“You Must Be The Change You Wish To See In Your Life”

“Article from the 27th Transformational Agenda Magazine:”

No, it is not a miss quote of Mahatma Gandhi. Rather, it just might become the most powerful little sentence, that you encounter during your entire life.

You see, today, only you stand between you and the realization of your hopes and dreams—and the joy and satisfaction that will flow from that fantastic journey of transformation.

All you must do, is to take the LEAP into YOUR BELOVED NEW VERSION OF YOU. Why is it called a LEAP? Because you can’t be wishy washy about transforming your life. It isn’t something you ‘try’. If you ‘try’, then you are not committed. It’s not a ‘maybe I can or maybe I can’t’. It’s not a ‘I wonder if I can’. It is none of that!

A LEAP is a definitive decision, a declaration of fact, that you will take the actions necessary to make that dream real! Once you do that, the rest is easy. Yes, it is! Now, you might tweak your objective over time. You’ll learn as you proceed, so you might modify your goal as you get closer. But you’re going to transform that aspect of your life—because you decided to. You made that decision when you made the decision to LEAP! Thus, it is only a matter of how much time and focused effort will be necessary to conquer whatever degree of difficulty will present itself. You know that ‘you got this’, that ‘it’s a done deal’—that, it will be manifested, by you. So, will you take the leap—and in the process become a better human being? Will you actually achieve your hopes and dreams?

Most people do not! Because most people don’t take a single leap during their entire life; for they are afraid of perceiving themselves as a failure. So, they just go through the motions. They talk a good game—yet they never, ever, actually— engage. Hence, they can’t realize their personal power. Some are focused on who they believe won’t let them achieve their hopes or dreams, so they don’t dream at all. Others are concerned that someone else had a head start or a silver spoon at the start of life; they resent those who get multiple opportunities to get it right, because they always have someone, both ready and able, ‘to bail them out’. Still others, don’t leap because no one in their family has done it yet; or because they must rely on loans and scholarships instead of ‘Daddy just writing a check’. They believe that ‘life isn’t fair’, so they believe that they don’t have the power to compose even their own life. They want their life to be easy. They perceive the lives of others as easy. They wait for fewer hurdles and a shorter path to success.

Life isn’t fair — never has been and never will be. But is that any reason for us not to get ourselves together as African Americans? Is it any reason for you not to get yourself together—or that loved one that you are so concerned about. If today, we can—yet we don’t—what does that mean? Life isn’t fair; but is that any reason for us not to do all that we can to heal ourselves, to fully free ourselves, and to realize our full potential? All by ourselves, we can certainly be and do better for ourselves—all by ourselves.

Of course, sometimes life is easy and sometimes it’s not. If you are born into true wealth, you’ll almost certainly die with true wealth. If everyone in your family, during the last four generations graduated college—you will almost certainly graduate college. Yet, every single human being has enormous untapped power and potential to recreate their life, as they would like—IF THEY CHOOSE TO TAKE A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEAP INTO A NEW, IMPROVED, VERSION OF THEMSELVES.

We see people do this all the time. The young person aspiring to BE a registered nurse, who couldn’t afford St. Louis University, so he went to St. Louis Community College and paid for it with Pell grants and student loans. It was easy once he made the commitment, He had already decided that nothing would block his quest. Not the unexpected child, being a great parent, the job loss, nor the need to care for an aged parent. All that just had to tag along ‘on the successful achievement of Registered Nurse’ishness.’ And at graduation, when asked “With all the things going on in your life, how did you do it?”; he calmly yet proudly responds, “Because I had decided to BE it.”

I have a friend that realized that he had never made time to be a friend to anyone. He knew someone who developed a fatal illness, and he then became an amazing friend and support to him. When I praised him, he calmly said, “I just decided to BE a good friend for him.” I know a father, who never really was in his daughter’s life, which she deeply resented. Today, she communicates. He just traveled to visit her. It will take time, but he has decided to now BE the good father that she always deserved. He’s right that it is never too late to take a desired or totally needed LEAP.

And everyone can LEAP — whenever they make a definitive decision to do so.

In that beloved short story Listen to the Ancestors: They Deserve to be Heard—our ancestors delivered a message to us, to you, and to me:

“Remember, a covenant was made with you hundreds of years ago. Your ancestors chose life, so that you might live. They chose to live slave, so that you could one day be free. They endured hardship, so that you could know today! Knowing. Trusting. Believing that if they were strong enough to endure, you would one day return dignity, nobility, and joy to our people…

We understand that you are traumatized by our history in the United States. We understand that you have high hills to climb. But, by God, you’re got to make up your minds to start climbin’!

Now is the time to stop allowing our past to be so all-consuming and to start using your energy to build a glorious future. Now is the time for you to empower yourselves. You’ve got to stop being your own worst enemies. You’re got to start acting like you love yourself and love your children and love your children’s children yet to come…

Your time is now! Live lives of joy, and love, and positive accomplishment, of high character, the highest virtue, and exceptional values. It’s in your genes; it’s the essence of who you are. Empower yourselves with love. Create a healing community of love and you will thrive beyond your wildest dreams.”

If you’re engaged this 27th Edition, then you now realize that today is a special moment in time—this New BLACK RENAISSANCE of opportunity. Surely, you will not fail to grasp its rewards—nor allow any loved one, or mentee, or niece, nephew, or friend to fail to also LEAP. After all, we’ve got to love one another, as if we are life itself—for we are life itself!

You’ve examined the shared wisdom and truth of Oprah, Tina, Will, and Dr. Nikki, who individually and collectively—begged you to seize the personal power and abilities that we each possess—yet, which few bring to fruition.

You’ve carefully reflected on the POWER OF YOU. You can’t wait to use your full power to create in the NOW. You won’t allow trauma from the past nor worry about the future—to get in the way of your personal transformation. By creating your best, in the NOW — both your past and future shall be glorious.

Via, A MORE EMPOWERED YOU, you’ve taken a deep dive into 38 important aspects of personal empowerment, which are grouped under headings like: Life Partnership, Parenting, Professional, Financial Well Being, Physical and Mental Health, Religion and Spirituality, etc. You rated your current status. You identified your strengths, chose aspects for improvement, and visualized yourself anew.

NOW, both to honor your beloved once enslaved ancestors, and to make life ‘fairer’ for your future generations—are you ready, in this very moment, to TAKE THE TRANSFORMATIONAL LEAP, INTO—YOUR BELOVED NEW BEING!

THEN TAKE IT! AND SO IT IS!