[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeLezpLBnM8[/youtube]Life doesn’t always play out according to my plans. Stuff happens … especially in this economy! The news is saturated with unemployment, failed business’ and loss. It’s easy to feel defeated, and when you get repeatedly knocked down, it sometimes makes little sense to get back up again. The thing is, it is that getting up that builds character and gives you strength and self-worth.
It’s funny, so many of the events in my life that felt overwhelmingly negative, turned out to be turning points to a very positive future. When the rug got pulled out from under me, it forced me to re-group, and it wasn’t until I stepped out of the box … out of my safety zone, that my life began to truly change. My design business was wiped out when my builder clients went bankrupt. The money they owed me was tied up in their houses and when the banks foreclosed on them, I lost everything. Sounds devastating … and it was, but it opened a door that allowed me finish my book and follow my dreams.
We all have our stories, and most are touched by hurt, pain, fear, disappointment and loss. The struggles we face are as varied as our lives, but no matter what hand you have been dealt; if you lost your job, were abused or neglected, abandoned or betrayed, are too thin or overweight, challenged, scarred, damaged or ill … the damage affects us all in the same way. The distinction is made in how people handle their adversity. Don’t give up on yourself!
You only get one chance at life and this is it! You may have every reason to feel like a victim, but the truth is, when you crawl into your victimized shell, you are empowering other people, situations or circumstances to steel the one chance you get to live your life.
I’ve never been brave! In fact, my self-image kept me trapped in the belief I could do little to change the course of my life. One thing I have learned along the way is courage is not an unattainable virtue. The difference between a courageous person and a coward is simple. A coward is disabled by fear, but courageous people feel fear, they just choose to move forward in spite of it. It is a decision not an attribute. You have to make the decision to change your life. Just remember …
“To get what you’ve never had, you must do what you’ve never done.”
Casi