MARTIN LUTHER KING SAID, “ONLY WHEN IT IS DARK ENOUGH, CAN YOU SEE THE STARS.”
ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO I HAVE IDOLIZED THROUGHOUT MY LIFE. I HAVE MOST OF HIS SPEECHES IN MY IPOD AND I LISTEN TO THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS FOR MOTIVATION. HIS SPEECHES WILL MOVE YOU LIKE NO ONE ELSE CAN. HIS SPEECHES MOVED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. JUST THINK OF THE DIFFICULT TIMES THAT THE AFRICAN AMERICANS WERE FACING DURING THAT TIME. PEOPLE WERE BEING SO NASTY AND HURTFUL AT THESE TIMES, EVEN GOING AS FAR AS KILLING AFRICAN AMERICANS. YET MARTIN LUTHER KING. WAS THE LEADER OF WHAT HE CALLED HIS NON VIOLENT MOVEMENT.
WHAT DID HE MEAN WHEN HE SAID, “ONLY WHEN IT IS DARK ENOUGH CAN YOU SEE THE STARS?” HOW CAN WE USE HIS GREAT WORDS TODAY TO MAKE OUR LIVES EASIER TODAY? THIS IS WHAT I HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN FROM THAT GREAT LINE OF HIS. LIFE IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL THING. WE GO BY OUR DAILY LIVES WITHOUT EVEN CHERISHING THE THINGS THAT MAKE OUR LIVES SO INCREDIBLE. THEN ALL THE SUDDEN SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS AND WE GET ALL WOUND UP. WE FORGET WHO WE ARE. WE FORGET WHAT WE USE TO DO TO BE A SPECIAL PERSON. WE START TAKING EVERYTHING FOR GRANTED AND WE START ACTING LIKE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT PERSON ALTOGETHER. WE BLAME EVERYONE ELSE FOR OUR OWN MISTAKES. WE DON’T WANT TO FALL IN THIS STATE OF MIND, BUT LIFE IS HARD SOMETIMES. WE ALL KNOW THAT LIFE IS GOING TO THROW US A CURVE FROM TIME TO TIME. HOWEVER, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO HOW WE RESPOND TO THIS CHALLENGE THAT MAKES US THE BETTER PERSON.
IT IS SO EASY TO REACT TO A SITUATION THAT IS BAD. PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD REACT TO SITUATIONS DIFFERENTLY. YOU DON’T WANT TO GO THROUGH YOUR LIFE AS A REACTOR, YOU WANT TO GO THROUGH YOUR LIFE AS A RESPONDER. REACTIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BAD THINGS, RESPONDERS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH HEROES. A RESPONDER WILL LOOK AT A DIFFICULT SITUATION AND RISE TO THE OCCASION TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGE. A RESPONDER WILL LOOK FOR THE POSITIVES AND FOCUS ON A SOLUTION. A REACTOR WILL FOCUS ON THE NEGATIVES AND BLAME EVERYONE BUT THEMSELVES FOR THEIR FAILURES. THEY WILL SAY TO THEMSELVES, “WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?” A RESPONDER WILL SAY TO THEMSELVES, “WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE THIS SITUATION BETTER?” A RESPONDER WILL SAY, “WHAT CAN I DO TO ACHIEVE THE PERFECT OUTCOME TO THIS SITUATION?” “HOW CAN I GET THE RESULTS THAT I’M LOOKING FOR?” RESPONDERS KNOW THAT LIFE SOMETIMES PRESENTS ITSELF DISGUISED AS A HARDSHIP. WE ALSO KNOW LIFE IS NOT ALWAYS SERVED ON A SILVER PLATTER. LIFE IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL THING AND IT CAN EVEN LOOK BETTER TO SOMEONE WHO IS FOCUSED ON CONTROLLING THEIR THOUGHTS TO EMPOWER THEM TO ACHIEVE ANYTHING THEY BELIEVE. RESPONDER’S OUTLOOK ON LIFE IS FILLED WITH PASSION AND JOY BECAUSE THEY CHERISH EVERY MOMENT THEY SPEND WITH THEIR LOVED ONES. RESPONDERS ENJOY THE OUTCOMES THEY HAVE MANIFESTED FROM THEIR SUBCONSCIOUS MINDS. THEY CAN HAVE ALL THE OUTCOMES THEY DESIRE BECAUSE THEIR BELIEF SYSTEMS ARE SO SOLID. THEY LIVE EVERY MOMENT WITH PASSION BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE IN TOTAL CONTROL OF THEIR DESTINIES. RESPONDERS THINK TOTALLY DIFFERENT THEN THE REACTORS DO. THEY KNOW THAT GOOD THOUGHTS EQUAL GOOD FEELINGS AND THAT BAD THOUGHTS EQUAL BAD FEELINGS.
THE QUALITY OF PEOPLE’S LIVES WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE QUALITY OF THEIR COMMUNICATION WITH THEMSELVES AND BY THE QUALITY OF THEIR COMMUNICATION WITH OTHERS. WHEN THINGS START GOING WRONG AND YOU ARE NOT GETTING THE OUTCOMES YOU DESIRE, YOU MUST CHANGE YOUR APPROACH UNTIL YOU GET THE OUTCOME YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. WHEN YOU HAVE THE POWER AND CONTROL OVER YOUR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS, YOUR FUTURE WILL BE EXACTLY THE WAY YOU DESIRE IT TO BE. LIVE YOUR LIFE AS THE CREATOR OF YOUR FUTURE AND YOU WILL OVERCOME ANYTHING YOU DESIRE. DON’T FOCUS ON THE BAD THAT IS AROUND, FOCUS ON HOW YOU CAN MAKE THINGS BETTER. WHEN YOU FAIL AT SOMETHING IN LIFE, LEARN FROM IT. WIN OR LEARN THEIR IS NO FAILURE. STEPPING STONES OR STUMBLING BLOCKS, IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW YOU USE THEM. GO THROUGH YOUR LIFE WITH AN UNSTOPPABLE ATTITUDE OF GREATNESS. DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL, FAILURE IS JUST A CHANCE TO BEGIN AGAIN MORE INTELLIGENTLY. WHEN YOU LOOK AT FAILURE THIS WAY YOU WILL BE A BETTER PERSON BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES. IF YOU LOOK FOR THE POSITIVES IN EVERY SITUATION, INSTEAD OF THE NEGATIVES OF YOUR LIFE, EVERYTHING WILL BE SO MUCH BETTER. JUST REMEMBER THAT THEIR IS GOOD THAT CAN COME OUT OF EVERY BAD SITUATION, YOU JUST HAVE TO LOOK FOR IT.
LIVE YOUR LIFE AS IF YOU ARE COMMITTED TO CONSTANT AND NEVER ENDING IMPROVEMENT. WE ARE NOT HERE FOR A LONG TIME, SO NEVER FORGET TO TELL YOUR LOVED ONES HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THEM. NEVER FORGET TO GIVE THEM A SMILE AND A HUG BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR THE DAY. WE NEVER KNOW WHEN OUR LAST MOMENT IS COMING SO PLEASE CHERISH YOUR LOVED ONES LIKE IT IS YOUR LAST DAY ON EARTH. LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE FULLEST. SO THE NEXT TIME THERE IS A CHALLENGE IN YOUR LIFE, DON’T GET ALL WOUND UP AND BENT OUT OF SHAPE. RISE TO THE OCCASION AND RESPOND THE WAY A HERO WOULD. LOOK AT IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE YOURSELF BETTER. WHEN THINGS GET HARD, REACH DOWN DEEP INSIDE AND UTILIZE YOUR WISDOM TO OVERCOME THE ADVERSITY THAT IS IN FRONT OF YOU. REMEMBER WHAT THE GREAT MARTIN LUTHER KING SAID, “WE SHALL OVERCOME.”
HOOMAN HAMZEHLOUI 2008
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