The Prayer of Change

“We ain't what we ought to be. We ain't what we could be. We ain't what we gonna be, but thank God we ain't what we were."

I love that quotation. I’ve seen it attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr., but I think when he said it, he was quoting someone else. It doesn’t really matter who said it. We all live off the achievements and great thoughts that have gone before us.

The three sentences in the quotation are a prayer for change. It speaks to us on every level of business, of society, and of self-improvement.

“We ain’t what we ought to be.” – This simple statement signifies that we know what we are with our strengths and weaknesses. It’s the first step in training. Before we begin setting goals for improvement, we must first assess who and what we are. It also lets us and others know that we expect to do better and it holds us up in comparison to a goal for that achievement. Maybe not an exact goal, but one that tells us we always need to be doing something that would make our mothers proud.

“We ain’t what we could be.” – This line gives us encouragement. We have potential. We can be better. With a little work we can realize improvement. This line gives us hope.

“We ain't what we gonna be, but thank God we ain't what we were." – This final line sets the goal. Knowing that we are on the road of improving and accepting change; and continually trying to do better is just what we have to do.

The language of the prayer isn’t perfect English, but that shouldn’t distract us from the truth. The thoughts of the author speak to us like a beacon. Start your next meeting with the prayer and see what happens. Or better yet, use the prayer as a discussion starter.

The Prayer of Change could encompass everything from our own character, diversity, and even business profits. We’re going to change. We’ve already accomplished much. How much we change and improve is left to us. We set our own goals. Make sure yours are high enough.



The Prayer of Change - To learn more about this author, visit Don Doman's Website.

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