Don’t Be Afraid – Motivational Video

[Music] here are a few things I want you to know that I know for sure don't be afraid all you have to know is who you are because there is no such thing as failure there is no such thing as failure what other people label or might try to call failure I have learned is just God's way of pointing you in a New Direction so it's true you may take several paths that end up on what might be a dead end for you at the moment but this is what I also know for sure you must trust in the words of my favorite Bible verse that say and know that the the Lord will lead you to a rock that is higher than thou every one of us has a calling there is a reason why you are here I know this for sure and that reason is greater than any degree it's greater than any paycheck and it's greater than anything anybody can tell you that you're supposed to do your real job is to find out what the reason is and get about the business of doing it your calling isn't something that somebody can tell you about it's what you feel it is a part of your life force it is the thing that gives you juice the thing that you're supposed to do and no nobody can tell you what that is you know it inside yourself you know I come from good stock Dr swager was mentioning my grandmother who had a dream for me and her dream was not a big dream her dream was that one day she used to say I want you to grow up and get yourself some good white folks because my grandmother was a maid and she worked for white folks her whole life and her idea of having a big dream was to was to have white folks who at least treated her with some dignity who showed her a little bit respect and I regret that she didn't live past 1963 to see that I did grow up and get some really good white folks working for me so have no fear have no fear God's got your back and sometimes sometimes you find out what you're supposed to be doing by doing the things you're not supposed to do so don't expect the perfect job that defines your life's work to come along next week if that happens take the blessing and run with it but if not be grateful to be on the path where you eventually want to live abide in the space of gratitude because this is what I know for sure that only through being grateful for how far you've come in your path can you leave room for more blessings to flow blessings flow in the space of gratitude and everything in your life is happening to teach you more about yourself so even in a crisis be grateful when disappointed be grateful when things aren't going the way you want them to be grateful that you have sense enough to turn it around and so I tried to live in the space of God's dream and the television Executives told me when I was in Baltimore that I was just it was too much I was too big and I was too black they told me that I was too engaged that I was too emotional I was too too much for the news and so they put me on a talk show one day just to run out my contract and that was the beginning of my story even when things are difficult be grateful honor your calling don't worry about how successful you will be don't worry about it focus on how significant you can be in service and the success will take care of itself and always take a stand for yourself your values you're defined by what you stand for your integrity is not for sale if I could count the number of times I have been asked to compromise and sell out myself for one reason or another I would be a billionaire 10 times over my Integrity is not for sale and neither is yours many times when we were told that we would lose the advertisers we would lose the ratings I said I'm going to take the high road they said you won't be able to survive in this business taking the high road you won't be able to get the numbers the advertisers will drop out and I said let them let them we will chart our own course we will stand up for what we believe in and 21 years later we're still the number one show Harriet tuban once said that she could have liberated thousands more if only she could have convinced them that they were slaves so do not be a slave to any form of selling out maintain your integrity it has always been I believe the only solution to all of the problems in the world and it Remains The Only Solution the most important lesson I can offer you for my own life is that in order to remain successful to continue to wear the crown as you walk the path of privilege you must not forget the less privilege you've left behind you cannot continue to succeed in the world or have a fulfilling life in the world unless you choose to use your life in service somehow to others and give back what you have been given that's how you keep it that's how you get it that's how you grow it and I know when you move through life living your own truth and live through the Paradigm of service you too will be all right so I beseech you to go forth and serve serve first yourself honor your calling do what you're supposed to do honor your creator your family your ancestors and when you walk this path the privilege don't forget the less privilege you leave behind in sports you often hear the phrase Winning is Everything But in reality it's not the questions you have to answer are am I getting better as a person and is what I'm doing bringing me and the ones around me happiness the answers would tell you whether or not you're really winning after you succeed at something you expect the skies to open and happiness to rain down on you but that rarely happens the truth is Victory can be isolating a lot of it comes down to how you handle pressure I was 12 years old when I first felt undue pressure from my dad regarding my potential future with tennis I finally asked my parents what would make you happy my father said a college scholarship and playing for your country I told him well Dad I'm 12 could you back off for a few years in that moment I learned no matter who it is you have to be able to stand up for yourself whether it's your father or your boss be your own best Advocate the worst pressure is the kind you feel internally many questions will keep you up at night am I good enough am I where I should be my dear friend the great Billy Jan King will tell you pressure is a privilege the first time I heard that I thought she was nuts pressure's not a privilege it's awful but upon further reflection I realize she has a point we're lucky to experience pressure at the highest levels life doesn't always go as planned and sometimes you need to Pivot and the path you end up on can better than anything you ever imagined if you know anything about my tennis career you probably know that I didn't exactly handle pressure in the way people expect Google John Mack androll meltdown and you'll see many YouTube clips of me smashing rackets and shouting Choice words at umpires I'm not proud of it but I wasn't intentionally trying to be a jerk I was competing at the highest levels and I was releasing pressure the only way I knew 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