Do you want your life
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to be better
than it is right now?
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Do you want to be successful
and reach your true potential?
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Have you ever wondered
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what it is that makes
some people successful?
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And I mean really successful?
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Are successful people
basically risk takers?
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Do they succeed
because they have powerful
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and influential connections?
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Are they simply smarter?
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Or do they just work
harder to achieve their success?
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Today, we're going to
meet a truly remarkable man.
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His beginnings
were extremely humble.
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His parents divorced
when he was eight years old.
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He and his
brother were then raised
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by his single parent mother.
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She'd been
married at the age of 13.
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She could barely read and write.
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She worked two and
sometimes three jobs
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at a time to raise her two boys.
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Their life was a
never-ending struggle.
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But despite the
misery and hopelessness
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of their circumstances,
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this mother and
her two sons survive
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and ultimately
thrived through a combination
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of incredibly hard work,
perseverance, humility, thrift,
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going without faith,
belief, and most of all love,
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they turned their lives around.
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The man we're about to
meet was once considered
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the dumbest kid in
his class at school.
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He was handicapped by a violent
and uncontrollable temper,
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and subject to
constant bullying and taunts.
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But he went on to
become one of the most
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remarkable
examples ever of a life
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of failure transformed
to overwhelming success.
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Stay tuned.
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I promise you this
story will gladden your heart
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and fill you with inspiration.
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When we imagine the most
difficult job on planet earth,
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the job that
requires a combination
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of the most
natural skill and talent,
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the most brilliant mind
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and the highest level of
education and experience,
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we think of brain surgery.
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We even joke that no other job
or task is quite so difficult
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when we say, well, it
isn't exactly brain surgery.
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If brain surgeons are
the pinnacle of combined
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skill and education,
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then the man we're about to meet
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is a living
legend, a world treasure.
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Dr. Ben Carson, from
the John Hopkins Hospital
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in America is recognized
today as the world's leading
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pediatric neurosurgeon,
a man who has triumphed
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over adversity and
poverty to dedicate his career
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to saving lives,
inspiring students
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and championing
the disadvantage.
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This is his story.
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Dr. Ben Carson, I'm
delighted that you're with us.
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Well, thank you.
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It's wonderful to
be back here again.
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You were born in
Detroit, Michigan.
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Your parents divorced
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when you were only
eight years of age.
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And your mother Sonya was left
to raise you and your brother.
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Your mother herself
was one of 24 children,
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and they dropped out
of school in third grade.
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A divorcee with
two young boys to raise
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and with the limited education.
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Her life must have
been very difficult.
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Please tell me about
your remarkable mother?
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Well, you know, despite the fact
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that she has
such a difficult life,
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she never adopted
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what I call a
victim's mentality.
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She never felt
sorry for herself.
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And that was a good thing.
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She never felt
sorry for us either.
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That was a bad thing.
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But you know, she
would never accept excuses.
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And she would
always ask the question,
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do you have a brain?
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And if the answer was yes,
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then she would say
then you could have thought
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your way out of it.
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And, you know, it was
perhaps the best thing
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she did for me
and for my brother,
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because if someone
doesn't accept your excuses,
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then pretty soon you
stop looking for excuses.
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You start looking for solutions.
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And I think that was a
key role model provided to me
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and to my brother in terms
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of how we should lead our lives.
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Dr. Carson, your
mother worked two,
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sometimes three jobs at a time
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to support you and your brother.
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What are your
recollections of those years
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of struggle and hardship?
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Well, I remember I
didn't like it very much.
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I don't like poverty.
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You know, some
people don't like snakes
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and some people
don't like spiders.
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I don't like poverty.
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And yet, you know, we
knew that that's the lot
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that we were in.
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And after, you know,
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my mother made us
start reading books.
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And I started reading about
different successful people.
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One thing really occurred to me,
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and that was that you
create your own success
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based on how much you know
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and how hard
you're willing to work.
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And all of a sudden, it
dawned on me that the person
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who would have the
most to do would happened
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to me, was me.
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And once I knew that poverty
didn't bother me anymore,
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because I said,
it's only temporary,
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I can change this.
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And if you know that
you can change something,
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you don't mind it
anywhere near as much.
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You've achieved
so much in your life,
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but your early school
days were not promising.
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You experienced difficulties
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and were the bottom of the class
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with failing grades.
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Tell us about
those difficult times?
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Well, you know,
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I was what's
known as the safety net.
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No one had to worry in my class
about getting the lowest mark
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on a test as
long as I was there,
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so it gave them some relief.
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But, you know, my
classmates called me dummy.
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They made fun of me.
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The teachers really
didn't expect much of me.
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And quite honestly, I
didn't expect much of myself.
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But I must say that once
I started reading the books,
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and I started knowing
things that no one else knew,
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I began to form a completely
different picture of myself.
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Now, Dr. Carson,
you are widely acclaimed
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as one of the most if
not the most brilliant
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pediatric
neurosurgeon in the world today.
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You started your career by
earning a psychology degree
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at Yale University.
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How did you make the jump
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from psychology to neurosurgery?
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I believe that
God gives everybody
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special gifts and talents.
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And once I was
in medical school,
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I started saying,
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"What are my
special gifts and talents."
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And I realized I had a
lot of eye-hand coordination,
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the ability to
think in three dimensions.
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I was very careful person,
I never knock things over
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and said oops, which
is a great characteristic
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for brain surgeon by the way.
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And I kind of
put all that together
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with my love of the brain.
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And I said, "You would be
a terrific brain surgeon."
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And it's the same kind of thing
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that I recommend
for people all the time.
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I say, "Stop and take
stock of your God given talents,
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and then choose a career
that takes advantage of those."
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Dr. Carson, you've been involved
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with some
remarkable pioneering surgery
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during your
distinguished career,
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particularly surgeries
to separate co-joined twins,
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who were joined at the head.
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You gained worldwide recognition
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for your part in the
first successful separation
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of Siamese twins joined
at the back of the head.
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It was an extremely
complex and delicate operation
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that took five months to plan
and 22 hours of actual surgery.
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Can you tell us a little about
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the Binder twins
and that operation?
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Well, in fact, you
know, I had gotten interested
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in the whole
concept of conjoined twins
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months before I heard
anything about the Binder twins.
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For some reason, I
was just fascinated.
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And I was trying to figure
out why the record was so dismal
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when it came to separating
such twins and concluded
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that it was exsanguination
or bleeding to death.
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And I was talking to a friend,
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the chief of cardiothoracic
surgery at Hopkins,
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Bruce Reitz, who
had done a lot of work
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with hypothermic arrests,
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where you cool
the body temperature
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until the heart stops,
pump all the blood out.
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And you can
operate on an infant heart
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for up to an hour before
you have to start it back up,
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pump the blood
back in and everything.
00:09:02.50\00:09:04.51
And I was thinking,
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what if you could do that during
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the critical
part of a separation?
00:09:07.31\00:09:10.05
Then they might exsanguinate.
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Then I said, "Why am I
wasting my time thinking
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about this stuff.
00:09:13.35\00:09:14.68
I'm never going to
see one of those twins."
00:09:14.72\00:09:16.25
And lo and
behold, two months later,
00:09:16.28\00:09:17.92
here they came.
00:09:17.95\00:09:19.29
And the German doctors
were presenting these twins
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to various
people around the world,
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because the
mother couldn't decide
00:09:24.09\00:09:26.13
which twin she
wanted to survive,
00:09:26.16\00:09:28.06
because the only choices
that were given in Europe
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is that you decide
which twin you want
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and we'll chop
the other one off.
00:09:32.47\00:09:34.20
Oh, what a
terrible decision to make.
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She couldn't do it.
00:09:35.64\00:09:37.61
So they were
presenting the case around
00:09:37.64\00:09:39.27
and when they
brought it to Hopkins,
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I explained, you know,
00:09:41.54\00:09:43.14
the whole
hypothermic arrest thing
00:09:43.18\00:09:44.75
and everybody
said you know what?
00:09:44.78\00:09:46.11
That might work.
00:09:46.15\00:09:47.48
And we started putting
together an amazing team
00:09:47.52\00:09:50.09
of incredibly talented people.
00:09:50.12\00:09:52.52
And, you know, it
was an incredible,
00:09:52.55\00:09:55.82
incredible operation.
00:09:55.86\00:09:57.93
We ran out of blood near
the end of the operation,
00:09:57.96\00:10:00.76
we have put aside
50 units of blood.
00:10:00.80\00:10:03.47
We ran out of blood.
00:10:03.50\00:10:04.97
People on the team were
volunteering their blood,
00:10:05.00\00:10:07.50
they were saying, "I'll
lay down, take my blood."
00:10:07.54\00:10:09.50
Yeah.
00:10:09.54\00:10:10.87
But just when things
were looking very bleak,
00:10:10.91\00:10:13.24
someone from the
Red Cross showed up
00:10:13.27\00:10:14.94
with 10 units of blood,
00:10:14.98\00:10:16.54
which was exactly
how much we needed
00:10:16.58\00:10:18.21
to finish the operation.
00:10:18.25\00:10:20.05
But I have to tell you that,
00:10:20.08\00:10:21.65
that after the
operation was finished,
00:10:21.68\00:10:23.89
and the day
that we awakened them
00:10:23.92\00:10:26.25
from their pentobarbital
coma, almost simultaneously,
00:10:26.29\00:10:31.19
they popped their eyes
open and started moving in.
00:10:31.23\00:10:34.13
I don't think there are
words to describe the feelings
00:10:34.16\00:10:36.97
that we had at that point.
00:10:37.00\00:10:38.70
Wonderful.
00:10:38.73\00:10:40.17
Now, in 2008, you were awarded
00:10:40.20\00:10:42.37
the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
00:10:42.40\00:10:44.37
by the US president himself.
00:10:44.41\00:10:46.78
This is the
highest civilian honor
00:10:46.81\00:10:48.44
in the United States of America.
00:10:48.48\00:10:50.58
Firstly, congratulations.
00:10:50.61\00:10:52.01
Thank you.
00:10:52.05\00:10:53.38
And can you please
tell us about the award
00:10:53.42\00:10:55.18
and what it means to
you having received it?
00:10:55.22\00:10:57.65
You know, it was an amazing,
00:10:57.69\00:10:59.29
just an amazing
ceremony with all the pomp
00:10:59.32\00:11:01.76
and circumstance that
you can possibly imagine.
00:11:01.79\00:11:05.19
And I was
thrilled, but the main reason
00:11:05.23\00:11:08.86
I was thrilled is
because, you know,
00:11:08.90\00:11:12.53
one of my biggest goals in life
00:11:12.57\00:11:15.04
is to be an
example for young people.
00:11:15.07\00:11:17.57
And I'm just delighted
that they recognize somebody
00:11:17.61\00:11:20.18
who's not a sports
star, or an entertainer,
00:11:20.21\00:11:22.84
and that they
actually give value
00:11:22.88\00:11:25.41
to intellectual achievement.
00:11:25.45\00:11:27.25
And I hope this is something
that we can continue to push
00:11:27.28\00:11:30.49
around the world.
00:11:30.52\00:11:32.69
Back in 2002,
00:11:32.72\00:11:34.36
you were performing an operation
00:11:34.39\00:11:35.76
when you received an
urgent telephone call
00:11:35.79\00:11:38.49
and some shattering news.
00:11:38.53\00:11:40.40
Tell us about that phone call?
00:11:40.43\00:11:42.96
Well, you know, I had started
having some urinary urgency.
00:11:43.00\00:11:48.10
And after going through
the preliminary things, trying,
00:11:48.14\00:11:54.11
you know,
antibiotics, trying Flomax,
00:11:54.14\00:11:57.71
they decided to do a biopsy.
00:11:57.75\00:11:59.78
Tell me, you know,
00:11:59.81\00:12:01.15
it's very low chance
that you would have cancer.
00:12:01.18\00:12:03.08
But I said, "Let me know as
soon as you know something."
00:12:03.12\00:12:05.15
So the very next
day I'm operating,
00:12:05.19\00:12:07.12
I get the phone call.
00:12:07.16\00:12:08.49
Not only that I have cancer,
00:12:08.52\00:12:09.86
but I had a very
aggressive form of cancer.
00:12:09.89\00:12:12.69
And that really kind
of knocks the wind out
00:12:12.73\00:12:15.10
of your sails for a little bit.
00:12:15.13\00:12:16.50
But then I had an MRI
done to see if it had spread.
00:12:16.53\00:12:21.67
And, you know, when I
came out of the machine,
00:12:21.70\00:12:24.01
I was expecting
one of the radiologists
00:12:24.04\00:12:25.71
to say everything looks fine.
00:12:25.74\00:12:27.08
But when I came out,
00:12:27.11\00:12:28.44
there was no
radiologist to say that.
00:12:28.48\00:12:30.05
And the technician
handed me the films.
00:12:30.08\00:12:31.85
I went up and put the films
up on the board in my office
00:12:31.88\00:12:34.98
and my heart sank
because I saw all these lesions
00:12:35.02\00:12:37.95
up and down my spine.
00:12:37.99\00:12:39.32
I said, "Well,
it's been a good life.
00:12:39.35\00:12:41.26
I have nothing
to complain about."
00:12:41.29\00:12:44.29
But you know,
interestingly enough,
00:12:44.33\00:12:45.99
so many people
were praying for me.
00:12:46.03\00:12:48.93
I had bags and bags
of cards and letters
00:12:48.96\00:12:51.87
from all over the world,
00:12:51.90\00:12:53.23
janitors to President Mrs. Bush,
00:12:53.27\00:12:55.44
saying they were praying for me.
00:12:55.47\00:12:57.47
And I guess the
Lord just got tired
00:12:57.51\00:12:59.47
of hearing about me
because it turns out
00:12:59.51\00:13:01.31
that the lesions
were congenital anomalies
00:13:01.34\00:13:04.75
of the bone marrow,
00:13:04.78\00:13:06.15
which is a
perfectly benign problem.
00:13:06.18\00:13:10.02
And I was able to have
surgery done by Pat Walsh,
00:13:10.05\00:13:12.69
who invented the
nerve-sparing prostatectomy.
00:13:12.72\00:13:15.32
It was very
successful, got to cancer,
00:13:15.36\00:13:17.96
one millimeter before
00:13:17.99\00:13:19.33
it had broken
through and spread.
00:13:19.36\00:13:21.20
And it's absolutely spectacular.
00:13:21.23\00:13:24.83
You became the director
of pediatric neurosurgery
00:13:24.87\00:13:28.30
at the John Hopkins Hospital
in 1984 at the age of 33.
00:13:28.34\00:13:33.24
You were the youngest
chief of pediatric neurosurgery
00:13:33.27\00:13:36.51
in the United States.
00:13:36.54\00:13:38.15
That's correct.
00:13:38.18\00:13:39.81
And part of that
actually is it's secondary
00:13:39.85\00:13:43.15
to what happened
here in Australia.
00:13:43.18\00:13:45.55
Because when I
finished my residency,
00:13:45.59\00:13:47.36
I came to Australia
as a senior registrar
00:13:47.39\00:13:51.19
at Sir Charles Gairdner
Hospital in Western Australia.
00:13:51.23\00:13:55.33
And I got an
enormous amount of experience
00:13:55.36\00:14:00.60
from terrific
surgical consultants out there.
00:14:00.64\00:14:05.24
And when I returned to Hopkins,
00:14:05.27\00:14:08.11
the position of director
of pediatric neurosurgery
00:14:08.14\00:14:11.05
opened up and
instead of them going out
00:14:11.08\00:14:12.68
and getting someone
with a lot of gray hair
00:14:12.71\00:14:14.42
and a big name.
00:14:14.45\00:14:15.78
They said, "Carson
knows how to do everything.
00:14:15.82\00:14:18.85
Let's make him the chief."
00:14:18.89\00:14:20.46
And it was kind of
daunting, but it was fun.
00:14:20.49\00:14:23.73
And all kinds of wonderful
things began to happen.
00:14:23.76\00:14:28.16
Now, you've received
so many honors and awards
00:14:28.20\00:14:30.50
over the years,
you're associated with many
00:14:30.53\00:14:32.70
prestigious organizations,
00:14:32.73\00:14:34.70
and are on the board of
corporations, charities,
00:14:34.74\00:14:37.77
and also
president and co-founder
00:14:37.81\00:14:40.24
of Carson Scholars Fund.
00:14:40.28\00:14:42.34
With all these responsibilities,
00:14:42.38\00:14:44.58
do you still find
time to be a surgeon?
00:14:44.61\00:14:46.72
I do.
00:14:46.75\00:14:48.15
In fact, I always
say if you need somebody
00:14:48.18\00:14:50.92
to do something,
you have to get somebody
00:14:50.95\00:14:52.42
who's busy.
00:14:52.45\00:14:53.79
Because people who are not busy,
00:14:53.82\00:14:55.16
never have time to do anything
00:14:55.19\00:14:56.52
because it takes them
all day to do nothing.
00:14:56.56\00:14:58.36
But you know you
learn to be efficient,
00:14:58.39\00:15:00.70
you learn to delegate,
00:15:00.73\00:15:02.06
I still do 300 to
350 operations a year.
00:15:02.10\00:15:06.33
And, but, you
know, I have found over
00:15:06.37\00:15:10.77
the course of
time that, you know,
00:15:10.81\00:15:13.04
there's so many other
incredibly important things
00:15:13.07\00:15:16.75
to devote one's time to.
00:15:16.78\00:15:18.15
I can only affect
one life at a time
00:15:18.18\00:15:20.58
in the operating room
unless it's conjoined twins,
00:15:20.62\00:15:23.85
then it's two but through
interviews, through media,
00:15:23.89\00:15:27.69
through books, you
know, you can expect,
00:15:27.72\00:15:30.16
you can affect thousands
if not millions of lives.
00:15:30.19\00:15:33.70
And you've certainly done that.
00:15:33.73\00:15:35.06
Now, you've written
four best-selling books
00:15:35.10\00:15:37.53
that are published by
Zondervan, "Gifted Hands,"
00:15:37.57\00:15:40.94
which is an autobiography,
then there's "Take the Risk,"
00:15:40.97\00:15:45.41
and then two perhaps of
the best known among them,
00:15:45.44\00:15:48.28
"The Big
Picture," and "Think Big,"
00:15:48.31\00:15:50.95
which are about your personal
philosophies of success.
00:15:50.98\00:15:54.88
Tell us about your
book, "The Big Picture"
00:15:54.92\00:15:56.55
and what it shares?
00:15:56.58\00:15:58.15
Well, you know, I
was very concerned
00:15:58.19\00:15:59.95
about the fact
that so many people
00:15:59.99\00:16:02.59
don't make progress in life,
00:16:02.62\00:16:05.09
because they get
focused on petty things.
00:16:05.13\00:16:08.53
And they forget about
the weightier things in life.
00:16:08.56\00:16:13.03
So in this picture, I
just gave multiple examples
00:16:13.07\00:16:17.17
of things that are important
00:16:17.21\00:16:18.67
versus things
that are not important.
00:16:18.71\00:16:20.04
For instance, once I
was doing an interview
00:16:20.08\00:16:22.24
with a National Public
Radio reporter, and she said,
00:16:22.28\00:16:25.55
"I noticed you don't
speak much about race.
00:16:25.58\00:16:27.52
Why is that?"
00:16:27.55\00:16:28.88
I said, "It's
because I'm a neurosurgeon.
00:16:28.92\00:16:30.95
And she looked at me
quizzically, and I said,
00:16:30.99\00:16:32.62
"You see, when I go
to the operating room,
00:16:32.65\00:16:34.69
and I open the scalp,
and I take that bone off,
00:16:34.72\00:16:37.49
I'm operating on the
thing that makes that person
00:16:37.53\00:16:39.69
who they are.
00:16:39.73\00:16:41.06
The covering really
isn't that important.
00:16:41.10\00:16:43.53
And I say some
people spend all their time
00:16:43.57\00:16:45.63
worrying about the covering.
00:16:45.67\00:16:47.17
I spend my time worrying
about what's really important.
00:16:47.20\00:16:49.90
That's a big
picture type of item.
00:16:49.94\00:16:52.74
Now, what about
your latest book,
00:16:52.77\00:16:54.78
"Take the Risk." Can you
share with us a little about
00:16:54.81\00:16:57.51
the book and the contents?
00:16:57.55\00:16:59.68
Well, you know, that
book was written because,
00:16:59.71\00:17:02.45
you know, we've become
such a risk adverse society.
00:17:02.48\00:17:06.45
Nobody wants to take any risks,
00:17:06.49\00:17:08.26
you want insurance for
this, insurance for that,
00:17:08.29\00:17:10.53
you buy an appliance,
you spend just as much money
00:17:10.56\00:17:13.46
buy insurance against
something going wrong with it,
00:17:13.50\00:17:15.76
it's pretty crazy.
00:17:15.80\00:17:17.50
And, you know, no one really
ever accomplished anything
00:17:17.53\00:17:21.60
by sitting under the olive tree,
00:17:21.64\00:17:23.44
waiting for things to develop,
you know, you have to go out.
00:17:23.47\00:17:26.74
But you also have to
be able to understand
00:17:26.78\00:17:29.74
what the
appropriate risk are to take.
00:17:29.78\00:17:32.45
And in order to do that,
you have to know yourself,
00:17:32.48\00:17:34.88
you have to know
what your values are.
00:17:34.92\00:17:37.49
If it's very
important for you to be rich,
00:17:37.52\00:17:40.99
then you probably don't
want to do certain things
00:17:41.02\00:17:44.43
versus if it's
very important for you
00:17:44.46\00:17:46.59
to have a good reputation,
00:17:46.63\00:17:48.23
there are other things
you might not want to do.
00:17:48.26\00:17:50.20
So you have to know yourself.
00:17:50.23\00:17:52.27
And also
recognize that some people
00:17:52.30\00:17:55.00
take absolutely stupid risk.
00:17:55.04\00:17:57.37
And as a result, they
spend all of their time
00:17:57.41\00:18:00.41
trying to dig out of a hole.
00:18:00.44\00:18:02.24
So this was a book
that's aimed at helping people
00:18:02.28\00:18:05.11
to be able to distinguish those,
00:18:05.15\00:18:06.58
ask appropriate questions like,
00:18:06.61\00:18:08.75
what's the best thing
that happens if I do this?
00:18:08.78\00:18:10.92
What's the worst thing
that happens if I do this?
00:18:10.95\00:18:13.05
What's the best thing
that happens if I don't do it?
00:18:13.09\00:18:14.92
What's the worst thing
that happens if I don't do it?
00:18:14.96\00:18:17.43
And just very logical
ways of quickly assessing risk.
00:18:17.46\00:18:22.60
Can you summarize the secrets
of your own success for us?
00:18:22.63\00:18:26.94
I can really quite easily
with the acrostic Think Big,
00:18:26.97\00:18:31.64
each one of those
letters means something special.
00:18:31.67\00:18:34.28
The T is for talent,
00:18:34.31\00:18:35.91
which God gave to
every single person.
00:18:35.94\00:18:38.35
And when I talk about talent,
I'm not just talking about
00:18:38.38\00:18:40.48
singing and dancing
and throwing a ball,
00:18:40.52\00:18:43.02
but intellectual talent.
00:18:43.05\00:18:44.99
We were made in
the image of God.
00:18:45.02\00:18:46.62
We have these
gigantic frontal lobes.
00:18:46.65\00:18:48.96
And we need to
begin to use those things.
00:18:48.99\00:18:52.06
And when we see young people,
we need to encourage them
00:18:52.09\00:18:55.70
and we need to challenge them.
00:18:55.73\00:18:58.00
Lead a clean and honest life.
00:18:58.03\00:18:59.83
You won't put
skeletons in the closet,
00:18:59.87\00:19:01.90
because if you put them there,
00:19:01.94\00:19:03.37
they will come out at
the most inopportune time.
00:19:03.41\00:19:06.51
And if you
always tell the truth,
00:19:06.54\00:19:07.94
you don't have
to try to remember
00:19:07.98\00:19:09.31
what you said three months ago,
00:19:09.34\00:19:10.68
and you can
concentrate on the task at hand.
00:19:10.71\00:19:13.11
The I is for insight,
00:19:13.15\00:19:14.48
which comes from
listening to people
00:19:14.52\00:19:15.98
who've already gone
where you're trying to go.
00:19:16.02\00:19:17.95
You can learn
from their triumphs,
00:19:17.99\00:19:19.32
you can learn
from their mistakes.
00:19:19.35\00:19:20.96
If you don't have to
make the same mistakes
00:19:20.99\00:19:22.69
your parents made or
your aunts and uncles
00:19:22.72\00:19:25.09
or your teachers or
other people can think
00:19:25.13\00:19:27.70
how much faster you can go.
00:19:27.73\00:19:30.00
And if you can
look at the good things
00:19:30.03\00:19:32.13
they did and emulate those,
00:19:32.17\00:19:34.44
you're going to be
on the right track.
00:19:34.47\00:19:36.27
Be nice to people.
00:19:36.30\00:19:37.84
Because once they
get over their suspicion
00:19:37.87\00:19:39.34
of why you're being
nice, they'll be nice to you.
00:19:39.37\00:19:41.44
You can get so much more done.
00:19:41.48\00:19:43.28
They can get so much more done.
00:19:43.31\00:19:44.78
Your life becomes
so much more pleasant.
00:19:44.81\00:19:47.45
And really, you know,
00:19:47.48\00:19:49.15
that's what a
Christian lifestyle calls for,
00:19:49.18\00:19:52.19
treating other people the
way you want to be treated
00:19:52.22\00:19:55.09
and not being selfish
00:19:55.12\00:19:56.83
and thinking about others first.
00:19:56.86\00:19:59.29
And it's actually kind of fun.
00:19:59.33\00:20:00.70
It doesn't sound
like fun at the beginning.
00:20:00.73\00:20:02.73
But just give it a try,
00:20:02.76\00:20:04.10
and you'll see it
is a wonderful thing.
00:20:04.13\00:20:06.47
Do I have a big house? Yes.
00:20:06.50\00:20:08.00
Do I have a lot of cars? Yes.
00:20:08.04\00:20:09.74
A lot of things that
Robin Leach of Lifestyles
00:20:09.77\00:20:11.61
of the Rich and
Famous, things are important.
00:20:11.64\00:20:13.11
Of course I do.
Are they important?
00:20:13.14\00:20:14.71
No, they mean nothing
if they all disappeared
00:20:14.74\00:20:16.64
tomorrow, I don't
care because I can get them
00:20:16.68\00:20:18.01
all right back
almost immediately.
00:20:18.05\00:20:19.95
But what's up here,
which is what Solomon,
00:20:19.98\00:20:22.42
the wisest man who ever
lived met when he said gold,
00:20:22.45\00:20:25.35
silver and rubies are nice,
00:20:25.39\00:20:26.72
but we treasure
far above those things,
00:20:26.76\00:20:28.82
knowledge,
wisdom and understanding
00:20:28.86\00:20:30.46
because with those things,
00:20:30.49\00:20:31.83
you get all the gold and
silver and rubies you want it.
00:20:31.86\00:20:33.50
More importantly,
you come to understand
00:20:33.53\00:20:34.86
it on amount to a hill of beans,
00:20:34.90\00:20:36.80
and that the most
important thing is developing
00:20:36.83\00:20:38.53
your intellect so
that you become valuable
00:20:38.57\00:20:40.90
to the people around you.
00:20:40.94\00:20:42.54
That's lasting value.
00:20:42.57\00:20:44.17
It's never too late.
00:20:44.21\00:20:45.54
My mother did teach
herself to read, got her GED,
00:20:45.57\00:20:48.74
her graduate equivalency
diploma, went on to college,
00:20:48.78\00:20:52.58
got an honorary
doctorate degree in 1994.
00:20:52.61\00:20:55.12
So she's Dr. Carson now too.
00:20:55.15\00:20:57.32
Superficial learners are
people who cram a lot of stuff
00:20:57.35\00:21:00.12
in before a test,
sometimes do okay.
00:21:00.16\00:21:02.32
And three weeks
later know nothing.
00:21:02.36\00:21:05.09
I don't think
that's really paying
00:21:05.13\00:21:07.90
the appropriate
respect to our Creator,
00:21:07.93\00:21:10.17
and the
intellect that He gave it.
00:21:10.20\00:21:12.03
He didn't give it to us
00:21:12.07\00:21:13.40
so that we could
just take a test.
00:21:13.44\00:21:15.30
He gave it to us so
that we could become
00:21:15.34\00:21:17.01
in-depth learners
and use that knowledge
00:21:17.04\00:21:19.47
to advance ourselves
and to advance mankind.
00:21:19.51\00:21:23.24
You know, we
live in a politically
00:21:23.28\00:21:24.61
correct society that
is trying to get God out.
00:21:24.65\00:21:27.95
Now people
don't even want to say
00:21:27.98\00:21:29.42
Merry Christmas anymore,
00:21:29.45\00:21:30.79
because somebody
might be offended.
00:21:30.82\00:21:32.32
Just crazy stuff.
00:21:32.35\00:21:34.06
And you know, the
fact of the matter is and,
00:21:34.09\00:21:37.13
you know, when you
look at a lot of incredibly
00:21:37.16\00:21:41.96
talented, intellectual
people like Albert Einstein,
00:21:42.00\00:21:46.17
who was a believer in God,
00:21:46.20\00:21:48.27
because when he
looked at the universe,
00:21:48.30\00:21:50.87
he said, this
couldn't just come about.
00:21:50.91\00:21:54.64
Now you look at Francis Collins,
00:21:54.68\00:21:56.21
the Human Genome
Project, who was an atheist
00:21:56.24\00:21:58.78
when he started
his graduate work.
00:21:58.81\00:22:00.65
And as he began to understand
00:22:00.68\00:22:02.18
the complexity
of the human genome,
00:22:02.22\00:22:03.85
he said, "Oh, sorry,
this can't be an accident."
00:22:03.89\00:22:06.86
But also you look at
Godly principles of loving
00:22:06.89\00:22:10.63
your fellow man, of
caring about your neighbor,
00:22:10.66\00:22:14.13
developing your
talents to the utmost
00:22:14.16\00:22:16.23
that you become
valuable to others,
00:22:16.26\00:22:18.37
of having values and principles
that govern your life.
00:22:18.40\00:22:22.00
And if you incorporate
those into your life,
00:22:22.04\00:22:24.94
you're going to
be highly successful.
00:22:24.97\00:22:28.24
On July 1, 2013,
00:22:28.28\00:22:31.15
Ben Carson
officially retired as a surgeon.
00:22:31.18\00:22:34.98
On November 4, 2014, he
joined the Republican Party,
00:22:35.02\00:22:39.75
with the intention of running
00:22:39.79\00:22:41.12
for president of the
United States in 2016.
00:22:41.16\00:22:45.23
On May 4, 2015, he
officially announced his run
00:22:45.26\00:22:49.16
for the Republican
nomination in the 2016
00:22:49.20\00:22:52.57
US presidential election.
00:22:52.60\00:22:55.00
His political career experienced
00:22:55.04\00:22:57.51
a surge in the polls,
00:22:57.54\00:22:59.24
as he participated in national
televised Republican debates,
00:22:59.27\00:23:03.31
and he was among the
party's front runners.
00:23:03.35\00:23:06.08
However, following a
decline in the polls,
00:23:06.11\00:23:09.08
he withdrew from the
campaign on March 4, 2016.
00:23:09.12\00:23:13.66
After Donald Trump's
win in the 2016 election,
00:23:13.69\00:23:17.33
Carson joined
Trump's transition team
00:23:17.36\00:23:20.16
as vice chairman.
00:23:20.20\00:23:22.03
On December 5, 2016,
Donald Trump announced
00:23:22.06\00:23:26.57
that he would
nominate Carson to the position
00:23:26.60\00:23:29.37
of Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development.
00:23:29.40\00:23:32.87
On March 2, 2017,
00:23:32.91\00:23:35.48
Carson's position
of Secretary of Housing
00:23:35.51\00:23:37.95
and Urban Development
was officially confirmed
00:23:37.98\00:23:41.22
by the Senate.
00:23:41.25\00:23:42.88
Dr. Carson has
committed his life to God.
00:23:42.92\00:23:46.15
He acknowledges God is
the most significant key
00:23:46.19\00:23:49.26
to his success in life,
00:23:49.29\00:23:51.16
just like Solomon
did in Bible times.
00:23:51.19\00:23:53.96
Notice what it says
here in Proverbs 3:5-6,
00:23:54.00\00:23:59.27
"Trust in the Lord
with all your heart,
00:23:59.30\00:24:02.10
and lean not on
your own understanding,
00:24:02.14\00:24:05.21
in all your ways acknowledge Him
00:24:05.24\00:24:07.74
and He shall direct your paths."
00:24:07.78\00:24:10.75
Throughout his life and career,
00:24:10.78\00:24:13.05
God has helped Dr.
Carson through many crises.
00:24:13.08\00:24:16.79
By acknowledging God is
both a powerful and loving force
00:24:16.82\00:24:20.36
in the world,
00:24:20.39\00:24:21.72
we become more
considerate of others.
00:24:21.76\00:24:24.03
We understand that we must treat
00:24:24.06\00:24:25.93
other human beings the
way we want to be treated.
00:24:25.96\00:24:29.60
From this we learn humility.
00:24:29.63\00:24:32.17
Humility isn't
groveling and telling others
00:24:32.20\00:24:34.64
how worthless we are.
00:24:34.67\00:24:36.37
Humility is knowing who we are,
00:24:36.40\00:24:39.27
and what God is doing
and has done in our lives.
00:24:39.31\00:24:43.24
And this basic understanding
of who we are in relationship
00:24:43.28\00:24:47.15
with God enables us to
keep everything in perspective.
00:24:47.18\00:24:51.49
It keeps our feet on the ground.
00:24:51.52\00:24:54.86
It is the solid foundation
on which a successful life
00:24:54.89\00:24:58.33
can be built and
unless we are humble
00:24:58.36\00:25:00.86
in the sight of God, unless
we are grateful for any success
00:25:00.90\00:25:04.53
that comes our way,
we will not achieve true
00:25:04.57\00:25:08.00
and lasting success in anything.
00:25:08.04\00:25:10.71
Listen to what the
Bible says in James 4:6.
00:25:10.74\00:25:15.34
"God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble."
00:25:15.38\00:25:19.61
Dr. Carson has
committed his life to God.
00:25:22.75\00:25:26.05
He acknowledges God as
the most significant key
00:25:26.09\00:25:29.72
to success in his life.
00:25:29.76\00:25:31.76
Listen to this Bible
promise in Psalm 37:4.
00:25:31.79\00:25:36.63
"Delight
yourself also in the Lord,
00:25:36.67\00:25:39.03
and He shall give you
the desires of your heart."
00:25:39.07\00:25:42.60
And when we acknowledge
God as both a powerful
00:25:42.64\00:25:45.61
and loving force in the world,
00:25:45.64\00:25:47.64
we become more
considerate of others.
00:25:47.68\00:25:50.18
We understand that we must treat
00:25:50.21\00:25:51.91
other human beings the
way we want to be treated.
00:25:51.95\00:25:55.52
Just as Christ's golden
rule says in Matthew 7:12,
00:25:55.55\00:26:00.52
"Whatever you want men to
do to you, do also to them."
00:26:00.56\00:26:05.46
From this, we learned
that generosity and kindness
00:26:05.49\00:26:08.93
are key elements
in achieving success.
00:26:08.96\00:26:12.33
If you would like to know more
about Dr. Carson suggestions
00:26:12.37\00:26:16.34
and how to reach
your potential in life
00:26:16.37\00:26:18.54
and realize your
own dreams of success,
00:26:18.57\00:26:21.28
then I'd like to
recommend the free gift
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we have for all our incredible
journey viewers today.
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It's the booklet,
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"Reach Your True
Potential IQ versus EQ."
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This small booklet
will share with you
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some of the not so
secret philosophies
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of successful people.
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I guarantee there are no
costs or obligations whatsoever.
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So take this
opportunity to find out
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more about
reaching your own potential.
00:26:49.64\00:26:54.14
Phone or text us at
0436 333 555 in Australia,
00:26:54.18\00:27:00.15
or 020 422 2042 in New Zealand,
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or visit our website TiJ.tv
to request today's free offer
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and we'll send it to
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Australia or PO Box 76673,
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Manukau, Auckland
2241, New Zealand.
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Don't delay,
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If you've enjoyed our
chat with Dr. Ben Carson,
00:27:35.05\00:27:38.15
the famous
neurosurgeon and politician,
00:27:38.19\00:27:41.09
and our reflections
on how God wants us all
00:27:41.12\00:27:44.33
to reach our potential,
then be sure to join us
00:27:44.36\00:27:47.60
again next week,
when we will share
00:27:47.63\00:27:49.90
another of life
journeys together.
00:27:49.93\00:27:52.63
Until then, let's pray
for God's blessing on us
00:27:52.67\00:27:56.74
and our families.
00:27:56.77\00:27:59.04
Dear Heavenly Father, we
thank You for the talents
00:27:59.07\00:28:02.48
You've given each one of us.
00:28:02.51\00:28:04.45
We all want to be
valued, accepted and successful.
00:28:04.48\00:28:08.82
We want to accept Your gift
of reaching our true potential.
00:28:08.85\00:28:12.92
Thank You for guiding our lives
and please bless our families.
00:28:12.95\00:28:17.66
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
00:28:17.69\00:28:20.96