What Inspires You?

It's been a while since I've sat through a speech, movie or play that has left me motivated to be more than I am; to take up a cause and fight against the odds. Amazing Grace, the movie, has done just that. I don't often cry at movies, I did at this one. I cried because it reminded me that the impossible really is possible. And that 'never giving up' isn't just a slogan - it's the way important things get done. Mostly, it has reminded me that one person really can make a difference.

Elected to the House of Commons at the age of 21 and on his way to a successful political career, William Wilberforce, over the course of two decades, took on the English establishment, eventually persuading them to end the barbaric selling of humans for profit, at a huge cost to their business enterprises. Asking plantation owners to do without slave labor would be the equivalent to asking U.S. business today to operate without petroleum.

Wilberforce, almost single handedly, ended the slave trade in England. After a 20-year struggle against overwhelming opposition in Parliament, which the film artfully portrays, Wilberforce saw the end of British slave trading when, after numerous attempts, his 1807 abolition bill passed by a large majority. Twenty six years later, just three days before his death, slavery was abolished across all British Colonies as well. And, ultimately, British abolition had a profound effect on the conflict over slavery that led to the American Civil War, and the eventual end to the practice of slavery in the US.

William Wilberforce's example has inspired me to think about transformation. I recommend you go see the movie - and take your Kleenex. What about you? What cause, situation or circumstance in your life, community, or sphere of influence needs transforming? Does it seem impossible?

The motto for the US Navy Sea Bees in World War II was, "The difficult we do right away; the impossible takes a little longer."

What 'impossible' task will you take on this year? What skills do you have that some cause, project, family or non-profit organization are just crying out for? And, what are you willing to never give up on?