For many years, I have often questioned if I deserve what I am given or why I am blessed with so many wonderful opportunities. In light of the recent passing of a childhood friend, I have been very pensive and introspective about life, its meaning and its purpose. With amazing life experiences, from growing up on the south-side of Chicago to dinners with billionaires to visiting the free-trade zone between Haiti and the Dominican Republic to attending a top-twenty University, I have not only seen extreme wealthy and poverty, but also, extreme sadness and happiness.
With so many eye-opening experiences of both, struggle and 'the good life,' I will no longer ask myself such a useless and worn-out question. I am walking my own path while picking up very useful tools along the way and for that reason, I am blessed. For that reason, I will now ask myself, "What positive things will I do with all these opportunities, how will I continue serving others and thus, helping myself and most importantly, HOW WILL I HELP CHANGE THE WORLD?"
Do you think Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, Maya Angelou, Hellen Keller, Winston Churchill, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and etc., just woke up one day with the power to change the world as teenagers, young adults and adults? Or do you think they began to ask the more important question, 'how can I help others with my passions? Teresa believed in Love, Ghandi believed in Peace and MLK believed in the Dream. Mandela once said, "there is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” Everyone believes in something amazing, whether YOU realize it or not. It is my hope and prayer that you continue to find and embrace your passions and purposes. Stop asking, 'why am I so blessed, why has my neighborhood become so bad and why does life oscillate so much,' and begin asking yourself the right questions, the questions that not only result in helping others, but also helping yourself.
Begin and continue using your passions to everyone's advantage. If you love painting, create pictures depicting the struggles of others. If you love children, begin volunteering at foster homes and after-school programs. If you love building cars, work to build more energy-efficient and nature-friendly vehicles. If you love something, embrace it! If you love something, use it! If you love something, say it! With the recent passing of yet another childhood friend, I have not only come to realize that life is very fragile, but that it is very important to be zest-ful. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, but today you can begin making a difference.
As for me, I plan on helping through movies, documentaries, food, photography, public speaking, mentoring and many other passions that will one day be discovered.
But enough about me, HOW WILL YOU HELP CHANGE THE WORLD?
Believe me, you have the power. Go forth.
One Life, You Decide™
