從麥當勞到勵志演說家：
“權力歸人民” 現實生活中（第93集）
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From McDonald's to Motivational Speaker:
'Power to the People' In Real Life
What happens when a 19-year-old who worked at McDonald's decides to take control of his life and help others do the same? You get Lawrence C. Harris – a young man whose story will challenge everything you think you know about success, authenticity, and what it means to truly empower yourself.
The Real Story Behind the Speaker
Lawrence's journey didn't start with motivational quotes or business plans. It began with survival. At just 12 years old, he faced an abusive father while trying to protect his siblings. This experience, rather than breaking him, became the foundation for his mission to help others find their inner strength.
But Lawrence's story has another layer that makes his message even more powerful – he's autistic. In a world that often sees autism through extreme stereotypes, Lawrence represents something different: a high-functioning individual who turned what others might see as a limitation into his greatest superpower.
The Autism Advantage
"Growing up, being different, not being able to understand or relate to other people, was a big challenge for me," Lawrence shares. While his peers wanted to play basketball, he was drawn to National Geographic documentaries. Where others engaged in small talk, he craved deep conversations about what makes people tick.
This difference led to loneliness and struggles with self-esteem. But it also gave him something invaluable – the ability to see beyond surface-level interactions and connect with people on a profound level. Today, this "superpower" is exactly what makes him such an effective speaker and author.
Finding Your People by Being Yourself
One of the most powerful moments in our conversation came when Lawrence explained his transformation from hiding who he was to fully embracing his authentic self. "When I stopped being so afraid of their opinion and I just dressed how I want to dress, talk how I talk, did the hobbies I like and started to be myself, the people who relate to me and understand me naturally they would find me."
This isn't just feel-good advice – it's a practical strategy for building genuine connections and finding your tribe. Lawrence proves that authenticity isn't just about feeling good; it's about creating the life and relationships you actually want.
The Casket Test: A Reality Check on Living for Others
Perhaps the most memorable piece of advice Lawrence shared was what I'm calling "The Casket Test." Speaking to high school students worried about everyone's opinions, he told them: "One day you're going to be in that casket and you're the only one in it. Everyone's opinion who you're worried about – they're not getting buried with you."
This stark reminder cuts through all the noise about what others think and gets to the heart of the matter: you're the one who has to live with the consequences of your choices, so make sure they're truly yours.
'Power to the People': More Than Just a Book
At 18, Lawrence published "Power to the People," but this isn't just another self-help book written by someone who's never faced real challenges. This is a 180-page guide to building mental resilience, self-love, and better financial habits – written by someone who's lived through trauma and come out stronger.
What makes the book even more unique is that Lawrence offers both a physical version and an audiobook, with the audio version containing additional insights he's gained since writing the original text. It's literally his growth in real-time.
The Instagram Reality Check
In an era of fake gurus and rented success, Lawrence delivers some hard truths about social media. "You can rent a Lamborghini for $600 each. You can rent a mansion for $200. You can pay an Instagram model $200 to take a photo with you," he reveals, exposing the manufactured nature of many online success stories.
His advice? "If somebody's trying to sell you a $900 course, go the other way. Pick up a Bible." It's refreshingly honest in a world full of get-rich-quick schemes targeting young people.
From Fast Food to Full Potential
Lawrence's journey from McDonald's employee to traveling motivational speaker isn't just inspiring – it's instructive. He shows that transformation doesn't require perfect circumstances or even traditional advantages. What it requires is the courage to be yourself and the commitment to help others do the same.
The Mind-Shifting Moment
As Lawrence proves, your biggest challenges can become your greatest strengths. His autism, his difficult childhood, his tendency toward deep thinking – all the things that once made him feel different and alone – are now the very qualities that make him an exceptional speaker and author.
Whether you're 13 or 43, Lawrence's message hits the same: the answer to 99% of your problems is knowing who you are. Once you figure that out, everything else starts falling into place.
Connect with Lawrence
Ready to dive deeper into Lawrence's message? You can find his book "Power to the People" on Amazon, with the enhanced audiobook available on his website at LawrenceCHarris.com. Follow him on Instagram and TikTok for inspiration and real talk about personal growth.
For speaking engagements or podcast interviews, reach out to Lawrence@LawrenceCHarris.com.
Remember: there's POWER in shifting your thinking, and sometimes that shift starts with a 19-year-old who had the courage to be authentically himself.
🔥 Lawrence Is on a Roll! See what else he's said:
You Have the Key to Your Own Prison Cell (Episode 100)
我可以閱讀本集的完整文字記錄嗎？
Fatima Bey: 0:09
歡迎收聽MindShift Power Podcast，這是全球唯一一個旨在賦能下一代的播客。我是主持人，MindShifter Fatima Bey，因為塑造未來世界始於我們今天的對話。歡迎大家。今天我們邀請到了 Lawrence C Harris。他是一位來自美國賓州費城的青年賦權演講者。 Lawrence，你今天好嗎？
Lawrence C. Harris: 0:39
I'm doing absolutely fantastic. Thanks for asking.
Fatima Bey: 0:42
好的，感謝您今天的到來。我很期待這次談話。太棒了！謝謝你的提問。好的，感謝您今天的到來。我很期待這次談話，所以我想直接進入正題。那麼，請告訴我們您是一位青年賦權演講者，您多大了？我19歲。 19歲，您就是一位青年賦權演講者了。那您是怎麼想到這一點的呢？
Lawrence C. Harris: 0:58
嗯，人們經常看到我今天的樣子，看到勞倫斯站在舞台上演講，激勵他人。他們現在看到的都是這些美好的事物，但這一切的根源在於我12歲的時候，我爸爸開始虐待我和我的兄弟姊妹，我想保護他們的安全，確保他們得到妥善的保護。但長期如此，讓我很難理解自己，也很難對自己感到滿意。不過這些年來，我逐漸成長，開始接受心理治療、寫日記、冥想等等。我能夠幫助自己，也能夠幫助他們。於是我開始製作YouTube影片來幫助其他人，而登上舞台也就自然而然地發生了。
法蒂瑪先生：1:47
Wow, so you've been through a lot in life? It sounds like yes, and tell us one of the challenges that you revealed to me that you deal with on a daily basis.
勞倫斯·C·哈里斯：2:00
Well, one of them is that I'm autistic. Now, people often think of autism as these two polar opposites. They think of somebody drooling on themselves, or they think about the super nerd who can do 50 math questions in his head without a calculator. But then there are people like me who are just high functioning. But then there are people like me who are just high functioning. We seem just warm and open and there's so much beauty in being different. But growing up, being different, not being able to understand or relate to other people, was a big challenge for me, because I don't relate to people the same way. I like to dive into the deep questions. I like to understand what makes you you. Why do you love watching movies? What makes you just light up? And for a lot of my life that was a struggle because not everybody wanted to have a deep conversation, right. But now it's turned into a superpower of mine.
Fatima Bey: 3:07
How did this affect your self-esteem?
Lawrence C. Harris: 3:09
成長過程中，我很難交朋友，因為當我想看《國家地理》而其他人都想去打籃球時，我很難交到朋友。因為我喜歡做的事情和大多數人不一樣，所以很難和別人交朋友，這讓我感到孤獨，感覺沒人願意跟我做朋友。但是，就像我說的，隨著時間的推移，你會找到你的朋友。
法蒂瑪先生：3:40
You can, and how did you go from that to funding your people?
Lawrence C. Harris: 3:44
嗯，曾經有一段時間，我會隱藏自己，害怕做自己，因為我害怕別人的看法。但當我不再害怕別人的看法，而是穿自己想穿的衣服，說我想說的話，做自己喜歡的嗜好，開始做自己的時候，那些與我產生共鳴、理解我的人自然會找到我。他們可能會從我拍的Instagram影片中找到我，或是會稱讚我的穿著打扮，或者會說，哥們，我喜歡你的髮型。或者他們會說，哥們，我喜歡你的頭髮。或者你會自然而然地找到他們，他們會自然而然地靠近你，因為當你做你自己的時候，他們就能理解真正的你。
Fatima Bey: 4:34
Yes, I say oh man, I say this all the time you got to be yourself. You're never going to find your real people until the real you shows up, and definitely so I'm glad that you were able to go from that to now being a speaker. Do you feel you are more confident now than you were a few years ago?
Lawrence C. Harris: 4:53
A lot more confident. Why? Because I've gotten used to just being me, and when you fall in love with being yourself, you don't need other people to validate you and cheer for you and clap for you, because you already clapped for yourself. Yes, and by being myself and just being who I genuinely authentically ain't. I don't plan my speeches ahead of time. I might think of an idea, but then I get up there and I just give you, lawrence, by doing that so much, I built the confidence and comfortability and understanding of who I am, what I like to do, and I go out there and I give it to the world. The people who like me, like me, the ones who don't don't, but either way, you know who I really am.
Fatima Bey: 5:46
I think that's awesome and it's awesome to hear, because there are a lot of people who they may not look like you, they may not sound like you, but they've been there where they feel less than and not accepted by others and I'm glad you finally arrived at the fact that who the hell cares what they all think? You don't need everybody else's acceptance.
Lawrence C. Harris: 6:09
Once you that, who the hell cares what they all think? You don't need everybody else's acceptance. Once you are yourself, the right people actually will find you, and they, they want to. Yeah, I was, um. I was speaking at a high school a few months ago and some of the students were telling me about how they're very worried about their parents opinion and how they're worried about what their friends are going to think, what their girlfriend's going to think, what their girlfriend is going to think. And I said to them all you do realize that one day you're going to be in that casket and you're the only one in it. Everyone's opinion who you're worried about. They're not getting buried with you. You're getting buried with you.
Lawrence C. Harris: 6:42
And when you're 85 years old and you're about to die and you're looking up at the ceiling and you start thinking about man, I would've, I should've, I could've, but you didn't because you were worried about what your girlfriend in 10th grade was going to think. Yeah, you held yourself back because of the opinion of somebody who isn't getting buried with you. So, yeah, you know, don't do anything terrible, don't do anything crazy. Don't gamble your life savings away crazy. Don't gamble your life savings away, but understand if you want to become an artist, but your family wants you to be a doctor. If you don't want to be a doctor, you don't have to. Yes, it's hard to make money as an artist, but it's possible. A lot of people do it you can do it too.
Fatima Bey: 7:39
你只需要給自己一個機會，去努力。是的，絕對是如此。我在你的介紹裡沒提到的是，你19歲就變成作家了。事實上，嚴格來說，你18歲就成了作家，因為這本書就是在那時出版的。那麼，跟我們講講你的書名，以及內容吧。
Lawrence C. Harris: 7:56
The book is called Power to the People. It dives into the subject of building mental resilience, self-love, better financial habits. I tried to put everything I knew when I was 18 into this book and once I first wrote it the first version was 300 pages I realized nobody wants to sit down and read all of that, especially not teenagers, who the book is for. So I edited it down to about 180. And those pages are what have allowed me to make a business where not only do I get paid to speak, but I do something I absolutely love. I've been able to go from working at McDonald's to traveling and all in all, I've been able to just wake up happy. I've been able to wake up and love myself because for a lot of my life I did not love who I was, because I was busy trying to be what the world wanted me to be.
Fatima Bey: 8:55
Yes, and a lot of people can relate to that and are still living there, and not just teenagers. Now, why did you call it? Power to the People? What people?
Lawrence C. Harris: 9:05
Ultimately, I was just trying to give people people back their power of their mind their habits, their self-worth, because growing up, you'll be told a lot of things about what you should be and what you shouldn't be. Some of it is good, some of it is really good. You shouldn't be a criminal. That's a really good piece of advice to listen to. Other things are people will tell you you should come out and drink with us. You shouldn't do that Very dangerous. Other people will tell you you should go play basketball because you're a. Do that Very dangerous.
Lawrence C. Harris: 9:40
其他人會告訴你，因為你是黑人，所以你應該去打籃球。如果你想去打籃球，那就去打吧，但我不打籃球。我喜歡釣魚。我喜歡釣魚。那是我的愛好。其他人會告訴你應該上哪所大學或從事什麼職業，他們可能會有很好的建議，但你有權為自己的人生做出決定，你是唯一一個必須承擔自己行為後果的人。是的，所以我把它命名為《人民的力量》的原因是，正如書名所暗示的，我想把權力交還給你自己，而這本書的讀者是青少年和年輕人，因為我的目標讀者是他們，但任何人都可以從亞馬遜上買到這本書。
法蒂瑪先生：10:34
So there are two versions of your book, correct?
Lawrence C. Harris: 10:38
Yes.
法蒂瑪先生：10:39
有音頻。
Lawrence C. Harris: 10:39
I have it in audio and physical.
法蒂瑪先生：10:42
Okay, and are they in the same link?
Lawrence C. Harris: 10:45
Yes, so the audio book. I have that set up on my website because I wasn't able to figure out how to get Amazon to post my audio book. It got too confusing. Okay, the thing with the audio book, too, is that the book was written when I was 18 years old. The audio book I recorded that earlier this year. Okay, so a lot of things that I say in the audio book aren't in the physical book because I didn't know it at the time of writing the audio. Oh, okay, so they really. So they really need each audio book. Yeah, the audio book is where the. If you really want to go deep on it, the audio book, okay. If you're just opening the door, like you're, you don't need the super advanced stuff. Yet. The audio book is for the really advanced. The physical book. That's the stuff you can implement right here, right now.
Fatima Bey: 11:44
Okay, how can people find your book? You said for the audiobook it's just on your website, which will be linked in the show notes. It's laurencecharriscom.
Lawrence C. Harris: 11:55
Yes, it is my name.
Fatima Bey: 11:58
Going off memory right now. I do have it in my other notes, but that will definitely be in the show notes. And how can they contact you through your website? How can they find you?
Lawrence C. Harris: 12:08
如果你想給我郵件，可以直接聯絡我。我的信箱是 Lawrence@LawrenceCHarriscom，用於播客採訪和活動主持。如果你在美國有教會、學校或活動，因為出國旅行相當昂貴，但我之前也做過幾次。現在，如果你想更方便地聯繫我，比如說“嘿，我喜歡這些內容”，或者我想問你一個簡單的問題。我的 Instagram、抖音、Instagram 和 TikTok 帳號是 Lawrence C Empowers。我的私訊功能已開放。歡迎隨時給我留言。
Fatima Bey: 12:51
And those will be in the show notes as well, so that you guys can go ahead. So, lawrence, let me ask you this For everyone listening right now let's specifically talk about your peers, people of your generation, between the ages of 13 and 24. We'll just say that. What do you have to say to them? What advice do you have to the listeners right now?
勞倫斯·C·哈里斯：13:16
I would say think more about who and what you are, rather than what the world tells you that you have to be, because you'll go on Instagram and you'll see like, oh my God, this person has a Bugatti and this person has this and they have all this cool stuff. But you need to look at your own life and realize how cool your life is and that a lot of what you see online is fake. A lot of what you see online is fake it's. There's a lot of people who I've personally known them. They will rent a lamborghini and then sell you a 900 course and you'll buy it because, well, they have a Lamborghini that they rented for an hour. So the best thing I can tell you I'm sorry, I shouldn't- laugh at that, but it is so true.
勞倫斯·C·哈里斯：14:09
Yes, this is what they do. This is what they do. And then you start thinking, well, like no, he has a. He has five different Lamborghinis. You can rent five different Lamborghinis for $600 each. I've seen them do it. Oh, but he has a mansion. You can rent a mansion for $200. Oh no, but he has a beautiful woman. You can pay an Instagram model $200 to take a photo with you. I've seen them do it. So I'm not saying that everything with you online is fake, but if somebody's trying to sell you a $900 course, go the other way. Pick up a Bible.
法蒂瑪先生：14:55
On that note, I freaking love you and we're going to end this episode. Oh, I can't even that's the best quote ever. So thank you so much for coming on. There is so, so, so much more to this young man and more to be said, and I thank you for coming on. I think you're an inspiration to those your age. I think you're an inspiration to some adults who realize that at 19, you're doing what they should have been doing. Um, but it's never too late to start, and I say that because there's a lot of people who might look at you like he's only 19, he's doing all this stuff already. He's already has speaking engagements and making a living from it. I think that's impressive, um, yeah, I think it's impressive at any age, but especially when you you're 19.
Lawrence C. Harris: 15:46
是的，如果你知道如何正確使用，Google Enchanted GT 確實為每個人提供了公平的競爭環境。
Fatima Bey: 15:52
If you know how to use it right. It can't replace your brain, because it's so obvious when that happens, but it can definitely help. It can be something to be leveraged Absolutely, because I do it a lot and a lot of what I do.
Lawrence C. Harris: 16:07
So thank you once again for coming on. Of course, I appreciate it. Feel free to follow me on Instagram and TikTok at Lawrence C Empowers. As well as my book, you can get the physical one on Amazon, as well as the audio book on my website, lawrencecharriscom.
法蒂瑪先生：16:22
And now for a mind shifting moment. This young man is an example of what all of us can do. If you are between the ages of 13 and 24, I want you to take a look at him and know that you can do that too. And when I say that, I mean be a leader and an example amongst your peers, because right now you guys need it more than ever.
法蒂瑪先生：16:51
A lot of what he has said is said by adults all the time, but it's different coming from someone who's 19. He's living proof that your disability doesn't have to be anything that stops you. It's just a part of you. Some of you are listening right now. You don't have to be anything that stops you. It's just a part of you. Some of you are listening right now. You don't have labeled disabilities. The disabilities you have are how you see yourself. Some of you are leaders waiting to be discovered. The first person who needs to discover your leadership is you. Discover who you are.
Fatima Bey: 17:28
他說過的最重要的事情之一就是發現你是誰。這是解決你99%問題的答案。解決你99%問題的答案就是要了解你是誰。今天就踏上這段旅程吧。下定決心，你要弄清楚你是誰，生活中的其他一切都會開始水到渠成，匯聚在一起，然後逐漸清晰。一旦你做到了，如果你沒有從他所說的許多偉大的事情中吸取任何其他教訓，那就把這一點也帶走吧，我不在乎你的年齡，無論是青少年還是現在已經成年的青少年。感謝你的收聽。請務必在我們的任何全球平台上關注和訂閱MindShift Power播客，參與塑造未來世界的對話。這個播客只是MindShift宇宙的一個分支。在FatimaBaycom上探索更多，永遠記住，轉變思維的力量是巨大的。下週見。
