Success is always a co-construction; the quality of relationships is the only treasure that matters; act in the world by making a difference in a constructive way. The motivation speech by Denzel Washington.
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousIn American colleges, it is customary - at the time of graduation - to invite well-known and successful characters; their task is to present a "speech", that is to make an intervention capable of motivating, soliciting new visions that can accompany young people (and their parents) in the new paths that await them. One of the most interesting "motivational speeches" was probably that of Denzel Washington, the well-known American actor, given at the Dillard University.
Here are 6 steps and tips to inspire you.
Achieving one's goals is always a co-construction
Every time we achieve a result we think it is thanks to us, our efforts, our commitment. And certainly it is, but we could only do it thanks to others. “When I was young - explains Denzel - and I started acting, one day I said to my mother: 'But did you ever think it would happen, I'm so important and I can take care of everyone and I can do it; she silenced me immediately: “okay, stop. Stop. Stop that. If you only knew how many people have prayed for you. How many times have I sprinkled you with holy water to save your "butt". You think you've done it all by yourself but I'll tell you what you can do yourself: go outside and get a rag and bucket and wash the windows; you can do it yourself, superstar ”.
We do not always see or know who is supporting us, directly or indirectly, with thoughts or actions: but no man or woman is an island and every stage we reach is always a possible co-construction thanks to the support of friends, relatives, teachers. , colleagues, superiors and so on and even enemies. In addition to Heaven.
The spiritual world provides us with the opportunities we need for our growth, to fulfill our individual life mission
“Put God first in everything you do. All that I have made and that I have is by the grace of God, a gift - suggests Denzel in his speech and tells -: On March 27, 1975 I was sitting in my mother's beauty center; I stood there doing nothing and saw the lady under her helmet drying her hair and every time I looked up at her, she raised it too and looked at me, she looked me in her eyes. I didn't know who she was and was perplexed. But then she said: Someone give me a pen, I have a revelation, a prophecy. He said to me: boy, you will travel the world and talk to thousands of people. Imagine: I had just failed college, was about to join the Army and didn't know what I was going to become and she was telling me this. Well, I've traveled the world and talked to thousands of people, but the most important thing I've received is not success. The most important thing, which she taught me, and said that day, has stuck with me ever since. I have been protected, I have been directed, I have been corrected ”.
Life brings us the opportunities, challenges, difficulties and even the lightnesses that serve for our ultimate good, for the purpose for which we have incarnated in this period, in our body, in our family, in our country: to develop - in our unique and individual way - the ability to think, feel and act with the heart.
Don't fear failure, follow your authentic dream and make it come true
“Fail big. Yes just like this. You only live once. Do what you are passionate about, take the risk professionally, don't be afraid to fail. - And then the clarification on how to do it: - The only way to solve many things in life is to get out of the box. Don't be afraid to break out of the box, fail and dream big. But remember: dreams, without goals, remain only dreams that only feed disappointments. So have life goals, annual, monthly, daily goals. And I realized that to achieve these goals you need consistency and discipline. You have to plan your goals and work hard. Doing more does not mean that you will achieve much more. Do not confuse "movement" with "progress". My mother once told me: you can run a lot but get nowhere. So continue to work, to commit, to have goals and to progress. And get your goal and when you have achieved it, keep working and help someone else, teach someone else ”.
Difficulties and "failures" are part of life, they help us to develop new strengths, to strengthen those that are already in our endowment, they "force" us to look at things from another point of view, they push us to exercise a different creative intelligence . On the other hand, it is also by making mistakes that we learn, and we learn in a different way, sometimes more "profound". Pursue one's own goals, always, without letting oneself be enchanted by the chimeras of a company that recalls its parameters of success, its standards of achievement, its goals of sterile and cold productivity; translate them into constructive actions, aimed not only at their own interests but that are capable of projecting themselves in the good for all. In solidarity. Then also helping others to do the same, to broaden their gaze and to grow a new motivation that is active and capable of acting.
The real treasure of our life is altruism and the quality of our relationships
“You will never see a luxury car or a diamond behind a hearse. It doesn't matter how much money you make: you can't take it with you beyond this life. The Egyptians tried but got robbed. The important thing is not just what you have but what you do with what you have. We all have different talents, some of you will be doctors, some lawyers, some scientists, some educators, some nurses, some teachers. The most selfish thing you can do in this world is to help someone else because it is selfish, because the gratification, the goodness you develop, the good feeling, the good feeling I get from helping others - Denzel points out - nothing is really better. of this. Genuine joy arises in helping others, true success is in the joy of helping others ”.
Naturally, material goods are useful but in a functional way to our life: they are tools, not objectives. What really matters, that we carry with us and inside forever and that we leave as an inheritance, is the good we have built, the love we have made grow, the positive qualities we have developed with and in our relationships.
Don't assume and give thanks for what you have
“Please put your slippers under your bed tonight, so that when you wake up in the morning you'll have to get down on your knees to retrieve them. And while you are in that position, thank you: thank you for your ability to be kind, for your ability to understand, for your intuitions, for your parents, for the kindness, for the love of the people you love; thank you for what is already yours ".
Too often we do not give importance, we do not see the abundance that is already present in our life: whatever our situation is, it is always, only, a matter of gaze. This does not mean not wanting to improve, change things, grow but - rather - thank and honor what already exists, which we can enjoy: in our life, in relationships, in the nature around us.
Don't just aim for survival, aim to make a difference
“It is important to work hard to make your authentic, heartfelt dreams come true. And it is also important, then, when you reach them, to share this information, to help others grow as well. Don't just aspire to earn a living, aspire to make a difference ”.
Baden Powell, founder of the scouts, invited us to “leave the world a little better than we found it”. The theme is always the same: making a difference, acting for one's own good and for everyone's. Strange as it may seem, it is our true wealth; how much it can make us happy in this life (and not only).
