Sometimes life brings you full circle to show you how far you have come

Sometimes life brings you full circle to show you how far you have come.

A few weeks ago, I was invited by Hands Across the Water to facilitate a professional development workshop with the staff on different ways to use curiosity as a tool in rewriting their professional narratives.

Little did I know the feelings, thoughts this experience would bring.

The walk down the memory lane.

It started the night before, as I was brushing my teeth.

I remember standing in front of the mirror, looking deep into my own reflection.

Glimpses of my distant past flashed in front of my eyes.

A life that once was and still is a part of me.

I felt a tear stream down my face.

Then, another one.

And, another one.

Part of me could not believe the life I was experiencing.

Part of me could not believe that in less than 24 hours, I would get an opportunity to facilitate a discussion with a group of people that helped me get adopted.

A group of people that worked day and night, doing everything they can to make sure I get the opportunity to experience a different life.

To those not in attendance who played a role in bringing me to the states, “Thank you for all that you’ve done and all that you do!”

Thank you Katie Page Sander for helping me create this moment!

There are unforgettable moments in my life and this certainly is one of them 🙏

Give others the space to grow, to be themselves, to develop their voice, to share ideas, to heal

Give others the space to:

- Grow 🌱

- Be themselves 👤

- Develop their voice 🗣️

- Share ideas 💡

- Heal ❤️‍🩹

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of facilitating a workshop on different ways to use #curiosity as a tool in #rewriting of one’s story with a group of students from Calbright College.

As students joined the Zoom room, I felt something, deep inside me.

I’ve experienced this feeling before.

In fact, I’ve experienced it many times.

The feeling of how transformative such spaces can be.

There was a time when I didn’t believe in the power such spaces can create.

I viewed vulnerability as a sign of weakness.

I wasn’t open to different ways of thinking.

I wasn’t open to receiving help from others.

Years later, I’ve developed a different perspective around these concepts.

I have witnessed such spaces create the possibility to discover ways to overcome whatever challenges may be ahead.

I have witnessed vulnerability in its purest form.

I have witnessed communities be formed.

I have witnessed the power of a curious mind.

Thank you Amna Jara for allowing me to create such space with your students 🙏

You Don’t Have to Do It All By Yourself

“You don’t have to do it all by yourself”.

A few days ago, a friend of mine uttered these words out loud.

To him, they may not have carried much significance, as it is a daily practice he has established over the period of many years.

To me, it was exactly what I needed to hear.

His words stopped me dead in my tracks.

They immediately reminded me of the number of times I tried to do it all by myself.

There was a time when I thought I didn’t need others.

Years later, I realized that I did.

There were doors that I simply couldn’t open by myself, no matter how much effort I put into it.

Such time also helped me realize that having others eased the pressure to have it all figured out.

It helped me realize that I didn’t have to have all of the answers.

Don’t be afraid to rely on others to help you get to wherever you’re going.

Great Things Can Happen to You, Too

Anything can happen to anyone at any point.

The other day, I was sending a batch of emails to universities to be invited to speak to their students on different ways to use #curiosity as a tool in rewriting their #story.

Seconds before I hit “send”, a strong feeling came over me.

The feeling of uncertainty.

I am by no means a stranger to it.

I’ve experienced it thousands of times before.

The questions of, “What if they don’t hire me? What if they don’t respond?”

I chose not to react.

Rather, I sat there, in silence, and observed what I was experiencing.

Moments after the initial thoughts, a different thought had entered my mind.

It was a memory from a distant past.

Words of a friend from one of our many conversations.

“Great things can happen to you, too.”

Simple, yet powerful.

His words helped me transform much of my uncertainty into opportunity.

I repeated them out loud.

I noticed my mood change, instantly.

I felt empowered.

Great things can happen to you, too.

Be the Sun, Not the Salt

“Be the sun, not the salt.”

A few days ago, I came across a book by an author I had once virtually crossed paths with.

I was intrigued by the title, the metaphor of the opening page.

A part of me couldn’t wait to see what was inside.

I picked up the book and made my way through the opening chapter.

Half way through, I couldn’t help but think about the author’s message.

Are you the sun or the salt?

I immediately thought of the times throughout my life when I was the sun or the salt or a bit of both.

The times when I provided nourishment, encouraged growth.

The times when I put others down, made them feel less than.

Harry Cohen’s book reminded of an important life principal, the power of choice.

A choice I often times forgotten.

I get to choose whether I am the sun or the salt in any given situation.

Simple, yet powerful 🙏

Just Keep Swinging

No matter how tough it gets, you just have to keep swinging ⚾️

A few days ago, I watched the LA Dodgers play the San Diego Padres.

Halfway through the 5th inning, the announcer started talking about the difficulty of hitting a baseball.

He mentioned how some days you may be “hot”, meaning you hit everything that comes your way, and other days, you won’t see the field.

The common denominator between the two was the players swinging.

His remark stopped me dead in my tracks.

It got me thinking about how applicable his analogy was in everyday life.

Some days, you’re “hot”, meaning everything is going your way.

The phone doesn’t stop ringing.

Clients are coming in by the hundreds.

Other days, nothing but 🦗

The ☎️ doesn’t ring a single time.

No new clients or prospects in the pipeline.

The only thing that can be done in order for the tables to turn is for you to keep swinging.

Next time you’re going through a tough time, just remember to keep swinging.

Nothing is permanent, everything is temporary 🤔

Don’t Underestimate the Power of a “Thank You” Note

Don’t underestimate the power of a simple “Thank You” note.

This morning, as I was writing a “thank you” note to one of my speaking clients, I was reminded of this.

It has been nearly 15 years since I was introduced to the concept of “thank you” notes.

I still remember writing the very first batch.

I was at the dinner table with a pile of blank thank you cards in front of me and a list of people to thank to the right.

At the time, it felt tedious to express my gratitude in writing to those who I’d be seeing the following day.

I didn’t understand the value of expressing my gratitude to those who chose to attend my birthday party.

7 years later, I was reminded of the concept again.

As I made my way through the Entrepreneurship Lab, a mentor of mine asked, “Have you written your thank yous yet?”

“Not yet,” I responded.

The thoughts of having to go through a tedious process reappeared, front and center.

Now, I view the process differently.

I have learned the value of an intentionally written “thank you” note.

The kind gesture has allowed me to challenge my own assumptions about what I thought others felt. It has taught me that most people don’t know how I felt about what they’ve done and the impact they have had in my life.

The gesture has allowed me to see the value people put on such things. I’ve witnessed some tape the notes onto the refrigerator next to their other meaningful moments. Recognizing their good deeds helped create additional meaning in their lives.

Don’t underestimate the power of a simple “Thank You” note.

Change The Way You Look At Things

Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change.

The other day, I was asked, “How do you change the negative events in life?”

I thought, “That’s a great question!”

The more I thought about the question, the more I began to realize the following:

👉 The past is the past. Nothing can be done to change the events that already took place.

👉 All events are neutral. The difference between a “positive” and a “negative” event is the meaning I choose to assign to each one.

👉 All events can have multiple interpretations.

These three things helped me realize that much of the answer to the initial question depended on how I chose to interpret the events.

How do I want to see the negative events in my life moving forward?

What do I choose to focus on? The pain? The suffering? The lessons learned? The skills gained?

Change the meaning of the life event by changing your interpretation of it.