Let It Begin With Me
As a child I was a victim of emotional, sexual and spiritual abuse. I grew up thinking my life had been charted out and that I had no control over my fate or my future. I used alcohol and drugs to ease my emotional pain. When I was 26 I found sobriety and a new way of life through a twelve-step program. I discovered that my future did not need to be a continuation of my past. I could create any future I chose. At that time I heard a hymn that helped change my thinking and my life. It is titled “Let There Be Peace On Earth.” I have applied the second line of that hymn to my whole life and now live by the credo: “Let it begin with me.”
I believe the problems of this world are more than any one-person can solve. This can make me feel helpless and small. I also believe that one person can make all the difference in the world. This can make me feel powerful and invincible. Helen Keller said: “I am only one; but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” Therefore, I change the one thing I can change, myself, and live by the credo: “Let it begin with me.”
I believe every person needs to find their own personal power through accepting personal responsibility for their life. In doing so, they no longer see themselves as a victim and take control of their future. To quote Jim McIngvale, The ten most powerful two-letter words are: “If it is to be, it is up to me.” Therefore I live by the credo: “Let it begin with me.”
I believe I must first accept a thing as it is before I can change it. As Nathaniel Branden states: “Accepting doesn’t necessarily mean liking, enjoying, or condoning. I can accept the reality of what is — and be determined to evolve from there.” It is only in accepting a situation that I can truly understand it. Once I understand a situation I can determine what changes I would like to see implemented and I can once again “Let it begin with me.”
I believe there are many wonderful things in this world. There are also many things that are less than ideal. Gandhi stated and I believe, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” Therefore, I try to practice tolerance, love and compassion and always “Let it begin with me.”