A Monday for Inspiration

Growing up, Sundays were always my least favorite days—waking up early for church, doing a weekends worth of homework and of course, going to bed early for the start of the long week. I always loved the holidays off from school. They meant an extra long weekend, a fun Sunday to hang out with friends late and then a short 4-day week.

It wasn’t until I got older that I began to question what Mondays off from school really meant. In modern time, it’s nearly impossible to get kids to slow down and look outside of themselves. Younger generations tend to be so caught up, they take for granted those that set the foundations for nearly everything we walk on, every chair we sit on, every freedom of expression we have walking down the street. While we may not be the faultlessly free nation that we could be and we may not have reached absolute equality as a people, we have a come a long way from where we used to be.

As we take this Monday off from work and class, in a rather warm West Coast February, I encourage you to take a moment to think about those that gave us this much needed holiday.

This particular holiday is in place for all the "great" Presidents America has had. Presidents' Day. And I say "great" because we all know, there's been great presidents and not so great presidents. 

I'd like to take this holiday to look at one president in particular and to remember the great influence he's had on the country we live in today. His birthday was just a 4 days ago on February 12 -- and conveniently during Black History Month. Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln was a president who took a stand for a population that was disowned by the very nation he lead, a population treated as less than since the very birth of the country. It took a movement similar to a forcefield and many lives sacrificed to get to the point of celebrating Black History. And to take a moment, let alone an entire day, out of this month, to think about the man who fearlessly lead our country closer to equality is motivation for us all to keep pushing through and striving to be greater and do greater.

John Wooden, arguably the greatest basketball coach UCLA ever saw, wrote books of his life insight and inspirational advice. In his book Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court, he highlighted an important philosophy of his: persistence is stronger than failure  and his example was Abraham Lincoln.

   A brief summary of Lincoln's career:

 Failed in business                                                                    1831 

 Defeated in legislature                                                                   1832

 Failed in business again                                                          1833
                                                                                                              
 Elected to legislature                                                               1834
                              
 Sweetheart died                                                                       1835
                                  
 Had nervous breakdown                                                          1836
                           
 Defeated for speaker                                                               1838
                                                              
 Defeated for congressional nomination                                   1843
                                 
 Elected to Congress                                                                1846
                    
 Defeated for Congress                                                            1848
                     
 Defeated for Senate                                                                1855
                                             
 Defeated for Vice President                                                    1856
                                
 Defeated for Senate                                                                1859
                                           
 Elected President of the United States                                    1860

The model Mr. Lincoln gave us with his persistence is one we can remember in the face of our own setbacks. And what is most wondrous of all is that persistence is a quality that we ourselves control. You, and only you, can decide whether you will stay the course.

  -Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations andReflections On and Off the Court

Wooden speaks of President Lincoln as a man who saw more personal, professional, and political defeat than many people ever will. He persisted through inexorable adversity and eventually became one of the greatest, if not the greatest, presidents America has ever had. If he can endure all of that defeat and still become the President of the United States of America and ultimately a huge catalyst in the emancipation of slaves, then what, in this entire world, can you and I not overcome. What can we not accomplish?

However you may spend your lovely Monday off from work or school—laying out on the beach, barbecuing some burgers or even just watching Netflix, take a moment before Tuesday comes to think about the lives of those who made this country what it is today and what we can learn from them and apply to our own lives.