“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
– Nelson Mandela, President, Republic of South Africa from his 1994 inaugural speech
I was at a wedding recently for Chris and Christine Finney. Chris is an extraordinary young man and the son of good friends Cindy and Dan Finney. Chris is now an attorney and is and always has been an inspiration to me, I have been given the gift of observing him as a student at St. Louis University High School and then at Washington University undergraduate and St. Louis University Law School. Chris is an athlete and a student of life. In high school he never had the size to get him a college scholarship, but he has the heart and the will to have him play at Washington University. Chris’s way in everything he does is what inspires me.
When Mary and I went through the receiving line to congratulate the new Mr. and Mrs. Finney, Christine told me he still has the Nelson Mandela quote I gave him when he graduated from St. Louis U. High. This is a statement about Chris and an opportunity for me and you to consider the power of words and the importance of living an inspired life.
Homes Without Limits is an expression of my life. HWL is the vehicle for me to make a difference for anyone who wants to live a life without regrets. I am committed that all people live in a physical environment that supports a full and extraordinary life. “WHO ARE WE NOT TO BE BRILLIANT, GORGEOUS, TALENTED AND FABULOUS?”
