More on MLK.
Keeping up with MLK and some of his worldly wisdom I ran across
another one I'd like share.
My Father always said, "Given the same playing field there is no reason
why you shouldn't as successful as the next person!"
MLK had a similar approach although he believed we should all be the
best that we can be.
He said, "You know in life we’re called upon to do this.
A Ford car trying to be a Cadillac is absurd, but if a Ford will accept itself
as a Ford, it can do many things that a Cadillac could never do.
And in life some of us are Fords and some of us are Cadillacs.
The principle of self-acceptance is a basic principle in life.
Now the other thing about the length of life: after accepting ourselves
and our tools, we must discover what we are called to do.
And once we discover it we should set out to do it with all of the strength
and all of the power that we have in our systems."
And after we’ve discovered what it is that God has called us to do,
after we’ve discovered our life’s work, we should set out to do that work
so well that the living, the dead, or the unborn couldn’t do it any better."
When he was in Montgomery, Alabama, he used to go to
the Gordon Shoe Shop often.
He said there was a fellow that shined his shoes, but what an experience
to witness that fellow shining shoes.
MLK said that the shoe shine man would get that rag, "to bring music out of it."
This fellow had a Ph.D. in shoe shining.
We all have Ph.D.'s - there things that we can do that no one can touch
us when we are at our best.
MLK went on to say, "What I’m saying to you that even if it falls your lot
to be a street sweeper, go on out and sweep streets like Michelangelo
painted pictures; sweep streets like Handel and Beethoven composed music;
sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry;
sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will have to pause
and say, "Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well."
If you can’t be a pine on the top of a hill
Be a scrub in the valley—but be
The best little scrub on the side of the hill,
Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.
If you can’t be a highway just be a trail
If you can’t be the sun be a star;
It isn’t by size that you win or fail..
Be the best of whatever you are.
And when you do this, when you do this,
you’ve mastered the length of life.
We all have talents and gifts that should never go unused.
Share them, do something, give of yourself!
Don't just do half of what you are capable of.
Give it your all.
Make life matter.
Give it your all.
Make life matter.
Because in the end there is someone that you matter to.
Make it a great día!