Have you ever had the feeling that you’re far too damaged, and that you have screwed up your life too much to help the people around you?
Good news is: probably not and you’re not alone.
A Woman’s Story of Triumph
There’s one woman I know of, who could quite easily have fallen prey to those same beliefs.
Her name is Oprah Winfrey, and while you’ve almost certainly heard of her, you may not have heard of the obstacles she overcame to become the household name that she is today.
Oprah was raped when she was nine years old, and at age 14 she gave birth to a child, only to lose the baby shortly afterward.
Early childhood trauma can be enough of a challenge to those who’ve experienced it, but her challenges didn’t stop there.
Her career also suffered various setbacks, including getting fired from her job as a reporter because she was supposedly “unfit for television” to being moved from co-anchor of the evening news to a morning television show with far less viewership, which at the time was a clear demotion.
Oprah could have allowed her past and other people’s opinions of her to become the story of her life.
She could have given up being on television and looked for another kind of job.
Clearly, the messages she’d received until now were that she was a failure and not worthy of anyone’s consideration.
But she didn’t allow her experiences to stop her from making a difference in other people’s lives.
Instead, she used her misfortune to help even more people.
She turned her new daytime show into a success.
I have no doubt that her experiences of loss and abuse equipped her to inspire others to explore their own pain with a compassion she couldn’t have offered without having been there herself.
How Your Wounds Help You Help Others Heal
Remember: every experience in which you’ve been wounded is an area in which you now have the knowledge, empathy and insight to accompany someone else on their path to healing.
Like a guide who has been stranded in the woods, and thus learned how to navigate them, you can now be a beacon for others to navigate the ground you’ve had to walk.
Take a Moment to Think
So now, I want you to take a moment to think about that. What experiences have you had, and how have they equipped you to help others who have been through the same thing?
Once you’ve taken a minute or two to contemplate that, I’d like to extend an invitation to you.
At Brave Thinking Institute, I specialize in showing people how to take their unique gifts, experiences and abilities, and turn them into a business that serves and improves the lives of hundreds and even thousands of people.
If you want to use the trials you’ve endured, the lessons you’ve learned and the strengths that you’ve developed as a result to inspire other people to live a life they would love, I’d like to explore whether I can help you with that.
Are You Mean to be a Life Coach
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