Derek W. Clark is an Inspiring Motivational Speaker and the Author of the I Will Never Give Up book series which includes the award winning and critic acclaimed autobiographical books “I Will Never Give Up”, “I Will Never Give Up For The Teenager” and “I Will Never Give Up On God Again”. Derek spent 13 years in the foster care system. At five years old his mother and stepfather turned him over to the county social services and yet, they kept his brother and sister. His father who he has never known was in jail for the criminally insane. As a foster child, Derek was disturbed and erratic. Having suffered child abuse and abandonment, he was prone to severe distress and crippling depression. He has been “labeled and misdiagnosed” in almost every psychological evaluation in existence. As a helpless child, Derek was nearly institutionalized due to severe erratic behavioral problems and violent tendencies. He is a survivor of brutal child abuse, and was diagnosed early on as mentally handicapped with an IQ of a two and half year old and suffered aretic psychosis. As he developed, it became clear to his wonderful foster parents that this diagnosis was without merit.
Derek has learned some very difficult lessons growing up as a troubled teenager. As a foster youth, he wanted to go back and live with his mom but that never happened. He felt rejected and became an angry teenager. He was constantly in trouble because of his difficulties dealing with his anger, respecting others and trusting adults. Even against unbelievable odds, Derek never gave up, using music, laughter, will power, and positive decision-making to triumph over adversity.
He reveals how he overcame his adversities and how he triumphed in his personal life. He takes you down his road of lessons that he has learned of hate, anger, resentment, mistrust in adults, violent tendencies, rejection, lack of love, child abuse and the memories that have haunted his life. Derek believes he has successfully thrived as a leader in life because of his painful past, compassion for others and living a No Excuse life.
Derek inspires youth and adults across this nation to never give up and to not let the past limit their incredible future. He shares his message of courage, hope and perseverance to help others find the strength to Never Give Up. When Derek speaks, it is from his passionate soul. He brings along his guitar to sing the journals of his life. He believes that music is one of the purest ways to touch and communicate with the hearts of the audience. His listeners will be ignited with passion and have the courage to take action and fight their fears. He will inspire and teach you to push yourself beyond your perceived limits. He believes it all comes down to a choice and taking responsibility for the direction of your life. He is proof that you don’t have to let adversity hold you down in life; you have a fascinating and inspiring destiny awaiting you.
Here is an excerpt from Derek's book "I Will Never Give Up"
"This is the true story of my life... A life in which abuse, loneliness, and dark nights of despair rattled the very bones of my body, drained the tears of my spirit, shattered my mind into a million fragments, and left me for awhile plodding through life as an empty shell, a lost and helpless soul. I have breathed the air of the unloved, and suffered deep psychological and spiritual wounds due to abandonment at an early age by my mother and father. I have blamed myself for a past over which I had no control. My trust in people was displaced with hostility and anger. And yet, my spirit would not be broken. I have fought for survival in the name of love, powered by a dogged will whose voice never stopped telling me to NEVER GIVE UP!
I was a five year-old kid, and already a survivor of appalling events. I have never known my father. My mother, having given up on me, placed me in the County Social Services Foster Care System. She was desperate to be rid of me. The saddest, most inexplicable part of this was that she kept my younger brother and older sister. I was devastated knowing I had been deleted from my family. I was now motherless and fatherless. I loved my mother, brother and sister, but my love for them wasn’t enough for her to keep me in the family. She claimed she could not control me, and that I was a “devil," but I now know she was the one out of control. I was the child and she was the adult. I am not to blame for the predicament I found myself in. That is life; it is unfair.
There are millions of kids who have been given up on, and I hold their parents completely responsible. The ignoble actions of parents will always be remembered by their children. I know, because that five year-old foster child still lives within me, constantly striving to be empowered, to make his insecurities my own. But I refuse to be a victim; I am a conqueror. I am stronger than my unworthy parents!
There is no question, the mental and physical struggles of my life have proved very difficult to overcome. They say the first five years of a child’s life are the most critical to his or her development, and that children soak up everything they experience like a sponge. I agree. I have seen my own three children sponge both my strengths and weaknesses. Kids watch their parents, and mimic what they observe. The influence of my first five years contributed to many destructive behaviors throughout my life. I often wished I had been given away at birth, so that I wouldn’t have had to endure the memories and nightmares which have haunted me these many years.
There is always a lesson to be learned from adversity. I have learned many such lessons the hard way, but have found there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The light that leads us out of the darkness is the positive energy that comes to surround those who continually search for what life has to offer. The answer is always within. By harnessing this positive energy you can accomplish anything. Nothing has ever held me back from "going for it." I have not let anyone or anything stop me from making my dreams a reality. I keep on keeping on. I am an unstoppable force. I am headstrong and know exactly what I want. I have always trusted my intuition.
My search for life’s meaning eventually brought me through a baptism by fire, which cleansed my soul. I am like the mystical “ Phoenix” that has risen from its own ashes, a resurrected soul, a lost boy who evolved into a man. In life's journey, I was meant to shine. It is this journey in which fractured souls are made whole again. It is this journey in which wounds are healed and pain is finally replaced with love and peace.
This is a bitter-sweet story filled with real blood, real tears, unthinkable pain, turmoil, hope, love, success; and finally, significance. This is the true story of a fearless boy who fought for his life and won.
This book is for anyone who is suffering emotionally, mentally, and physically in their life."
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