If MLK Jr. Can do it, Why Can't You?

So I was going to post today’s blog on Tuesday because I knew no one would be thinking about school on a Monday off. However, as I began to write this entry, which I already planned last week to be about the power of one, it hit me – today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s a perfect day to post on this topic.  

Now I’m no history buff so I’m not going to embarrass myself by trying to give you a bunch of historical examples, but I know, just as we all know, that Martin Luther King Jr. was one man who created long over-due freedoms, broke thick barriers, and led a nation towards ideals that most at the time probably thought would never come to fruition.

What seemingly impossible problems have you seen in your life or in this world that you wish you could make better for someone else?

What is something small you could start doing today to make an impact on that problem?

So, what are you waiting for? What excuses are going through your head right now? I bet I can guess a few:

-      It’s too big for me

-      It’s out of my control

-      I don’t have the time

-      I’m not smart enough

-      I’m not a great leader

I’m sure all great leaders struggle with those uncertainties at first. But it’s the choices you make despite the fear and doubt that make the difference.

What would have happened if Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t make those choices to act, to speak, to advocate?  You may think someone else might have done it.  But would they have? We’ll never know. What we do know, however is that he did make an incredible impact in our world because he made choices to make an impact where he saw and experienced a problem. What excuse do you have?

Only you have lived your life. Only you have seen the problems you’ve seen. Only you have the ideas in your head.  Use them.  Realize that you can do bigger things in this world. You do not have to settle for getting some basic degree that slides you into some boring job. In fact, if that’s all you’re going for, no wonder you’re so unmotivated in college. I would be too.

Start noticing the problems that you see every day in your world and in your life. It doesn’t have to be global or even national. It can be in your family. Your school. Your community. The more personal, the better. The more passionate you are, the better.

And doing something big doesn’t mean it has to look big to anyone else. It just has to be big to you.

For me, I always felt the non-traditional, community college student’s potential and worth was not always understood or talked about. And I had many excuses about why I couldn’t really help. And then I just started ignoring those fears and started a blog anyway. And now here you are. This is happening right now because I just went for it.  I had the power to make this connection between us. But let me tell you, it took me a long time to realize I had any power at all. 

So I’m telling you today, you have power. You have so much power to do things you may think are impossible now. But you’ll never know that power until you use it.

So challenge #2 is for you to open up a word document and at the top type out a problem that you see in the world or in your life that means something to you. And then just start writing all of the things you know you could do in the next week to start creating a solution to that problem.  And then, the biggest challenge is to actually pick one and do it.

And another bonus challenge for only the truly dedicated, e-mail your problem and solutions list to isa@communitycollegesuccess.com. I’d love to see what kinds of amazing things you guys are going to do.

 Signing of on today’s MLK Jr. Monday Morning Motivation,

Isa