Today is a new chapter in the book of your life – what will you write?
Have you ever wished you had said or done things different? There are so many times that I think back to a specific situation and think “DUH! I should have said this or done this instead….”
Last year, I issued a press release about my book, Ria’s Story From Ashes To Beauty, and a reporter for the local newspaper asked for an interview. There is nothing like seeing your direct quotes published in the newspaper to make you wish you had a gift for saying something clearly and succinctly without using “Uh.”
Recently I had the opportunity to be interviewed for an inspirational blog by Kriti Gautam from India. There were some really great questions asked and I wish I had given some better answers at the time! It was a great opportunity that I appreciate because my message will reach many others that I wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to share my message with and I’m humbled by the effort that Kriti put into interviewing me in her second language. Here are some of the questions asked – and what I would say today now that I’ve had a chance to look back. (To see the original interview as published, visit: Hulence.com)
Where do you find your strength?
I find strength in knowing that there is always hope that things can get better. Even when it seems completely hopeless we have to hold on to the fact that our circumstances can change.
I get up each day and ask myself, “What do I have to be grateful for today?” When I truly take time to reflect on this, it’s incredible how much I find that I can be grateful for. I can choose to be grateful for a day of rest or I can choose to be bored because I don’t have anything scheduled for today. I can choose to ill because the sun isn’t shining or I can choose to be grateful for the rain. I can choose to be irritated when the phone rings and interrupts my writing or I can choose to be grateful that someone cares enough about me to call.
It’s not just big things either – don’t forget to be appreciative of just the little things. So often we take for granted the little things that other people don’t have. I’m grateful for a choice of what to eat for breakfast this morning.
We all have the ability to change and when we feel like we are stuck and we cannot change our circumstances, that is when we must look inside and change ourselves. We all have the ability to choose- choose to move forward in life. This life is a journey, and we are meant to move forward in life. We can choose to focus on the negative side of life or the positive but one thing is certain – focusing on the negative will not take us forward.
Life is a journey, we are meant to move forward.
What inspires you?
People with powerful stories inspire me such as Nick Vujicic and Liz Murray, both of whom overcame drastic circumstances in life. I am also inspired by the people that come to my fitness classes each time I teach, so disciplined and determined to make healthy choices each day. I’m inspired by the people in my life who are determined to become better tomorrow than they are today. I’m inspired by someone who refuses to give up on a dream. I’m inspired by someone who sacrifices for someone else.
Do you believe that pain strengthens us?
I believe that pain can be the fire that strengthens us. It’s like a clay pot that doesn’t become strong and useful until it has been fired in the kiln. We can allow pain to overcome us or we can use it to help us become stronger. It’s like the scars of wounds can be tougher BECAUSE of the wound and because it has healed. Healing doesn’t mean that the wound was never there or that the damage never existed.
How do you deal with the past? Are you still dealing with it?
I believe that In a situation like this, the first step is to acknowledge: acknowledge the past, the bad situation. Acknowledging is crucial for the healing to begin. You have to acknowledge to heal. The most important thing is not to let it fester. Covering up a past does not make it go away. You have to deal with it more often than you think. Share it with a loved one to be able to deal with it more effectively. Pushing it away will not make it go away. The goal is to move on, and move forward in life.
I think writing my book helped me to heal. Acknowledge to heal, heal to move forward. Don’t let it fester. A great way to deal with the past is to write. Even if no one else will ever read it – journaling is a great way to bring closure.
What advice do you have for someone who is trying to overcome current or past circumstances?
1) Choose your ATTITUDE. So much of our success in life is due to our attitude and the beautiful thing is we get to choose it! Viktor Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from a man except one thing: the last of human freedoms. The ability to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” Choose wisely.
2) Have the COURAGE to change. Change your situation or change yourself. Make a choice and make a change for better.
3) Be TENACIOUS. It require repeated efforts to make a change stick. You must be consistent and it takes a lot of energy to be consistent. Keep at it till you see the desired results. It is the little choices that add up over time that make a big difference. A lot can be done over a year compared to the little that can be done in a day.
ATTITUDE | COURAGE | TENACITY
What is the key take away of your book Ria’s Story, From Ashes to Beauty?
The key take away is that we have the ability to choose: we can choose to be bitter about something that happens in life or choose to be better for it. Today is a new chapter in the book of your life – what will you write?
