter what the expert or the doctor
says I can still do this
[Music]
you
[Music]
I can’t do that I won’t even try I won’t
even try
I give up before I even tried no oh I
tried but I feel sure I try my best but
out there a sore
[Music]
is there victory in there
goddamn right
[Music]
when you have butterflies and feeling
anxious and you have anxiety or nervous
that’s when your most powerful I believe
a lot of people instead of homing this
power and using it they allow it to just
consume them
a big challenge a big pressure is like a
fire instead of a raging fire either you
can allow this fire to consume you and
take you off completely or you can gain
control of this fire and harness that
[Music]
key to winning is not Talent it’s not
looks it’s not degrees I’ll be the key
to winning is being the best you can
possibly be
I believe if you’re proud of your
abilities and your opportunity look in
the mirror and you say that guy’s
supposed to win you know he’s supposed
to be somebody will you
will you rise above it all
unleash your visions and ideas and gifts
on the world
see you gotta prepare to win the first
few plays are critical
you got a hard in show him who’s boss
see see somebody’s gonna quit you were
here
you can do is everything that’s
[Applause]
are you crazy
I have trained my whole life devoted my
life to this this is the reason for my
existence this is why I am here when you
go out there and you go fight and you’d
be the best you can be you’re gonna have
a lot of the features along the way
it’ll be in so many situations
it looks so hopeless but if you just
keep me in the best you can be
it’s gonna look impossible time just
keep being the best you can be all you
can do is all you can do but all you can
do is enough
[Music]
you
[Music]
I wish there was no suffering then it
just comes with the job some of the
greatest work comes from pain or some
great work comes from
from love from loss it’s like wanting to
be the best at whatever you do never
stop it to you the best like I don’t
believe in doing anything halfway I
believe in going all the way
so another style
[Music]
if you’re gonna be good at something it
does take a while just enjoy the game
there you’re gonna get fed up we’re
gonna get disheartened and people gonna
tell you you’re useless and all that but
what I can say after about 15 or 20
years I learned how to do something well
and I enjoyed that getting there as much
as being there
if I knew what I knew now I probably
wouldn’t have started a company
mostly because I would have been afraid
so I actually think youth is an
advantage or like flexible you’re like
you know it’s back from anything the
world is your oyster you’re positive
right naive yeah I mean it’s a little
bit naivete but in some ways like that
actually works to your advantage for
those that want to I actually I’d say
there’s no time like the president
because you’re young do a lot of stuff
and I what I said to myself was at its
worst if this didn’t work out
at least I have a lot on my resume that
I was like trying to be an entrepreneur
and I learned to run a company and
hopefully raise some money and I think
that the costs of running business are
so low that like you can do that with a
relative success
[Music]
Bush until it hurts or you sort of you
want to be always pushing beyond what
you’re comfortable with and you’re
sweating just a little bit all the time
and and when that happens when you’re
when you’re constantly pushing beyond
what you think what you know is possible
you’re always sweating a little bit and
you’re always a little bit nervous but
that is the drug and so when you’re
pushing like that and you’re never
really relaxed then it always feels
small
[Music]
[Music]
maybe it’s a healthy family maybe it’s a
happy marriage maybe it’s to help others
to be famous be spiritually sound leave
the world a little bit better place than
you found it continue to ask yourself
that question now your answer may change
over time and that’s fine
but do yourself this favor whatever your
answer is don’t choose anything that
will jeopardize yourself prioritize who
you are who you want to be and don’t
spend time with anything that
antagonizes your character be brave take
the hill but first answer that question
what’s my hill
[Music]
you know you can’t let anyone else tell
you who you are and how good you are
because everyone has their own opinions
but this I hope that they see that wow
this e we Lindsay didn’t listen to them
and she went back it was able to prove
them wrong like I can do that
like if someone at school is mean to me
it doesn’t mean that I’m a bad person it
doesn’t mean I’m a dork or a loser you
know I can I can become whoever I want
to be and I hope that people see that
because that moment proved that to me
you know and it’s it’s true
I feel so strongly that the reason I’m
here is I dreamed big dreams I dream the
kind of dreams that other people said
would not be possible I’m also living
proof this isn’t a Hollywood movie
I count literally from the other side of
the tracks if you saw where I grew up
and we took a picture of it the
neighborhood the setting you say it’s
not it’s impossible that someone could
come from there and get here but it is
possible
[Music]
you can do anything
but there will be people along the way
and I remember this who will say to you
you know you’re dreaming too big it’s
not possible those things just can’t
happen don’t allow anyone friend family
acquaintances teachers whoever it is
don’t allow anyone to tell you that what
you are dreaming for yourself and your
family is not possible
it is possible don’t be one of those
people twenty years from now are going
to be walking around a nine-to-five job
miserable and angry and bitter because
you let your dreams get away from you
because you did not believe stronger
enough it strongly enough in yourself
and what was possible don’t allow that
to happen this is an unbelievable time
and I can’t encourage you enough to
continue to think that things are
possible and that your dreams can come
true
[Music]
[Music]
can’t live my life based upon what other
people think about me so I can’t concern
myself too much with what other people
think you know it’s just not healthy I
don’t think I could continue to do what
I do if I was constantly worrying about
what somebody thought about it
[Music]
[Music]
the best thing that ever happened to me
the best thing that ever happened to me
is I hit rock bottom
by far the best thing that ever happened
to me is hitting rock bottom I think I
think for men I have two boys and I’m
gonna be in pain when I witnessed these
guys go through this but I think the
best thing that can happen to a man is a
heartbreak a very strong heartbreak and
a very big failure early on in business
and it happened to me early on in life
both heartbreak and business that happen
early on because I thought I knew it all
and it was a slap in the face to save
Socrates says the only thing I know is
that I know nothing if the greatest
minds on their deathbed are saying
things like that what makes you and I
think we know everything
you
fear is the disease Hustle is the
antidote
you can’t count on sales you can’t count
on anything but just crazy hustle and
just grit your teeth claw your way to
success there was just no easy way to do
it
in order to be this disruptive to what’s
going on you have to have you have to be
willing to to fight and you have to not
be it you can’t be shy never stop it to
you the best like I don’t believe in
doing anything halfway I believe in
going all the way
[Music]
[Music]
you
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