Christopher D. Connors's Blog, page 41

Thank you, Leo! So true!

Thank you, Leo! So true!

Hurriya Burney Completely agree!

Hurriya Burney Completely agree! The thought that comes into it, at least for what I coach, comes in the form of a “Game Plan.” You need to know your values, passion and purpose to begin. Once you have done those things, defined success and set clear goals, I believe persistence becomes the most valuable asset any of us have. Great point. You need to understand why you’re doing, what you’re doing!

Absolutely a fantastic point, Alex.

Absolutely a fantastic point, Alex. It’s exactly why I focus heavily on purpose in my coaching. You need to understand why you’re doing, what you’re doing!

The Most Powerful Way to Get to Your Biggest Results

The Most Powerful Way to Achieve Your Biggest Results

“If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.”
 — Thomas J. Watson

The combination of vulnerability, acceptance and the will to change form the most powerful combination in helping you get your most powerful results.

Embracing your good and bad, becoming accepting and confident in your abilities, and where you’re not confident, becoming vulnerable and courageous enough to explore, will lead you to the life and career you’ve always wanted. We take enormous strives in our development when we become brave enough to ask others for help.

Find people better than you — who will make you better — and combine your desire to push yourself with the surrounding voices of people who demand your best. This is what competitive greatness on the individual-level is all about! This is where self-confidence emerges and faith blossoms.

Vulnerability opens the door to allowing others to help you.

This is such an important distinction, because in order to do truly great things, you need other people to elevate, educate and empathize with you — right where you are.

This can come in the form of hiring a leadership coach or meeting a networking contact, or even attending a local workshop where you find someone whose previously been in your shoes.

Acceptance is really a catch-call for accountability, acknowledgement and increased peace of mind that allows you to move forward with confidence and conviction. The evolution of life is omnipresent, and yet so often we reject the changing winds of existence because we simply don’t want to face what’s next.

There’s inertia in staying stuck where we are, yet we get too comfortable with a lack of progress. And for what? Is it a lack of thought, lack of action? The relationship is reciprocal, and the lack of results glaring. We get bothered by not bothering, and we become worried about our future by not worrying enough to change our present.

The problem with a lack of progress is that we don’t ever truly accept it, even though we live it. Staying stuck actually takes us backwards. How can we move forward onto bigger and better “nexts” when we keep beating ourselves up about our failures, mistakes and setbacks?

How can we get powerful, tangible results when we live in fear — with limiting beliefs about what is possible?

Acceptance means coming to peace with your past, all that has transpired, and all that has led you to the moment that you’re in. Acceptance means a willingness to embrace an action plan — a game plan — that is engineered to yield powerful outcomes because its foundation is in the results you desire.

This plan is applicable to any endeavor that you choose.

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” — Paulo Coelho

Want to be a digital marketer? You’ll get there more efficiently if you have a plan and process in mind for what you want to do.

Want to launch your own financial advising practice? To see it through to getting high net-worth clients that retain your services, you’ll need a plan that you back up with persistence and diligence.

The point is, great results are born from accepting yourself for who you are, right where you are at that point in time. When you do, you’re able to highlight your strengths, as well as the areas where you need to improve. Complementing this with vulnerability, you’re now very open-minded, humble and versatile enough to make your next move really count.

The will to change is best qualified by saying — the will to change your mindset into a powerful blend of positivity, faith, confidence and resolute force that becomes indestructible. This is all about your mindset and how you approach every hour of each day. You have to tackle the tasks in front of you with a dedicated belief, commitment and purpose.

That is how you begin to get the biggest results of your life. If you find yourself right now thinking, “I know I’ve been successful — but I don’t always feel successful on most days. I know something bigger and better is out there, but I just keep kicking the tires on HOW to get there…”

Then rest assured, you’ve joined the club of millions. The truth is, I was there myself once, too. And I fought to reclaim the life I wanted to live on my terms. I’m proud to say that I’ve lived it and done it and now I help others live their dreams on their terms. It’s not such a crazy idea, really. You can, too. The key is to convince yourself that you can, even when you don’t immediately see the rewards of your hard work.

Just know, most everyone builds in the name of achieving results. The problem is that they often miss the forest for the trees by not really having a plan. You have to have a plan. That starts with reigniting your passion and recognizing the key ingredients that you need to set the foundation for your biggest and boldest results.

Don’t get angry, frustrated or upset.

Begin today and re-imagine the world you’ve always known you can create.

The Most Powerful Way to Get to Your Biggest Results was originally published in Startup Grind on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Best Lesson You’ll Ever Learn in Your Career

“Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.” — Colin Powell

Too much of anything is bad… right?

Seems that way.

But, then I think about the best lesson I’ve learned in all of business and relationships. It’s this:

There’s no such thing as being too persistent.

Be persistent!

The people that get ahead, find their calling and love what they do all share the common bond of persistence that leads to bold opportunities and rewarding relationships.

Worried about being too pushy? Think you’re “crossing the line?”

You’ll know. But also know this — you can’t live in fear. You can’t get caught up playing the game inside your head of worrying what others might think of you. Sure, it’s wise to be concerned about your reputation. And reputation does matter.

But focus instead on your character. This is something you really have control over. Do things in the name of virtue, for the benefit of others AND yourself, and do so with faith, optimism and joy in your heart. One thing I constantly tell high-achieving coaching clients is this:

Act with noble intentions when you’re persistent and always look to create mutually beneficial relationships that add value.

This requires thought! This requires imagination and devotion. This requires you to think outside the box in a binary fashion for your own best interest, as well as the best interest of the person you are looking to help. I recommend that you try these things.

3 techniques to build powerful, mutually beneficial relationships:Take up the other person’s position. Great chance is — what you want most for yourself, the other person always wants for herself. Think about it — you may want new clients, or a new lead for a job opportunity, or perhaps you want to meet a mentor or someone that you really admire. When you come into that meeting with clear expectations and defined success for what you want, flip it on its head and ask yourself — what does that person want?

You can then work around the result that will give that person satisfaction. Maybe you share an article with that person that has really resonated with you. Or you connect them to someone in your network that can help them grow their business. Always think of opportunity and you will always benefit.

2. Listen with deep presence and attention. There’s a remarkable power in listening with intent and concern for what someone else has to say. They come to appreciate you more. You end up processing valuable information more clearly. As Dr. Stephen Covey once said, “It’s a win-win.”

Dr. Guy Itzchakov and Avraham N. (Avi) Kluger write in Harvard Business Review:

“Listening resembles a muscle. It requires training, persistence, effort, and most importantly, the intention to become a good listener. It requires clearing your mind from internal and external noise — and if this isn’t possible, postponing a conversation for when you can truly listen without being distracted.”

3. Show don’t tell. What do I mean by that? This is one of the oldest adages in editing, and it’s applicable to all of our lives when it comes to building relationships and operating with persistence. Show someone the value that you bring to the discussion by demonstrating to them during the conversation — or immediately after how you want to help them. Here’s an example:

Someone may tell you that their business is having difficult attracting new customers because they don’t have a great branding strategy. If this ties in to your interest, you can do some market research and put together some great ideas and a plan to help them get customers to convert and buy their product. Give it away for free, and in doing so you will gain a great friend and potential business partner for life.

Be Persistent

Think creatively and offer value in return for when you ask someone else to give you value. Being persistent means consistently going after what you want. In order to do that, we have to build relationships. We need help on our journey. And fortunately, there are loads of great people all over the world who are willing to help you.

If you can’t offer anything in return, be willing to say a sincere, heartfelt, Thank You, and always be mindful that one day you can return the favor. Persistence- the will to keep going, to continue creating opportunities for yourself, building relationships and outworking everyone to achieve the results you want is your greatest asset.

You have 100% operating control over how persistent you are. Cast your worries and fears to the side and keep going when you believe in yourself and your dreams. You will attain the exact success that you want when you get specific and pursue it with vigor, efficiency and persistence.

Don’t worry about being too persistent. Maybe, ask yourself, am I being persistent enough?

It will make all the difference.

Build Powerful Relationships

S end me a message and let me know how I can help you take the next big step in your career that will lead to powerful results.

This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +421,678 people.Subscribe to receive our top stories here.

The Best Lesson You’ll Ever Learn in Your Career was originally published in The Startup on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Super Bowl Coach Bill Belichick’s 3 Most Important Stories of Winning

Bill Belichick, the man now synonymous with winning as much as any coach in American sports history, wasn’t always such a winner. He wasn’t handed a head coaching job overnight. It took him nearly to the age of 40 before someone entrusted a pro football team to his leadership. Then?

He eventually was fired several years later. But that’s surely not how we know him today.

Rather, we know Bill Belichick as one of the greatest coaches in the history of professional sports. The ultimate team sports coach who gets every ounce out of his players, leading them to victory after victory, getting them to believe in the process and to work together.

Bill Belichick’s story is most compelling for the reason that we should never let one failure, especially in our first “dream job”, ever define us. Because there’s a lot more of the story to be written.

But I’ve come to realize in learning more about the man that there are so many awesome lessons about his winning, losing and modifications to his approach that have kept him on top for so long. In David Halberstam’s brilliant book, The Education of a Coach, we gain keen insight into Belichick’s thoughts, experiences and approach that have made him a winner.

“He understood that the key to success, the secret to it, was the mastery of the grunt work, all the little details… the little things were not little things, because it was the accumulation of little things that made big things happen.” — David Halberstam, The Education of a Coach

Bill Belichick is a football coaching genius. It’s debatable whether he was born with this gift or not. What’s inarguable is his desire, work ethic, attitude and commitment to excellence. He figured out from his lessons as an assistant coach what it took to take players to fit a system that worked out to the ultimate advantage of his team. The name of the game is winning, and Belichick is obsessed with winning.

I’ve put together four inspiring lessons from the man that we can all take and incorporate into our lives. Enjoy the Super Bowl tonight! Enjoy your grind for becoming who you want to be, and learn that winning is born from hard work, perseverance and yes — losing.

1. Winning is a culture, a system and a process that must always be refined and evaluated

Early on in his career, Belichick put together a plan on how to scout players, evaluate them and determine whether they would fit well within his system. He mastered this, passing down the wisdom to every part of his organization. Everything is done in the name of winning, which is all any great competitor should ever aim to do.

“His philosophy from the beginning was ‘No stone left unturned’ and ‘No envelope unpushed in order to win.’ And the result of that was you worked to exhaustion. But he never asked you to do anything he wasn’t doing.” — Rick Venturi

He obsessed over all the small details, and looked at his head coaching job from a 360° view. It wasn’t just about the preparation for games and practices. It was about all the preparation ALL YEAR LONG in drafting players, evaluating players, motivating them, getting them to play in his system and building a culture of winning where from the top-down to the bottom-up,winning was an obsession.

If you’re aiming to start your own business, build your writing career or pick up that side hobby that will lead to your personal freedom, know that your game plan for winning should focus on an all-encompassing view. There are so many things that involve “winning” and being successful. It’s not just the “doing”, it’s the things like relationship-building, marketing, advertising and continuous learning and improving that make you a winner.

2. Losing is your best friend

The best part about Belichick as a winner is that he learned from losing what wouldn’t work, and he improved mentally as a coach to understand how to be better next time. His evolution as a coach came from the losses, the bumps he took in Cleveland as a first-time head coach. They’ve also come from his big losses in New England, which have been few and far between.

That said, it’s noteworthy to point out that he is aiming to avenge his loss in last year’s Super Bowl tonight against the Los Angeles Rams.

Losing will humble anyone, even the greatest winners of all time. What defines winners are the lessons they learn from losing. It’s said that after losing to the Giants and in Super Bowl XLII, Belichick apologized to his team for a lack of preparation and for being unable to finish off an undefeated season. The loss motivated him to come back and win again.

Some people go their whole lives thinking that losing is like a curse — that we should always avoid it at all costs and treat it like the plague when it happens.But the greatest winners know that losing is what propels, inspires and leads us to keep going and to win the next time. If your’e willing to put in the time after losses, failures, adversity and mistakes, you’ll learn one of life’s greatest nuggets of wisdom: Adversity and losing is your best friend.

Think of some of your greatest triumphs and low points. What did those losses or mistakes teach you? You probably hated them at the time, but if you were willing to put in the focus to learn how to improve, didn’t they lead to bold, powerful growth moments? If they haven’t already, I promise you they will.

3. Become obsessed with your passion and fuse it with your natural talents. Then, become the best you can be

Bill Belichick is where he is today because he is absolutely infatuated, obsessed and enthralled with the game of football. Football is his life. Within football, he satisfied his competitive desire to win, motivate, inspire and get people to work together for a common goal: winning. Everything ties back to his competitive greatness, obsession with his passion and his desire to solve problems and develop schemes that will lead to victory.

The man is a master tactician. In order to become an expert or master of what you do, you need to make a considerable investment of time and effort. You learn from experience, surely, but you also learn tremendously during the “down time” of when you’re not actively competing for what it is that you do.

Think about what it is that you love to do. When you’re able to build the time into your schedule, become obsessed with your passion. I highly recommend that it’s a passion that melds naturally with your talents. Go “All In.” Watch what happens. And let me know if I can help you on your journey.

You are a Winner. Keep Going. This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +419,678 people.Subscribe to receive our top stories here.

Super Bowl Coach Bill Belichick’s 3 Most Important Stories of Winning was originally published in The Startup on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The 3 Powerful Steps to Develop Your Daily Inspirational Routine

“You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That’s the only thing you should be trying to control.” — Elizabeth Gilbert

The winter solstice recently passed and now, we find ourselves deep in the peak of shortened days, cold weather and lots of time inside with family and relatives. The lack of sun can really damper our moods and take away some of our energy. If we let it. Winter can make it challenging to find inspiration at times. But the days of less sunlight can also lead to great opportunities for solitude, reflection and contemplation.

While it may be tough to feel as inspired, I find that wintertime often is great for planning and refocusing our priorities. Some of my best ideas, as well as my most productive planning and actions have taken place at this time of the year. In fact, the majority of the writing that I did for my first book, The Value of You, occurred during the wintertime last year. It was a special time I’ll never forget.

Following the holidays, there are less distractions. And as a result, there are more reasons to find things that inspire and light the fire inside of our hearts.

In this vein, I urge you to develop an inspirational routine each morning. It may come through the power of meditation, prayer, genuine heartfelt interaction with those that you love or from your favorite song. It could be a video that plays back the piano recital you played to perfection that brought the house down.

It may be the words of this article or a book you find so profound and hold in such high esteem, you get the chills before opening the pages.

Develop your routine. I’ll show you what works for me and how you can integrate this into your life.

Here’s How to Develop Your Routine

“Great are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force — that thoughts rule the world.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Make your routine an every day thing. As I’ve climbed the mountain of productivity this year, I realize that I never want to come down. The ascension — the journey — has been a magical ride and it reassures me that all of my progress toward self-actualization, as well as greater harmony and rhythm in living the life of my destiny has been worth the pain and occasional doubts.

Dedicate 10 minutes of contemplation time, ideally, at the beginning of each day. This sets the tone for your day and gets you feeling inspired. All you need are 10 minutes of deep, powerful thinking without distraction and with a beginner’s mind.Use this time alone in solitude, in a quiet place. Focus your thoughts on positive, stimulative thoughts such as: romantic love, sexual love for a partner, girlfriend/boyfriend, wife or husband. Also, music, friendship and envisioning yourself attaining success or fame. There’s tremendous power that comes through dreaming and seeing yourself standing “in the winner’s circle.”Get these positive thoughts going and keep them going. Write down these thoughts that come to mind. Keep referring back to them throughout your work day or school day. Think of them when you’re out in the social world, during moments of difficulty or times of joy. Look at them again before you go to bed at night and reset your mind. Then rest and get read for the new day with excitement, anticipation and a clear mind for fresh, new thoughts.

What has become truer for me by the day is the concept that we control our own destiny through the power of our thoughts. We emotionalize our ideas with the power of love, faith and hope. We take these thoughts and envision ourselves doing what we desire. And we put it into plan and take the action that we’ve dreamed of. It really is that simple. Do this and you will never be denied.

There is no shame in any idea, as long as you believe in it and feel it will add value to your life and the lives of others. Don’t concern yourself with the ingenuity of your idea. Your race, your cause is the one that speaks to the desires and dreams of your heart. That’s what makes you unique and special.

I’ve got a long way to go. Chances are, so do you. The way to cultivate and build momentum — which you can then transform into empowered thought and constructive action is through inspiration — the power of “fire” that lifts your spirit and brings you unbridled enthusiasm. Be inspired everyday.

A Story To Tell

Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought. — Napoleon Hill

This is a story I know well. It’s the story of my best friend, my brother, Kevin. These days my brother is seen on national television five nights each week on ESPN. He’s a broadcast journalist and celebrity in his own right. Everything he has can be attributed to his natural talents, perseverance, desire and faith in himself.

Kevin worked hard until he reached the pinnacle of his profession. He reached the top because he envisioned himself reaching the top. He dreamed big and thought prodigious, stimulative thoughts. He had the mindset of a winner. But keep in mind, Kevin’s success did not come overnight.

Kevin knew when he was in 8th grade what he wanted to do with his life. He started announcing sports scores over the intercom at our middle school. He did the same thing while in high school. Kevin used his basketball-playing ability to earn an athletic scholarship at the college level, where he attended a school with one of the top Radio & TV programs in the United States.

After graduation, he embarked on what is now over a 20-year career in sports broadcasting. He busted his tail for nine long years at a regional television station making meager money. There were moments of doubt, frustration and at times, loneliness. Kevin dreamed of being on national television or working in a big market. But it seemed so far away.

He concentrated on getting better each day. He surrounded himself with inspiring thoughts, stories and images of fellow broadcasters who made the big time, as well powerful stories of athletes. He kept going. Kept believing.

Finally, his big break came in 2006 when he accepted a job with WCBS radio in New York. Less than one year later, he was working on television for WCBS-TV. And in 2008, he reached the big time: he was hired by ESPN. 11 years after graduating college, with a few lean years in between where he thought about quitting or changing professions, Kevin received an offer to work at the worldwide leader of sports.

Your Journey

Chances are, you will not find success or personal fulfillment in your first job. Few people are blessed with both the talent and foresight to know precisely what they want to do with their lives right after college. Even less people know and possess this ability at a young age. My brother, Kevin, is one of those precious few lads who did know.

We all have unique stories to share with the world. Where are you on your journey? Are you going through the doldrums of doubt and fear? Do you see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel — the end-vision of your goal? And if you do, are you running into road blocks of creativity? What are your mental challenges? What are your emotional battles?

Perhaps your path is as open as the Pacific Coast Highway at sunset in Laguna Beach. Maybe it’s a Midtown Manhattan traffic jam. It’s all a state of mind. We need inspiration to help us create the beautiful landscapes of limitless possibility in our mind that serve as the foundation for our magical journeys.

You are the creator of your world. When you are safe in the knowledge that you control your worldly destiny, nothing will ever stop you. Those with a winning mindset are never denied. They inspire themselves to achieve great things.

Be inspired. Enjoy this winter season and take some time for yourself to develop a routine that positions you for fulfillment and productivity. As St.Francis of Asisi once wrote, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

This is Your Time

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This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +418,678 people.Subscribe to receive our top stories here.

The 3 Powerful Steps to Develop Your Daily Inspirational Routine was originally published in The Startup on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Do This Simple Activity and You Will Forever Change Your Life

“Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.” ― Anne Sweeney

To best position yourself for a life of happiness and success on your terms, it is vital to have a philosophy around what you hope to be, and what you intend to accomplish.

Some people call this a creed. I call it, Establishing Yourself. This is written documentation that establishes three things:

1) Your Purpose
2) Your Direction
3) The substance of things that matter to you

Your purpose — or your raison d’être — is the reason why you’re doing what you’re doing with your life. I encourage you to look at this from a blank slate in order to get to the brass-tacks truth of what you really want your mission to be in life. This should be organic and developed only by you — free and unfettered from any influences or emotions of the moment.

Your direction is the process— and the actions you must take in order to fulfill the requirements of your plan. Too often, people doubt themselves because they don’t think they’re ready to begin moving in the direction of what they want to accomplish. They think it’s not their time, they’re lacking in a particular area or they’re too young — they’re hindered by limiting beliefs which beget doubt and fear.

Oftentimes, it simply makes sense to begin even with very tiny steps toward completing tasks and goals that match up with your purpose. This is where writing out your goals and putting them into a plan comes in. This is your direction — the compass that will guide you when life gets in the way, you’re too busy, too tired or hungry. Planning is essential.

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” — Maya Angelou

The substance of things that matter to you are part and parcel of your purpose, and should be incorporated, as much as possible, into what you do each day. These are the core values, ideals, principles, people and also the things that bring enthusiasm and passion to your life. Beliefs or activities that get you exciting and mean something to you.

In other words — as Bono once sang, “all that you can’t leave behind.”

The Power of Planning

Successful businesses, schools, hospitals, sports teams and individuals begin by stating their goals and addressing how they intend to achieve them. These collective individuals understand the importance of accountability, and the power behind committing to a specific philosophy. They understand their purpose, what dedicating time and effort to a cause means and what taking ownership over something is all about.

Equally as important as writing a creed, is to define — for yourself — what your definition of success is. Never let anyone else define success for you. You should always take the time to do this for yourself. In a competitive landscape, it’s easy to be concerned with how others are doing. To stress and worry about such things is natural. It’s human.

When you have established yourself, you’ll realize the power behind deciding for yourself how successful you can and will be. Your definition of success serves as the foundation for all future attempts at becoming who you hope to be. Several years ago, I wrote mine. Here it is:

To live each moment to the fullest by having a positive attitude, a smile and a genuine enjoyment for life, while giving everything I have to love the people and environment around me and make it a better place.

You’ll notice that this is indeed a philosophy, a high-level view of how I’d like to conduct myself in this world, and a few of the actions I’d like to take. This is not a series of marching orders or specific goals intended for a short duration. Your philosophy is strategic, while short-term goal setting is tactical.

Setting goals helps you focus on specific things you aim to accomplish and how you plan to accomplish them. The creed is crucial for establishing the things that matter to you. This leads to the development of your own personal values and principles.

“Outstanding people have one thing in common: An absolute sense of mission.” — Zig Ziglar

There have likely been millions of thought impulses that have flashed through your mind during the course of your life. Even for those of you in your teen years. These thought impulses are acted upon, left in the recesses of your subconscious mind or ignored. Your thoughts lead to your life’s experiences and those experiences are often shared in the company of others.

All of these things have an enormous impact on how you make decisions. Your decisions will impact your course in life and whether you will find yourself happy, ambivalent or disappointed.

When I think back to putting together my philosophy, I reminisce about past relationships, experiences, thought impulses and emotions. I think of the times when I’ve been happiest, times I’ve been down, moments of peace and distress, and the times I’ve found my greatest inspiration. My inspiration is derived from my core philosophy.

“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” — Mahatma Gandhi

My motivation comes from the “fire” inside of me, the indescribable power that fuels my dreams and inner creativity. I acknowledge this “fire” as a gift that God has given me. A beautiful, divine power that I believe all of us can tap into if we have the desire and we believe.

This power will lead us to personal freedom, greater clarity of thought, vitality and energy to bring into our everyday lives. All this requires is a willingness to believe in yourself, and the desire to get to the core of what fuels your inner fire. Introspection and deep, personal reflection are key to living a life of freedom.

They help us to analyze our experiences and thoughts, and determine how we can use them to our future advantage. They provide us with a greater sense of direction and purpose. Once you have established yourself, you will be more confident, stronger in your convictions and you’ll have greater passion for living. You will begin living your future destiny.

Make 2019 Your BEST Year!

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This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +415,678 people.Subscribe to receive our top stories here.

Do This Simple Activity and You Will Forever Change Your Life was originally published in The Startup on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Always Move Forward — The Genius of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Always Move Forward — The Genius of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I felt this time and moment deserved a story of bravery, vision and hope like few the world has ever seen. Our country and our world right now need hope. We need brotherhood and an active will from all of us to come together in peace. We also need solutions. The man I have chosen to write about today was the living embodiment, in word and action, of these things.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the epitome of success. No, not the financial kind. The kind that actually matters: touching the lives of others in a positive, enriching way. Through his message of peace and love, Dr. King changed this country and the world. His voice and legacy will live on forever, though its importance right now, at this moment in history, is critical.

A Purpose-Driven Life

Martin Luther King Jr. lived his life with purpose — purpose as true and beautiful as any this world has ever witnessed. He believed passionately in his dream, achieving the goal of uniting this country and busting down the barriers of racial hatred. King advocated that we come together for open, honest dialogue and communication.

His tactics were rooted in the overarching vision of everything this country was founded on and stands for: Freedom.

What defined Martin Luther King was his vision, his willingness to think big — bigger than perhaps anyone who had come before him. The reason he achieved his dream of equality and civil rights for all was due to nonviolent, peaceful engagement that resonated with people of all color.

Violence, hate, crime and evil will never, ever win out. King understood that better than anyone. He knew that we — the majority of humans — are not wired that way. Human civilization has overcome atrocities of large-scale because people have chosen to come together for a common good. It’s not just a comic book story that good will always defeat evil.

Good will triumph because the overwhelming majority of us want to live in peace, harmony and love.

The Golden Rule, often ascribed to the teachings of Jesus Christ- who Dr. King believed in and whose teachings he adhered to- predated the time of Jesus. The Golden Rule is a principle that all of us should observe and aspire to. It’s the law of common sense and respect.

Everybody Can Be Great

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

While it’s helpful for us to express our emotions and share our thoughts, stories and experiences, emotion can often be our biggest enemy in times like these. We react to incidents without knowing all of the facts. Many of us rely upon preconceived notions, revert to anger or buy into what the media is feeding us. Slowly, this is tearing us apart.

My dream is to inspire others with a positive message of love, faith, hope and peace. I aim to offer solutions. I hope to inspire the type of change and good that Martin Luther King Jr. made his life’s work. The work he ended up dying for. All of us should aspire to this. In order to do it, we must always be moving forward in thought and action.

“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

The fact is, the world desperately needs solutions, not anger, fear or despair. The reason we look up to Dr. King with such admiration is because the man was the living embodiment driving peaceful, powerful action that was rooted in love. He was an idea-man who was brilliant at building relationships. He was courageous, determined and resilient.

Dr. King imagined a future that people literally didn’t think was possible because it seemed impossible due to racism and historical precedent. He shattered the mold because he refused to subscribe to conventional thinking. He believed that the power of the human spirit and goodwill could overcome any opposition.

He was right.

A Bold Life of Action

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

Martin Luther King was willing to risk his life for what he believed in because he recognized that injustice and inequality were the antithesis of freedom. His faith fueled his incomparable belief in the noble cause of equality for all. He summoned his inner-strength to apply maximum effort, rising up each day to live out his dream.

King’s success required the help of others, which was easy due to the nature of how he conveyed his dream- his peaceful message for all.

The quote at the beginning of this section represents a few of the most powerful words I’ve ever read. Boiled down, “keep moving forward” serves, in a broad stroke, as so much of what Dr. King’s legacy was all about. Everything he did was about moving forward. Moving race relations forward. Leaving the terrible, vicious past of racism and slavery behind.

Forging a future for African-Americans that was rooted in equality, love, peace and opportunity. Forward, forward, forward. In thought and action.

What separated Dr. King from those who came before him, and anyone who has come after him, was his ability to use passion to energize his dream but, not to let it detract from his ability to stay focused and continue forging ahead. Dr. King knew that in order to achieve equality and civil rights for African-Americans and all Americans, he needed to be courageous and operate with a level head.

Positive attitude, equanimity and empathy were King’s most powerful weapons for fighting to achieve equal rights for people who never had them. King followed through on what he said he would do, making him a man of his word and a hero to billions of people all over the world.

If we can learn to care about each other again, with empathy and kindness in our hearts, we will live a purpose-driven life, just like Martin Luther King. Let’s embrace these times that we live in and use them to make ourselves better. Reach out — extend your hand and pull someone else up. Help that person move forward in their life.

And like Dr. King, move forward yourself toward new opportunity — a bold, new world filled with faith, hope and love.

Let me know what you think! Find me here.

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Always Move Forward — The Genius of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was originally published in The Startup on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

This is outstanding, Bere! Thank you for this piece. Especially loved this line:

This is outstanding, Bere! Thank you for this piece. Especially loved this line:

“Deeply imprinted into our collective consciousness is thus the belief that being who we really are directly threatens our safety.”

Crazy, yet true thought. Thank you!