Life Advice from Who's Been Through Everything

Look Up

In this motivational video, these seniors tell you how to live your best life one mistake at a time. Learn from their mistakes. They're life-changing.

Transcript:

I don't look back on the tragedies that I have went through in my life; jail, drugs, liquor.

I don't put those labels on myself anymore, because I have found that I have more love and respect for myself to carry me through anything.

Yeah, I've been in prison most of my life, half my life.

My life has just been disfunction. The last 30 years I've spent downtown Los Angeles on Skid Row.

I was one that was homeless at one time.

And when we feel that way, we give up on life, and when we give up on life it destroys our spirit.

But I did not go, you know, you can go to the left or go to the right, I went to the right. I didn't wanna spend my whole life in there.

So there are gonna be struggles in life, I mean that's life, and that's how life is presented to every individual that's on earth.

Because nothing turns out in your mind how you think they're supposed to be. Open your eyes, open your heart, look at things exactly the way they are.

Just listen to your heart and head. As long as your heart and head are together, then you're whole.

Try to find somebody that you can talk to about anything.

Don't be shy, just ask for help if you need it.

And I try to be a happy person, I'm a giving person, and I get back in return.

The night I got out, they told me I was gonna get out after 18 years, and I got on my hands and knees and I asked God, please let me have a better life than I had before I came in. And he gave it to me.

I don't care how much street life you have, it's nothing. The real game is education, and that's what I want.

You have to grow up in your mind, you have to know and understand what you've been taught.

Don't be a follower, be a listener and a learner.

Go to school, get your education, I did not do that, I ended up doing drugs.

You learn and you move on, and you use those type of experiences as strength in your struggle and doing more positive things in life and not making those same mistakes again.

I really admired the kids yesterday and watched them turning all over the country, marching. Keep it up, don't stop.

That special prayer that I had for the state of the world. I just live day by day.

Time to take action, give up your apathy, get involved, that's my advice.

Don't let anybody tell you what you can't achieve, you can achieve anything you want, if you want it bad enough. Never surround yourself with negativity. Shy away from negativity at all cost, because that is the very root that will continue to have you down. Don't look down, always, always look up.