This guy I work with on the Maui charity asked me if I would talk to these teenagers that had been orphanages. They get released and they don’t have anybody. They don’t have a brother or a sister. They don’t know where their mom and dad are. He said these kids get in trouble. They don’t have any other choice. He runs a shelter for them. They don’t have any self-esteem, he says. They don’t believe in themselves one bit. I can fix that. I can help these kids, because I can say to them, first of all, no matter who your parents are, no matter where you’re born, everyone is born with the same gifts. You’ve got the same ability as I have, as anybody has. Just because you don’t know who your parents are, don’t think that you don’t have the ability to get whatever you want.

You are just as powerful as me or anybody else. You’re born with that. You were born with the same gifts as the Kennedys or anybody else. You can be as much a success as anybody. And I know there is no end to success.

I have always been hardworking. I’m more impressed with my work ethic than my talent, good looks, or charm. I have always felt like I could do anything. I don’t think you could stop me with the Great Wall of China.

I think anyone can learn that. The moral of the story is that if you really want something bad enough, you can have it. You’ve got to have passion. You’ve got to find out what your passion is. I was so passionate about not being poor anymore that I was willing to work at anything. When I discovered music, I slept with my guitar. I didn’t want it out of my sight. It went everywhere with me. Whatever I got, whatever success I’ve earned in life, I got it because I worked for it

Try to remember and concentrate on all the beautiful and positive qualities of your life, and do not affirm your deficiencies. The greatest enemy of yourself is yourslef. You alone are responsible if you cannot get out of the ruts you have made. You must make a firm determination to do so. No one keeps you tied to destiny but yourself. The example of great men should make you begin to disbelieve that your destiny is fixed. They became great by changing their attitude. You can do the same. Usually those who have achieved great things in life have also had great failures. But they refused to be downed by them. Those who have achieved won many battles, and lost others, but they did not give in to a negative “destiny.

All good resolutions must be kept. The more you try to materialize your good resolutions, the stronger you will become. Before you make up your mind to do something, be sure that it is a good resolution to make. Once you have made up your mind, it is not good to oscillae, because to do so will weaken your will power. A resolution should not be changed unless the facts overwhelmingly justify it. Otherwise, wherever you go, your mental weaknesses will be with you. If you go to a forest, can you leave your weakness behind? No. Wheverever you are, there you must win your victory. You do not win by flying away or giving up.

According to spiritual science, the attitude of the mind is everything. There is no excuse for the mind to be defeated by outer circumstances. If your mental attitude changes constantly under the pressure of tests, you are losing the battle of life. It is when you accept failure that you are a failure.