Rico Sharp argues that without a dream, you get no vision, goals, or energy, just stagnation. He describes a family member's addiction as proof: no aspiration means aimlessness and relapse. Sharp's answer is to fight every day and think sharp, plan sharp, talk sharp, walk sharp.
Chapters
If you don't fight and win and overcome, life will defeat you. Life will knock you out. Life will hit you with a low blow. But when life hits you and knocks you down, you gotta rise back up and tell life, bring it on, because I'm not quitting. I'm not giving up. I am a winner. I will not be defeated. I will fight you through thick and thin. I will fight you from sunup to sundown. I will fight you on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I'll make up a day that doesn't exist in the week to fight you because I will not let you defeat me. All right. I would fight you 8 days a week, 25 hours a day, because I would not give up on my dream. When I die, I would die fulfilled. When I die, I would die happy. When I die, I would die complete. When I die, I would die empty. I would have given out all that I have to give. I said to a family member a few days ago, And I got like 3 minutes left. I said to this family member, I said, you know what? I know your problem. Because this family member struggles with drug addiction. I said, I know your problem. He looked at me and said, what? I said, you don't have any aspirations. You don't want anything. You're not doing anything with your life because you're not after anything. You just wake up and you go through these routines and you have these relapses and you fall back because there's nothing in life that you want. That's right. You're not after anything. Such is the situation with many of your family members. That's why we hang out on corners, because we're not after nothing. That's why we drop out of school, because we're not after nothing. That's why we walk off a job without having another one lined up, because we're not after anything. That's why anybody can tell us to get in the car with them and we'll go, not knowing where we're going or what we're going to do, because we're not after anything. That's why some of our family members and friends and so many people in this world spend time on the phone Talking all day with other unemployed people who's not going anywhere in life. That's so true. You need a dream. And when you have a dream, you get a vision. And out of that vision comes goals. And out of those goals comes planning. And out of that planning comes resources. And from that resources comes the energy and the motivation to get it done. And when you're getting things done, you're happy. But if you don't have a dream, then there's no need for a vision. If you don't have visions, you don't need to set goals. And if you don't set any goals, then there's no need to plan anything. And if you're not planning anything, you don't need resources to get anything accomplished. And if you don't need resources and don't have resources, you don't need energy to do anything because you're not going anywhere. And if you're not going anywhere with your life, you're not happy. And if you're not happy in life, what else is there? Amen. Always go the extra mile. Make necessary sacrifices and give life all you have to offer. I like to end with this: life— and this is my quote— life is what you make it. When the opportunity comes, you take it. You be sharp now and maximize the moment and make yourself a great life. And think sharp, plan sharp, talk sharp, walk sharp. This Eat sharp, dress sharp, live sharp, and you will be sharp. Thank you for your time, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Rico Sharp. Rico Sharp.
