Leaving Your Mark: If you don't do it, who will?

Last night, Mad Mardigan, founder of the only current hip-hop night in Tallahassee partied with us for possibly the last time. He's on his way to Kentucky for a permanent move. But he left his mark here and hip-hop artist in Tallahassee should be ever grateful to him for starting a local hip-hop movement.

Alot of people think making a mark has to be this illustrious demonstration of brilliance that rubs off on the people in their circle (or outside of their circle). But maybe we've complicated the idea of leaving a mark. If everyone looks out for their fellow brotherman/women, and truly shows compassion in their actions, does that not constitute leaving a mark?

Not everyone can be Michael Jordan, Barack Obama or Benjamin Franklin. However, the simple things in life are underated. Things like saying thank you, going the extra mile for someone, being noble and fair, being honest and just...can't we leave are mark this way?

Well if Mardigan can do it-so can you. Sometimes people who have conquored extraordinary feats cloud are judgement on our own being. Chogyam Trungpa, a late Tibetan Lama, states "When you hear of someone who possesses remarkable qualities, you regard him or her as a significant being and yourself as insignificant.The continual comparing and selecting generates a never-ending procession of desires." I concur with such a statment.

Essentially, we have to remove the pressure that we place on ourselves. I remember my dad would always tell me that if you don't surpass what I've done, you've failed. Perhaps he used it as a motivational tool, but it also can create a dangerous pyschological paradox in which one feels that they must either surpass the feats their parents accomplished or accept failure.

The fact is God gives us all that we need to be the best at who we are. When we point to someone else and say that's my hero, it infers that we lack something. The truth of the matter is we don't.

So today, make up your mind to make a mark. You have everything it takes to do so and it doesn't have to include breaking a record,making history or being famous. Start with your family, move your way to your friends, and even to your associates. Recognize your worth and continue to act in a manner that shows people their worth. I'll miss Mardigan, but he left his mark in this town. He will always be remembered by a select group of hip-hop artist in Tallahassee for revitalizing local hip-hop. Moreover, the way he treated us was just and fair. We've made making a mark to complicated. He made his and all he did was stay true to himself. We'll miss you Mardigan.