Helen Keller was one of the most famous authors of her time. Despite being blind and deaf, she was able to inspire a lot of people. She’s a great reminder that nothing is impossible and I believe that there are more lessons we can learn from her.
Below are 7 life lessons from Helen Keller:
Go After Your Dreams
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.” – Helen Keller
I often tell people to go after their dreams and turn them into a reality. My skeptics would say that’s unrealistic but what’s the point of being “realistic”? Nothing great has ever been achieved by a “realist”.
Albert Einstein was not a realist. The Wright Brothers were not realists. Thomas Edison was not a realist and Alexander Graham Bell was certainly not a realist.
What is realistic but the self-imposed limitations adopted from society?
Take the limits off and go after your dreams. In the infamous words of Paris Hilton, “Life is too short to blend in”. Chase after your dream like it’s the last bus of the night.
You Must Have a Vision
“It’s a terrible thing to see, and have no vision!” – Helen Keller
Do you have a vision, goal, plan or a mission for your life?
As Isaiah wrote, without a vision, the people perish.
Great leaders are always great visionaries. They have an internal picture of where they are going and they are fixated on their vision. What’s your vision?
Nothing’s Impossible
“We can do anything we want to do, if we stick to it long enough” – Helen Keller
The beauty of time is that you can accomplish just about anything if you keep at it long enough. Set your mind on what you want to accomplish and don’t stop until you get there.
They say the usefulness of the postage stamp is in its ability to stick to something until it gets there. Learn from the postage stamp- stay committed to your dream until you get there.
Focus on the Positive
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” – Helen Keller
Although we could focus on the negative things around us, it doesn’t do us much good. Helen Keller said, “Keep your face to the sunshine and you will never see the shadow.”
I think this is good advice. Decide to see a glass as “half-full”. Things are not getting worse, they’re getting better!
Hang Out With Winners
“While they were saying among themselves it cannot be done, it was done.” – Helen Keller
Winners hang-out with winners.
Don’t be caught hanging-out with negative people. Negative people are like “vampires”. They suck the life from everything around them. They’re always saying how you can’t, why you can’t, and how you’re going to fail when you try.
If you hang with these “chickens” for too long, you’ll forget that you have the ability to soar like an eagle. Decide to spend your time with those who believe the impossible is possible.
Your Destiny is in Your Hands
“What I am looking for is not “out there,” it is in me” – Helen Keller
Everything you need to succeed, you already have on the inside of you. As Shakespeare wrote, “The fault dear Brutus, lies not in our stars that we are underlings, but in ourselves. Success is yours for the taking, but you have to believe it, and you have to be convinced that you deserve it.”
“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.” – Helen Keller
Thank you for reading. The next time you think something can’t be done, remember Helen Keller.
Written by Mr. Self Development, a motivational author that offers a practical guide to success and wealth; support him by visiting his blog at mrselfdevelopment.com.