In this motivational speech, Rico Sharp uses a vivid allegory of a man being chased by a grizzly bear to illustrate that life is a dream we each author, and that we control how our story ends. He urges listeners to forgive themselves for past mistakes, release regret, and stop holding themselves prisoner. Sharp emphasizes the importance of aiming high—preferring to miss a lofty goal over settling for low expectations—and stresses that passion, perseverance, and personal ownership of one’s path lead to a life that inspires. He concludes with a call to discover one’s own passion, act boldly today for a better tomorrow, and live a life that reflects greatness, ending with a blessing.
Chapters
And I'll leave you with this. There is a man running through the forest. He realizes that there is an angry, hungry grizzly bear chasing him. And while he's running through the forest trying to get away from this grizzly bear, he trips over a branch and falls. And when he falls, He turns over and looks up, and this big grizzly bear is about to come down over the top of him. Right. He looks up at this grizzly bear, and he says, Mr. Bear, are you going to eat me? And the bear replies, I don't know. This is your dream. Only you can determine how your story ends. True. This is your dream, ladies and gentlemen. This is your life. Only you can determine how your story ends. Life is like a book. It's full of pages and chapters, but you're the author, and you get to determine how your story ends. And whenever you find yourself dealing with some hardships in life, Turn the page and move on to the next chapter. And finally, the last thing I need you to do to give life all you have to give is when you mess up in life, when you experience setbacks, when you make wrong decisions and bad choices, when you do something that you don't like and you're not proud of, I need you to forgive you. Forgive yourself. Don't live with remorse. Don't live with regret. Don't be angry at yourself and hold yourself prisoner for something you did a year ago, 3 years ago, 5 years ago. See, it took me some time to get over my teenage disappointment. It took me some time to get over my teenage mistakes. It took me some time to get over my teenage crisis, and it took me some time to really release myself and forgive myself for allowing for chaos to come into my life as a teenager. But I finally broke through and I forgave myself, and now I'm no longer living with regrets and remorse. I feel like what happened in my life as a teenager has helped to shape who I am today as an adult. And I have forgiven myself for every negative decision, every bad choice, and everything that I've done wrong in my life. And I need you to do the same thing. Forgive yourself for any mess-ups in your life, because in order for you to give it all you've got, you can't have anything inside of you Holding you back, that is going to prohibit you from making your life count. Always reach for the moon, because even if you miss, you will land among the stars. Be willing to aim high and hit nothing rather than to aim low and hit everything. Most people fail in life not because they aim too high and hit, but because they aim too low And hit it. Most people fail in life not because they set their goals too high and miss, but because they set their goals too low. So give to life the passion that you desire, and life will give to you the dream that you aspire. Be willing to do today things that others won't do so that you can have tomorrow things that others won't have. Your attitude toward life determines life's attitude toward you. Tough times don't last, but tough people do. And when the going gets tough, the tough people get going. And the final thing I want to say to you is to walk not in the shadows of those you admire, but discover your own passion and dare to aspire, for then you will realize your greatness. And live a life that inspires. Yes. My name is Rico Sharp, and I thank you for this opportunity to be able to share with you today. God bless you.
