[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
so does anyone remember the very first
gift that you were ever given I don’t
remember it either but if you’re here
today like I am you still got it
the very first gift that you were ever
given as the gift of life right this is
season forgiving and guess what I was
born on Christmas Day all right I was
born on Christmas Day why is that
relevant why is that important well
because I’m here to talk to you about
gifts and about giving and about the
present okay so what better person
didn’t gift herself about that but uh so
what is a gift in the literal sense of
course what is a gift okay a gift is two
things it’s a noun and it’s a verb okay
gift is something that’s given willingly
to someone without payment something
free gratis okay it’s also a natural
ability or talent and then as a verb
it’s to give something it is the act of
giving and let’s talk about the noun
part okay we all have things that are
inside of us that we can do and that our
natural talents just like the definition
okay I have some things that I can do
natural talents uh
you know as the person that was
introducing me said you know I’ve done a
plethora of things over my lifetime
these are things that have culminated
those from gifts that were given to me
from my ancestors from my parents from
my family and from my friends growing up
for instance a gift of music the gift of
music was given to me
I believe from my daddy’s family the
Mitchells they used to call my daddy’s
family some musical Mitchell’s and now I
am a musical Mitchell I was born old
Christmas Mama’s little gift just like
the present I’ve been giving ever since
it’s been a long a long time coming the
change myself a little bit but yeah like
so that’s something that over years and
years and years of listening to music
and being around musical people I had
music before I had anything else my mom
used to tell me my daddy they planted
they had a whole band and they would be
rehearsing in the apartment and I’d be
sitting there on my daddy’s foot just
sitting there bopping up and down but
that’s something that was given to me so
it’s something that I have kept around
my whole life the next thing is okay soy
una maestra de español y disfrute o
compartir mr. gallows commissioned
studentís todo el dia actually Spanish
and I teach Spanish and I love it the
reason why is because I get to go into
my classroom every single day and give
of myself I like to talk a whole lot too
I think it now I don’t know what you
call that gift a gift of gab I guess but
you know at least I get to go in my
classroom and I got somebody to talk to
because when the power of what I have to
say is transformative then it means
something and you know he ever been
around somebody they just talking and
talking they’re talking in the name
right talking loud fan nothing ain’t
saying nothing at all but you know but
it means something when I can go into my
classroom because I do like to talk and
I do like to share things so when I go
in my classroom every single day I’ve
got a chance to share something and
transform my students through my giving
that is why it’s important to share your
gift that is why gifts are important now
the next thing is how do you even know
what your gifts are well it’s not a
great big complicated thing I mean
you’re basically born with it you’re
born with them and sometimes you know
you have to keep living life in order
for you to even find that out because
another thing of track and field I’m a
track and field coach but before that I
was attractive field athlete now I
didn’t know that I was fast until
because I was in the seventh grade I
think it was and one of my fellow
students had invited me out to track
practices over the summer and so we got
in the race and it was the 100-meter
dash got in that race and I got dusted
so I didn’t think that I was fast
not yet then when I was a freshman in
high school I went out for the track
team I wasn’t coordinating us I think I
have rhythm but I’m like dancing and
stuff like that it’s definitely not my
gift so yeah I went tried out for
cheerleading and stuff like that and I
didn’t get it I didn’t make it so I said
I want to do something because I can’t
sit still so I I went out for the track
team and the first year that I started
running track I was running hurdles my
coach noticed that one I could listen
really good but two that I was fast and
I was like what do you mean okay he said
no he said let me tell you something
Sharia he said you’re fast he said and
I’ma get you there so this coach put me
with another girl who had been the state
champion she was her junior year it was
her senior year and she ended up being
the state champion and hurdles that year
she taught me how to run the hurdles and
by the time I got to be a junior I got
to be state champion just like she did
in the hurdles I was fast the hurdles is
what basically allowed me to winning
hurdles basically allowed me to go to
college for free now this is something
that I learned about myself I was fast
so now in my life today I’m a coach I’m
a track coach
when athletes come to me and I’m sharing
what I’ve learned the gifts that I was
given and that have been cultivated
cultivated throughout my life now guess
what my girls track team are state
champions so it’s another example of how
sharing my gifts that I was given to my
athletes to my students has basically
culminated and resulted in something
great it has transformed the gift that I
have given the gifts that were given to
me transform to something great in the
present in the present so we’ve done all
these things we got talents we got you
know we’re gifting we’re giving we’re
just you know embodiment of the oneness
and the unity of life so does anybody
think about why you’re here you think
about that think about why you’re here
let me simplify it for you do you know
why you’re here today that’s all you
should care about because the rest of it
doesn’t matter the past is done it’s
over it’s gone the only thing about the
past that you should be worried about as
the good things that you took from it
the rest of it is finished future is not
here yet and it’s not promised to you so
one thing we know about life is that you
will die and you don’t know the time or
the hour that it’s going to happen but
you know that it will so guess what this
over here it looks great but what about
all this is going on right here right
now what is it it’s the present right
it’s the present and the gift that
you’re given throughout your life you
wake up every day to the present you
wake up every day to a chance for you to
be great you wake up every day to a
chance for you to give something that
helps move the cycle of life the quantum
leap for lack will better turn the
quantum leap of an
intelligence of imagination of
innovation you wake up every day with a
present you wake up every single day
with it so you don’t have to look for
your gift you wake up and you got one
okay you don’t have to search your soul
all you got to do is share what you’re
good at and what’s good inside of you
and you may not know that right now you
may not because you some of us you know
it takes living life and experiences and
things like that for us to for the light
bulb to turn on and once it’s turned on
it’s definitely other people around us
that see things in us but you have to
believe what’s in yourself you have to
start within B so that you can share
without there was a an African proverb
and I love it because you know it’s
talking about love and yourself and it
says that you know beware of taking a
shirt from a naked man because if this
naked man doesn’t have a shirt to give
you then something might be wrong with
that so you have to have the love inside
of yourself to be able to share it and
to give it to everybody else these gifts
that are within yourself you have to
recognize them that’s all they need it’s
not that you have to find them
you just have to acknowledge them and
then at some point there are some gifts
that are going to take you to the places
where you need to go in life but right
in the moment is the only place that
matters time is basically evidence that
you were here it is it’s evidence of
what’s going on at the moment we have to
figure out how to quantify it right
it’s evidence of what is going on at the
moment so with my students students come
into school and sometimes this school
our education system has its
counterproductive I should say when it
comes to people and students children
recognizing their gifts because they
come in
and there you know you have this
curriculum that you have to teach in you
and the kids have these things that they
have to learn so a lot of times they
don’t get a chance to focus on their
gifts they don’t even get a chance to
think about it or know what they are
because they’re coming in here but so us
teachers a lot of times I look at the
students in my class and I noticed
something about them I thought I have a
kid who every day he comes in he is
writing in a binder and he’s writing
scripts he’s writing and I’m in there to
teach him Spanish but I’m also there to
notice a gift I’m also there to notice
something else in him and to tell him
hey what is that that you’re doing what
are you doing right there Wow and then I
read it and it’s amazing and then you
know just first he’s a very very quiet
kid but this is something that he really
likes to do this is something that he
wakes up wanting to do I could tell he’s
got books and books that he I mean he’s
he’s like thing I think on his third
book and we’ve been in school since
August he’s on his third little book so
this kid is doing something that he
loves and we have to encourage our young
people to do what they love because one
of the most negative factors on physical
and mental health is job dissatisfaction
and why is that is because it’s a job
all I want to go to work you know I you
know I made a lot of money doing real
estate and you know using my gift of gab
to talk to people and my gift of a great
circle of influence to make money
however that my heart just wasn’t in it
you know when I get up in the morning I
walk into the classroom I love it I’m
telling you I can be I’d still you know
write and do music and I could be in
that studio until 4:30 in the morning
and then I’m right back at school but
guess what I came from a place that I
love because I’m
sharing and using my gift and I’m
stepping into another place that I love
and my students understand me and I
appreciate it I really do
Jamie can you come here for a second am
I my hope and my wish for standing
before you today is that you realize
that something very important
this gift let me give this to you I’m
gonna do some magic just by giving that
to you I want you to hold up your
present I changed my gift into her
present see that because the gift comes
from within but the present is what
keeps giving thank you
[Applause]
[Applause]
[Music]
so does anyone remember the very first
gift that you were ever given I don’t
remember it either but if you’re here
today like I am you still got it
the very first gift that you were ever
given as the gift of life right this is
season forgiving and guess what I was
born on Christmas Day all right I was
born on Christmas Day why is that
relevant why is that important well
because I’m here to talk to you about
gifts and about giving and about the
present okay so what better person
didn’t gift herself about that but uh so
what is a gift in the literal sense of
course what is a gift okay a gift is two
things it’s a noun and it’s a verb okay
gift is something that’s given willingly
to someone without payment something
free gratis okay it’s also a natural
ability or talent and then as a verb
it’s to give something it is the act of
giving and let’s talk about the noun
part okay we all have things that are
inside of us that we can do and that our
natural talents just like the definition
okay I have some things that I can do
natural talents uh
you know as the person that was
introducing me said you know I’ve done a
plethora of things over my lifetime
these are things that have culminated
those from gifts that were given to me
from my ancestors from my parents from
my family and from my friends growing up
for instance a gift of music the gift of
music was given to me
I believe from my daddy’s family the
Mitchells they used to call my daddy’s
family some musical Mitchell’s and now I
am a musical Mitchell I was born old
Christmas Mama’s little gift just like
the present I’ve been giving ever since
it’s been a long a long time coming the
change myself a little bit but yeah like
so that’s something that over years and
years and years of listening to music
and being around musical people I had
music before I had anything else my mom
used to tell me my daddy they planted
they had a whole band and they would be
rehearsing in the apartment and I’d be
sitting there on my daddy’s foot just
sitting there bopping up and down but
that’s something that was given to me so
it’s something that I have kept around
my whole life the next thing is okay soy
una maestra de español y disfrute o
compartir mr. gallows commissioned
studentís todo el dia actually Spanish
and I teach Spanish and I love it the
reason why is because I get to go into
my classroom every single day and give
of myself I like to talk a whole lot too
I think it now I don’t know what you
call that gift a gift of gab I guess but
you know at least I get to go in my
classroom and I got somebody to talk to
because when the power of what I have to
say is transformative then it means
something and you know he ever been
around somebody they just talking and
talking they’re talking in the name
right talking loud fan nothing ain’t
saying nothing at all but you know but
it means something when I can go into my
classroom because I do like to talk and
I do like to share things so when I go
in my classroom every single day I’ve
got a chance to share something and
transform my students through my giving
that is why it’s important to share your
gift that is why gifts are important now
the next thing is how do you even know
what your gifts are well it’s not a
great big complicated thing I mean
you’re basically born with it you’re
born with them and sometimes you know
you have to keep living life in order
for you to even find that out because
another thing of track and field I’m a
track and field coach but before that I
was attractive field athlete now I
didn’t know that I was fast until
because I was in the seventh grade I
think it was and one of my fellow
students had invited me out to track
practices over the summer and so we got
in the race and it was the 100-meter
dash got in that race and I got dusted
so I didn’t think that I was fast
not yet then when I was a freshman in
high school I went out for the track
team I wasn’t coordinating us I think I
have rhythm but I’m like dancing and
stuff like that it’s definitely not my
gift so yeah I went tried out for
cheerleading and stuff like that and I
didn’t get it I didn’t make it so I said
I want to do something because I can’t
sit still so I I went out for the track
team and the first year that I started
running track I was running hurdles my
coach noticed that one I could listen
really good but two that I was fast and
I was like what do you mean okay he said
no he said let me tell you something
Sharia he said you’re fast he said and
I’ma get you there so this coach put me
with another girl who had been the state
champion she was her junior year it was
her senior year and she ended up being
the state champion and hurdles that year
she taught me how to run the hurdles and
by the time I got to be a junior I got
to be state champion just like she did
in the hurdles I was fast the hurdles is
what basically allowed me to winning
hurdles basically allowed me to go to
college for free now this is something
that I learned about myself I was fast
so now in my life today I’m a coach I’m
a track coach
when athletes come to me and I’m sharing
what I’ve learned the gifts that I was
given and that have been cultivated
cultivated throughout my life now guess
what my girls track team are state
champions so it’s another example of how
sharing my gifts that I was given to my
athletes to my students has basically
culminated and resulted in something
great it has transformed the gift that I
have given the gifts that were given to
me transform to something great in the
present in the present so we’ve done all
these things we got talents we got you
know we’re gifting we’re giving we’re
just you know embodiment of the oneness
and the unity of life so does anybody
think about why you’re here you think
about that think about why you’re here
let me simplify it for you do you know
why you’re here today that’s all you
should care about because the rest of it
doesn’t matter the past is done it’s
over it’s gone the only thing about the
past that you should be worried about as
the good things that you took from it
the rest of it is finished future is not
here yet and it’s not promised to you so
one thing we know about life is that you
will die and you don’t know the time or
the hour that it’s going to happen but
you know that it will so guess what this
over here it looks great but what about
all this is going on right here right
now what is it it’s the present right
it’s the present and the gift that
you’re given throughout your life you
wake up every day to the present you
wake up every day to a chance for you to
be great you wake up every day to a
chance for you to give something that
helps move the cycle of life the quantum
leap for lack will better turn the
quantum leap of an
intelligence of imagination of
innovation you wake up every day with a
present you wake up every single day
with it so you don’t have to look for
your gift you wake up and you got one
okay you don’t have to search your soul
all you got to do is share what you’re
good at and what’s good inside of you
and you may not know that right now you
may not because you some of us you know
it takes living life and experiences and
things like that for us to for the light
bulb to turn on and once it’s turned on
it’s definitely other people around us
that see things in us but you have to
believe what’s in yourself you have to
start within B so that you can share
without there was a an African proverb
and I love it because you know it’s
talking about love and yourself and it
says that you know beware of taking a
shirt from a naked man because if this
naked man doesn’t have a shirt to give
you then something might be wrong with
that so you have to have the love inside
of yourself to be able to share it and
to give it to everybody else these gifts
that are within yourself you have to
recognize them that’s all they need it’s
not that you have to find them
you just have to acknowledge them and
then at some point there are some gifts
that are going to take you to the places
where you need to go in life but right
in the moment is the only place that
matters time is basically evidence that
you were here it is it’s evidence of
what’s going on at the moment we have to
figure out how to quantify it right
it’s evidence of what is going on at the
moment so with my students students come
into school and sometimes this school
our education system has its
counterproductive I should say when it
comes to people and students children
recognizing their gifts because they
come in
and there you know you have this
curriculum that you have to teach in you
and the kids have these things that they
have to learn so a lot of times they
don’t get a chance to focus on their
gifts they don’t even get a chance to
think about it or know what they are
because they’re coming in here but so us
teachers a lot of times I look at the
students in my class and I noticed
something about them I thought I have a
kid who every day he comes in he is
writing in a binder and he’s writing
scripts he’s writing and I’m in there to
teach him Spanish but I’m also there to
notice a gift I’m also there to notice
something else in him and to tell him
hey what is that that you’re doing what
are you doing right there Wow and then I
read it and it’s amazing and then you
know just first he’s a very very quiet
kid but this is something that he really
likes to do this is something that he
wakes up wanting to do I could tell he’s
got books and books that he I mean he’s
he’s like thing I think on his third
book and we’ve been in school since
August he’s on his third little book so
this kid is doing something that he
loves and we have to encourage our young
people to do what they love because one
of the most negative factors on physical
and mental health is job dissatisfaction
and why is that is because it’s a job
all I want to go to work you know I you
know I made a lot of money doing real
estate and you know using my gift of gab
to talk to people and my gift of a great
circle of influence to make money
however that my heart just wasn’t in it
you know when I get up in the morning I
walk into the classroom I love it I’m
telling you I can be I’d still you know
write and do music and I could be in
that studio until 4:30 in the morning
and then I’m right back at school but
guess what I came from a place that I
love because I’m
sharing and using my gift and I’m
stepping into another place that I love
and my students understand me and I
appreciate it I really do
Jamie can you come here for a second am
I my hope and my wish for standing
before you today is that you realize
that something very important
this gift let me give this to you I’m
gonna do some magic just by giving that
to you I want you to hold up your
present I changed my gift into her
present see that because the gift comes
from within but the present is what
keeps giving thank you
[Applause]
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