Martin Had a Dream. Rosa Had Sore Feet. What Compels You?
I linked a lovely tribute to MLK in yesterday’s blog post, but I like Marvin Gaye’s version even better. Of course, Dion’s original is the one I sing every year on this day.
To honor Dr. King, lift your voice, even if it is only in the car/shower and raise your heart in tribute to “Abraham, Martin and John.”
My favorite line in the song is, “Didn’t you love the things that they stood for. Didn’t they try to find some good for you and me.”
What moves me most about Dr. King, Lincoln, JFK and others, (I’d add, RFK, Paul Wellstone, Mitch Schneider, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu…even Oprah) is not that they fit some perfect model of virtue or selflessness. Let’s face it, they don’t.
What each of these humans have done is face their fears, raise their voices and to live their lives consciously.
Goodness knows, Rosa Parks didn’t plan to become an icon. She said,”In fact if I had let myself think too deeply about what might happen to me I might have gotten off the bus.”
Just think about the moments in your own life when you faced a fear (or simply ignored one) and lived fully in that moment.
People ask me why I walked across America. How could I give up 9 months of my life and comfort like that? (See more on that story here) Each time, I say the same thing I will bet most of the people who took that journey with me would say…and the same thing Dr. King might have said about why he devoted his life to freedom, and authenticity.
At the risk of very bad grammar, I couldn’t NOT do it.
Now, my personal commitment was nothing in comparison to the sacrifices Dr. King and so many other heroes of reason and wisdom have made. But I don’t think each of us needs to be a legend in order to make the world a better place.
You can do it, this minute, by simply adding to the sum total of human happiness.
Tell me. What does your Life Script, your mission, your potential, compel you to do?
If you don’t know what your mission is, email me and I’ll help you identify it. If you think you don’t have one, think again. You are living it, right now. Are you happy with that?
If not, try this quick tool to get started on learning what you mission really is:
Think of a virtue that is meaningful to you. Check this list of possibilities adapted from Virtue Science.
I’d add my personal favorite: compassionate intolerance.
Now, choose two that really resonate for you. Imagine that your name has been replaced with each virtue. For instance, I’d be perfectly happy to be named Honor, or Authenticity. (Frankly, I’m surprised some rock star mom hasn’t chosen that last one.)
Once you are comfortable with the virtue, endeavor to live it every day…even when the odds seem stacked against you…even when your dream seems more ‘pipe’ than achievable…even when your feet are sore. In this way, you will be living your mission, much like “Abraham, Martin and John.”
Tags: authenticity, heroes, honor, mission, MLK