Participants: Yvonne Lewis (Host), William Gailliard
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000128A
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00:01 Who says that a person can't change?
00:03 Stay tuned to meet a man who has changed 00:05 and helps others to do so as well. 00:07 My name is Yvonne Lewis 00:09 and you're watching Urban Report. 00:33 Hello and welcome to Urban Report. 00:36 My guest today is William Gailliard 00:38 Author of "Simply Thinking Big Every Day in Every Way" 00:42 and Motivational Speaker. 00:44 Welcome to Urban Report Bill. 00:46 Well, I'm glad to be here thank you very much. 00:48 So, you have a really interesting story 00:52 and I think our Viewers just need to know your journey. 00:56 Before we get into the book or anything like that 00:59 let's talk about Bill Gailliard, 01:01 who is Bill Gailliard, where did you from? 01:03 Charleston, South Carolina. 01:05 Okay, and tell us about your family. 01:07 My father was a pastor 01:10 in the African-Methodist Episcopalian church 01:12 for over 40 years and I'm the 9th of 10 children. 01:16 So you had nine siblings. 01:19 That's right. 01:20 Ten children... well, I'll bet 01:22 holidays were fun at your house, right? 01:23 Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely... 01:25 I was number nine 01:26 and they were hoping that I would be the last. 01:29 And then there was one after you, right? 01:31 And they were glad he came along. 01:33 Laughter... 01:35 So, what kind of a child were you, Bill? 01:37 Well, first of all I want to begin by saying 01:40 I was the middle child even though I was number nine 01:43 I was in between number eight and number ten 01:46 so that made me a middle child. Okay... 01:49 And of course the number 8th child 01:52 seemed to have gotten all the good gifts 01:55 I mean, my brother... two years older than myself, 02:01 could fix anything, 02:03 he was well-read, 02:05 and he was a straight "A" student 02:06 Ah... 02:08 and then I was caught in between him and the baby. 02:12 Ah... with all that that implies right... 02:16 With all that that implies... that's right. 02:20 And, of course, it seems as though 02:22 everything that broke around the house 02:24 had my name attached to it. 02:25 Ah... 02:27 so were you the child that kind of... 02:29 didn't feel like he could get it right? 02:31 Just couldn't ever get it right, that's right. 02:33 That was from early on. 02:37 Okay, so how did that impact you growing up? 02:40 Well, it caused me to really want to get it together... 02:47 go the extra mile, I had to fight for everything 02:50 and I was never right 02:52 and I use that quite a bit today 02:55 when people say, "You always want to be right" 02:58 I say, "No... I'm used to being wrong" 03:00 and so during those early years, it was really rough on me 03:08 I just... just could not ever seem to get it right. 03:12 How were your grades? 03:13 Well, that was the good part the Lord did bless me 03:19 to be able to do well in school 03:21 and I only remembered one time when I struggled with Algebra 03:26 and my brother two years older than myself 03:30 helped me quite a bit 03:33 when I flunked my first Algebra test 03:36 and just didn't think that I needed to study 03:40 because I was pretty good in Math 03:42 and, of course, when I flunked that test 03:45 I said, "What happened?" and then he took me... 03:48 sat me down and taught me Algebra 03:51 up until late that night and from that point on 03:54 we were the best of friends. 03:56 Now, before then, we were not. 03:57 Really? That's right. 03:59 So it took this failure, so to speak, 04:04 in Algebra... Right... 04:05 to kind of bring you and your brother together. 04:07 Absolutely, I mean, he was always loving me 04:10 but because everything was going his way 04:13 and there was the sibling rivalry 04:18 and I was the underdog all the time 04:23 and so I was always fighting for my place 04:26 but from that point on I admired him. 04:30 That's awesome. 04:32 And that turned things around. 04:33 Yes... yes... yes... so, as a child then 04:37 you had certain challenges to overcome 04:40 being the "middle child" at the end of the line, 04:43 so to speak, That's right. 04:45 so you had those challenges to overcome 04:47 there were some other things 04:48 that happened to you though 04:50 because I read in the book that you got into a habit 04:53 of doing what? 04:55 Of stealing... that's right... 04:57 ever since I knew myself, I would steal 05:00 without a blink of an eye I would steal. 05:03 Now, how did it start? 05:05 Well, it was just around the house 05:07 just one thing after another 05:10 I just developed this habit of taking that which was not mine 05:14 and there were many stories that I could... 05:18 there are many stories that I could give 05:21 but one that I remember... is... my sister was 18-years-old then 05:26 my Sis would always send us money through the mail 05:30 and I knew the money was coming 05:31 and I would look for the mail to come 05:34 and I would always go and take the money out 05:36 before it got there. 05:38 Oh, she would get cash... 05:39 Cash... those were the days when they would send cash 05:41 through the mail and I would take the money out 05:44 that was very bad, but that was one of the habits. 05:46 Now, during those days, 05:48 there were also Pay-Telephone Booths 05:52 and this is one of the whippings that I can still remember, right 05:58 because I was going to the telephone booth 06:02 taking the money out of the telephone booth 06:05 and my brother, two years older than me, 06:09 told on me and that was one of the 06:11 whippings that I can still remember... today... 06:13 And that was before you guys got close, right? 06:16 That was way before that 06:17 but he was always telling though 06:20 he was always telling on me 06:21 and it was all about trying to help me stay out of trouble. 06:24 Hmmm... What I discovered later 06:27 is that he really loved me Hmmm... 06:29 but I didn't see it as "love" in those days 06:32 he was always tattle-taleing. Yes... yes... yes... 06:35 So, how long did this stealing phase of your life last? 06:40 Oh, it lasted until I was at least 06:44 in Seventh Grade because I don't remember 06:46 having a problem with it after 06:49 Seventh Grade. 06:50 What stopped you? 06:52 Well, there were many things that happened 06:54 to bring me to the point of making an intelligent decision 06:59 that it wasn't worth it, that's what really happened 07:02 I came to the point where I realized 07:04 it just wasn't worth it 07:07 and so one of the things that happened 07:10 is that in Sixth Grade, my Sixth-Grade Teacher 07:15 had the class that they called, "The Good Class" 07:21 and so I was in "The Good Class" 07:23 What was it, the Honors Class? 07:25 The Honors Class... Hmmm... hmmm... 07:26 and so, I was in that class 07:28 and... but she knew that I had a habit of getting into fights 07:33 and so that was another problem I had as well 07:36 that's why... on the front of my book I said, 07:39 "Anyone can change" 07:40 because I had the habit of getting into fights 07:43 now I didn't pick the fights but I really liked a good fight. 07:46 You didn't start it but you finished it. 07:51 I really would... you know... 07:53 that's where my reputation came from. 07:55 Okay... I didn't back down from a fight 07:58 but anyhow, she really tried her best to reach me, 08:01 tried her best to reach me, 08:04 and I would help clean the class up. 08:07 Well, the kids didn't like to clean up 08:09 but I liked to clean up, 08:10 that's one of the things that I did learn 08:13 early on from my mom 08:14 because I was the only one of the boys 08:17 that woke up early every morning 08:20 when mom was up, cooking 08:22 and starting the fire 08:24 that's the kind of kid I was, I was around my mom 08:27 so... to some extent I was a "Mother's Boy" 08:30 Hmmm... hmmm.. 08:31 and so I learned to clean up very early 08:34 cleaning up at the school now, was no problem 08:37 because that was something that I did at home 08:40 and so that was one of the things that... 08:44 she embraced me with allowing me to be around her 08:48 that was one of the things that she did to embrace me 08:53 to see whether she could win me 08:54 and as a result I got very close to her 08:58 she got very close to me but she would never put my name 09:03 on the Honor Roll List because she wanted me to know 09:08 that she wasn't going to let me represent her class 09:12 until I made some changes. Hmmm... 09:15 And so... So your grades... 09:17 Grades were already... 09:19 Your grades were Honor Roll Level? 09:20 Yes... But she wouldn't put you 09:22 on the Honor Roll? 09:23 She would not put me on the Honor Roll 09:25 How did that make you feel? 09:26 Very bad... very bad... I didn't like it 09:28 and we never discussed it 09:30 it's just that, I can still remember 09:32 the first time when I knew I had made the Honor Roll 09:34 and I was waiting for my name to be called 09:37 and it wasn't called, 09:38 I said, "Whew"... I remember the feeling 09:41 Hmmm... hmmm... 09:43 well I wanted to say something but I didn't say anything 09:45 and I eventually figured out why she was doing it 09:48 and I just had to accept it. 09:51 Hmmm... wow... 09:53 But it got my attention. 09:54 Okay, so this is one of the ways that you stopped stealing. 09:57 Was this one of the things that made you stop stealing? 10:00 No, the thing that got me to stop stealing 10:03 was the fact that because I got close to her 10:05 and I would clean up the classrooms, 10:07 after school, 10:10 on this particular day her pocketbook was sitting 10:14 on the top of the desk and I saw it 10:19 and my mind said, 10:21 "Get that pocketbook" 10:24 that little voice... Hmmm... hmmm... 10:26 and it just didn't look like the right thing to do 10:30 so I left the classroom 10:35 and was walking from 100 to 200 yards 10:40 away from the school and she knew I had left 10:46 but it was like a spirit that comes over a person to do wrong 10:52 that spirit came over me again 10:55 and I turned around and I headed back 11:00 but she had gone to the Teachers' Lounge 11:04 but she knew she saw me 11:06 and so when I came back and she was not there 11:11 and I got the pocketbook 11:12 and interestingly enough when you do things like that 11:14 it's interestingly enough, 11:16 there was no money in the pocketbook 11:17 Hmmm... it wasn't worth it. 11:19 So I hid the pocketbook not far from our house 11:23 now, that was bad... 11:26 the boy on the next street 11:28 would end up finding the pocketbook 11:30 and taking it to school and then they told my dad 11:35 and in those days we sat around the table 11:41 to eat when dad came home 11:42 and we were at the table and just in the nick of time 11:47 when everyone had served their food, 11:50 my dad just... out of the clear blue said, 11:53 "Someone stole Mrs. Baker's pocketbook" 11:59 and with all the 12:02 acting ability that I had 12:04 I didn't change the expression on my face 12:06 I didn't skip a beat, 12:09 I didn't show any signs 12:12 that it was me 12:14 because that's what he was looking for 12:15 as a matter of fact the fork was in my hand 12:18 and it came up in this regular pace 12:20 and I just moved... just normally... 12:23 and since I passed that test, he went down to everyone else 12:27 and said that... 12:30 he asked each child 12:32 whether they had stolen the pocketbook 12:35 from the older to the next, to the next, 12:37 and then he skipped across me and went to the youngest brother 12:41 and everybody said that they didn't do it 12:43 well, the two older boys 12:45 weren't even at the school, they were in High School 12:47 and the younger boy was in a different building 12:50 the only person who was in Ms. Baker's class was me, 12:54 so he saved me for last... Hmmm... hmmm... 12:57 and he asked me, and just like I had been trained 13:02 for acting, I said, "No sir... " 13:04 so it was done so well 13:09 until everyone... 13:12 the kids by-the-way were afraid to death, 13:14 Hmmm... hmmmm... 13:15 because they knew that I was going to lose my life today 13:18 Your daddy didn't play. 13:21 this was going to be it, they were afraid for me 13:23 and so... but I passed that test 13:26 and he finally said, 13:29 "Willy, are you sure, 13:33 did you steal Mrs. Baker's pocketbook?" 13:37 I said, "No sir... " just as calm as could be 13:39 now... at that time, it seems as though 13:43 I heard the door open 13:44 and the sense that "death" was in the house. 13:48 Something bad was going to happen today 13:50 and when my dad 13:55 got up from the table, 13:57 and you could hear the chair 13:59 moving... wooh... wooh... like that... 14:01 he said, "I still think you stole the pocketbook" 14:07 he didn't know, but I had passed the test 14:11 and when that episode was over, 14:14 and as soon as "death" had gone back out the door 14:19 because he had entered in, 14:20 this was going to be someone was going to die 14:23 before the end of the day, oh my! 14:27 I had passed that test and when I walked out of there 14:30 I said, "It's not worth it" Hmmm... 14:33 with all the stress, with all the unrest, 14:38 sleepless night, 14:39 it just wasn't worth it... Hmmm... hmmm... 14:43 and so, that was one of the great 14:45 things to help me turn around 14:47 and as a child you say, "it's just not worth it" 14:51 so consequences of making poor decisions... 14:56 it's just not worth it. 14:58 And so that philosophy carried on with you 15:02 throughout your life. Yes... yes... 15:04 It's just not worth it... It's just not worth it... 15:07 that's right, and of course I had stolen one other thing, 15:10 from Mrs. Baker, 15:13 it was at the end of the school day 15:16 and there were six coconut cakes that were left over 15:21 from a King and Queen Contest, 15:22 you remember those days, the King and Queen Contest, 15:25 Hmmm... hmmm... and she said, 15:26 "Take these to the car" 15:28 and I took them from the classroom to the car 15:32 and that little voice said, "She's not going to miss one" 15:36 if I knew all that was going to come from that one cake, 15:40 I'm telling you, 15:41 how can a person get that upset over one cake? in my mind... 15:48 but she got upset over that one cake 15:51 she even asked me, did I see anyone 15:53 and I just blurted out the name of some bad guy 15:57 in the neighborhood and she went to the High School 16:00 and had him in the classroom the next morning, 16:03 and the kids in the classroom were afraid for me 16:06 because this was a bad guy, I just blurted his name out 16:10 and when that episode was over, I said again, 16:13 "It's just not worth it" and my daddy had already told me 16:19 that if I didn't stop stealing around the house 16:22 that I would eventually steal abroad, 16:25 Hmmm... hmmm... and he says, 16:27 "When you steal abroad, you're going to get caught 16:30 and when you get caught, 16:33 they're going to take you to the Reformatory School 16:36 and when they take you to the Reformatory School, 16:39 you're going to stay there 16:41 until you graduate from High School, 16:44 and I'm not going to visit you... 16:45 not even once... " Hmmm... 16:47 because he had told me over and over 16:48 "you need to stop stealing" 16:50 and so, again, when that second incident happened, 16:55 with Mrs. Baker, 16:57 I said again, "It's just not worth it. " 17:00 But then the third instant, 17:03 when I stole in a Grocery Store 17:05 big Grocery Store, and I was at the Counter 17:10 with money in my pocket, but I stole a bag of candy corn 17:15 and a hand gripped me like that, 17:18 Hmmm... my goose was cooked... 17:21 my heart was beating 17:23 and all of a sudden in the middle of the aisle, 17:27 someone just appeared and walked up and says, 17:31 "He's from a good family, I know the parents, 17:34 give him another chance" 17:36 and the man released my hand 17:40 and gave me some tough words 17:44 and told me not to every come back again, 17:46 and my heart was broken on that day. 17:50 I said... my heart was broken, my daddy's words had come true 17:56 the stealing that I had been doing 17:58 at home... had gone abroad. 18:02 Hmmm... I did get caught, 18:05 but I got grace, 18:07 and that's why I talk about grace so much now, 18:09 believing in God, Yes... 18:11 believing in grace. 18:13 Yes, yes, because grace has been activated in your life 18:17 and you're the recipient 18:18 of grace. That's right, that's right, 18:20 and I came out of that store that day 18:22 in tears, with a broken heart 18:26 and I began to say, "Please change me. " 18:29 Hmmm... Oh yeah... 18:31 the God that I had heard about 18:33 I began to talk to him like... he was there 18:37 I said, "please, please change me" 18:40 I mean... broken... I wanted to change 18:43 So how did God manifest Himself to you, 18:46 how did you begin that change, 18:49 I know, after this particular incident, 18:52 was there anything else that happened 18:55 that wherein... you said, 18:56 "Wow, I really have changed God really has changed me. " 18:59 Well, what happened is that when my heart was broken, 19:05 shedding tears, it felt like a load... 19:09 I don't know whether you've ever lifted Barbells 19:11 and when you pick up the weight 19:16 that's too heavy, and you need to let it down, 19:18 that's how I felt. 19:20 A load just seemed to have fallen off of me 19:25 and I felt better 19:27 and I just knew something had happened 19:30 I didn't understand what happened 19:32 but something had happened that day and I knew 19:37 that something had happened that's all I could say. 19:42 Right... Something had happened 19:43 as a matter of fact what happened when I was in 19:48 Fourth Grade, was the fact that 19:50 I had been such a terrible fellow 19:53 in Third Grade, 19:54 so that when I got to Fourth Grade 19:58 the teacher was braced and waiting for me. 20:00 Because your reputation preceded you. 20:03 My reputation preceded me and she was looking 20:05 for that kid that was raising so much sighing in Third Grade 20:09 until... she was ready for me on the first day 20:13 but that guy never showed up on the first day 20:16 Hmmm... nor the first week, 20:18 nor the first month, nor the first semester, 20:22 and on the last day of the school year, 20:24 she said, "Son, what happened?" 20:27 She wanted to know because she said, 20:30 "I was waiting for you from the first day" 20:32 and guess what I said, I said that I was born again. 20:37 Ah... That's the only term I knew 20:40 at that time to explain to her 20:42 what had happened to me. 20:44 And how old were you? 20:45 At that time, I was just nine. 20:47 Okay. But my dad had done... 20:49 really worked on my rear end. Hmmm... hmmm... Ha... ha... 20:54 Now that's what we call 20:56 "Putting the Board of Education on the seat of my intelligence" 20:58 you know what I'm saying, ha... ha... ha... 21:01 and when you put it in... in the proper place, 21:03 it goes right to the brain, 21:05 it re-trains the brain, 21:07 if you understand what I'm talking about... ha... ha... 21:09 I hear you... I hear you... 21:11 and so, I was born again, and dad says, 21:13 "Gailliards don't act that way" Hmmm... 21:15 and so, I had a great Fourth Grade. 21:18 Hmmm... Now things... you know 21:20 just like the sign curves go up... 21:22 and so Fifth and Sixth... went down 21:25 and then Seventh... got a little better 21:28 by the time I got to Eighth, I was making good decisions 21:32 and my mom was in the background 21:34 she was saying that, "boy, if you don't change, 21:38 your daddy is not going to let you drive that car 21:42 like the other brothers. " Hmmm... 21:44 And these days, 21:46 our family was one of the few families 21:48 that had a car in our neighborhood 21:50 folks were riding the City Bus 21:52 at that time... Hmmm... hmmm... 21:54 and so she kept telling me, 21:57 "You're not going to get that Driver's License 21:59 like Junior and like James" 22:01 and that also helped me to make good choices 22:05 because I knew that I wanted the Driver's license right on time 22:09 like everybody else and so 22:11 it started helping me to think right. 22:13 Hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... so, when you became an adult 22:16 or just... in your pre... your post-adolescent years 22:22 just before adulthood... was there some pivotal event 22:28 that really changed your life? 22:29 Well, I'm thinking that what really brought about the changes 22:34 was when hand grabbed me... Hmmm... 22:37 and when my daddy's words 22:40 had come to 22:43 fruition or fulfillment 22:45 and I could hear his words saying, 22:49 "This is going to happen 22:51 and this is how I'm going to respond to it" 22:57 that helped me tremendously. 23:00 Now, by the time I became a teenager 23:03 I was an excellent church worker 23:05 now... I was in the African Methodist 23:14 Episcopalian church at this time 23:15 and he was the Pastor and I was a people's person, 23:18 I was a choir leader, 23:20 I was even a soul winner to some extent 23:24 because I would get the young kids to come to the church 23:28 he liked that and as a result he ended up giving me a car 23:33 at age 16, so these things had a lot to do 23:37 with me continuing to make right choices 23:40 because I saw that number one 23:43 I've got my permit on time at 14, 23:45 and my Driver's License on time at 16, 23:49 he allowed me to even take the School-Bus Driving Test 23:53 and I drove the school bus from 16... 23:56 from 10th, 11th and 12th grade, 23:59 this taught me that he was trusting me 24:04 to make right choices because you don't let a... 24:06 go ahead... No you finish your sentence. 24:08 You don't let a teenager drive a School Bus without showing him 24:16 that he can make responsible decisions 24:20 because every day you got under that steering wheel, 24:23 kids were doing all kinds of things on the school buses 24:27 and you had to make right choices everyday 24:29 And you're a teenager... I'm a teenager... 24:31 Wow! that's a lot of responsibility! 24:34 That was a big responsibility. 24:37 So, how did you come to write a book? 24:38 Let's talk about that... because our time... 24:40 I can't believe our time is running out 24:42 Yeah, I can't believe it either... 24:44 How did you come to write this book about thinking big? 24:47 Well, I had been going into the schools 24:50 taking the gospel into the school 24:52 and this is my little manual that I had been using 24:56 Yes... I had it all written out 24:58 what I had been doing for several years 25:00 and people were following me and a little voice said, 25:05 "If you don't write a book 25:07 someone is going to take your stuff 25:09 and they are going to write a book 25:11 and they are going to be 25:13 laughing all the way to the bank 25:15 and you're going to be crying" 25:16 that's how the book came about 25:19 because I had had this, been using it 25:22 and was not afraid to put my stuff that were unique 25:27 out there... just wasn't afraid... 25:30 And what kinds of ideas are you setting forth in the book 25:35 that are unique to you? 25:37 Play your ace... so when I go into a classroom 25:40 or to a school and I talk to kids 25:43 about improving their grades 25:45 I ask them, "How many of you are straight "A" students?" 25:48 and very few hands go up. 25:49 How many of you are A/B Honor Roll? 25:51 and a few more... 25:53 and... but for the most part 25:55 the kids are not on the Honor Roll 25:57 so I said, "How many of you 25:59 would like to make better grades?" 26:01 And all the hands go up, I said, "Very good. " 26:03 "Well, the first thing you need to do is 26:05 learn to play your ace... " 26:07 I said, "Now, if you learn to play your ace, 26:09 the grades will go up" 26:11 no two ways about it, 26:12 now what's the ace? Learn to pay attention. 26:14 I said, "You've got to learn to pay attention" 26:17 Hmmm... The "C" is for concentration 26:20 you've got to learn to concentrate 26:23 one word... means the same thing 26:26 as concentrate learn to focus 26:28 regardless of what else is going on around you 26:31 you've got to learn that, and then finally, 26:34 you've got to learn to echo... 26:36 that means, to repeat the same thing 26:38 over and over and over and over 26:40 and over again until you get it, 26:43 Okay... it doesn't matter 26:44 how many times it takes for you to get it, 26:46 you just do it until... you get it... 26:48 it may take one person three... 26:50 it may take another person nine... 26:52 it may take another person 27... 26:54 but even if it takes you 30, you do it until you get it. 26:57 I love it... 26:59 That's what you call, "Play your ace" 27:00 Play your ace. That's right. 27:02 I love that, that's awesome 27:03 would you have a lot of ideas in your book 27:06 in your motivational speaking, how can people contact you? 27:10 Let's put your e-mail address up so that people can e-mail you 27:14 That's levi35234@yahoo. com 27:17 and you're available to go to schools... 27:19 Absolutely... 27:21 Because you have been there throughout your life 27:24 you have been changed... 27:26 That's right, I have been changed... 27:27 and you want to share with others... how to do it. 27:29 That they can do it, and it's all about thinking big 27:31 one of the things that I do 27:34 is that I get them to raise their right hand 27:35 and pledge allegiance, 27:37 "I pledge allegiance to a new start 27:39 and from the bottom of my heart, 27:41 I am going to think big every day... in every way. " 27:44 I can't think of a better way to close than that 27:46 thank you so much and may God bless you 27:49 and thank you for being with us 27:50 and thank you, you know, 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says, 27:53 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, 27:55 he is a new creature: old things are passed away; 27:58 behold, all things are made new. " 28:00 Thank you so much Brother Bill, God bless you. 28:03 Tune in next time, 28:05 it wouldn't be the same without you. |
Revised 2015-11-10