Turning Another's Life Around!

 (Memorial Poster Courtesy of The Leo Buscaglia Foundation)

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light."

Aristotle Onassis

For today's inspiration, I must acknowledge my long time blog friend Carmi Levy, an independent technology analyst and journalist based in London, Ontario. Carmi also happens to be an exceptionally gifted writer. I find it more than merely ironic that he visited Del Ray Beach, Florida because I too visited there not too long ago and had dinner with a mutual friend of Carmi and myself. We briefly discussed good blog writers, and of course, Carmi's name was mentioned and celebrated.

Recently on his blog site, Carmi  asked for responses to the quotation that I've re-posted above by the late shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. It was so powerful that I felt moved to share my observations with you.  

Life can be overwhelming at times. We are each facing a multitude of  personal and professional challenges during the current worldwide economic recession begun in February, 2008. It matters not if you are wealthy or poor, a celebrity or someone who isn't a celebrity. As a central character states in the film "Cinema Paradiso", "Life is not like the movies. Life is very, very hard". The fundamental question I take away from Mr. Onassis' quote is: "How do we transition from the darkness to the light?"

One answer is: By reaching out and making connections with other people who recognize and understand who we are, and what it is we wish to positively accomplish. Together, with mutual supportiveness we can accomplish anything! We can overcome long-standing obstructions that have for far too long stood in the path of our dreams. Avenues of options truly present themselves through dialogue with others who are loving and caring. By the way, Love and Caring are "active words" and not passive words. With supportiveness and true understanding, it is possible for each of us to help one another to get from a point of Darkness to a point of Hope! 

What are your dreams? For myself, I remain on a path to fully articulate what talents I have been blessed with that are not being fully utilized at this moment. Anything less is not productive for me. I must feel fully engaged in my sphere of gifts and talents so that I can serve others. If I am not working to be the best person for myself, how can I possibly be effective with my outreach to others? To remain in top physical condition and to feed one's heart with the things that matter---this is how I am personally working towards reaching this goal.

I suggest to you that one our greatest problems in the world today is social isolation and loneliness--and that is not restricted to the elderly! Many, many talented and wonderful people have been so beaten down by the excruciating external circumstances related to the current recession, that their energy is sapped. If there is one string of consistency that has run through my recent posts like an electric current, it is this: "Nobody ever goes it alone!". With the gift of caring and concerned friends who see a need to be filled and who offer their hand in helping another person fulfill their potential to be more for themselves, the answer is to become actively "involved". All of which brings me to a final thought about that elusive term, "getting a break".

(Courtesy of Bravo Cable Channel and NBC Universal)

Thursday evening, I wound up watching a re-run of James Lipton's television program "Inside the Actor's Studio". His guest was a very attractive actress who began acting at age 6--and to be certain--she is truly extraordinary. However, what became very obvious to me as I listened to her story is that one kernel of success led to another opportunity, and this pattern has continued to generate what I call "forward momentum". 

I also suggest that "a break" is what all people who are sitting in "darkness" need in order to move their lives forward from Failure and Despair to Hope and Accomplishment. Are you currently helping someone in need? I ask this question not to be judgmental. Rather to spur you to action!

Leo Buscaglia so often reminded his audiences that what a person sitting in darkness requires is NOT the charity of a millionaire or a celebrity with deep pockets. It simply requires Caring actively! Love means taking action to help others overcome their circumstances of darkness. Only then can we talk further about helping a person who isn't able to appreciate their value by seizing their sense of relatedness and worth in the world at large. Both of these actions go hand-in-hand and it costs nothing! I've never understood what is so difficult about articulating an "Action Plan" to help someone in need? Perhaps we should all meet and pull out our collection of business cards and address books of people we know who may have strengths in areas where we feel weak to effectively "build a bridge" to assist a good person from a state of Darkness and Despair to Hope and Light!

(Courtesy of The Leo Buscaglia Foundation)

 

I challenge you to begin reaching out to someone in your life who is going through tough times. Together, you and I can do more than merely turn heads. We can turn lives around with meaningful action. As my late friend Bob Maroon said during a lecture, "Don't minister to my pocket book. Minister to my heart!"

 

I welcome your thoughts and feelings on this post. Please share them here!

Sincerely,

Michael