Monday Morning Motivational Message - You Background Doesn't Have To Define You

Do you believe your background has to define you?

Are you a victim of your circumstances and status, or do you believe your actions, influence, and knowledge can take you where you want to go?

Crawling is the first way we get around when we start our lives as babies. While crawling may take us short distances, God gave us two feet to get where we want to go.

​We've heard the saying, "Stand on your own two feet." That has as much to do with harnessing our intelligence to take us in a particular direction as it gets us from point A to point B.

We may not have the best upbringing. Our parents may not have been the most nurturing and encouraging. We may not have received the best education, but why do we perpetuate the lacking mindset and assume that our lives won't amount to much?

John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (at the time, the founder of Standard Oil and the wealthiest man in the world) had an inspirational and motivating reflection to his son, John Jr., about his path in life.

He said, "The challenging and magical world that I am in is the starting point of your new life. You will start from there in order to participate in the feast of life that you have never enjoyed before and that relates to your future. As for how you use the knives and forks that are placed in front of you, and how you taste every dish served by the angel of destiny is entirely up to you."

History is filled with impoverished, mentally challenged, and physically depleted individuals who rose like a phoenix from the ashes of misery and despair to make the most of their God-given gifts and talents. 

Some examples include:

Ursula Burns, the Chief Executive Officer of Xerox, is the first black woman to be a Fortune 500 CEO. She is the first woman to take over the CEO position of a Fortune 500 company after another woman. Her parents were poor immigrants from Panama, and she grew up in the New York housing projects.

Marina Silva is a Brazilian environmentalist and a member of the United Nations Secretary General's MDG Advocacy Group. She was one of eleven children, three of whom died young, survived five bouts with malaria, and didn't learn to read until she was a teenager.

Benjamin Franklin was a founding father of the United States, invented bifocal glasses, and had a significant role in instituting Daylight Saving Time. He was also one of seventeen children, dropped out of school at age ten, and became an indentured servant to a printer.

Your background doesn't have to define you. Some of the most important and influential people in history grew up poor, had abusive family lives, and were even arrested. Despite all this, they did not let their disadvantages define their destiny. "Lacking" anything can motivate those who won't accept anything less than a better future. Use your deficits to propel you to an improved tomorrow.

Please leave me a comment about your thoughts on how your upbringing defined you. Your opinions and perspectives are important, and I'd appreciate hearing from you.