Transform Your Life in 18 Minutes with Tyler Perry's Top 10 Rules

If you spread the water across many, many seeds, you don't have as much water for one seed.

I want to know why. Why is it done that way? Is there a better way to do it? Is there another way to do it? We don't have to wait for somebody to greenlight our projects. We can create our own intersections. Man, it's like wild horses in my head sometimes. There's so many ideas and they're all over each other. All of the power that you have and all the strength that you have and all the ideas that you have are in— are born in your uniqueness.

Sometimes you have to be hidden. Sometimes people are not supposed to recognize you.

There's no chair throwing or anything like that, but I will set it straight if something's wrong. You know what the thing is, man? I'm a student of life, and every day something in my life is reminding me of something that I could write about. Everything that happens to you can work for your good if you let it. We were poor, but we were busy. I don't know why poor people are so busy.

He's an American actor, TV producer, filmmaker, and songwriter specializing in the gospel genre. He wrote and produced many staged plays plays in the '90s and early 2000s. He earned $130 million in 2011, and Forbes named him the highest earning man in entertainment. He's Tyler Perry, and here are his top 10 rules for success.

My only idea, my only focus was to do my one play, and I knew if I could get that to work, everything else would come to pass. There's so many people who go in so many directions.

They, this week they're doing this, next week they're doing that, and next week they're doing this, and next week they're going to be in real estate, and next week they're going to open a salon. Those kind of people are all over the place, and I usually try to get them to focus.

Focus on one thing, one area. Put all of your energy into watering one area. If you spread the water across many, many seeds, you don't have as much water for one seed. So Focus on one thing, make it your priority, and stick with it no matter what. No matter how many people told me no, no matter how many people lied to me, no matter how many times I put the show up and nobody came. I remember when I did my very first show, I worked my butt off and saved $12,000, tax returns, H&R Block money. I saved it, worked hard, saved it myself, rented the 14th Street Playhouse. Put that show up, thought that, uh, 1,200 people would come over a weekend, and 30 showed up, and I knew every one of them. But I didn't stop. That didn't deter me. That was in 1992. Uh, '93, same thing happened. '94, '95, '96, '97, up until 1998, same devastation. Nobody's showing up in the audience. I was doing one show a year, working with different promoters trying to get the show up and nobody showed up. But I didn't stop and my, my, my, what I say to you now, looking at me now here, I am a human being. There's no difference between my humanness and your humanness. The only thing is if you're trying to get there, you cannot stop believing in any way. No matter what anybody says, no matter what anybody tells you, you have to know it beyond knowing it. And it is a feeling.

When something is for you, this is how I knew it was for me.

When something is for you, there's a feeling that is deep down inside of you that will not allow you to let it go. You have— it will keep you going when you can't even keep yourself going. That's why the mantra here at the Ty Perry Studios is A place where even dreams believe, because there comes a time in your life where you've worked and you've stressed and you tried to get there and you couldn't on your own, but you have a dream, and that dream has to take on the belief for you because you can't do it by yourself. So what I would tell you is this: don't stop. Narrow your focus to one idea. One and make it work, that will give birth to all the others.

One of the most difficult things for me when I first got to Hollywood was trying to understand how it's done. I've never been the person that walked in the room and said, and they say, stand here, move here, sit, move, go and do that and do that and do this and do this and you'll get here. I've been the person that goes, move here, go here, do that, and I go, okay, well, why are we doing this? I wanna know why. Why is it done that way? Is there a better way to do it? Is there another way to do it? And if you tell me this is the way it's been done all of our lives for our whole, That makes no sense to me. I've always challenged it. I'm not a rebel, but I've challenged the thinking. And I do that a lot in my own studio now for people who come in with this complete set of rules of this is how it's done. Well, does that feel right to you? So it's about what feels right, and I'm hoping that I can convey that. I wanted to use my gift to not only make us laugh, but to make us think. I wanted to use film to not only entertain, but to let us know we don't have to wait for somebody to greenlight our projects. Create our own intersections. I wanted to use my television show to not only make us laugh, but to show us that we don't just have to act in the sitcom, we can own the show and the network. I wanted to use giving and philanthropy to show us— giving and philanthropy— to show us that we don't have to be at the end of the line waiting for a handout, we can be at the front giving the hand up. And I wanted to own a studio to show us that we don't have to wait for somebody to give us 40 acres and a mule, we can buy our own. So I am grateful, and I wanted to use my childhood to let each and everybody know that no matter You can be born into a whole lot of a nightmare, but you can— God can usher you into a dream. I love to work. There's a script I have in my head now that's been in there for about 2 years that I really have to sit down and write because it's almost like giving birth because sometimes the ideas are— man, it's like wild horses in my head sometimes. There's so many ideas and they're all over each other. I have to take this idea and let it be born because if not, it'll push everything else back. What I would say to people who want to become me is don't become me, become the best you, you can be. Because what I found very early on is that all of the power that you have and all of the strength that you have and all the ideas that you have are in, are born in your uniqueness. And what makes you unique, and this may sound really silly, but it's just really true, what makes you unique is what makes you special. And if you don't, if you spend your whole life trying to conform, trying to be what somebody else thinks you should be or fit into a mold or fit into a system and you dull down your specialness, individualness, then you're dulling down all of your ability to change the world. So I think that it's very, very important that people have an opportunity to be the best of themselves that they can be.

I want to talk about something that happened recently with a friend of mine. He called me up, he said, "You know, you're contagious." I said, "Why am I contagious?" He said, "You know, I was spending some time working with you and now I'm going to start my own business." I said, "Great, man. That's great." He said, "Well, when you see it, you know, don't— it's nothing impressive." And I was explaining to him, never despise small beginnings. The Bible says that, never despise small beginnings. There are things that happened that can happen out of the smallest little start that can change the world. I also— he was telling me how frustrated he was because nobody notices him or nobody sees him or nobody will give him a break. And I explained to him about in my own life how sometimes Sometimes people are out trying, they're pushing, they're getting the cars, they're trying to be seen, they're doing all of this stuff. Sometimes God will hide you. And let me tell you how I know that. In my own life, I was under the radar for a very, very long time. And for the most part, I still am. Um, believe it or not, I really am. Um, you're— I was kept from a lot of things, a lot of— kept from being exposed to a lot of business ideas and business situations and business, um, thoughts or how things were run. And by me being kept away from that, it allowed me to not be tainted by it. So sometimes you have to be hidden. Sometimes people are not supposed to recognize you. Sometimes people are not supposed to invite you to the table. You can't be angry about it. You need to accept it and find out Why? Why am I being hidden? Because I tell you now, had I went the route that I wanted to go, what would have happened is I would have ended up in Hollywood and did the deals that everybody else had done, and there would be nothing different, nothing, um, spectacular about the blessings that I've received. It would just be an average story. But because I was hidden, because I didn't know how it went, because I didn't know, uh, how things were supposed to go in film and television, that ignorance allowed me to carve my own way. I know this may be difficult for some people to understand, but, but hear me clearly when I say this. Because I was hidden, because nobody knew what was going on with the success that I was having on the plays. It was all underground. When I got there, I was able to make deals that were unprecedented. They didn't think there was anything to it because they didn't know who I was. Completely underestimated. The great thing about being hidden is that you can be underestimated. And when you're hidden and you're underestimated, you're able to do some things that will um, not only change your path, your life, but the lives of millions of people, the ones around you, your children, your family. It will uplift and change everybody and everything. So what I say to you is, if you're struggling and you're fighting to be seen, sometimes you're supposed to be hidden. It's not your time to be seen yet. Stay the course, learn what you can, walk in the path that you're supposed to at this time, and at the right time, God will reveal you, your talents, and everything you've done to the world. In the meantime, prepare.

I like working with people who like to have fun because I like to have fun. I don't think everything has to be serious. Hey, Uncle Dill! Who is that dude in there? Ain't no man in that kitchen. What'd I say after that? Daddy?

Okay.

No, you didn't.

No, you didn't.

This should be fun.

The plays should be fun.

The movies should be fun.

It should be a light atmosphere. It should be a place where you come and you want to stay all day because you got to be there 12 to 14 hours. So if I'm going to be around the people, we may as well try and have a good time. Come here, Monroe. Come here and take everything out your pocket. What I tell you, Lord, is that the key to my car? You SOB! And my phone, you know what? So in order to have that, I have to make it light. Now don't let that fool you, because there's, there are some moments where there's no chair throwing or anything like that, but but I will set it straight if something's wrong. I have no problems with switching it up, and that's what's so great about professionals. They know how far we can play and clown around, because when we hit that stage, even though we're having fun, they know it's very serious to me.

Hey, uh, Terry, uh, Tyler Perry, this is Rodney Mitchell. Where do you get your source of inspiration for new movie themes like those in Temptation?

You know what the thing is, man? I'm a student of life, and every day something in my life is is reminding me of something that I could write about. Like this, I met somebody that I thought was really, really special. We never crossed any lines, but she was amazing. She was married. Again, hear me clearly, we never crossed any lines. But what happens is when I wrote this movie, I started thinking about what if, what if, what if? And that's how I write these stories, 'cause I just keep asking myself, what if, what if, what if, what if? So it starts with the nucleus of just me meeting some woman that I was very, very attracted to. To, thought she was amazing, knowing that I probably, if I had pushed the envelope, I probably could have. So I was tempted, she was tempted, but I have a respect for the union of marriage, and I also believe you reap what you sow. So I would never do something that I feel would come back to me one day. I always, I only want to put out good things because I only want good things to come back to me. But in saying that, that's where this story came from, the first initial nucleus of it, and then I just added all the other stuff. What if we had given in. What would have happened and what would have this and what would have that, and that's where this came from. I found out in life that everything that happens to you can work for your good if you let it. No matter how bad, no matter how traumatic. You know, for me, my turnaround came when I forgave my father for everything that he did, and I realized after doing that, that everything that had happened had brought me to this position where I am now and has allowed me to be able to write these stories and develop these characters because had I not been through those situations, I wouldn't have the experience to be able to do that.

What can you tell other people? Not everybody can afford therapy, can go out and say, you know what, I've just got it within myself. We all have it, right? But how do you get that person on the street, or that person who feels like these are the four walls that I am just stuck in, how do you get them out?

The thing about it is, what— that's why I think my shows, all the plays that I've done, and the movies have been so successful, is because a lot of people can't afford therapy. I never went I've never been to therapy, but what these, what my characters and everything, they speak to, they give advice in situations on trying to put a mirror in front of people to say, is this me? It provokes thought. It makes people want to offer, it offers change or the possibility of hope. And I think that what's important for people who are really, really going through and don't know how, it's just one step. For me, it was faith. It's a lot of prayer. I totally believe in God. And people may believe in other things, but for me, it was God, faith, and prayer. And that for me, had there not been church to help me get through those things, I don't know what I would have done. Let me tell you how I met Mr. Butler. I had just started junior high school, and in order for me to get to high school, I had to walk through the drug dealers, literally step over the whores and the drug addicts, walk through a graveyard, then the next block past gang members, and then go through the projects, and then come to a 6-lane intersection and It was always busy, but just beyond that was the school. Well, one day as I'm approaching this intersection, I hear this voice saying, "Will someone help me cross?" He was in a suit. He had a cooler in hand and a folding lawn chair in one hand and his cane in the other. "Will someone help me cross?" he said. People kept ignoring, walking past him with their busy lives. We were poor, but we were busy. I don't know why poor people are so busy. I said, "I'll help you," in my 13-year-old changing voice. He said, "Well, thank you, son. May I have your shoulder?" I wish I had time to talk about giving your shoulder to somebody. I said, "Yes, sir." He said, "Don't trick me now." I said, "No, sir, I won't." We crossed the street. I asked him where he was going. He told me that he was going to, uh, to my school to sell praline candies to the kids. So I helped him to the school and he said thank you and he told me that God would bless me for my kindness. He and I became friends. We took that walk every day. I came out of school one afternoon and there he was sitting outside in that lawn chair selling praline candies, 25 cents. And I saw one of the kids try to buy candy, right? And they gave Mr. Butler a dollar and they told him it was a $5 bill. I stepped in and I said, "Mr. Butler, this is a scam." Needless to say, I had a lot of enemies at that school. But it didn't matter. I was glad to do it. You see, Mr. Butler was one of the first men in my life to see me. And what made it all the more special is that he was blind. He was a point of light. One morning I was late meeting him, and as I walked up to the intersection, I could see I could see Mr. Butler standing there, not saying a word. So I tipped up behind him and I said, I said, "I'm not gonna say anything. I'm just gonna wait to see what happens." He said, "I know you're there, son." I said, "Yes, sir, I am." I said, "I didn't hear you saying, 'Will someone help me cross?'" He said, "No, I was listening for you." I said, "You were?" He said, "Yes." Sometimes in life, son, when you pray and you've said all you can say, all you have to do is stand and wait and listen. What a point of light he was. There are many people in this world that are wanting, waiting, saying, asking. Asking, begging, hoping, "Will someone help me cross?" We all have the power to be a point of light. Thank you and God bless you. Appreciate it so much.

Thank you so much for watching. We made this video because Bodacious40 asked us to. If you have another entrepreneur in mind you want us to profile, leave it in the comments below. We'd also love to know which of Tyler Perry's top 10 rules meant the most to you. Leave it in the comments, we'll join in the discussion. Thank you so much for watching. Continue to believe, and we'll see you soon.