Like I said above, I spent 4 days among some of the most amazing speakers I’ve ever met. Through many of the exercises with which we were challenged, countless personal stories of triumph emerged.
Some were subtle yet powerful – one physician described the moment she yelled at her young daughter to go to bed (because she was ‘so busy with work’) instead of taking 5 minutes to read her Winnie the Pooh. And in witnessing her daughters slumped shoulders and large sad brown eyes, something inside her broke down and then woke up.
Or the not so subtle story of an international attendee whose life had been peppered with tragedies including abduction, murder and loss of a sibling.
We were learning technical aspects of speaking as well as stage presence and the human connection that stories provide.
As I listened intently to each of these brave people, I noticed a common thread in their message – the power of decision.
Every one of their lives was changed forever in a moment of decision. A moment in which they said, "Enough. No more. I get to decide how I interpret and then respond to the things that happen in my life. There is so much more inside of me. And I get to create an amazing life."
Many of them once thought their lives were over. They had failed, been ridiculed, been sick, broke, or suffering. Yet they made a decision, eventually, not to live in that place.
This wasn’t insurance against further hurt or challenge of course.
But in every single case that moment of decision was pivotal. And you get to make that decision over and over again.
The best part is – each of their stories inspired them to help others in the same situation. (There’s a generosity that comes with this type of courage.)
Allow your decisions to elevate you beyond your circumstances.
You really are that powerful.
