So I’m in the lobby of my orthopedic doctor’s office yesterday to be evaluated for surgery on my left knee. They called my name and I responded to the appropriate area. Then the cute little medical assistant says, “Follow me,” and takes off walking bristly down the hall as if I didn’t have a problem with my knee.
I was initially going to scream out “Slow down please,” (with a smile of course) but I thought I’d just wait to see how long it would take for her to realize that I wasn’t behind her. Two corners later it finally happened for her and she came back for me with a big smile and full of apologies. 🙂
Her name is Marissa and this was her first week on the job so I cut her a little bit of slack. After reaching the room we had a nice little conversation about her journey to this point in her life. She’s a young single mother of two feeling like she can finally breathe a little bit easier now knowing that her hard work and perseverance through her struggle phase of life was finally starting to show signs of paying off and being worth it all.
Bright eyes with a bright shirt and shoes to match, she was definitely a breath of fresh air in an area that definitely needed her smiling spirit. Being raised in a dysfunctional family life and being forced to grow up early and become a surrogate mother to her younger siblings at a young age took its toll on her mentally and physically. But, that was just the beginning of her story not the end.
She eventually put a period at the end of that chapter in her life and turned the page then took out a new ball-point pen and started to write out some new goals for the new and improved version of herself. “I knew that I had to do something different and not continue down that road in my life…” she said with a smile. “…and now I’m soooo glad I did.”
When asked what advice would she give others who are experiencing similar things in their life, she said, “Don’t allow your bad past or present experiences today to determine your tomorrow.” “WOW!” I said, “that sounds like something I would say.” We both laughed and shared a few more words and niceties.
Then I gave her a copy of my book, “Bread Crumbs to Making it GREAT” and told her that there is no better companion to ride shotgun with her on her journey through her days of struggle ahead. I also told her that I would be including a snap-shot of her story in one of my upcoming book series. Her face then lit up as if she’d just won the lottery. Then I happily sent her off with a high-five and a “Make it GREAT!”
Yes, Marissa’s story is sure to inspire others no doubt. The reality is that many of us have similar stories that are sure to inspire others if only we would make an effort to share them. But the tragedy is most of us don’t share them for one reason or another.
So a good question today is, “What’s your story?” Are you making an effort to share it so that it might inspire others? I believe someone is quietly waiting to hear your story so that they may be inspired to believe that they too can overcome and become something special. So, don’t let them down. Not today.
Now get-on out there and tell your story and Make it GREAT!!! They’ll be glad you did… It sure is refreshing to see how inspiring stories can come out of some of the simplest conversations in the simplest places. 😉
My Book: www.MakeItGreatNOW.com
