Who says that a
person can't change?
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Stay tuned to meet
a man who has changed
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and helps others
to do so as well.
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My name is Yvonne Lewis
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and you're
watching Urban Report.
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Hello and
welcome to Urban Report.
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My guest today
is William Gailliard
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Author of "Simply Thinking
Big Every Day in Every Way"
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and Motivational Speaker.
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Welcome to Urban Report Bill.
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Well, I'm glad to be
here thank you very much.
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So, you have a
really interesting story
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and I think our Viewers
just need to know your journey.
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Before we get into the
book or anything like that
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let's talk about Bill Gailliard,
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who is Bill
Gailliard, where did you from?
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Charleston, South Carolina.
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Okay, and tell us
about your family.
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My father was a pastor
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in the African-Methodist
Episcopalian church
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for over 40 years and
I'm the 9th of 10 children.
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So you had nine siblings.
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That's right.
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Ten children... well, I'll bet
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holidays were fun
at your house, right?
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Absolutely,
absolutely, absolutely...
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I was number nine
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and they were hoping
that I would be the last.
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And then there was
one after you, right?
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And they were
glad he came along.
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Laughter...
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So, what kind of a
child were you, Bill?
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Well, first of all I
want to begin by saying
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I was the middle child
even though I was number nine
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I was in between
number eight and number ten
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so that made me a
middle child. Okay...
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And of course
the number 8th child
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seemed to have
gotten all the good gifts
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I mean, my brother...
two years older than myself,
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could fix anything,
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he was well-read,
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and he was a
straight "A" student
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Ah...
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and then I was caught in
between him and the baby.
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Ah... with all that
that implies right...
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With all that that
implies... that's right.
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And, of course,
it seems as though
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everything that
broke around the house
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had my name attached to it.
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Ah...
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so were you the
child that kind of...
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didn't feel like
he could get it right?
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Just couldn't ever get
it right, that's right.
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That was from early on.
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Okay, so how did that
impact you growing up?
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Well, it caused me to really
want to get it together...
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go the extra mile, I
had to fight for everything
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and I was never right
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and I use that quite a bit today
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when people say, "You
always want to be right"
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I say, "No... I'm
used to being wrong"
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and so during those early
years, it was really rough on me
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I just... just could not
ever seem to get it right.
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How were your grades?
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Well, that was the good
part the Lord did bless me
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to be able to do well in school
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and I only remembered one time
when I struggled with Algebra
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and my brother two
years older than myself
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helped me quite a bit
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when I flunked my
first Algebra test
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and just didn't think
that I needed to study
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because I was
pretty good in Math
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and, of course,
when I flunked that test
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I said, "What happened?"
and then he took me...
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sat me down and
taught me Algebra
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up until late that
night and from that point on
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we were the best of friends.
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Now, before then, we were not.
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Really? That's right.
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So it took this
failure, so to speak,
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in Algebra... Right...
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to kind of bring you
and your brother together.
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Absolutely, I mean,
he was always loving me
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but because
everything was going his way
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and there was
the sibling rivalry
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and I was the
underdog all the time
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and so I was always
fighting for my place
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but from that
point on I admired him.
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That's awesome.
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And that turned things around.
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Yes... yes...
yes... so, as a child then
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you had certain
challenges to overcome
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being the "middle
child" at the end of the line,
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so to speak, That's right.
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so you had those
challenges to overcome
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there were some other things
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that happened to you though
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because I read in the
book that you got into a habit
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of doing what?
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Of stealing... that's right...
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ever since I knew
myself, I would steal
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without a blink of
an eye I would steal.
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Now, how did it start?
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Well, it was
just around the house
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just one thing after another
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I just developed this habit of
taking that which was not mine
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and there were many
stories that I could...
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there are many
stories that I could give
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but one that I remember... is...
my sister was 18-years-old then
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my Sis would always send
us money through the mail
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and I knew the money was coming
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and I would look
for the mail to come
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and I would always go
and take the money out
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before it got there.
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Oh, she would get cash...
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Cash... those were the
days when they would send cash
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through the mail and I
would take the money out
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that was very bad, but
that was one of the habits.
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Now, during those days,
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there were also
Pay-Telephone Booths
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and this is one of the whippings
that I can still remember, right
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because I was going
to the telephone booth
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taking the money out
of the telephone booth
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and my brother, two
years older than me,
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told on me and
that was one of the
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whippings that I can
still remember... today...
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And that was before
you guys got close, right?
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That was way before that
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but he was always telling though
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he was always telling on me
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and it was all about trying
to help me stay out of trouble.
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Hmmm... What I discovered later
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is that he
really loved me Hmmm...
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but I didn't see it
as "love" in those days
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he was always tattle-taleing.
Yes... yes... yes...
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So, how long did this stealing
phase of your life last?
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Oh, it lasted
until I was at least
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in Seventh Grade
because I don't remember
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having a problem with it after
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Seventh Grade.
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What stopped you?
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Well, there were
many things that happened
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to bring me to the point of
making an intelligent decision
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that it wasn't worth it,
that's what really happened
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I came to the
point where I realized
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it just wasn't worth it
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and so one of the
things that happened
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is that in Sixth
Grade, my Sixth-Grade Teacher
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had the class that they
called, "The Good Class"
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and so I was in "The Good Class"
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What was it, the Honors Class?
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The Honors
Class... Hmmm... hmmm...
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and so, I was in that class
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and... but she knew that I had
a habit of getting into fights
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and so that was
another problem I had as well
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that's why... on the
front of my book I said,
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"Anyone can change"
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because I had the
habit of getting into fights
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now I didn't pick the fights
but I really liked a good fight.
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You didn't start it
but you finished it.
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I really would... you know...
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that's where my
reputation came from.
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Okay... I didn't
back down from a fight
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but anyhow, she really
tried her best to reach me,
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tried her best to reach me,
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and I would help
clean the class up.
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Well, the kids
didn't like to clean up
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but I liked to clean up,
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that's one of the
things that I did learn
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early on from my mom
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because I was the
only one of the boys
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that woke up early every morning
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when mom was up, cooking
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and starting the fire
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that's the kind of kid
I was, I was around my mom
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so... to some extent
I was a "Mother's Boy"
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Hmmm... hmmm..
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and so I learned
to clean up very early
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cleaning up at the
school now, was no problem
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because that was
something that I did at home
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and so that was one
of the things that...
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she embraced me with
allowing me to be around her
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that was one of the things
that she did to embrace me
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to see whether she could win me
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and as a result I
got very close to her
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she got very close to me
but she would never put my name
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on the Honor Roll List
because she wanted me to know
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that she wasn't going to
let me represent her class
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until I made
some changes. Hmmm...
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And so... So your grades...
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Grades were already...
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Your grades were
Honor Roll Level?
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Yes... But she wouldn't put you
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on the Honor Roll?
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She would not put
me on the Honor Roll
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How did that make you feel?
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Very bad... very
bad... I didn't like it
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and we never discussed it
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it's just that, I
can still remember
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the first time when I
knew I had made the Honor Roll
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and I was waiting
for my name to be called
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and it wasn't called,
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I said, "Whew"... I
remember the feeling
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Hmmm... hmmm...
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well I wanted to say something
but I didn't say anything
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and I eventually
figured out why she was doing it
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and I just had to accept it.
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Hmmm... wow...
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But it got my attention.
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Okay, so this is one of the
ways that you stopped stealing.
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Was this one of the things
that made you stop stealing?
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No, the thing that
got me to stop stealing
00:10:00.93\00:10:03.37
was the fact that
because I got close to her
00:10:03.43\00:10:05.87
and I would clean
up the classrooms,
00:10:05.90\00:10:07.80
after school,
00:10:07.84\00:10:10.01
on this particular day
her pocketbook was sitting
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on the top of
the desk and I saw it
00:10:14.64\00:10:19.41
and my mind said,
00:10:19.45\00:10:21.78
"Get that pocketbook"
00:10:21.82\00:10:24.09
that little
voice... Hmmm... hmmm...
00:10:24.15\00:10:26.39
and it just didn't look
like the right thing to do
00:10:26.42\00:10:29.99
so I left the classroom
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and was walking
from 100 to 200 yards
00:10:35.56\00:10:39.90
away from the school
and she knew I had left
00:10:39.97\00:10:46.17
but it was like a spirit that
comes over a person to do wrong
00:10:46.21\00:10:52.85
that spirit came over me again
00:10:52.88\00:10:55.68
and I turned
around and I headed back
00:10:55.72\00:11:00.06
but she had gone to
the Teachers' Lounge
00:11:00.09\00:11:04.23
but she knew she saw me
00:11:04.26\00:11:06.43
and so when I came
back and she was not there
00:11:06.46\00:11:10.93
and I got the pocketbook
00:11:10.97\00:11:12.30
and interestingly enough
when you do things like that
00:11:12.33\00:11:14.37
it's interestingly enough,
00:11:14.40\00:11:16.14
there was no
money in the pocketbook
00:11:16.20\00:11:17.71
Hmmm... it wasn't worth it.
00:11:17.74\00:11:19.21
So I hid the pocketbook
not far from our house
00:11:19.24\00:11:23.55
now, that was bad...
00:11:23.61\00:11:25.91
the boy on the next street
00:11:25.95\00:11:28.45
would end up
finding the pocketbook
00:11:28.48\00:11:30.69
and taking it to school
and then they told my dad
00:11:30.75\00:11:35.62
and in those days
we sat around the table
00:11:35.66\00:11:40.96
to eat when dad came home
00:11:40.96\00:11:42.50
and we were at the table
and just in the nick of time
00:11:42.53\00:11:47.50
when everyone had
served their food,
00:11:47.57\00:11:50.54
my dad just... out
of the clear blue said,
00:11:50.57\00:11:53.64
"Someone stole
Mrs. Baker's pocketbook"
00:11:53.71\00:11:58.98
and with all the
00:11:59.01\00:12:02.08
acting ability that I had
00:12:02.15\00:12:04.29
I didn't change the
expression on my face
00:12:04.32\00:12:06.69
I didn't skip a beat,
00:12:06.76\00:12:09.32
I didn't show any signs
00:12:09.39\00:12:12.73
that it was me
00:12:12.76\00:12:14.10
because that's
what he was looking for
00:12:14.10\00:12:15.43
as a matter of fact
the fork was in my hand
00:12:15.46\00:12:18.00
and it came up
in this regular pace
00:12:18.03\00:12:20.74
and I just
moved... just normally...
00:12:20.80\00:12:23.41
and since I passed that test,
he went down to everyone else
00:12:23.47\00:12:27.54
and said that...
00:12:27.58\00:12:30.21
he asked each child
00:12:30.25\00:12:32.78
whether they had
stolen the pocketbook
00:12:32.85\00:12:35.22
from the older to
the next, to the next,
00:12:35.28\00:12:37.62
and then he skipped across me
and went to the youngest brother
00:12:37.65\00:12:41.16
and everybody said
that they didn't do it
00:12:41.19\00:12:43.69
well, the two older boys
00:12:43.73\00:12:45.19
weren't even at the
school, they were in High School
00:12:45.23\00:12:47.13
and the younger boy
was in a different building
00:12:47.20\00:12:50.63
the only person who was
in Ms. Baker's class was me,
00:12:50.70\00:12:54.24
so he saved me for
last... Hmmm... hmmm...
00:12:54.27\00:12:57.34
and he asked me, and
just like I had been trained
00:12:57.37\00:13:02.01
for acting, I said, "No sir... "
00:13:02.04\00:13:04.31
so it was done so well
00:13:04.35\00:13:09.85
until everyone...
00:13:09.88\00:13:12.32
the kids by-the-way
were afraid to death,
00:13:12.35\00:13:14.39
Hmmm... hmmmm...
00:13:14.42\00:13:15.76
because they knew that I
was going to lose my life today
00:13:15.79\00:13:17.96
Your daddy didn't play.
00:13:17.99\00:13:20.93
this was going to be
it, they were afraid for me
00:13:20.96\00:13:23.63
and so... but I passed that test
00:13:23.67\00:13:26.10
and he finally said,
00:13:26.13\00:13:29.74
"Willy, are you sure,
00:13:29.77\00:13:33.27
did you steal Mrs.
Baker's pocketbook?"
00:13:33.34\00:13:37.61
I said, "No sir... "
just as calm as could be
00:13:37.65\00:13:39.81
now... at that
time, it seems as though
00:13:39.85\00:13:42.95
I heard the door open
00:13:42.98\00:13:44.62
and the sense that
"death" was in the house.
00:13:44.69\00:13:48.69
Something bad was
going to happen today
00:13:48.72\00:13:50.83
and when my dad
00:13:50.89\00:13:55.56
got up from the table,
00:13:55.60\00:13:57.67
and you could hear the chair
00:13:57.70\00:13:59.73
moving... wooh...
wooh... like that...
00:13:59.77\00:14:01.30
he said, "I still think
you stole the pocketbook"
00:14:01.34\00:14:07.71
he didn't know, but
I had passed the test
00:14:07.74\00:14:11.68
and when that episode was over,
00:14:11.71\00:14:14.78
and as soon as "death"
had gone back out the door
00:14:14.85\00:14:19.02
because he had entered in,
00:14:19.05\00:14:20.46
this was going to be
someone was going to die
00:14:20.49\00:14:23.53
before the end
of the day, oh my!
00:14:23.56\00:14:27.30
I had passed that test
and when I walked out of there
00:14:27.30\00:14:30.73
I said, "It's
not worth it" Hmmm...
00:14:30.77\00:14:33.64
with all the
stress, with all the unrest,
00:14:33.70\00:14:37.91
sleepless night,
00:14:37.94\00:14:39.61
it just wasn't worth
it... Hmmm... hmmm...
00:14:39.64\00:14:43.11
and so, that
was one of the great
00:14:43.18\00:14:45.55
things to help me turn around
00:14:45.58\00:14:47.88
and as a child you say,
"it's just not worth it"
00:14:47.92\00:14:51.89
so consequences of
making poor decisions...
00:14:51.92\00:14:56.52
it's just not worth it.
00:14:56.56\00:14:58.23
And so that
philosophy carried on with you
00:14:58.26\00:15:02.46
throughout your
life. Yes... yes...
00:15:02.53\00:15:04.17
It's just not worth
it... It's just not worth it...
00:15:04.20\00:15:07.14
that's right, and of course
I had stolen one other thing,
00:15:07.17\00:15:10.41
from Mrs. Baker,
00:15:10.44\00:15:13.01
it was at the
end of the school day
00:15:13.04\00:15:16.34
and there were six coconut
cakes that were left over
00:15:16.38\00:15:21.25
from a King and Queen Contest,
00:15:21.28\00:15:22.65
you remember those days,
the King and Queen Contest,
00:15:22.68\00:15:25.02
Hmmm... hmmm... and she said,
00:15:25.05\00:15:26.59
"Take these to the car"
00:15:26.62\00:15:27.96
and I took them from
the classroom to the car
00:15:27.99\00:15:32.13
and that little voice said,
"She's not going to miss one"
00:15:32.16\00:15:36.53
if I knew all that was going
to come from that one cake,
00:15:36.56\00:15:40.50
I'm telling you,
00:15:40.54\00:15:41.87
how can a person get that upset
over one cake? in my mind...
00:15:41.90\00:15:48.34
but she got upset
over that one cake
00:15:48.38\00:15:51.05
she even asked
me, did I see anyone
00:15:51.08\00:15:53.72
and I just blurted out
the name of some bad guy
00:15:53.78\00:15:57.15
in the neighborhood and
she went to the High School
00:15:57.19\00:16:00.62
and had him in the
classroom the next morning,
00:16:00.69\00:16:03.66
and the kids in the
classroom were afraid for me
00:16:03.69\00:16:06.63
because this was a bad
guy, I just blurted his name out
00:16:06.66\00:16:09.93
and when that episode
was over, I said again,
00:16:09.96\00:16:13.17
"It's just not worth it"
and my daddy had already told me
00:16:13.20\00:16:19.27
that if I didn't stop
stealing around the house
00:16:19.31\00:16:21.94
that I would
eventually steal abroad,
00:16:21.98\00:16:25.51
Hmmm... hmmm... and he says,
00:16:25.55\00:16:27.32
"When you steal abroad,
you're going to get caught
00:16:27.35\00:16:30.89
and when you get caught,
00:16:30.92\00:16:33.46
they're going to take
you to the Reformatory School
00:16:33.49\00:16:36.62
and when they take you
to the Reformatory School,
00:16:36.66\00:16:39.79
you're going to stay there
00:16:39.83\00:16:41.23
until you
graduate from High School,
00:16:41.26\00:16:43.97
and I'm not
going to visit you...
00:16:44.03\00:16:45.63
not even once... " Hmmm...
00:16:45.67\00:16:47.00
because he had
told me over and over
00:16:47.04\00:16:48.74
"you need to stop stealing"
00:16:48.77\00:16:50.17
and so, again, when that
second incident happened,
00:16:50.21\00:16:55.68
with Mrs. Baker,
00:16:55.71\00:16:57.85
I said again, "It's
just not worth it. "
00:16:57.88\00:17:00.48
But then the third instant,
00:17:00.55\00:17:03.32
when I stole in a Grocery Store
00:17:03.35\00:17:05.95
big Grocery Store,
and I was at the Counter
00:17:05.99\00:17:10.19
with money in my pocket,
but I stole a bag of candy corn
00:17:10.26\00:17:15.43
and a hand gripped me like that,
00:17:15.46\00:17:18.20
Hmmm... my goose was cooked...
00:17:18.23\00:17:20.94
my heart was beating
00:17:20.97\00:17:23.14
and all of a sudden in
the middle of the aisle,
00:17:23.17\00:17:27.38
someone just appeared
and walked up and says,
00:17:27.41\00:17:31.08
"He's from a good
family, I know the parents,
00:17:31.15\00:17:34.78
give him another chance"
00:17:34.82\00:17:36.89
and the man released my hand
00:17:36.92\00:17:40.56
and gave me some tough words
00:17:40.59\00:17:44.16
and told me not to
every come back again,
00:17:44.23\00:17:46.13
and my heart was
broken on that day.
00:17:46.16\00:17:49.96
I said... my heart was broken,
my daddy's words had come true
00:17:50.03\00:17:56.10
the stealing
that I had been doing
00:17:56.14\00:17:58.61
at home... had gone abroad.
00:17:58.67\00:18:02.24
Hmmm... I did get caught,
00:18:02.31\00:18:05.48
but I got grace,
00:18:05.51\00:18:07.55
and that's why I talk
about grace so much now,
00:18:07.65\00:18:09.85
believing in God, Yes...
00:18:09.88\00:18:11.69
believing in grace.
00:18:11.72\00:18:13.05
Yes, yes, because grace
has been activated in your life
00:18:13.09\00:18:17.06
and you're the recipient
00:18:17.16\00:18:18.53
of grace. That's
right, that's right,
00:18:18.56\00:18:20.66
and I came out of
that store that day
00:18:20.73\00:18:22.53
in tears, with a broken heart
00:18:22.60\00:18:26.07
and I began to say,
"Please change me. "
00:18:26.10\00:18:29.60
Hmmm... Oh yeah...
00:18:29.67\00:18:31.11
the God that I had heard about
00:18:31.14\00:18:33.91
I began to talk to
him like... he was there
00:18:33.98\00:18:37.55
I said, "please,
please change me"
00:18:37.58\00:18:40.12
I mean...
broken... I wanted to change
00:18:40.15\00:18:43.18
So how did God
manifest Himself to you,
00:18:43.22\00:18:46.22
how did you begin that change,
00:18:46.25\00:18:49.66
I know, after this
particular incident,
00:18:49.69\00:18:52.39
was there
anything else that happened
00:18:52.43\00:18:55.06
that wherein... you said,
00:18:55.10\00:18:56.56
"Wow, I really have changed
God really has changed me. "
00:18:56.63\00:18:59.70
Well, what happened is
that when my heart was broken,
00:18:59.73\00:19:04.97
shedding tears, it
felt like a load...
00:19:05.01\00:19:09.08
I don't know whether
you've ever lifted Barbells
00:19:09.11\00:19:11.71
and when you pick up the weight
00:19:11.75\00:19:16.08
that's too heavy, and
you need to let it down,
00:19:16.12\00:19:18.75
that's how I felt.
00:19:18.79\00:19:20.69
A load just seemed
to have fallen off of me
00:19:20.72\00:19:25.03
and I felt better
00:19:25.09\00:19:27.40
and I just knew
something had happened
00:19:27.46\00:19:30.17
I didn't
understand what happened
00:19:30.20\00:19:32.60
but something had
happened that day and I knew
00:19:32.63\00:19:36.94
that something had
happened that's all I could say.
00:19:37.01\00:19:42.24
Right... Something had happened
00:19:42.28\00:19:43.65
as a matter of fact
what happened when I was in
00:19:43.68\00:19:48.02
Fourth Grade, was the fact that
00:19:48.05\00:19:50.79
I had been such
a terrible fellow
00:19:50.82\00:19:53.46
in Third Grade,
00:19:53.56\00:19:54.89
so that when I
got to Fourth Grade
00:19:54.92\00:19:58.29
the teacher was
braced and waiting for me.
00:19:58.33\00:20:00.30
Because your
reputation preceded you.
00:20:00.33\00:20:03.03
My reputation
preceded me and she was looking
00:20:03.10\00:20:05.67
for that kid that was raising
so much sighing in Third Grade
00:20:05.70\00:20:09.77
until... she was ready
for me on the first day
00:20:09.84\00:20:13.64
but that guy never
showed up on the first day
00:20:13.68\00:20:16.08
Hmmm... nor the first week,
00:20:16.11\00:20:18.65
nor the first month,
nor the first semester,
00:20:18.68\00:20:22.42
and on the last
day of the school year,
00:20:22.45\00:20:24.85
she said, "Son, what happened?"
00:20:24.89\00:20:27.89
She wanted to
know because she said,
00:20:27.92\00:20:30.19
"I was waiting for
you from the first day"
00:20:30.23\00:20:32.39
and guess what I said, I
said that I was born again.
00:20:32.43\00:20:37.13
Ah... That's
the only term I knew
00:20:37.20\00:20:39.97
at that time to explain to her
00:20:40.00\00:20:42.70
what had happened to me.
00:20:42.77\00:20:44.14
And how old were you?
00:20:44.24\00:20:45.57
At that time, I was just nine.
00:20:45.61\00:20:47.54
Okay. But my dad had done...
00:20:47.58\00:20:49.48
really worked on my rear
end. Hmmm... hmmm... Ha... ha...
00:20:49.51\00:20:54.05
Now that's what we call
00:20:54.15\00:20:55.88
"Putting the Board of Education
on the seat of my intelligence"
00:20:55.95\00:20:58.65
you know what I'm
saying, ha... ha... ha...
00:20:58.69\00:21:01.06
and when you put it
in... in the proper place,
00:21:01.09\00:21:03.36
it goes right to the brain,
00:21:03.43\00:21:05.36
it re-trains the brain,
00:21:05.43\00:21:07.60
if you understand what I'm
talking about... ha... ha...
00:21:07.66\00:21:09.26
I hear you... I hear you...
00:21:09.30\00:21:10.97
and so, I was born
again, and dad says,
00:21:11.00\00:21:13.20
"Gailliards don't
act that way" Hmmm...
00:21:13.23\00:21:15.60
and so, I had a
great Fourth Grade.
00:21:15.64\00:21:17.97
Hmmm... Now things... you know
00:21:18.01\00:21:20.14
just like the
sign curves go up...
00:21:20.18\00:21:22.18
and so Fifth and
Sixth... went down
00:21:22.21\00:21:25.21
and then
Seventh... got a little better
00:21:25.25\00:21:28.22
by the time I got to Eighth,
I was making good decisions
00:21:28.25\00:21:32.35
and my mom was in the background
00:21:32.39\00:21:34.39
she was saying that,
"boy, if you don't change,
00:21:34.42\00:21:38.39
your daddy is not going
to let you drive that car
00:21:38.43\00:21:42.33
like the other
brothers. " Hmmm...
00:21:42.36\00:21:43.93
And these days,
00:21:44.00\00:21:46.03
our family was one
of the few families
00:21:46.07\00:21:48.17
that had a car
in our neighborhood
00:21:48.20\00:21:50.04
folks were riding the City Bus
00:21:50.07\00:21:52.31
at that time... Hmmm... hmmm...
00:21:52.34\00:21:54.54
and so she kept telling me,
00:21:54.58\00:21:57.81
"You're not going to
get that Driver's License
00:21:57.85\00:21:59.75
like Junior and like James"
00:21:59.81\00:22:01.55
and that also helped
me to make good choices
00:22:01.58\00:22:05.32
because I knew that I wanted the
Driver's license right on time
00:22:05.35\00:22:09.76
like everybody else and so
00:22:09.79\00:22:11.13
it started
helping me to think right.
00:22:11.16\00:22:12.96
Hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... hmmm...
so, when you became an adult
00:22:12.99\00:22:16.83
or just... in your pre...
your post-adolescent years
00:22:16.87\00:22:22.84
just before adulthood...
was there some pivotal event
00:22:22.87\00:22:28.08
that really changed your life?
00:22:28.11\00:22:29.84
Well, I'm thinking that what
really brought about the changes
00:22:29.88\00:22:34.48
was when hand
grabbed me... Hmmm...
00:22:34.52\00:22:37.35
and when my daddy's words
00:22:37.39\00:22:40.82
had come to
00:22:40.86\00:22:43.09
fruition or fulfillment
00:22:43.12\00:22:45.06
and I could hear
his words saying,
00:22:45.13\00:22:49.43
"This is going to happen
00:22:49.46\00:22:51.60
and this is how I'm
going to respond to it"
00:22:51.63\00:22:56.94
that helped me tremendously.
00:22:57.04\00:22:59.87
Now, by the time
I became a teenager
00:22:59.91\00:23:03.08
I was an excellent church worker
00:23:03.11\00:23:05.41
now... I was in
the African Methodist
00:23:05.45\00:23:14.09
Episcopalian church at this time
00:23:14.16\00:23:15.49
and he was the Pastor
and I was a people's person,
00:23:15.52\00:23:18.79
I was a choir leader,
00:23:18.83\00:23:20.30
I was even a soul
winner to some extent
00:23:20.33\00:23:24.13
because I would get the
young kids to come to the church
00:23:24.17\00:23:28.87
he liked that and as a result
he ended up giving me a car
00:23:28.90\00:23:33.64
at age 16, so these
things had a lot to do
00:23:33.68\00:23:37.11
with me continuing
to make right choices
00:23:37.15\00:23:40.48
because I saw that number one
00:23:40.58\00:23:43.15
I've got my
permit on time at 14,
00:23:43.18\00:23:45.72
and my Driver's
License on time at 16,
00:23:45.75\00:23:48.96
he allowed me to even take
the School-Bus Driving Test
00:23:48.99\00:23:53.46
and I drove the
school bus from 16...
00:23:53.50\00:23:56.60
from 10th, 11th and 12th grade,
00:23:56.63\00:23:58.83
this taught me
that he was trusting me
00:23:58.90\00:24:04.01
to make right choices
because you don't let a...
00:24:04.04\00:24:06.54
go ahead... No you
finish your sentence.
00:24:06.57\00:24:08.51
You don't let a teenager drive
a School Bus without showing him
00:24:08.54\00:24:16.62
that he can make
responsible decisions
00:24:16.69\00:24:20.19
because every day you got
under that steering wheel,
00:24:20.26\00:24:23.63
kids were doing all kinds
of things on the school buses
00:24:23.66\00:24:27.03
and you had to make
right choices everyday
00:24:27.10\00:24:29.43
And you're a
teenager... I'm a teenager...
00:24:29.50\00:24:31.87
Wow! that's a lot
of responsibility!
00:24:31.90\00:24:34.44
That was a big responsibility.
00:24:34.47\00:24:37.07
So, how did you
come to write a book?
00:24:37.11\00:24:38.77
Let's talk about
that... because our time...
00:24:38.81\00:24:40.74
I can't believe
our time is running out
00:24:40.78\00:24:42.51
Yeah, I can't
believe it either...
00:24:42.58\00:24:44.28
How did you come to write
this book about thinking big?
00:24:44.31\00:24:47.28
Well, I had been
going into the schools
00:24:47.32\00:24:50.35
taking the
gospel into the school
00:24:50.39\00:24:52.39
and this is my little
manual that I had been using
00:24:52.42\00:24:55.92
Yes... I had it all written out
00:24:55.96\00:24:57.99
what I had been
doing for several years
00:24:58.03\00:24:59.96
and people were following
me and a little voice said,
00:25:00.06\00:25:05.50
"If you don't write a book
00:25:05.53\00:25:07.27
someone is going
to take your stuff
00:25:07.34\00:25:09.57
and they are
going to write a book
00:25:09.60\00:25:11.64
and they are going to be
00:25:11.67\00:25:13.24
laughing all the way to the bank
00:25:13.27\00:25:15.04
and you're going to be crying"
00:25:15.08\00:25:16.85
that's how the book came about
00:25:16.88\00:25:19.08
because I had had
this, been using it
00:25:19.15\00:25:22.28
and was not afraid to
put my stuff that were unique
00:25:22.32\00:25:27.69
out there...
just wasn't afraid...
00:25:27.72\00:25:30.43
And what kinds of ideas are
you setting forth in the book
00:25:30.46\00:25:35.66
that are unique to you?
00:25:35.70\00:25:37.13
Play your ace... so
when I go into a classroom
00:25:37.17\00:25:40.80
or to a school
and I talk to kids
00:25:40.84\00:25:43.37
about improving their grades
00:25:43.41\00:25:45.24
I ask them, "How many of
you are straight "A" students?"
00:25:45.27\00:25:48.11
and very few hands go up.
00:25:48.14\00:25:49.61
How many of you
are A/B Honor Roll?
00:25:49.64\00:25:51.85
and a few more...
00:25:51.88\00:25:53.21
and... but for the most part
00:25:53.25\00:25:55.28
the kids are not
on the Honor Roll
00:25:55.32\00:25:57.55
so I said, "How many of you
00:25:57.59\00:25:58.92
would like to
make better grades?"
00:25:58.95\00:26:01.06
And all the hands go
up, I said, "Very good. "
00:26:01.09\00:26:03.46
"Well, the first
thing you need to do is
00:26:03.49\00:26:05.63
learn to play your ace... "
00:26:05.66\00:26:07.23
I said, "Now, if you
learn to play your ace,
00:26:07.30\00:26:09.56
the grades will go up"
00:26:09.60\00:26:10.97
no two ways about it,
00:26:11.00\00:26:12.33
now what's the ace?
Learn to pay attention.
00:26:12.37\00:26:14.67
I said, "You've got to
learn to pay attention"
00:26:14.74\00:26:17.11
Hmmm... The "C"
is for concentration
00:26:17.14\00:26:20.48
you've got to
learn to concentrate
00:26:20.51\00:26:23.68
one word... means the same thing
00:26:23.75\00:26:26.21
as concentrate learn to focus
00:26:26.28\00:26:28.72
regardless of what
else is going on around you
00:26:28.75\00:26:31.55
you've got to learn
that, and then finally,
00:26:31.59\00:26:34.32
you've got to learn to echo...
00:26:34.36\00:26:36.02
that means, to
repeat the same thing
00:26:36.06\00:26:38.56
over and over and over and over
00:26:38.59\00:26:40.83
and over again until you get it,
00:26:40.90\00:26:43.06
Okay... it doesn't matter
00:26:43.10\00:26:44.47
how many times it
takes for you to get it,
00:26:44.50\00:26:46.53
you just do it
until... you get it...
00:26:46.57\00:26:48.64
it may take one person three...
00:26:48.67\00:26:50.57
it may take
another person nine...
00:26:50.61\00:26:52.41
it may take another person 27...
00:26:52.44\00:26:54.24
but even if it takes you
30, you do it until you get it.
00:26:54.28\00:26:57.88
I love it...
00:26:57.91\00:26:59.25
That's what you
call, "Play your ace"
00:26:59.28\00:27:00.68
Play your ace. That's right.
00:27:00.75\00:27:02.08
I love that, that's awesome
00:27:02.12\00:27:03.45
would you have a lot
of ideas in your book
00:27:03.49\00:27:06.45
in your motivational speaking,
how can people contact you?
00:27:06.49\00:27:10.36
Let's put your e-mail address
up so that people can e-mail you
00:27:10.39\00:27:14.13
That's levi35234@yahoo. com
00:27:14.20\00:27:17.90
and you're
available to go to schools...
00:27:17.93\00:27:19.70
Absolutely...
00:27:19.73\00:27:21.07
Because you have been
there throughout your life
00:27:21.10\00:27:24.11
you have been changed...
00:27:24.14\00:27:26.41
That's right, I
have been changed...
00:27:26.44\00:27:27.78
and you want to share
with others... how to do it.
00:27:27.81\00:27:29.61
That they can do it, and
it's all about thinking big
00:27:29.64\00:27:31.71
one of the things that I do
00:27:31.75\00:27:34.25
is that I get them to
raise their right hand
00:27:34.32\00:27:35.88
and pledge allegiance,
00:27:35.92\00:27:37.29
"I pledge
allegiance to a new start
00:27:37.32\00:27:39.05
and from the bottom of my heart,
00:27:39.09\00:27:41.09
I am going to think big
every day... in every way. "
00:27:41.12\00:27:44.86
I can't think of a
better way to close than that
00:27:44.89\00:27:46.80
thank you so much
and may God bless you
00:27:46.83\00:27:48.96
and thank you for being with us
00:27:49.00\00:27:50.43
and thank you, you know,
2nd Corinthians 5:17 says,
00:27:50.47\00:27:53.90
"Therefore if
any man be in Christ,
00:27:53.94\00:27:55.57
he is a new creature:
old things are passed away;
00:27:55.60\00:27:58.31
behold, all
things are made new. "
00:27:58.34\00:28:00.41
Thank you so much
Brother Bill, God bless you.
00:28:00.44\00:28:03.78
Tune in next time,
00:28:03.81\00:28:05.15
it wouldn't be
the same without you.
00:28:05.18\00:28:06.51