You're in a fight between will and skill. I say will first because that's what you are.

You're locked and loaded with skill. You're practicing every day, you're putting in your work.

You're buying everything, you're making investments. You're living your dream,

you're walking like your dream. You're surrounding yourself around your dream,

you got mentors - everything. You're putting more work in. You got your skill.

Now is the test of your will. It is a mindset thing you are in right now

it is a mindset thing because your challenge. Your challenge ain't moving, your

mountain, it is not moving. You don't feel like you making any progress.

You are not physically moving when you see everything else around you, other

people around you moving, you're not making progress, you're in the

test of your will right now cuz life says it has a little more test for you.

It's no different because we messed up, because you fell off the wagon, you've

been on alcohol and drugs and you gave up on life and you dropped out or you've

been to jail one time, two times, three times and you really want your dream to

happen and you putting in your work and nothing's happening yet.

Every transformation always gets worse before it gets better.l

It's supposed to be that way. When you embark this journey you must know that

it's gonna go down before it comes up but when it comes up, it's gonna go so

much higher than you've ever been. The action of making progress is progress. The, the

push itself, the fight, you get up and swing and miss - that's progress. You get

up and you run at - get what you want with everything you got and you miss,

that's progress. The effort of making the attempt. it's progress. It must happen. It

can't do anything but move. You can't do anything but make progress. You're pushing

and you're pushing and you're pushing and you're pushing and you're doing

everything right. You're tired, you're exhausted and ain't nothing happening yet.

That word is what you're waiting for. 'Yet.' Because I promise you, if you keep

pushing, if you keep giving me all your effort, it will happen. You have to be

equipped mentally to endure this process. Knowing what you're about to go into is

step one. Knowing it's an uphill battle, but a winnable one and one that's

achievable and at the end of this race guys, you're going to be more capable. The

first step guys, is knowing it's a tough road. As soon as you decide to stop

looking for answers in other people and miracles somewhere down the yellow brick

road, and click the heels of your mind, and set your affections on

things that are above, you could have been free years ago. All

jealousy, all pettiness, all unforgiveness, all strife, all malice, all confusion, all

blaming other people for your mistakes. You got till midnight to get rid of

every poison that's hindering you, every inflexibility that's stopping you from

what God is about to pour into your life woe be unto you if you go into

another year and waste another year with the old mentality while somebody in the hospital

begging God for the opportunity that you have right now. You better step into this moment.

My COMMITMENT and obsession is always to be better today than I was yesterday

If I have to make sacrifices to do that: so be it. If I have to tell that person I

can’t go out drinking with him anymore: so be it. Because that’s not what I value.

Anything or anyone that is taking me further away from my dreams has to go.

I’m committed to self development not self destruction, and you know, any person

that is meant to be with me on the journey, will choose that higher road

with me. Yes, a tougher road, but it is also a much more rewarding one. I want my life to

mean something. To be able to look back at my life and say, yeah, I made some

tough decisions, but they were the RIGHT decisions. So many people don’t get it.

They piss their life away every weekend for what? So they can complain

about their current circumstances for the rest of the week? THERE'S NO CHANCE!

I’m in charge of my own life! It’s all on me! I take responsibility. I take action.

You will never hear me complain about another person or circumstance as the

reason I’m not where I want to be. If I don’t like where I am… Time to knuckle

down and work harder! I am a perfect reflection of the hard work or lack of

work I put in. And luck, that only comes to those who have paid their dues.

If I am weak in a certain area, it won’t be for long.

Because I’m committed to be better. I will learn, I will read. I will make it happen.

I will FIND A WAY. I will WORK until that weakness is turned into a strength.

No one can beat me, because i don't give up! I'm RELENTLESS! You might knock me down,

but i NEVER stay down! It’s time to RISE. RISE UP to your potential!

RISE UP past your limitations! RISE UP past your family or friends limitations!

Set the standard for those around you! Don’t conform to the standard,

like a sheep. Get out and LEAD THE WAY! GET UP. RISE UP! MAN UP!

My college ball career was over. I got offered a job to become a hospital

administrator. 2-year program, $75,000 job

and right before I took the job, my daddy called me on the phone. Let me tell you

about my daddy. When I was a little boy, my daddy would

always pick me up. When he came home from work he picked me up, when he saw me in

the nursery after church, he picked me up. No matter how long he worked, no matter

how tired he was, my dad would always pick me up. So when I had my kids, I would

always pick up my kids. When I got home, sometimes I was tired and they would have a bottle in

one hand, and they just lifted up their other hand, and they knew what

daddy was supposed to do, my job was to pick them up.

This is a spiritual interaction. When you pick up a child, it is a spiritual

transaction. When you pick up a child, you change their

perspective.

When you pick up a child, all of a sudden they can see the world the way you see it.

I don't care what your children have done, there is nothing they can do for you to stop picking

them up. Whether my daughter's a drug addict, I don't

care I pick her up. My son messes up, I don't care

pick him up. I don't care. You pick them up.

That is your job, Mama. That is your job, Daddy. That is your job

grandma, that is your job granddad, your number one job is to pick them up and

change their perspective.

My saddest day, one day my daddy looked at me and said boy you too big, I can't pick you

up anymore but when he couldn't pick me up physically, he would pick me up

emotionally, he would pick me up spiritually.

I had a great dad because he would always pick me up.

He would always change my perspective.

So my daddy called me on the phone and he asked me a question he said son you

had a tough year, what's next? I said dad I'm gonna be a hospital administrator.

He said not bad but let me ask you a question, son do you believe you're an

NBA player? You cannot produce yourself in there son, if you don't think so, go take the

job. But if you believe you're an NBA player, go for it.

My dad had self-control and discipline and waited for my answer and

my answer was yes, you're right Dad. I can't work the rest of my life. Playing in the NBA is a dream

I've had ever since I was a little boy.

He said, go for it son.

I limped back into my coach's office with a cast on my foot,

tears in my eyes. I said Coach what do I need to do to play in the NBA? He said, do

two things and you can play in the NBA. Lose 20 pounds and shoot a three-point shot

with range you can play in the NBA. If you lose 20 pounds and shoot the three-point shot with

range you can play in the NBA. I lost 20 pounds and every day I would shoot 500

shots a day, every single day. I got invited to training camp with the

Dallas Mavericks and not only did I make the team, I became the first ever undrafted

rookie free agent in the history of the Dallas Mavericks to start opening night!

Could you imagine what was going through my mind:

I had not started a basket-ball game since high-school. I got to the arena, they dimmed the lights, and they put

the spotlight right on me. Right in the spotlight I saw my mama right there, and all my brothers and sisters

and then I saw my dad,

and i pumped my fist,

and he pumped his fist, and tears streamed down my face. Thank you for all those timeouts,

thank you for making sure I was always home when the streetlights came on.

Thank you for making sure I could always hear your voice. Thank you for always

changing my perspective. I got a simple simple simple question for you..Here is

the question - Do you believe that one day you are not going live in the world that

was given to you that's right but you are going to actually live in the world

that you dream of..

You gotta make every single second count.. You gotta go in the future and see it baby..

And than you gotta come come back in the present...

And you gotta take that big goal, that big dream, that big reality, that;s what I said,

You gotta take that big reality... And you gotta take small steps to make it

managable... To make it so your dreams become a reality..

Think BIG, Dream BIG but start small.. That's right START SMALL - remember what I

told start where you are... with what you have, because what you have is plenty..

But the biggest enemy you have to deal with is yourself... There is an old African

proverb that says: If there's no enemy within.. the enemy outside can do us no harm...

You don't have to personally be perfect.. Do you hear me?

There are those of you right now you should've cut a CD, you should've wrote

a book, you should have gotten in school and get that degree.. You should've

started your own business.. There are so many things you should've done..

You should've done.. But you didn't do it because you are.. SCARED...

You say scared of what? - I ain't scared... You are scared... You are scared

of failure, you are scared to make a mistake.. You are scared.... that you are not perfect...

And I'm telling you today you ain't gotta be perfect. Are you hearing what I'm saying?

You don't have to be perfect to get what you want.. to do what you want,

to have what you want, to be what you want... You don't have to be perfect.... It's a LIE.

There will never be a point in your life... where it's the right time...

to do a great thing... If you are waiting for that perfect perfect

moment... That perfect timing... is not going to happen.. You know what you have to do?

You have to create the perfect time and the perfect opportunity and the perfect situation.

So a lot of people become comfortable... They stop growing, They stop wanting

anything.. They become satisfied....

People getting ready to go to jobs that they don't like, jobs that are making them SICK

You see when you are not pursuing your goal you are literally

committing spiritual suicide. When you have some goal out here that you are

reaching for that takes you out of your comfort zone.

You'll find out some talents and abilities you have... That you didn't know you had.

When the messenger of misery visits you? What are you going to do?

What will keep you in the game. There are things that you think you'll never need to know

that you may only need to know one time

in your life but that could save your life because you had that knowledge.

Unless you attempt to do something beyond that which you have already

mastered you will NEVER GROW. What is it that you looked at some point in time

and you decided that you couldn't do it. That you talk yourself out of it.

You waiting for your next door neighbor.. to make it happen for you... It may not happen.

If you want on your mother or your father... They may be so ancient in their thinking.

that they don't understand this opportunity that you have