Survival to Significant: Making a Difference
Introduction
In the beginning, I focused on just surviving. I wanted to heal, return to my life, and feel normal again. I thought I wanted my sanity and stability; I needed to know what awaited me in the future.
This mentality transitioned from saying “I need to heal” to “I have to get better.” If I focused only on healing, then I didn’t focus on what I had already. I failed to give myself credit for what I already did.
I realized that knowing the future doesn’t help. Knowing the past does. Focusing on the steps already taken helped form the future. If I knew the future, I would only have one vision, one dream, one goal.
If I’d known my life would almost end on 4/29/2022, I would have been consumed with anxiety and paranoia. I needed to trust the idea that my goals would lead me to success. So, I had goals that would lead to my new purpose in life.
To leave this world a better place than where I found it.
When I endured hardship, I challenged myself with this by asking: What if my story isn’t just about surviving, but about making a difference?
The Shift of Survival to Impact
I survived getting hit at 109 mph for a reason. At first, I was angry, especially because I felt I had lost all that I accomplished in life. But I realized I had gained more than what I lost. I started to believe that everything happens for a reason.
I needed to figure out pieces of that reason. I knew I still had one life goal left: to help others.
Instead of focusing on what I lost, I started asking: How can I be used to make the world a better place than where I found it?
That question led me to speaking, coaching, and using my story to inspire others to rise after hardship.
Making an Impact
- “Who Can I Help?”
- A personal struggle gives a unique ability to help others.
- Share Struggles
- Change lives by sharing on social media, a community presence, treatment of other people, or public speaking.
- Find the specific reasons for the struggle in life, and share with others.
- Use Pain for Good
- Struggles are not a waste. Believe they’re for a reason. Find the reason, and use them to make a difference in someone else’s life.
Your Story Matters
You weren’t just meant to survive—you are meant to make an impact.
What will you do with the story you’ve been given?