According to Alan Loy McGinnis in his book, Confidence
(Minneapolis: Augsburg), actor Sidney Poitier achieved prominence
in his field largely because of self reliance he learned from his
parents. "I was the product of a colonial system," says Poitier,
"that was very damaging to the psyche of non-white people. The
darker you were, the less opportunities were presented to you."
He continues, "My parents were terribly, terribly poor,
and after a while the psychology of poverty begins to mess with
your head. As a result, I cultivated a fierce pride in myself,
something that was hammered into me by my parents, Evelyn and
Reggie -- mostly by Evelyn. She never apologized for the fact she
had to make my pants out of flour sacks. I got used to 'Imperial
Flour' written across my rear. She always used to say, 'If it's
clean, that's the important thing.' So from that woman -- and
probably for that woman -- I always wanted to be extraordinary."
Whatever his parents "hammered" into him gave him the
motivation to rise from poverty to prominence. He cultivated an
unwavering belief in himself.
It is often true that we don't let ourselves have more
than we think we deserve. Not that any of us deserves more than
anyone else, but perhaps most of us deserve more than we let
ourselves have. If we feel trapped in relationships which are
destructive or unfulfilling, we deserve more. If we are employed
in a job which under-utilizes our true abilities and skills, we
deserve more. If we believe our lives are going nowhere, we
deserve more. Poitier was taught that he was SOMEBODY, and
therefore allowed himself to pursue what many believed to be
unattainable goals.
You, too, are SOMEBODY. You are a person of infinite
worth. Will you allow yourself to experience what you really
deserve?
