If

Another reason that I'm writing is this. When we won the Image Award forHOUSE OF PAYNE, I said something that I didn't know I had said until Iwatched the show played back that night. I said that if 1000 people tellyou no and you get one yes from God then that's all you need to make it.
That thing woke up something in me. I realized at that moment that I hadhad a lot of NO's in my life. I had a lot of people say, "You can't!" and"You never will!" I had a lot of doubters and hardly anybody ever saidthat I could. And through the hardest times in my life I had to learn howto encourage myself. And I want to tell you that if nobody else willencourage you then encourage yourself.
If you have a dream, keep working towards it. It's great to have peoplegive you awards and appreciate what you do, but back in the day, it wasn'tthat way at all. I remember when I was broke and working a dead end jobclearing about 300 dollars a week. This wasn't long ago at all, as amatter of fact.
What I would do though was on my lunch break I would spend the timewriting down play ideas, writing down movie ideas, planning a tour for myplay, looking at maps of the country, calling theaters. I knew that I hadideas that would move people--that would help them in one way or another,so I just kept going. I didn't have a dime to my name. I didn't know howI was going to get there, but I knew that I would in some way. And thenGod made a way.
And look, when I would really get down I used to go out to the nicestneighborhoods and go to open houses and just look at them and believe. Iwould put on my nicest closes and go out and test drive the finest cars.Now I know that these are material things but this is about an exercise infaith.
In order to get to your dreams you have to see yourself there. You have tosee yourself doing better. Use your mind to see yourself doing better. TheBible says, "As a man thinketh, so is he." Stir up the gift in you. Peopleare waiting for your dream to come to pass. Don't give up. I often thinkabout all the times I wanted to give up. I thought about how hard it wasand how much I was going through. I look at my life now and I say tomyself, "Boy I'm glad you kept going!" What if I would have stopped, canyou imagine? No plays, no movies, no Madea, not even this email. Again,God has given us all gifts and if you give up on your dreams then theworld will never know. We're waiting for you!
God bless...Live well,
Tyler Perry
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