Rico Sharp tells NorthBridge University students that leadership and greatness are identities you claim, not things you earn later. He went from incarceration to founding his own speaking agency by creating opportunities instead of waiting for them. Master your mind first, commit fully to graduation, and give 100 percent to everything.
Chapters
I know you just sat down and you're comfortable, but I need you, I need you to engage. I need you to repeat after me. Say this with me: I have something special.
I have something special.
I have greatness on my life.
I got greatness on my life.
There is nothing.
There is nothing.
That I can't accomplish.
That I can't accomplish.
That I can't achieve.
That I can't achieve.
When I set my heart.
When I set my heart.
My mind.
My mind.
And my resources.
My resources. To accomplish.
I believe in me.
I believe in me.
And I will do great things.
And I will do great things.
With my life.
With my life.
Before time expires.
Before time expires.
Will you believe that?
Yes.
Now, give yourself a round of applause.
Oh my God.
My very first point that I want to share with you today is that there is a leader inside of every one of you. There is. There's a leader inside of every one of you. Being a leader is not something you do. Being a leader is who you are. Being great is not something you do. Being great is who you are. Being a winner is not something you do. Being a winner is who you are. In fact, I tell professional athletes and, and people who are in the athletic industry that winning is not an end result. It's a mentality. It's a mindset. You got to have a mindset that I am a winner in life, not that I win in competitions and challenges. I'm a winner in life. And so while in school, focusing on higher education, you have to see yourself winning in this endeavor. Like, who wants to go through the process of sacrificing time and money and energy and resources to come here day after day, week after week, month after month, and then at the end you don't have anything to show for your efforts and your investment? Who wants to go through this process and not graduate? And then not go on and utilize the information and the experience that you gained here to help build the life for you that you desire to have? So there's a leader within you. And although sometimes we kind of like follow other people's influence, And we let other people inspire us to do things that really doesn't contribute to where we're going in life. That's really not who we are. We're leaders. Say this with me: I am a leader.
I am a leader.
Okay, we can do a little bit better than that. Say this with me: I am a leader. I am a leader. And so being a leader means a few things, especially as it relates to where you're going with your life. Number one. Leadership begins on the inside. So before you can lead others, you have to lead you. In other words, you have to have your focus, your mind, you have to have everything within you set to go forward and accomplish whatever your short-term and your long-term goals are. And if graduating from here with an educational or a vocational certificate Is your goal, and the leader within you needs to charter the path and not derail or detour from that path. So you have to lead your mind. You have to lead your mind. Your mind has to be set every single day on what you're here to accomplish. I know some of you, you're parents. Some of you, you have jobs and other responsibilities outside of this school. And sometimes, some of those other responsibilities kind of overlap with your commitment to school, right? It happens sometimes, right? Some of those responsibilities kind of overlap. Like, there may be a time where you feel like you're supposed to go and do this and do that, and then you put that in the way of coming to school and focusing on your graduating. But there are moments when the leader in you says, listen, I cannot compromise my commitment to graduating. Say this with me: I cannot compromise—
I cannot compromise—
My commitment—
My commitment—
To graduating.
To graduating.
Then you have to take ownership. Great leaders take responsibilities for their choices and for their future. Great leaders make a sound decision That I am responsible for my life. See, when I was a young boy out there trying to do my own thing, I was allowing for other people to dictate what my next move would be. I would find out later on that's not cool. That's giving too, too much jurisdiction over your life to other people who really is not going to be there for you. in the next year or so. So, you have to do what you have to do to take ownership of your choices and your future and not be influenced by people that's not even doing anything with their life. Some of you have friends that want you to come and hang out with them, and all they want to do is smoke and get high and drink and— and sit at the house and play video games, and you know that they're your friend, but they're not going anywhere with their life. You cannot allow for them to bring you down to their level and have you missing out on opportunities that life is offering you at this juncture. You have to make bold decisions. Leaders don't wait for perfect moments. We create perfect moments. We don't wait for everything to get right. We make it right. We don't wait for opportunities to come to us. We create opportunities. We create opportunities. The reason I have my own speaking agency is because when I first started speaking, a lot of agencies didn't want to touch somebody like me. They didn't want to bring somebody like me on board, and then they represent me because of my past. But then I realized something. I don't need anyone else to represent me. I just represent myself.
Amen.
How about that? Because nobody can represent me better than I can represent myself. And then I realized that my path that I've charted is something that only I can determine. And as you represent you, and as you go forth making your own choices and building your own future, you are representing you. You're representing your goals, your dreams. That's right. You're representing your aspiration. You're representing what matters to you. You're representing something that only you can determine, that this is what my life is all about. Only you can determine what fulfills you and what satisfies and gratifies your internal being. Only you can make that decision that, hey man, this is something that means everything to me. And then leaders They inspire through action, not through talk, through action. We have to talk less and do more and let our actions speak for us. You want to graduate? You want to leave here with a certificate of graduation? You want to leave here with the experience to go to the next level of life? Don't talk about it, be about it. Do it. Some of you You're not really giving 100% right now. Come on now, some of you are not giving all that you can give. Some of us are missing classes when we should be here. Some of us are not taking the work that we should do to really enhance ourselves with the knowledge and the understanding of what it is that we do in this particular career that we're pursuing.
Yes, sir.
it. Some of us kind of lag behind. I know how it is because I talk to students all over the place. Some of us don't really give it our all, but you cannot not give your all and then expect to receive all, because everything works upon a law called the law of reciprocity. And the law of reciprocity means that whatever you sow, that's what you're going to reap. You cannot give 50% expecting to To reap 100% reward or 100% result. Your example has the power to influence more than just yourself. How many of you are parents? Raise your hand. If you are a parent, you have not just you— I think so. That is counting on you, but your kids are counting on you. When you leave the house, to come to school. Your kids are counting on you that one day you're going to come back and not only have a certificate of accomplishment, but you're going to be able to afford them a better life. Isn't that what it's all about?
Yes.
And even for those of you that doesn't have kids, your parents are depending on you to make foolproof of your time in school. And even if it's not your parents, you are dependent on you. To really maximize your time here and maximize your potential, you ought to absorb so much of this information that you can one day come back and teach this class, or the class that you're in. You ought to be so focused on what you want to accomplish and where you're going That even while you're driving down the street, you have this information in your mind that is continuing to circulate. That's what I do. That's how I can go from being incarcerated inside of a correctional institution to now speaking inside of correctional institutions, which is what I did just this past Saturday. One of the things that I have learned in life is that no one can hold you down but you. No one can hold you back but you.
Amen.
If there's ever such thing— a such thing as a curse, then it is a lack of knowledge. The only limitations you have is your mentality. Let me say that again. The only limitations you have is your mentality. There's no greater limitation. Has nothing to do with the color of your skin, has nothing to do with how skinny you are or how heavy you are, has nothing to do with what your nationality is, has nothing to do with what part of the hood you grew up in, has nothing to do with what your last name is. Your only limitation is your mentality. That's right. Is your mentality. If you think small, you will live a small life. And even if you're not living a small life now, if you think small, you will shrink and reduce yourself to a small life. If you think with a limited mindset, you will live a limited life. If you feel like you are a victim, you will be a victim for as long as you feel that way. If you think that you can't succeed, then you will not succeed.
That's right.
Your mindset is who you are. Your mentality creates your reality. There's a leader within you. That leader is waiting to be discovered and to come forth.
