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Jason Clark – A Passion for Life | Jason Clark | TEDxArlingtonHS


right how’s everybody doing today you
good all right
this is Mike it’s pretty cool all right
well like she said I am Jason Clark the
executive director of the Tennessee mask
right now one thing i’ma tell you
I’m allergic to boring I’m very very
animated when I talk very animated just
I want to talk about the song within
okay I want to talk about the song
within I’ve had the opportunity to play
with and produce or record with whatever
it is Pete some of the most
extraordinary artists within the music
industry people like Kirk Whalum an
amazing jazz saxophonist I’m not sure if
you’re familiar with the Whitney Houston
hit I will always love you he’s the one
that was doing the saxophone solo on
that particular record Martina McBride
country artists amazing amazing artist
st. Paul and the broken bones
those guys are amazing and one of the
best soul bands I’ve ever heard in my
life all right Dave Stewart and Vanessa
Omarosa
Dave Stewart was the producer and
songwriter for the group the Eurythmics
back in the day Vanessa Omarosa is a an
Australian pop artist
she’s amazing amazing artist and a
Popovic serbian blues guitarist and
singer amazing foreigner the legendary
rock band you see I can’t see but I mean
those guys are amazing phenomenal and
just so many you know so many different
artists that I’ve had the opportunity to
work with and play with and the reason
why I’m saying that is not so you can
just look at me and be like hey yeah
he’s had a pretty cool career and things
like that
but it’s more so because of what we’re
going to be talking about on today just
an idea that I want to share with you
which is the song within now you know
I’ve given you these facts about me and
so let’s get right into it when are you
the word song within this of course we
think about a musical term we think
about lyrics we think about instrumental
music we think about acapella music we
think about verse chorus and arrangement
we just think about a musical
composition but what I want to talk
about today is more so a song in a
metaphorical sentence when it comes to
your purpose when it comes to your
passion when it comes to your dreams
that thing that’s constantly on repeat
in your mind day after day week after
week month after month year after year
man you need to go ahead and start this
you need to start that business you need
to do this you need to volunteer here
you need to go here you ought to do this
start that something that drives you
that passion that’s constantly in you
and that’s the one thing that I want to
talk about today I have a friend of mine
which is an amazing amazing songwriter
amazing gonna be Dickerson he wrote this
song called the song within and when I
began to prepare my talk for today I
knew I was gonna talk about passion I
knew I was gonna talk about dreams and
goals and things like that and his song
came to mind I called him up I was like
hey man you know would you mind if I use
your song for this TED talk that I’m
gonna be doing he was like man I’ll be
on it
and so one thing that I want to do I
want us to look at these lyrics and if
you wouldn’t mind read these along with
me all right once you ready read it
keeps me going when I feel like giving
up
it gives me hope when it seems all hope
is gone it makes me smile when some
situations wants me to wear a frown
it keeps me cool and it makes things
better let’s go on it sings to me
a simple melody it always wants what’s
best for me yeah yeah look at somebody
say oh yeah all right
it reassures me of my place in this
world all right we’re gonna come back to
that line when doubts try to crowd my
mind it relieves me of the pressures and
all the worrying and when I’m feeling
low it takes me so high and here’s the
course the song within really is my
closest friend through thick and thin
what great company to have around the
song within brightens up my darkest days
makes it an easy way and it gives me a
reason to live so as you can see the
song that we’re talking about from a
metaphorical sense it’s more so of a
passion it’s more sort of a dream it’s
more so talking about what drives you on
a daily basis okay all right now what I
want us to do right now everybody in
here just close your eyes real quickly
close your eyes all right close your
eyes and and if everyone will
participate that would be awesome one
thing I want to ask you is by show of
hands who can say that you are operating
right now
100%
into what you’re passionate about now it
doesn’t have to be anything that you’re
getting paid for it could be something
that you’re volunteering it could be
just something that you’re just
passionate about that you’re constantly
just involved in or whatever by show of
hands let me see how many of you all are
doing that
okay alright put hands down keep your
eyes closed all right the next group is
I want those of you that are passionate
about something however you may not just
have the time the resources or the money
or I mean it’s just something that’s
blocking you from fully pursuing what
you’re purposed here to do let me see a
show of hands with that
all right show hands all right now open
your eyes and look around the room but
your hands still raised do you realize
that represents the majority of the
population that’s here there are so many
people that will be born live and die
without ever pursuing what they’re
passionate about and I firmly believe
when it comes to our purpose when it
comes to our passion we are the game
changers
that’s the thing that reassures you of
your place in this world that’s the
thing that gets you out of the common
rat race is your individuality it’s your
passion it’s your dream and there’s so
many of us that don’t get a chance to do
that there’s so many of us that don’t
take that that take that chance
regardless of what the stumbling block
could be all right
one thing that that I always say is this
when it comes to purpose when it comes
to passion sometimes we sit back and
wait on the world to change just like
John Mayer song waiting on the world to
change you know we sit back and we just
wait not taking responsibility and
knowing that we are that world and we
are that change it’s on us it’s our
responsibility now sometimes you might
feel like you know just because you’re
an ant you’re an individual you can’t
make a difference and that’s not true
that is clearly not true because of the
simple fact you can make a difference in
your area think about it what if all of
us were doing that everywhere in our
individual areas we will be making
changes your purpose and your passion is
always something that would help someone
else it will be always something that
would always solve a problem or even I
mean it could be something that you
invent or whatever that would solve a
problem
but we have to take time to go out there
and pursue that passion okay one thing
one thing that I always say and always
make reference to is Prince we all know
we just celebrated his legacy in life
and everything like that the other day
yesterday I believe and one thing about
him
what intrigued me so much about Prince
it’s not just his musical
accomplishments
it was after he passed away so many
things that he did behind the scenes
that no one knew about so many millions
of dollars that he gave to charities
that he gave to individuals and he
didn’t want any credit for
you know that was almost like a song
within him that was constantly gone that
was that thing that he was doing to make
a change he was already an icon in music
but when it came down to it he was the
one that was making that change just
yesterday just like I told you I’m I’m
on a health journey and I was walking
and I was just going on I try to walk
through the five miles every day and so
I usually walk in a downtown area well
this particular day of which is rest
yesterday just yesterday I was walking
downtown and I was headed towards the
FedEx Forum and from a distance I saw a
gentleman or older gentleman in a
wheelchair and from the distance I can
tell if that he was struggling or
whatever but the closer I got to him I
was just walking I was like man you know
he is strung a little bit he was trying
to get up a hill and he could barely go
and so I really don’t like to invade
anyone’s personal space but at the same
time I knew he needed help so I just got
behind him I was like sir would you mind
if I push you do do you need any little
help and he was just like yes please
thank you so much and we began to talk
and we were just walking we were just
walking and talking and everything like
that he just wanted to get up closer to
the FedEx Forum in front of Starbucks I
don’t know the level of impact that that
met it may have had on his life but at
the same time when he turned around and
looked at me he was like thank you so
much I mean he seemed so appreciative I
had a friend of mine which is a
recording artist in Chicago that was
doing a concert and she was like she was
just going and going and everything like
that and all of a sudden she was like
she felt a shift in her music she wanted
to say something encouraging or whatever
so she started singing and she started
going and everything like that and the
band didn’t know what was going on there
was like man we didn’t rehearse that so
they were playing and she was just
constantly going and everything they
went with her and so after the end of
that concert someone came up to her in
tears
in tears came to her and said you know
thank you so much I appreciate your gift
no one knew this but coming here tonight
I said this was gonna be my last concert
and if something didn’t inspire me I was
gonna go home and blow my brains out
simply because my friend took that time
to follow her passion
we can be the change we can be that
change that we want to seek that we want
to see the change that we’re hoping for
the change that we’re dreaming for just
by going after our passion but one thing
that I say is this when it comes to your
passion again just like I told you on
that line it reassures you of your place
in this world
no one can duplicate your passion even
if you’re doing the same thing as
someone else no one can duplicate it
there’s several different cans of beans
or whatever and there’s a specific one
that you go and get because it’s
imperfect it serves the purpose of your
taste it doesn’t matter if you’re doing
it for everybody else it doesn’t matter
if if ten thousand people are doing it
it still will be uniquely yours when it
comes down to it now one thing that I
want to talk about is this there are
passion killers and there are dream
killers all right
I always say beware of the drain killers
let me tell you the story my mom and I
we were rolling when I was little born
from junior high to high school all
right and we were just you know riding
and talking and everything like that and
she just actually she was like well you
know what do you inspire to do what what
are your aspirations everything I was
like well I understand I know you can
tell by my physique and everything like
that I was like I want to play in the
NBA and that was actually a pretty good
basketball player back in the day all
right
and I told and she was like well you
know that’s fine it’s good to inspire to
do that or whatever but you got to have
a plan B I was like all right cool well
I want to be a comedian she looked at me
she’s like huh she was like you ain’t
funny she was like ain’t nothing funny
about the matter of fact that was the
funniest thing you ever said killed my
dreams no but I’m serious that that just
killed it right there you know now I
knew I wanted to be a comedian or
whatever but that’s just something that
you know I’m talking about just a little
funny story that what happened let’s
talk about a few of the dream killers
fear we already know fear is a huge one
fear is a huge one that that’s almost
like one of the number one dream killers
and purpose killers that there is all
right
number two insecurity feeling like
you’re not good enough feeling like
you’re not worthy or feeling like
someone else’s better all right
procrastination how many of you said
I’ll start tomorrow there you go
procrastination tomorrow becomes next
week next month next year after year
after year after here you never get
going all right how many of you said I’m
too busy it’s too much going on I don’t
have time in my schedule I can’t do this
I can’t do that all right being too busy
one thing that I learned at an early age
is no is the complete sentence all right
I always say hey know what you got to do
man I’m just busy that day I can’t do
this I can’t do that I stopped spreading
myself in all right and the last one
that I want to talk about is negative
people negative influences negative
people in your life whether it’s family
and friends or whatever I know I shared
that funny story about my mom but some
have more serious issues of people
putting you down putting your passion
down you know putting your dream down
and honestly that’s why I really don’t
share a lot that’s in my heart with a
whole lot of people I don’t just talk
about it I just go out and do it
to avoid all that negativity like I said
in this song it says the song within
really is my closest friend the reason
being is because it’s constantly always
with you it’s constantly with you you’re
gonna constantly hear it it’s never
going to shut up you’re gonna keep
hearing that passion
you’re gonna keep hearing it until you
do something about it alright
it stays with me through thick and thin
what great company to have around okay
now notice all this time that I’ve been
talking I hadn’t told you what mine is
yes just yet
alright the song with then brightens up
my darkest days and makes an easy way
and it gives me a reason to live
so out of everything that I just
presented to you to you what do you
think my song with it is
nine times I’d say and you will say
music and it’s not music is an extension
of the song that’s within me when it
comes to my passion what I’m truly
passionate about is inspiring people
what I’m truly and passionate about is
educating people making people think
trying to uplift people trying to have a
voice for people that hadn’t quite
developed their own which all of us have
a voice but it’s just sometimes it’s not
developed just yet and so that’s what my
passion is everything that’s a part of
my world I’m not doing anything
musically right now but guess what I’m
operating in my passion everything that
you’re passionate about you’re not gonna
always get paid for it’s not about paid
success and significance are two
different things your passion is what
makes you significant you can be
successful how millions and millions of
dollars sail millions and millions of
Records or you can say a millions of
millions of products be rich and all
that and still not be significant in
your heart you can still feel empty
inside because of the simple fact you’re
not going after that passion that’s why
you see some you know some artists
that’s why you see some entertainers and
things like that sometimes they veer off
and get into some trouble because it’s
something that they’re seeking
and only until you get to that point
what you really begin to reach for that
passion that you begin to really find
that gratification on the inside
The Voice is still gonna be there with
you you know my ideal death would be
this me in old age in a hospital bed
with my family and friends all around
having the opportunity to tell everyone
what they meant to me having the
opportunity to talk to them and be like
hey man you know I really appreciate you
looking at my kids and grandkids and
great-grandkids and great great great
grandkids and telling my hey I love you
so much and all that or whatever that
would be the ideal death
and the last thing that would be with me
would be my passion now going to your
imagination real quickly as I get ready
to close this think about you being on
your deathbed your family is already
gone and everyone has you know talked to
you and everything like that and it’s
just you and personify your passion give
it a body give it a face and you’re
having a conversation with it
with that conversation be like man we
really comfort us a whole lot man man
hey everything was great everything was
cool you really listened to me and as
you listen to me
more people will help it was significant
everything was going everything was
great we did great high five man enjoy
the next life
or with that conversation be sad from
your passion
why didn’t you listen I had all this
laid out for you and you didn’t even go
I was constantly talking to you daily
weekly monthly I was constantly saying
come pursue me we’re gonna do some great
things
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