Rico Sharp uses a $100 bill metaphor to show that people retain their worth despite hardship, then shares a bear parable about personal agency. He argues that aiming high, maintaining the right attitude, and doing today what others won't determines tomorrow's success.
Chapters
Give life all that you have to give. Do not hold back on you. Promise yourself that I will always go the extra mile, make necessary sacrifices, and give my life all that I have to offer. You see this right here? This is a $100 bill, right? This $100 bill has value. And it's in a pretty crisp state. But I'm gonna take this $100 bill and put it through some abuse. I'm gonna compress it. I'm gonna slap it around. I'm gonna treat it as if it has no significance, as if it has no value. Then I'm gonna throw it down. Okay. And step on it. Oh. Treat it as if it has no worth. And then I'm gonna just kick it around and just act like I don't recognize the value of it. And then I'm gonna walk off and abandon it and leave it. I'm gonna get back to it before one of y'all do, but right now— so right now— I'm just gonna leave it like that, right? Yes, sir. Now, I'm coming back to it, and I look at this $100 bill, and it's been abused. It's been rejected, ostracized. It's been harassed. It's been decompressed. It's been put through much abuse, like it's been treated as if it's, it's not valuable. But even after all of that abuse, after all of that decompression, after all of that compressing, after all of that stomping and slapping it, after all of that abuse it's gone through, guess what? It still has its worth. It still has its value. And that's how you are. You've gone through some hard times in life, some tough situations in life, and people have walked off from you after abusing you and rejecting you and calling you out of your name and taking advantage of you and treating you as if you don't matter. But regardless of what has happened in your life, you still have your value. So when you rise up from being put down, when you rise up from a breakup, when you rise up from your car tearing up on you, when you rise up from someone who loves you dying in your life, you rise up and you tell yourself, I still have my worth, I still have my value, and I'm still somebody, and I'm going to give life all that I have to give. There is this man running through the woods. In this dream, and he's running for his life, and there's this bear running behind him. And while running from the bear, he trips over the root of a tree and falls. And when he turns over and look up, the bear is about to come down on top of him. And he looks up at the bear and he says, Mr. Bear, are you going to eat me? And the bear pauses. What'd she say? And the bear replies, I don't know. This is your dream. Only you can determine how your story ends. Ladies and gentlemen, always reach for the moon, because even if you miss, you will land among the stars. Be more 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 miss, but because they aim too low and hit. Your attitude towards life determines life's attitude toward you. So be willing to give to life the passion you aspire, and life will give to you the dream you desire. Be willing to do today things that others won't do so that you can have tomorrow things that others won't have. Sometimes life gets tough, but when the going gets tough, tough people gets going. People's opinion of you matters not to the determination of your potential nor to the dictation of your destiny. So 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. For life is what you make it. So when your opportunity comes, you take it. You be sharp, you be smart, and make yourself a great life. And think sharp, plan sharp, dress sharp, walk sharp, talk sharp, eat sharp, and you'll be sharp. Take it from me, Rico Sharp, I know. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Real quickly, if you have Do you have any questions?
