Recently, we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. day. Every year, it reminds us to think about the great man’s life, and the valuable lessons he left for generations to come. Here are three of the biggest lessons from Martin Luther King Jr. that I believe every man should hold deep in his heart.
Lesson #1: Have Faith in Yourself
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: “Number one on your life’s blueprint should be a deep belief in your dignity, in your worth, and your sense of somebody-ness.”
Today, we men are bombarded by conflicting information, social expectations, and criticism. As a result, it’s easy to end up with a lot of self-doubt, which then leads to timidity and weakness.
This statement from MLK Jr. has always reminded me to constantly, unwaveringly battle my self-doubt. I stopped getting my validation from external sources, and started getting it from the results I got in life.
But how can you be sure you’re not deluding yourself into a false sense of security?
Dr. King had an answer for that, too:
Lesson #2: Have Principles and Stick to Them
Once, after MLK Jr. openly took a position against then-President Johnson’s policies, he was interviewed and asked if he was worried about losing favor with the President.
Dr. King answered (paraphrased):
“I’m less concerned about keeping the favor of a man who disagrees with me than I am about keeping the favor of truth and my principles.”
Most entrepreneurs have already gotten over the need to please people. Unfortunately, for men who are NOT entrepreneurs yet, but want to become entrepreneurs soon, it’s one of the biggest roadblocks of all.
My advice if you fit in that category? People-pleasing is a sickness. You’ll need to understand and accept that there are more important things than making sure you don’t offend anyone.
To help you along, set your principles and stick to them. For me, my principles rest on truth – objective, and not just subjective – and I can sleep at night knowing my principles are intact.
And lastly:
Lesson #3: Have a Dream
Who hasn’t heard of I Have a Dream? It’s one of the most stirring speeches in history.
And it’s a reminder for all of us workers, entrepreneurs, and businessmen: Everything starts with a dream. It’s the starting line of every road to greatness.
You have a dream. You make a plan. You execute the plan. You make adjustments. And you execute the plan again.
All the way until you can say: “Free at last!” Free from financial difficulty, free from hate, free from unforgiveness… it all depends on what you’re fighting for.
What’s your dream? Hopefully, these three lessons from the great Dr. King will help you achieve it.
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