i'm going to tell you something that every successful person has to do, including you.
I'm going to tell you something that every successful person has to do, including you.
believe it or not, every successful person in this world has jumped.
Believe it or not, every successful person in this world has experienced a jump.
you've got to jump.
You have to jump. you've got to take a leap of faith.
You have to be strong in your convictions.
you got to dash off that cliff and you got to jump out there as far as you can.
You have to rush off the cliff and you have to jump out of there as much as you can.
a lot of times you stand on the cliff of life and you see other people soaring by, gliding down like a bird flying through the air.
Many times, you stand on the precipice of life, and you see other people flying by and sliding down like birds flying in the air.
they flying by.
They flew over.
you know why?
You know why?
it's because they parachute over.
It's because they skydive.
h**e you ever thought, maybe this person right here has identified their gift and is living in their gift.
Have you ever thought that maybe the person has recognized their gifts and lived in them.
because your bible says, this is your bible, says your gift will make room for you.
For your Bible says, This is your Bible, says that your gifts will make room for you.
your gift, not your education.
Your talent, not your education.
you go get an education, that's nice.
You go and get an education, that's good.
but if you don't use your gift, that education ain't gonna take you so far.
But if you don't take advantage of your talents, then education won't take you that far.
if you never jump, you'll never be successful.
If you never jump, you'll never succeed.
when you first jump, i guarantee you the parachute ain't gonna open.
When you skydive for the first time, I assure you that the parachute will not open.
i promise you that.
I promise you.
but guess what?
But guess what?
eventually it does open.
Eventually, it did turn on.
and then you start your glide, but it starts with the jump.
Then you start sliding, but it starts with a jump.
you got to take that gift that's packed away on your back.
You must accept this gift on your back.
you got to jump off that cliff and pull that cord.
You have to jump off the cliff and pull the rope.
because when you jump, you got to pull the cord and release this gift.
Because when you jump, you have to pull the rope and release this gift.
and the only way that you can soar is god puts the wind under that parachute.
The only way you can soar is if God puts the wind under a parachute.
he always does.
He always did.
but before the wind gets under there, it's a crazy fall, man.
But before the wind blows there, it's a crazy fall, man.
i tumbled.
I fell. i became homeless.
I became homeless.
i lived in a car for three years, but i lost my family.
I lived in the car for three years, but I lost my family.
i lost a lot, but i stayed with it.
I lost a lot, but I persevered.
i'm here today.
I'm here today.
jumping is scary.
It's scary to jump.
when you first jump, your parachute is not going to open right away.
When you make your first jump, your parachute doesn't open immediately.
i would love to tell you that it would, that when you quit your job, you'll just h**e a shop full of clients.
I'd love to tell you that when you quit your job, you'll only have a store full of customers.
it ain't gonna happen.
This is not going to happen.
the chute don't ever open right away.
The parachute never opens immediately.
you gonna get some skin toe off you on them rocks.
Some of the skin will be peeled off your toes on the rocks.
at times it's gonna feel like it's an uncontrollable tumble.
Sometimes it feels like you're tumbling uncontrollably.
but let me tell you this, if you don't ever jump, your parachute will never open.
But let me tell you, if you don't jump, your parachute will never open.
you will never soar.
You will never fly.
now you'll be safe.
Now you're safe.
you'll sit there with that parachute on your back, all them skills you got, and your skills you got, and you'll h**e it packed away, and you'll never get cut up on the rocks.
You're going to sit there, with a parachute on your back, all the skills you've had, you're going to put it away, and you're never going to get cut by a rock.
don't jump, and you'll never get cut up.
Don't jump, you'll never get cut.
but if you do not jump, you will never soar.
But if you don't jump, you'll never soar.
you cannot just exist in this life.
You can't just exist in this life.
you h**e got to try to live.
You have to work hard to live.
if you are waking up thinking that there's gotta be more to your life than it is, man, believe that it is.
If you wake up feeling like your life must be richer than it is now, man, believe it is.
believe in your heart of hearts that it is.
I believe that deep down you are.
but to get to that life, you're gonna h**e to jump.
But to get that life, you have to jump.
see, your god has a wonderful life for you.
Behold, your God has prepared a good life for you.
once again, i'm gonna refer to your bible.
Again, I would like to refer to your Bible.
now, you go down there, you memorize these scriptures, you're gonna apply them to yourself.
Now, you go there, memorize these, and then apply them to yourself.
your bible says that he comes to give you life and give you life more abundantly.
Your Bible says that He came to give you life, and to give you more abundant life.
if i were you, i would jump.
If I were you, I'd jump.
because that's the only way to get to that abundant life.
Because only in this way can we attain abundant life.
you got to jump, man.
You've got to jump, man.
you got to take a chance.
You have to take your chances.
now, when i get through talking, there are those of you that will discuss this in the car.
Now, when I'm done, some of you will be in the car discussing this.
well, i got bills.
Well, I got the bill.
and i got bills.
I received a bill.
whether you stay on the cliff or you jump, you're going to h**e bills.
Whether you stay on the cliff or jump off, you'll have a bill.
well, if i quit my job, i'm going to ruin my credit.
Well, if I quit my job, I'm going to ruin my credit.
if you got a job, you're living check to check.
If you get a job, your life has to be constantly checked.
even if you got a1 credit, you can't buy nothing else no damn way.
Even if you get A1 credit, you can't buy anything else.
at one point in time, man, do yourself a f**or.
At some point, man, do yourself a favor.
go see what god really do.
Go and see what God has done.
god hold you up, man.
God bless you, man.
he ain't gonna let you fall.
He won't let you fall.
he ain't bring you this far to let you fall.
He didn't take you this far to make you fall.
do yourself a f**or, man.
Do yourself a favor, man.
before you le**e this world, before you die, jump.
Before you leave this world, before you die, jump.
just jump one time.
Just one jump is fine.
never too late to chase your dreams.
It's never too late to chase your dreams.
but the more grateful you are, the more things god will give you to be grateful for.
But the more thankful you are, the more God will give you something to be thankful for.
god in the blessing business, man.
God is blessing this, man.
i live my life with the expectation that god gonna do something great for me today.
My life is full of anticipation, hoping that God will do something great for me today.
no, i'm good, man.
No, I'm fine, man.
because even when i wake up and i ain't myself, i just get all right with it.
Because even when I wake up I'm no longer myself, I can accept everything.
i start with, well, at least i'm still here.
I'm starting, well, at least I'm still here.
that's a good one.
And that's a good thing.
secondly, i got some measure of health.
Second, I did some measurements of health status.
i'll take that.
I'll take it.
and then you never know how the day gonna go.
And then you never know what the day will bring.
i could get a phone call, contract come in or something, make me smile, so i just wake up and go on and get at the day, see what god got for me.
I can get a**, contract comes in or something, makes me smile so I wake up and move on with the day and see what God got for me.
i expect great things to happen.
I'm looking forward to great things happening.
i really do.
I really do.
i live my life with the expectation that god gonna do something great for me today.
My life is full of anticipation, hoping that God will do something great for me today.
and he normally don't let me down, because i am one of his f**orites.
He usually doesn't let me down because I'm one of his favorites.
all you gotta do is claim it.
All you have to do is claim it.
you know, you can be a f**orite if you just ask.
You know, you can be a favorite if you just ask.
he has millions of f**orites.
He has millions of favorites.
you can be one, just say, hey, could i be a f**orite?
You can be one of them, just say, hey, can I be the favorite?
then all he wants you to do is talk to him every day.
Then all he wants you to do is talk to him every day.
if you talk to him every day, he'll put you on the f**orite list.
If you talk to him every day, he will put you on a list of favorites.
and then a lot of stuff start happening to you.
Then a lot of things start to happen to you.
but a lot of people, you know, you h**e not because you ask not.
But a lot of people, you know, you don't have because you don't ask for it.
you don't ask to be on the f**orite list, so you don't get to be a f**orite.
You don't ask to appear on the list of favorites, so you won't be a favorite.
i'm one of his all-time f**orites.
I was one of his favorite people.
i don't care what happened to me, he gonna take it and turn around.
I don't care what happens to me, he'll take it and turn around.
you know how many people, you know how many times they done laughed at me out in public?
Do you know how many people there are, do you know how many times they laugh at me in public?
the miss universe, oh, he the stupidest ever.
Miss Universe, oh, he's the stupidest ever.
oh, they cancel little big shots and his talk show.
Oh, and they canceled the little guy and his talk show.
uh-huh, okay.
Uh-huh, okay.
well, gotta make room for something else.
Well, gotta make room for something else.
little did i know, i was gonna be a judge on tv.
Little did I know that I would be a judge on TV.
started.
Here we go. it's never too late.
It's never too late.
it's never too late to be great.
It's never too late to become great.
it's never too late.
It's never too late.
never.
Never. start it.
Launch it. never too late to chase your dreams.
It's never too late to chase your dreams.
never too late.
It's not too late. god in the blessing business, man.
God is blessing this, man.
when has he ever been too late?
When did he come too late?
there's no such thing.
There is no such thing.
he's never been late.
He was never late.
he's never missed an appointment.
He never missed an appointment.
he's the most right time individual ever created.
He is the most correct time ever created.
it's never too late.
It's never too late.
kentucky fried chicken, you know the story?
KFC, do you know the story?
this guy had been walking around with this chicken recipe for decades.
This guy has been walking around with this chicken recipe for decades.
nobody believed in him.
No one believed him.
he started that chicken recipe in his 20s.
He started making chicken recipes in his 20s.
seven special spices, nobody.
Seven special spices, no one.
in his 60s, they g**e him his first franchise.
When he was in his 60s, they gave him his first franchise.
he was the number one chicken seller in the world until chick-fil-a was born.
Before the birth of Chicken Fulai, he was the number one chicken seller in the world.
chick-fil-a sells more chicken than anybody in the world.
Chick-fil-A sells more chicken than any other company in the world.
this dude right here, thank you man.
This dude is here, thank you.
this dude right here, he in his 60s.
This guy is here, he's in his 60s.
look at the picture of colonel sanders on that bucket.
Look at Colonel Sanders' ** on that barrel.
he's old.
He sold. in a good mood?
Feeling good? grateful you woke up today.
I'm glad you woke up today.
you start your day with gratitude, it changes your attitude, it immediately changes your altitude.
You start your day with gratitude, it will change your attitude, it will immediately change your heights.
gratitude is an amazing, gratitude is one of the most forgotten principles of success.
Gratitude is an amazing thing, and gratitude is one of the most forgotten principles of success.
but the more grateful you are, the more things god will give you to be grateful for.
But the more thankful you are, the more God will give you something to be thankful for.
you need this thing that god passes out that you can't earn.
You need what God has given you, and you can't get it.
it's called grace.
This is called grace.
he gives you grace.
He gives you grace.
he gives you, he just do you a solid.
He gives you, he just gives you a solid one.
just for no real reason.
There just isn't a real reason.
it's just because i ask god for grace all the time.
Just because I've been praying for God's grace.
i say, god, just give me some grace today.
I said, God, please give me some grace today.
you know, the fact that i feel better, that's grace.
You know, I'm feeling so much better, and that's grace.
you know, you don't h**e to get better, you know.
You know, you don't have to get better, you know.
you know, your health can worsen.
You know, your health may deteriorate.
so whenever he does something for you, you gotta consider it, you know.
So whenever he does something for you, you have to think about it, you know.
so my life is a lot of grace and f**or, man.
So I have a lot of grace and favor in my life, man.
a lot of, you know, look, i work hard, but
A lot, you know, look, I'm trying, but.
i know a lot of people work hard, man.
I know a lot of people work hard, man.
this life i h**e, this is...my father worked way harder than me.
This is ...... my lifeMy father worked a lot harder than I did.
quit standing at the door, knocking on the door that's already closed.
Don't stand at the door, knock on the door that's already closed.
go up the hall.
Go up the hall. hell, there's some more doors up there.
Hell, there are many more doors out there.
the pursuit of your dreams is gonna require some type of sacrifice.
Pursuing your dreams requires some form of sacrifice.
whenever you going for something that's a level up, there's a glass ceiling you h**e to break through.
Whenever you go for something higher, you have to break through the glass ceiling.
bishop jakes, bishop t.d. jakes taught me this.
Bishop Jacks, Td.Bishop Jakes taught me this.
he said, whenever you try to get to the next level, chase a dream, make a goal, it's a glass ceiling you h**e to break through.
He said that whenever you try to get to the next level, chase your dreams, achieve your goals, you have to break through the glass ceiling.
whenever you break through glass, there's gonna be blood shed.
Every time you break the glass, it bleeds.
the thing you shed is gonna h**e to be something you care about deeply.
What you give up must be something you care deeply about.
it doesn't mean that you'll lose your loved one, but it's gonna cost some time.
This doesn't mean you'll lose your loved one, but it will take some time.
it's gonna cost some date nights, and that's when you're gonna find out what your love really is.
It's going to take some date night, and that's when you'll find out what your love really is.
that's the price, man.
That's the price, man.
that's what it costs.
That's how much it costs.
for me, it was the same thing.
For me, it's the same thing.
when i started in comedy, i was 27. i won an amateur night october 8th, 1985. i went to job next day, october 9th.
When I started working in comedy, I was 27 years old. I won Amateur Night on October 8, 1985. The next day, October 9th, I went to work.
with $50, i won and quit my job.
I won $50 and quit my job.
i saw my dream coming true.
I saw my dreams come true.
that's what i wanted to be.
That's what I want to be.
i won $50.
I won $50.
i went in the house and told everybody, hey, i'm finna go be a professional comedian.
I walked into the house and said, hey, I'm going to be a professional comedian.
what?What the?
i'm quitting my job.
I'm quitting my job.
you can't quit your job.
You can't quit your job.
yeah, yeah, i already did it.
Yes, yes, I've done that.
and that was it.
That's it. i was 27 years old, that was 37 years ago.
I was 27 years old, 37 years ago.
and i lost everything twice.
I lost everything twice.
and it's a crazy decision.
It was a crazy decision.
i lost a lot, lost family, lost money, lost my livelihood, i lost everything.
I lost a lot, I lost my family, I lost my money, I lost my livelihood, I lost everything.
but i did not lose the key component.
But I didn't lose key parts.
i did not lose my faith.
I didn't lose faith.
i kept the faith the whole time.
I kept the faith throughout.
faith is the belief in things that you cannot see.
Faith is the belief in things that cannot be seen.
and i didn't see how i was gonna make it, but i had the faith that i would.
I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I'm confident I can do it.
see that's the thing about y'all.
See, that's your business.
you gotta quit tripping on whether you think you'll make it or not.
Whether you think you can succeed or not, you have to stop tripping.
stop tripping on whether you think you'll make it or not.
Stop dwelling on whether you think you're going to succeed or not.
every funky thing that's ever happened to you, every disappointment, every hardship, every setback, you survived every single one of them.
Every thing you've ever experienced, every disappointment, every difficulty, every setback, you've survived.
all of you.
All of you.
you batting 1,000. your track record for surviving the funk is 100%.
You hit 1,000 balls. Your record of surviving fear is 100%.
so if i was you, i would take another chance on that god right there.
So if I were you, I would give that God one more chance.
cause that's a pretty good god right there.
Because there is a very good God there.
and he's been a good god to you whether you even realize it or not.
He has always been a good God to you, whether you realize it or not.
so if i was you, i'd take a chance.
So if I were you, I'd take the risk.
if my dream was to
If my dream is.
pursue a higher role in corporate america, i'd go for it.
I would do this when I pursued a higher position in the American corporate world.
if your dream is really that other job, i'd go for it.
If your dream is really another job, I'll do it.
if your dream was to start a business, i'd go for it.
If your dream is to start a business, I will make it happen.
if your dream was to just take a chance and shut the door, you gotta walk away from **man.
If your dream is just to try your luck and close the door, then you're going to have to stay away from shit, man.
you gotta walk away from the door.
You have to get out of the door.
quit worrying about doors that close in your face.
Don't worry about the door closing in front of you.
when doors close in your face, it's a sign from god that he wants you to walk up the hall, cause there's some more doors up there.
When the door closes in front of you, it's a sign from God that He wants you to go up the hall because there are more doors above.
quit standing at the door, knocking on the door that's already closed.
Don't stand at the door, knock on the door that has already been closed.
go up the hall.
Go up the hall. hell, there's some more doors up there.
Oh my God, there are a few more doors up there.
go through a bigger door, but you gotta take a chance in life, man.
Go through a bigger door, but you'll have to take your chances in life, man.
quit playing it safe.
Stop being cautious.
you gotta get funky, man.
You have to get stylish, man.
quit playing it safe.
Stop being cautious.
stop playing it safe, take a chair.
Stop being cautious and sit in a chair.
if god done got you through all of your life, why would he not get you through the rest of it?
If God has already let you spend your life, why doesn't He let you spend the rest of your life?
what he gonna do, stop caring for you?
What will he do to stop caring about you?
what, he gonna stop helping you survive?
What, will he stop helping you survive?
nah man, he always do it for you.
No, man, he always does it for you.
he gonna get you there, i'm trying to tell you.
He'll take you there, I want to tell you.
better take a shot before it's too late.
It's best to act before it's too late.
god has forgiven you, get up, move on.
God has forgiven you, get up and move on.
hey god, i need to figure out what to do next, why don't you show me?
Hey God, I need to figure out what to do next, why didn't you tell me?
you can't get to your future if you keep hanging on to your past.
You can't get your future if you continue to hang on to your past.
and faith don't make it easy, it just makes it possible, so i just use faith.
Faith doesn't make things easy, it just makes things possible, so I just use faith.
i don't let nobody hold me to my past.
I'm not going to let anyone tie me down.
i make a mistake, god forgive me, i get up and i keep going.
I made a mistake, God forgive me, and I got up and moved on.
and people around me just talking about, oh, i remember when you was, yeah, okay, cool, bye.
People around me were just talking, oh, I remember when you were, yes, okay, cool, goodbye.
i get rid of all them people.
I got rid of all these people.
i remember you when you, oh, you think you this, now i remember when you, and when you got people in your life that remind you of your past to try to hold you to it, get rid of them.
I remember you when you, oh, you think so, and now I remember when you, when someone in your life reminds you of your past, trying to get you to hold on and get rid of them.
god has forgiven you.
God has forgiven you.
get up, move on.
Stand up and move on.
you can't get to your future if you keep hanging on to your past.
If you continue to hold on to your past, you won't be able to reach your future.
and don't let nobody lock you to your past.
Don't let anyone lock you in your past.
i don't care what i did.
I don't care what I do.
i know people come around me all the time.
I know people are there for me all the time.
i remember you did this.
I remember you did this.
yeah, i did all that.
Yes, I did it all.
but he changed me though.
But he changed me.
you know, god got to s**e you from something.
You know, God has to save you from certain things.
what?What the?
i done a lot of stuff, man.
I've done a lot of things, man.
i don't do no more.
I don't do anything anymore.
but you need to get out of my face though.
But you need to disappear from me.
chase your dreams.
Chase your dreams.
don't worry about that diploma.
Don't worry about this diploma.
don't worry about what that degree says.
Don't worry about what that degree says.
it ain't got nothing to do with your life, really.
Really, it has nothing to do with your life.
unless you went to school to be a doctor or a lawyer, you don't know, because that degree is a little unfair, because they asked a kid at 18, 19 to make a decision what they want to do with the rest of their life.
You don't know unless you went to school to become a doctor or a lawyer, because that degree is kind of unfair because they ask a young child to make a decision about what they want to do with the rest of their life.
they don't even know who they are yet.
They don't even know who they are.
so most people i know with degrees don't even work in that field.
As a result, most of the people I know who have degrees don't even work in the field.
it's the dream, man.
It's a dream, man.
it's the dream that's gonna make your life what it is.
Dreams will make your life better.
education ain't even mentioned in the bible.
There is not even any mention of education in the Bible.
it never mentions education.
It never mentions education.
i mean, congratulations when you graduate, it's a major accomplishment.
I mean, congratulations on your graduation, it's a major achievement.
i'm not knocking it at all, it's major.
I didn't knock it at all, it matters.
but until you chase your dreams, man, you ain't gonna really live.
But unless you chase your dreams, man, you won't really live.
if you just go to work every day on something you ain't happy doing, that's a miserable life, man.
If you go to work every day just to do something you don't like to do, that's miserable life, man.
i would chase that dream.
I'm going to chase that dream.
bishop jake said one time, i would hate to die, never do the thing i was born to do.
Bishop Jack once said that I would rather die than do what I was born to do.
i just wouldn't want to do that, man.
I just don't want to do that, man.
life is tough, but i don't let it overwhelm me.
Life is hard, but I won't let it overwhelm me.
when i was signing hokie, i mean, really, i h**e a relationship with god, so i don't get overwhelmed.
When I signed Hawkey, I mean, I really have a relationship with God, so I'm not going to be overwhelmed.
you know, i give it to him.
You know, I gave it to him.
when it get too big for me, i pray.
When it's too big for me, I pray.
i tell god, hey, man, they trying to do me.
I told God, hey, man, they want to kill me.
hey, god.
Hey, God. trying to get rid of me.
Trying to get rid of me.
hey god, this is what's happening.
Hey God, that's what's happening.
hey god, i need to figure out what to do next.
Hey God, I need to figure out what to do next.
why don't you show me?
Why don't you show me?
and that keeps me from getting overwhelmed.
This keeps me from being overwhelmed.
that's not saying my life don't be big sometime and it don't be a bit challenging because it is.
That's not to say that my life doesn't sometimes be great and a little challenging, because it is.
and faith don't make it easy.
Faith doesn't make things easy.
it just makes it possible.
It just makes it possible.
so i just use faith.
So I only use faith.
it helps me deal with it.
It helped me deal with it.
i don't
I don't. you're like, when you write about me, you're not gonna affect my life, man, you're not.
You're like, when you write about me, you don't affect my life, man, you don't.
because you're a blog.
Because you're a blogger.
bloggers and haters, i don't know.
Bloggers and haters, I don't know.
i ignore them, i really don't.
I ignore them, I really ignore them.
i live by old african proverb that says, lions don't turn around when small dogs bark.
I observe the old African proverb: a lion does not turn around when a puppy barks.
i don't really care about rumors, man.
I don't really care about rumors, man.
they're not decision makers.
They are not decision-makers.
these people on blogs with their little thumb gangsters, they not decision makers, power brokers.
These people are on the blog with their little finger bandits, they are not decision-makers, power brokers.
they don't change or sway my life.
They don't change or affect my life.
when they get through talking about me, i keep going.
When they finished talking about me, I continued.
i don't really, you know, i read something somewhere that said people's opinion of you is none of your business, nor should you make it yours.
I really didn't, you know, I read something somewhere that said that what people think of you has nothing to do with you, and you shouldn't make it yours either.
i don't even worry about it, man.
I'm not worried at all, man.