Inspiraelevation

Getting on in the world is difficult for a lot of people. The fact that life is not easy comes as no surprise to those of us who have lived for some time.

A few days ago a wrote an article about a call to action, a call to stand up and do something. In that article I did not address the loneliness or isolation that can come with taking a stand.

The truth is that taking a stand may very well earn you a lot of enemies. People who you thought were your friends may isolate you.

It will hurt.

It will be painful.

It will be hard.

One of the most important lessons that you will ever learn in life is that not everyone is going to like you, and that’s okay.

Not everyone is going to appreciate your efforts, who you are, or what you do. Not everyone is going to care like you do.

So, I want to encourage you.

I want you to know that there are people out there who do appreciate what you do. There are people out there who will stand with you.

Don’t let those who don’t stand with you stop you from standing. Don’t let them stop you from being the person that you are. The world needs you.

As Martin Luther King eloquently penned in his Birmingham Letter, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.”

https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

In your stand, even if you find that people have turned from ;you, try to find within you the strength to keep on keeping on.

We have entered a time and space of awakening or uncovering. Our footsteps are heavier, our whispers are magnified, a light is being shined in places that were once cast in shadow. People are being unmasked to reveal who they truly are. There is nothing that is done that can be hidden.

At the same time we are all being called to action. We are called upon to make a stand; to take a side. We are called on to demonstrate what it is we believe, the strength of our resolve, our mettle. Your voice, your actions, and your inaction are all significant, because even your silence is speaking volumes, sometimes speaking louder than words.

. We all must do something.

We all must do our part.

Now is the time to shape the world and mold it into what we want it to be.

John F. Kennedy said it best in a 1963 commencement address he made to American University.

“We shall also do our part to build a world of peace where the weak are safe and the strong are just. We are not helpless before that task or hopeless of its success. Confident and unafraid, we must labor on–not towards a strategy of annihilation but towards a strategy of peace. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it is unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief.  We need not accept that view. Our problems are man-made; therefore, they can be solved by man. “

We must do what is in our power to do from our sphere of influence. There are no small efforts.

Works Cited

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Commencement Address at American

University, Washington D.C., June 10, 1963. Web.

https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/american-university-19630610

Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his first inaugural address once uttered one of the most moving phrases in history. As he stood accepting his role as newly appointed president of the United States he said,  “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

No truer words have ever been spoken.

Fear can be a great paralyzer, for even when there is nothing to be really afraid of just the thought of the worst case scenario coming true is enough to stop you dead in your tracks.

It is always the What if?

9 times out of 10 the worst case scenario never happens. The fear is always bigger than the actual outcome.

You will not know this until you take action.

I cannot tell you how many times I have feared something, refused to act, and as a result missed out.

But I can also tell you of the times when I pushed forward despite the fear and realized that my perception was way over exaggerated. As a result of pushing forward, I received a massive benefit

Roosevelt went on to say in his speech, “These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.”

This is so relevant in our times.

So I say in encouragement to you. Don’t let fear keep you from getting all the things you deserve.

Yes, things don’t always workout.

More times than not they do, but you will never know until you try.

Works Cited:

History Matters. “Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”: FDR’s First Inaugural Address.

Web. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5057/%20.

Ask for help

As humans, we sometimes think that we have all the answers.

Often one of the hardest things to do is to ask for help.

In hindsight it always seems so easy. It is oh so easy to judge others who don’t ask for help when they so desperately need it.

Realistically it can be difficult to ask for help. We never really know until we have had the shoe on the other foot. I know from first-hand experience because I have worn that shoe.

Some typical reasons for this behavior is shame, ego, or a proud spirit.

Ego and a proud spirit go hand in hand. With this type of thinking one puts one’s self-importance above everything. Much of their self-worth is wrapped in what people think of them

For those people asking for help seems to crush their spirit or sense of value. They have an unrealistic view of themselves. They fear that letting others know they need help will make them seem lesser.

We are all in this thing called life together. We all need help sometimes.

There are others whose mistakes or misfortunes bring about a cloak of shame.

To ask for help will expose their vulnerabilities and unmask them, leaving the world seeing a side that they are not proud of . When it comes to needing help there should be no shame.

These all pose obstacles to seeking the help truly needed, when we truly need it, and it can be damaging.

One’s health and well-being often requires seeking help when it is most needed.

I want to motivate you to make a promise to yourself. Promise that when you most need it that you will seek help.