Mark Supreme, aka DeMarcus, dedicates his book to several people, including his mother, his pops, who's here tonight with us, his sons, Carter and Sebastian.

One of them's asleep back there.

A couple friends and old professor.

But here's my favorite.

This is from my younger self, the person who pounded the streets of Los Angeles without a clue.

Scrubbed toilets at a gym in Atlanta.

Trying to make a dollar to stay afloat.

And went through every emotion trial, error and let down and pursuit to make something of myself.

When I read this book over the weekend, I got chills when I read that part, and I smiled.

And I'm smiling now because how many people have dreams but never move on them?

Or maybe they try a little, hit a couple of roadblocks, then quit.

I know I'm guilty of that.

Listen, when when I grew up in West Peoria, a lot of people there was chatter that I was going to make it to the NBA, be the next best point guard.

And while most of that chatter was from my mom, I still believed it.

Fast forward a freshman year.

I'm 110 pounds.

I'm five foot two.

I got cut, decided that was enough.

I quit on my dream, didn't try out the next year or the year after that.

I did try to try out my senior year.

They cut me again.

So then I knew my dream was over.

I'm not going to the NBA.

But DeMarcus refused to quit.

He was determined to make something of himself.

He moved to big cities, worked on jobs, and talked his way in the rooms he wasn't invited into just for the possibility of creating an opportunity for himself.

That's freaking admirable, man.

It really is.

I also appreciate how he shows his younger self love.

It's easy to look at our past as a list of failures instead, instead of what it really is, which is a series of brave attempts, attempts to find yourself, to find your thing, your way, to make an impact.

That whole stretch of life is basically an internship or an apprenticeship.

It's where you learn how you work, what sticks, what doesn't.

You build instincts.

You figure yourself out in real time.

I respect that DeMarcus doesn't shy away from that phase of his life.

He names it, he thinks it and he's proud of it.

He understands he wouldn't be where he is today without scrubbing those toilets and hot land.

Most of us are powered by years.

We don't give ourselves credit for it.

We're too hard on ourselves for past decisions.

Don't give ourselves enough grace.

That's not the embarrassing part of your story.

That's the foundation of it.

And that's the part worth honoring.

And that's my take.

So thanks for tuning in.

Ladies and gentlemen.

It has most definitely been a vibe.