Written by “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King
Timely and poignant, isn’t it? Next week we celebrate and honor an amazing man whose legacy, his memory, is a critical part of our collective history. The struggle he confronted head-on, the perseverance he demonstrated and actioned in his non-violent protests of injustices and deeply rooted racism in America. Martin Luther King took that first step, not knowing what lies ahead nor how things would turn out. But just think had he NOT taken that first step! How different things might be, and not for the better for progress of justice, equality and freedom for all.
I look back at my life and while I will unlikely have such a profound and impactful role and purpose as Martin Luther King, I do appreciate his sentiment in “just take the first step.” Had I not taken that first step into the dojo 9.5 years ago having really no idea what karate was about, I would not be on the cusp of testing for my black belt. MLK was a man of deep faith and this is clearly a dimension of his quote–sometimes we must have faith to supplant the unknown and uncertainty of what may lie ahead. I suppose it is also about courage, too.
Taking the first step in pursuit of any objective can be daunting, but never taking that first step also means we will never find out or come to know what might have been. The world is a better place because MLK took that first step!
