As part of a growing journey, I found myself bonding with a group of like-minded individuals who had something to share. We are all privileged to be where we are today and felt driven to help others get there too.
Earlier this year I was invited to speak at two schools:
- Sophia Training Centre – An audience of
- young adults in the fields of welding and fabrication, refrigeration, and plumbing
- Burrowes School of Art. – An audience of visual arts students
While interacting with the students, I spoke about having a dream and being able to identify your dream-stealers ; having confidence in yourself and turning a deaf ear to naysayers.
As part of an ice-breaker I asked these students if they had certain amounts of money, how they would spend it. The answers were thought-provoking: whilst some would buy a delicious meal, others would help in the home, another would purchase craft supplies, another would open a craft store, a handful indicated interests in owning their own business, e.g., a salon, a welding shop, an auto- mechanic shop, etc. The remaining students would travel to places they have only seen on television.
Dreaming is free. Dreaming gives us hope. Working towards your dreams surrounded by negative people is a grueling and arduous journey. Growing up I was taught to ‘stay in my lane’ and nothing drove me more to want to get out of that lane.
Life is so much kinder than the stories we tell ourselves… so why do we hold on to such painful stories? Why do we cling to blame rather than choose to see how our greatest pains can actually serve us and, by extension, others?
Personal freedom comes when we realize that our stories only have the power and the meaning that we give them — and in a single moment, we can change our story to change our entire life and impact many lives.
I’ve mastered the art of shifting my perspective to view my pain as a gift. I learnt to create the life I desired and knew I deserved, regardless of my past, by changing the stories I tell myself.
My call to action to these young adults was simply to surround themselves with positive people who may share the same drive and motivation as they do. Also, to let go of friends who have no interest in seeing them thrive. Last but not least: the lesson I hope they remember, if nothing else, is for them to listen to their elders…take lessons from their stories even if they can’t visualize your dreams…and keep on your path.
These two talks took place in congested and hot classrooms, I remember one of the students shaking, tears at the brim of her eyelids as I spoke of dream-stealers and naysayers. She later told me of her struggles to attend her classes and how hard it was to dream when she was surrounded by negativity. She said, “I needed to hear this today miss”
It was indeed a motivational encounter!
