The Formula That Leads to Wild Success- Part 4: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
People who back their ideas and opportunities with hard work, a positive attitude and faith are very successful. They’re the individuals we look up to and admire in society. They follow the unofficial winning formula of humanity, which they put into practice each day.
They have maximized their talent by believing in themselves, having the audacity to put themselves in the spotlight and outworking everyone while never, ever giving up. We choose people like these as role models to look up to and to inspire us. They serve as a baseline- a standard of greatness- for us to study and measure ourselves against.
Today is the fourth installment in my series on individuals, who in their own unique way, followed this formula to overwhelming greatness. Over the course of the next several weeks, I will showcase 6 more individuals who have shattered the limits of what many thought was possible- to re-define greatness. Today, I discuss the characteristics and principles of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
You can read Part 1 on Michael Jordan here, Part 2 on Oprah Winfrey here and Part 3 on Elon Musk here. Enjoy!
The News Today
Like many of us, I went to bed late last night and woke up early this morning. I’ve been watching the news regarding the events that are gripping this country. Sadly, there has been a lot of violence lately, so the news of the murders of these past few days was not shocking. I’d choose to use the word stunning, instead.
I was overcome with such sadness at the loss of civilian, black lives- as well as the lives of police officers- I found myself struggling to finish writing what I intended to publish today. The plan was to share the remarkable journey of American ballet dancer, Misty Copeland, whose story of success, overcoming adversity and belief in herself deserves to be told to the world. I will instead publish that next week.
I felt this time and moment deserved a story of bravery, vision and hope like few the world has ever seen. Our country and our world right now need hope. We need brotherhood and an active will from all of us to come together in peace. We also need solutions. The man I have chosen to write about today was the living embodiment, in word and action, of these things.
Martin Luther King was the epitome of success, reaching the pinnacle of accomplishment in what matters most- touching the lives of others in a positive, enriching way. Through his message of peace and love, Dr. King changed this country and the world. His voice and legacy will live on forever, though its importance right now, at this moment in history, is critical.
A Purpose-Driven Life
Martin Luther King Jr. lived his life with purpose- purpose as true and beautiful as any this world has ever witnessed. He believed passionately in his dream, achieving the goal of uniting this country and busting down the barriers of racial hatred. King advocated that we come together for open, honest dialogue and communication.
His tactics were rooted in the overarching vision of everything this country was founded on and stands for: Freedom.
What defined Martin Luther King was his vision, his willingness to think big- bigger than perhaps anyone who had come before him. The reason he achieved his dream of equality and civil rights for all was due to nonviolent, peaceful engagement that resonated with people of all color.
Violence, hate, crime and evil will never, ever win out. King understood that better than anyone. He knew that we- the majority of humans- are not wired that way. Human civilization has overcome atrocities of large-scale because people have chosen to come together for a common good. It’s not just a comic book story that good will always defeat evil. Good will triumph because the overwhelming majority of us want to live in peace, harmony and love.
The Golden Rule, often ascribed to the teachings of Jesus Christ- who Dr. King believed in and whose teachings he adhered to- predated the time of Jesus. The Golden Rule is a principle that all of us should observe and aspire to. It’s the law of common sense and respect.
Everybody Can Be Great
While it’s helpful for us to express our emotions and share our thoughts, stories and experiences, emotion can often be our biggest enemy in times like these. We react to incidents without knowing all of the facts. Many of us rely upon preconceived notions, revert to anger or buy into what the media is feeding us. Slowly, this is tearing us apart.
I started, in earnest, over the past few year to write more from the heart, to lend my writing and speaking voice to help people. I tend to write from a self-development point of view, which when you boil it down, is intended to be educational, altruistic and edifying.
Bottom line- I want to inspire others with a positive message of love, faith, hope and frankly, peace. I aim to offer solutions. I hope to inspire the type of change and good that Martin Luther King Jr. made his life’s work. The work he ended up dying for.
“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.”
The fact is, the world desperately needs solutions, not anger, fear or despair. The reason we look up to Dr. King with such admiration is because the man was the living embodiment of the formula at the top of this story. He was an idea-man who was brilliant at building relationships. He was courageous, determined and resilient.
Dr. King imagined a future that people literally didn’t think was possible because it seemed impossible given race-relations and historical precedent. He shattered the mold because he refused to subscribe to conventional thinking. He believed that the power of the human spirit and goodwill could overcome any opposition.
A Bold Life of Action
Martin Luther King was willing to risk his life for what he believed in because he recognized that injustice and inequality were the antithesis of freedom. His faith fueled his incomparable belief in the noble cause of equality for all. He summoned his inner-strength to apply maximum effort, rising up each day to live out his dream. King’s success required the help of others, which was easy due to the nature of how he conveyed his dream- his peaceful message for all.
“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.”
What separated Dr. King from those who came before him, and anyone who has come after him, was his ability to use passion to energize his dream but, not to let it detract from his ability to stay focused and continue forging ahead. Dr. King knew that in order to achieve equality and civil rights for African-Americans and all Americans, he needed to be courageous and operate with a level head.
Positive attitude, equanimity and empathy were King’s most powerful weapons for fighting to achieve equal rights for people who never had them. King followed through on what he said he would do, making him a man of his word and a hero to billions of people all over the world.
If we can learn to care about each other again, with empathy and kindness in our hearts, we will live a purpose-driven life, just like Martin Luther King. I’ll finish with Dr. King’s words. We certainly need to embrace them.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
Please stay tuned for Part 5 in my series on Tuesday. I thank you for your support so far in this series. I hope that we can all grow together and be willing to care for one another like Dr. King. If you enjoyed reading this, please be so kind as to click on the green heart, and let me know what you have to say! And if you’re really feeling lucky, please consider following me here on Medium!
