21 Jan MLK: Take the first step

Sometimes, when the way ahead is not clear, it can be challenging to know what to do next.

Just one step

At such a moment:

• Stop
• Confirm that you are headed in a direction that feels right
• Then TAKE A STEP forward – first one step

That movement, that momentum will support you in making your next decision, and the next.

Sometimes, all we can see is the immediate space in front of us. None of us can forecast where our journey will take us, but we do have the ability to act in this moment.

And we have the option to engage in and enjoy our journey.

Martin Luther King Jr.

On the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it is a good moment to see the immense impact of someone who had “a dream“. He did not live to see the results of his actions. He would not be present to witness the election of President Obama. He was not able to forecast which results of social integration would help and which would hinder.

But he started somewhere.

And his experience serves to inspire those of us at the start of a new journey – whether we are just starting our education and career, or moving into a new phase of career-rebirth or retirement. It is all a journey into the unknown.

Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.

Martin Luther King Jr.

What now GenZ and influencers?

My challenge to you: Find inspiration. If MLK is your thing, read more about him. Look to people around you – in your present and your past – who can offer life lessons learned through experience and hope.

The smallest decision you can make is that between action or inactivity. Chose action.

And then have the courage to take one small step. And then another. And another.

Credit & Thanks; Definitions & Resources:

• Inspiration: Martin Luther King and a day to reflect on, and celebrate, his life
• GenZ, Gen Z, Generation Z – if you were born in 1995 or after. You are usually a digital native, having no memory of a world without the internet!
• A version of this article is also published on LinkedIn
• Martin Luther King Jr. quotes – Brainy Quote , Independent News UK,
• Martin Luther King Jr. Wikipedia
• Martin Luther King Jr. photo credit Gloria Holt https://www.usar.army.mil/news/images.aspx?igphoto=2002077237
• Canva credit: Karena de Souza