A successful life is one where you leave the world better than you found it. This philosophy resonates with many people who believe that a person's impact on the world should be positive and beneficial to others. A successful person, in this sense, is not necessarily measured by their wealth or material possessions, but rather by the value they bring to society.
In many ways, people with special needs embody this definition of success. Despite facing challenges and obstacles, individuals with autism, Down syndrome, and other disabilities often make a significant impact on those around them. Jason, who has autism and was instrumental in his school's sports equipment management team for four years, is a prime example. His dedication and perseverance earned him the opportunity to participate in the last four minutes of his senior year's game, where he sank six three-pointers, including one at the final buzzer. This moment will be remembered by his classmates for the rest of their lives.
People with special needs often bring joy and positivity into the world around them. They may not fit traditional definitions of success, such as benefiting GDP or achieving high levels of education, but they make a significant difference in the lives of those who interact with them. By focusing on the value they bring to others, we can reframe our understanding of what it means to be successful.
In many cases, people without special needs can also be quite successful, but their success is often measured by more conventional metrics. This can lead to a focus on material possessions and wealth, rather than the positive impact one has on the world. It's easy to get caught up in the idea that being "successful" means having a lot of money or achieving certain status symbols. However, this perspective often overlooks the importance of kindness, compassion, and community.
In reality, people with special needs are often at the forefront of these qualities. They bring a unique perspective and way of seeing the world, which can be incredibly valuable to those around them. By learning from and appreciating individuals with autism, we can develop our own skills and perspectives. We might not always realize it, but we can learn from people who see the world in different ways.
As we navigate the complexities of life, it's easy to get caught up in criticism and negativity. People often feel the need to tear others down or criticize those who are perceived as being "different." This behavior is not only unfair, but it also misses the point. Success is not about tearing others down; it's about lifting each other up.
In our personal and professional lives, we can all strive to be more supportive and understanding of one another. By doing so, we create a more positive and inclusive environment that allows everyone to thrive. When we focus on the value people bring to the world around them, rather than their perceived flaws or shortcomings, we can build stronger communities and achieve greater success.
Our definition of success is not just about achieving our own goals; it's also about making a difference in the lives of those around us. By embracing this perspective, we can create a more compassionate and supportive society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
The upcoming live stream on Mark's YouTube channel, "Color the Spectrum," promises to be an exciting event that will bring together some of the biggest names in social media and old-school entertainment figures to raise money for Next for Autism, a charity that specializes in supporting adults with autism as they transition into becoming independent. The event is expected to be a fun and entertaining way to make a positive impact on the world.
The live stream will feature a star-studded lineup of guests, including MrBeast, the D'Amelio Sisters, JackSepticEye, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, John Stewart, John Oliver, MirandaSings, Sarah Silverman, Mark Hamill, Andy Samberg, iJustine, Maya Rudolph, Terry Crews, Paul Rudd, and Zach Galifianakis. The event will also be co-hosted by special guests Jason, Carly, and Vsauce.
The proceeds from the live stream will go directly to Next for Autism, a charity that provides critical support services to adults with autism as they navigate the challenges of transitioning into adulthood. This is an area where there is currently a significant need for resources and support, and this event promises to be a valuable contribution to addressing that gap.
As we look to the future and consider how we can make a positive impact on the world around us, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the complexity of our individual and collective responsibilities. However, by focusing on the value people bring to the world and striving to create a more compassionate and inclusive environment, we can find greater success and fulfillment in our lives.
If you're interested in supporting this event and making a positive impact on the lives of individuals with autism, there is still time to do so. You can click the blue "donate" button in the video description or follow the link for more information about Next for Autism and their mission to support adults with autism as they transition into becoming independent.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Mmm, wah.- Get outta here! (laughing)Okay, how about you go color?- Okay.- Okay.That was my sonand today I'm gonna tellyou a little bit about him.It might come as a surprise to a lotof you that I even have ason because in eight yearsof making videos, I've neverreally put him on camera.I'm fairly private andprotective when it comesto my family on my channel.Now you might say, hold up,you put your niece andnephews on here all the time.But in my defense, I feellike I've made it pretty clearat this point that,(kids screaming, yelling)(boom!)I don't really careabout them.(snowballs firing rapidly)(upbeat rock music)(boom) (pop)The reason I'm soprotective of him is becausehe has special needs.He is on the autistic spectrum,and this is the internet.So even as I make this video,I'm incredibly terrified.But this is something thatmy wife and I feel reallystrongly about.A lot of times whenpeople hear he has autismthey want to know whathe's really good at.Like does he have a photographicmemory or can he do reallycomplex math in his head?For example, if you tellmy son's friend any datefrom any year, okay, hewill tell you the dayof the week it lands on.Gonna randomly generate a date.June 2nd, 2004.What day,is that on?- Wednesday.(laughs)- It's gonna take me asecond even to get there.What did I say?June 2nd, 2004.You said Wednesday.Here's June, June 2nd, 2004.Let's do one more okay?I'm gonna generate another random date.May 26th, 2006- Um,Friday.- (laughing) And there he goes.What did I even say?May 5th?- Um,May 26th,2006.- Oh, May 26th. (laughs)Okay.His parents and teachershave no idea how he hasthe ability to do this,and he doesn't know howto communicate that to us either.- I need some help too.- You need some help?Okay, let's go make Play Dough.It's actually a commonmisconception, but the truth isthe majority of the kidson the autistic spectrumdon't have remarkable abilities like this.Our son, however, does have aremarkable ability, althoughif you see him in public,this ability isn't immediatelyapparent. A lot of times whenhe is around lots of people orin a crowded place, hemight look disengagedor it might seem like he doesn'treally know what's going on.Carly Fleischmann hasautism and was able toexplain why this is,and what you should knowabout Carly is that becauseof her erratic behavior andbecause she can't speak foryears, people thought she wasjust severely autisticand had other extreme mental handicaps.Until one day when they put her in frontof a computer where she could type.And then they realized there was so muchmore going on in her headthan anyone could have imagined.- I am autistic,but that is not who I am.Take time to know me before you judge me.- This amazingbreakthrough made it so Carly wasable to explain how itfeels to have autism.- Our brainsare wired differently.We take in many soundsand conversations at once.I take over a thousand picturesof a person's face when I look at them.That's why we have a hardtime looking at people.- Basically, people withautism don't have a filterin their brain like the rest of us.So if you and I werehaving a conversation herein this park, I can ignoreeverything around meand just focus on your voice.But if I had autism, Iwould hear the ice cream manringing the bell behindme, and the kid crying'cause he is not getting any ice cream.And the cars going by,and the plane up thereas well as the trainin the distance, not to mentionall of the different smells,and the fact that the tagon my shirt is kind of rubbing on my back.It's sensory overload andeverything comes in all at onceand it's really overwhelmingand makes it hard to focus.This is why headphonescan be really helpfulat a place like Disneyland,but at home, when he isin a familiar environmentwithout a bunch of distractionsyou start to get a glimpseof who he really is.You wouldn't know thisfrom seeing him in publicbut he loves to laughto the point that sometimeshe can't even breathe.- Whee!(laughing)- This is us doingour nightly bedtime routine.He loves routine and repetitionbecause it's familiar andpredictable, which makes sensebecause his brain knows what to expectand it doesn't need to filter.And as a dad, his loveof repetition is the bestbecause my same jokestotally kill every time.Some of these I've usedeasily hundreds of timesand I still get this response.I have a name, oh, I'm sorry, turtle.(laughs)- This leads to his remarkableability I mentioned earlierand it has to do with howhe spends his free timeat home by himself.When he first meets someone,he will ask important questionslike what your favorite color isand if your house has stairs,then the first chance he getshe will make you a full pagemural, completely coveredin about two pounds ofyour favorite crayon colorand he'll write you apersonal letter on the back.As you can see, he takesthis job pretty seriouslyand so we are constantly runningout of envelopes and stamps.What's so remarkable tosee as his parents is howhappy people become whenthey get one of his letters.And the letters themselves certainlyaren't any literary masterpiecebut people know they meansomething special coming from him.Most kids who are 12years old, they get homefrom school and they're on their phonesor they're thinking aboutthemselves and how to look cool.But his biggest thrill isinteracting with others.His superpower is makingother people happy.He also makes people better.Birthday parties are areally big deal for himeven if it's not his.And everyone is alwayscompassionate and patientwith him so he can make surethings happen just right.- Oh no, Oh no,Try again.- Having a child with specialneeds can be challengingat times, and certainly some casesout there are much harder than others.But his mom has always done a great jobof finding and focusing on the best partsabout our son, and then makingsure other people can seeand celebrate those parts as well.Regardless of your religiousor political beliefsor your favorite sportsteam or any other waywe like to divide ourselves into tribes,I think we can all agreethat a successful lifeis one where you leave theworld better than you found it.Sort of a net positiveeffect due to your influence.There's a lot of normalfunctioning people who are criticaland seek to tear othersdown or who have made a tonof money, but are just terrible people.And by my definition,they're not successful.People with special needs might not fitthe traditional criteria of successby benefiting GDP or getting a PhDto cure disease,but they have such a net positive effecton the people that getto interact with them.They personify traits like perseverancesuch as with Jason here, who has autismand was the dutiful sportsequipment manager for four years.So the coach put him infor the last four minutesof the game his senior year.He sank, not one, not two,but six three pointersincluding one right at thefinal buzzer for performancessupportive classmateswill remember for the restof their lives.People with special needs,ground the rest of usand demonstrate the simplejoys life can offer.- Santa!- Hey buddy, how are you?- With our hecticschedules and task lists,it reminds us that thingsdon't have to be that complicated.- I love you kiddo.- I love you too Papa.- Or in the case of Carlythat our initial critical snap judgmentsof each other might be totally wrong.My son will never be the starof his little league team.He won't be the firstperson to step foot on Marsnor will he invent the cure to cancer.But by the best definition ofsuccess, I can think of, himand his special needs buddiesand everyone else out therelike them, are giants livingamongst us mere mortals.They make the world a better place,and we're lucky to have them.Thank you for watching the video.If it resonated with you insome way, please share itwith someone in your lifewho you know might benefitfrom hearing the message.I also have a very exciting announcement.It's super distracting ifyou're mouthing all my lines.- I was doing that?- Yeah, just hold the cards.- Or I can sit.You don't mind right?- I mean, do I have a choice?This is your house.- Oh yeah, this is my house.Alright, Mark and I will be co-hostinga three hour live stream for charityon Mark's YouTube channelon April 30th, Friday5:00 PM Pacific, 8:00 PM Eastern.You can figure out all the other timeswe'll be doing this together.- It's called Color the Spectrum.'cause you know my son likes to colorand we'll also be joined bysome folks you might have heardof such as MrBeast, theD'Amelio Sisters, JackSepticEye.- I have a friend named Jackthat will be joining us too.Jack Black, Conan O'BrienStephen Colbert, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock.- Heard of him.Not to mention John Stewart,John Oliver, MirandaSings,Sarah Silverman, Mark Hamill,Andy Samberg, iJustine,Maya Rudolph, Terry Crews, Paul Ruddand Zach Freaking Galifianakis.(wheezing)We'll also be joinedby these folks as well.- I'll be there.- I'll be there.- I'll be there.- We'll, we'll be there.- I'll be there.- Well, I'll be there too.- I'll be there.- Hey, Vsauce, I'll be there.- I'll be there.- I know you already saidmy name, but I'll be there.- All of the proceeds aregoing to a really greata well-respected charitycalled, Next for Autism whospecialize in supportingfolks on the autism spectrumas they transition into becoming adults.- There are resources for kidsand teens affected by autismbut there isn't much for adults.- Yeah, it kind of drops off,so selfishly, my son iscoming up on that milestone.So if you've ever wanted tosupport my channel financiallyI don't have a Patreon, sothis is the most meaningful wayyou can do it.So click the blue donatebutton over there or down thereand we can start raising funds noweven before the big live stream coming.- It's gonna be a lot of fun.We're bringing the biggeststars of social mediaand old people mediatogether for a great nightgreat prizes, and mostimportantly, we're going toraise an actual tonof money to help some specialpeople who could use it.- So follow the link inthe video descriptionfor more information.Get pumped, go donate,and we'll see you there.- I'm already pumped.- As am I.(upbeat music)\n"
