Tag Archives: Hope

Dr. Martin Luther King on Hope

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Dr. King’s life was dedicated to uplifting his fellow-man, the downtrodden, the poor, the hopeless, and the forgotten.  In Trumpet of Conscience, Dr. King reflected on hope, “If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose the courage to be, the quality that helps you to go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.”

This year the economic situation is taking center stage.  Young people fresh out of college are trying to find jobs and mature adults laid off from their once secure jobs are having trouble finding (any) job and especially ones commensurate with their former income.  Two years ago this time our minds were on the catastrophic devastation in  Haiti.  (Note: Please don’t forget about them; they still need our help!) Last year it is on the senseless Arizona killings and the worsening respect for our public officials and for life itself.  This coupled with massive job layoffs, increasing numbers of people facing life altering health challenges, and those with jobs facing furloughs or no pay raises makes the need to pull together and help each other even more critical.  People are hurting.  United we stand and divided we fall.  We cannot let our fellow brothers and sisters lose hope and we can’t lose hope either.

Keep Hope Alive

We’ve got to do what we can to “keep hope alive.”  Not only for those in our families that are facing challenges, but also for the jobless, homeless, and hopeless people everywhere.  Reflect on the time in which Dr. King lived and how he responded to difficulties.  In spite of everything he endured, the hoses and attack dogs, his home bombed, being spit on, jailed, ridiculed, and threatened with death, he still had hope and faith.   You may not think that you have enough to share, but what the world needs now is love, encouragement, hope, and perhaps a big smile.  Now I know those things won’t pay the bills,  but they can perhaps lift someone’s spirit and help them get through that day. You never know when you might need a little encouragement.  Perhaps a smile might be just what you need to make it through a day.  Dr. King never gave up on his dream and fought for it until his dying breath.  So, don’t give up on your dream either and when you feel like giving up, remember Martin.

I’m Barbara Talley, The Poet who speaks and inspires.   To find more about me, check out What does Barbara do? or visit  my website.

3 Steps to Move from Mediocrity to Meaning (Part 1)

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Is your life an exciting adventure?

Are you ecstatic about your unique gifts and the exciting and unique role you are destined to play out in this unfolding adventure we are collectively creating called life?  Be careful, you won’t find your unique path by focusing primarily on other people’s journeys.  Your journey will require energy so don’t waste yours backbiting, emulating, or being envious of others.  Yes, we can be motivated, inspired, and even learn from others, but ultimately we must do our own search and learn our own truths.  The map for your success is within you and the map for my success is within me. We will find answers for our journey if we are open, expectant, and actively searching.  But we must search in the right place.  If I search forever, but in the wrong place I’ll never uncover my own treasure.  My book ‘Miner Miracles‘ shares my personal journey through poetry and prose on how I, “mined within to discover my God-given greatness.”

The first of three of  the lessons that I’ve used to move from mediocrity to a life of meaning and purpose: are:

  1. Dig Inside.  You’ve got to search in the right spot to find your own treasures.  You’ve seen the treasure maps that mark the spot of the treasure.   You could put a big old X on your forehead and you’d be marking the spot of the greatest treasure on earth.  Your dreams, your vision, and your gifts and talents are inside you.  You’ll never find them searching outside your own self.  Our journey on this side of the sod begins the day we become conscious and lasts until our very last breath.  We are on this journey together so it is important that we play our part and offer our unique contribution.   Please enjoy my signature poem in this short video, Finding the Jewels Within You. I hope it will inspire you as it has inspired me to continue to dig inside and find my own jewels.

I’m Barbara Talley, The Poet who speaks and inspires.   To find more about me, check out my promo sheet or visit my website.

The First Secret to Moving Beyond Mediocrity

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Do you know what moves a person beyond mediocrity?

It is the size of their dreams.  Puny dreams have no power to propel us beyond mediocrity.  I dare you to dream and to dream big and not find yourself getting more excited and more attractive in the process.  One of the books that inspired me in my youth was, ‘The Magic of Thinking Big.’  While the faithless may try to convince you that you are dreaming too big,  dreaming too big is not usually the problem.  Instead it is not having a dream at all or not dreaming big enough that causes more failures.  My own life attests to these principles.  I was a single mom living in the Projects of Upstate New York, surrounded by naysayers.  Mediocrity was everywhere and was the norm.

I had to consciously dream bigger.

I share this journey out of mediocrity in my book, On Track On Fire On Purpose.  I learned to listen to motivational people and read motivational books.  I still get inspired by others.   Mary Morrissey talks about making a ‘Quantum Leap in 2011′, Les Brown talks about ‘It’s Possible.’ Clif McKnight talks about, ‘If You Can’t Calm the Waters- Learn to Ride the Waves. Inspiration is everywhere. Once we’ve got the right dream, we need the right map, the right mentors, and the right muses.  Stay tuned.

I’m Barbara Talley, The Poet who speaks and inspires.   To find more about me, check out my promo sheet or visit  my website.

Part 1: Three Divine Remedies for Tests, Sorrows, and Adversities

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I just spent the last few days praying, reflecting, and fasting for guidance.  I was feeling intense sorrow and grief and couldn’t seem to shake it.  I felt drained, like I was at the edge, and it was only the power of God that pulled me back on track.   I’d like to share the three divine remedies that helped me,  the first spiritual gem on joy and sorrow comes from the Baha’i Writings and reminds us of the critical importance of being joyful.  When we are sad, we are weaker, are less able to find our calling, and less able to cope and to find the answers we need to pass our “tests”.  The second two gems discussed in Part 2 are from the Holy Bible.

Joy Gives Us Wings

“In this world we are influenced by two sentiments, Joy and Pain. Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength leaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. The actualities of life seem to elude our grasp, the eyes of our spirits fail to discover the sacred mysteries, and we become even as dead beings.

No One Escapes

There is no human being untouched by these two influences; but all the sorrow and the grief that exist come from the world of matter — the spiritual world bestows only the joy!”  A man living with his thoughts in this Kingdom knows perpetual joy. The ills all flesh is heir to do not pass him by, but they only touch the surface of his life, the depths are calm and serene.

The Remedy Is At Our Door

Today, humanity is bowed down with trouble, sorrow and grief, no one escapes; the world is wet with tears; but, thank God, the remedy is at our doors. Let us turn our hearts away from the world of matter and live in the spiritual world! It alone can give us freedom! If we are hemmed in by difficulties we have only to call upon God, and by His great Mercy we shall be helped.

If sorrow and adversity visit us, let us turn our faces to the Kingdom and heavenly consolation will be outpoured. If we are sick and in distress let us implore God’s healing, and He will answer our prayer. (Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 109)  Baha’i Faith

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JOY Cometh in The Morning

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2010 is coming to a close and like a fierce winter making its tenacious exit, ” my 2010 seems to insist on “going out like a lion.”  But, like the natural and eventual seasonal exit of winter, we must not forget that spring is always on the horizon, even it we can’t quite see it yet.  And, all the divine  grace and  seeds we’ve planted are germinating and destined to break forth in the Spring with an abundant harvest.

Believe It and You Will See It

It is faith that reminds us of our own personal spring and it is only faith that will cause our spring to appear.  And when we “believe it, we will see it.”   The birds, the trees, and the plants don’t judge or doubt their winters or their springs!  You see the birds flying south, the squirrels burying their acorns, and the trees willingly and without a fight allowing their leaves and fruits to be stripped from their limbs.  The trees bend with the winds and in due time her blossoms return.  Nature knows it is the order of things.  We must be more like the lesser kingdoms.

Nothing Lasts Forever

Whether you are feeling anger or sadness, you must remember that this too shall pass.  “Life is in our favor” and joy is promised and on the horizon.  I leave you with this verse from Psalms:  “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. ” (King James Bible)