Today we
celebrate and recognize the life and achievement of Martin Luther King Jr. MLK
as they say was an American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the
African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the
advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his
Christian beliefs.
We can learn
many powerful lessons from the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
1. Dare To
Dream
Martin Luther
King Jr. had a dream, and he declared his dream to the world.
He believed in
his dream and passionately worked on it to bring it to reality, even though he
did not live long enough to witness the full realization of it.
He showed the
world to dream big when he declared:
“I have a dream
that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little
white boys and girls.” – MLK
Even though the
dream was not realized in his lifetime, it was realized in ours.
No matter where
you are on the journey, believe in your dreams.
Your dreams are
valid, no matter how big they are.
Believe in
yourself, believe in your dreams, and work hard to make those dreams come true.
You can do it,
so go for it!
2. Love People
Martin Luther
King Jr. believed in the power of love.
He taught
people around him to love.
Love wins
always.
He believed
that hating people is stooping low and no one should ever fall prey to hate.
“Let no man
pull you so low as to hate him.” – MLK
When you return
hate for hate, no one wins.
3. Persevere
They
incarcerated him on different occasions, which never deterred him from fighting
for human rights.
He showed that
the fact that you are going through a difficult time does not signal a great
time to quit.
Never quit.
Just keep moving forward.
“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.” – MLK
4. Invest In
Yourself
He believed in
empowering the human mind through education.
He described
ignorance as a dangerous thing.
“Nothing in the
world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” –
MLK
While he
encouraged education, he also believed the lack of education is not an excuse
not to serve.
5. Serve People
If anyone ever
exemplified a life of service, Martin Luther King Jr. did.
He believes
serving others is the epitome of greatness:
“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.” – MLK
6. Forgive
Be quick to
forgive.
Never allow
hatred to develop in your heart for anyone.
Preventing
hatred starts by learning to forgive quickly.
“Forgiveness is
not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.” – MLK
7. Stand Up For
Justice
“Our lives
begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – MLK.
His stance for
justice was obvious.
He discouraged
keeping quiet in the face of injustice and standing up for what is right.
8. Have Faith
Martin Luther
King Jr. was a man of great faith who delighted in doing God’s will.
“I just want to
do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go to the mountain. And I’ve looked over,
and I’ve seen the Promised Land! I may not get there with you, but I want you
to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land.”- MLK
Throughout his
life, his faith in God was obvious in his thoughts, actions, and speech.
9. Step out of
Your Comfort Zone
“The ultimate
measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience,
but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – MLK
Successfully
pursuing the dream in your heart may involve stepping out of your comfort zone.
10. All Things
Are Possible
MLK inspired
greatness in people.
He showed us
that the human spirit has so much power to accomplish whatever we set our
hearts to do.
For him,
“impossible” was not an acceptable word.
He dreamed of a
future where segregation would be history and everyone would be treated equally
regardless of skin color.
He was not only
a genuine leader; he was a great leader.
He did not
search for consensus but molded consensus.
Martin Luther
King Jr. changed the course of the human race.
King's
impressive command of the above leadership lessons led to truly historic success.
They hold powerful lessons for all leaders, and underscore the courage and
persistence needed to change the world. Leaders who want to change minds and
overcome deeply entrenched prejudices, biases, and misguided values need to
master the eight lessons profiled above and illustrated through Dr King's words
and deeds.
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