June 20, 2022

“Believe you have the power to change lives, then start with your own to prove your concept.” (p.173)

Our own stories serve as powerful teachers because of the universal truth that wraps up the human experience.  We have all felt the desire to be heard and to connect, but the change that we want to see in the world starts with our own habits and conversation with ourselves first.  For me, whether it’s more optimism, greater connection with others, or optimization of time spent doing meaningful things in life, I look at my own day first and see how I can improve upon what I want to see happen.  Then through my own experience of getting real with the challenges and the experience that comes with that, I understand better how to relate and teach others.  We can only teach others when we are honest enough to see the truth about our own struggles because that is what allows us to have empathy for what another person is going through.  It’s not that the challenges have to be the same, but rather the nature of being challenged that allows us to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes.  

Having been through a divorce and learning to thrive on the other side, I have a lot of people reach out to me with similar experiences.  As much as I wish this wasn’t my story, I believe that our most painful encounters in life are the ones that have the greatest ability to transform our outlook. The very thing that we think may break us, may end up being our greatest gift, if we have the courage to use it for growth, first for ourselves and then for others. That is what gives our story the power to make the world a better place, one connection at a time. 

Daily Action: What struggle have you overcome in your life that can help you relate to the experience of another? Use it to connect and teach. 

Daily Reframe: Challenges are not setbacks but rather our biggest catalyst for growth.     

With Optimism,

Wendy