Inside-Out

I wish I could tell every human just how absolutely beautiful and strong they are. I wish I could imprint young, impressionable minds to know this, too.

But I can't. 

I need your help. 

I need you to realize just how powerful the mind is. It's amazing, really. The power of positive thinking? It can create a whole new world. 

People grow up feeling horrible. They grow up feeling ugly, inadequate, fearful, insecure ... They grow up never knowing how powerful their mind is. How powerful they are. 

They think, "I won't go anywhere in life, why try?" They think, "Nobody will ever truly love me, I'm ugly." They think, "I'm failing. I can't turn this around." 

These are all lies. 

Lies that they (maybe you, too) have been conditioned to believe. 

The truth is, you're beautiful. You're worth the effort. You can make a difference in the world. Somebody already does love you. Failure is the first step to success. And finally, you CAN turn this mindset around. 

You are in control of your behavior and your actions. The first step is positive thinking. ((Yeah, yeah.. You've heard it before. This time, actually TRY it))

It's time to start repairing our bodies from the inside-out. To transition our minds from negative thinking, to uplifting, encouraging thoughts. From feeling miserable and horrible, to doing one thing a day to make you happy. Happiness does not just ARRIVE; you create your own happiness. 

When was the last time you ate cake and realized you just got a six pack afterwards? 

...never.

Me too. (I was disappointed too, don't worry.)

We can't expect to make bad decisions in life, and be happy. We have to WORK for happiness.... For our relationships, for our figures, for our talents, for our careers, for our money, for our faith. Our minds do not automatically default to hope and happiness, but we can change that. 

Today is the day to start. Don't wait for the new year for happiness to arrive. 

You're beautiful, and you're worth it. 

Time to start believing it. Time to put to rest all the excuses, all the doubts, all the procrastination. No more. Go out and be happy, know your value in life. 

Please share this with someone you know suffering with negative self-image. If that's you, I hope you begin to see your true worth and value in life. You're a miracle; time to start believing it! 

I'm still learning this. It's one of the reasons I can write about it. I'm still learning how to be confident and secure and happy. I'm still working on myself from the inside-out, and I hope you'll join me in this never-ending venture!

What is Love?

Baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more
Baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more.

What is love?!

Okay! Now that the soundtrack to this blog post is stuck in your head- let's continue!

 

I'm one of those hopeless romantics that truly believes love is what makes the world go round ((yeah, yeah... I get the gist, physicist.. angular momentum is a tiiiiny part of that too))

 

It's not something you can define, but something you feel. But as you know, I'm big on words...

 

Love fascinates me, intrigues me. It's not something you can define, but something you feel. But as you know, I'm big on words, so I thought- "What is love?" ((queue the soundtrack in your head again, you're welcome! ;))  Or rather, "How would you define love in words?" 

 

I asked a number of people to define love in 1-2 sentences, so without further adieu:  

 

 "Love is bacon."

Age 45

 

 "Love is being nice and kissing each other."

Age 8 

"Love is Blind, love is different in every relationship, love is what you make of it, when you are away from the person you're in a relationship with and your heart tingles that's love..

Love is when I'm too sick to wipe my own nose or ass!"

Age 42 

 

"Love is...what makes the world go round. It makes the ride worth it."

Age 26

"Selfless, vulnerable Love in the raw is terribly scandalous. It does not make logical sense... much like God Himself. They cannot be separated."

Age 22 

"If you love someone you will be or do anything for them....  What comes to mind is The Notebook, "If you're a bird, I'm a bird."

Age 32 

"Love is destructive beauty. It's eternal and never dies and could make or break you."

Age 17

"Love is inconsistent. It endures only through unconditional commitment."

Age 22

"The best and only definition of love is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Age 23

"Love is unbreakable and spans all space and time. It is unbiased and the most powerful thing in existence. Love is infinite."

Age 22 

"This is from a website I read once, "Love is like pushing a button and getting a cookie every time, but eventually you only get a cookie one in every 100 pushes, the other 99 times you get pooped on by a bird, but you still push the button waiting for that one time you get a cookie."

Age 23

"Love is light, love is warmth and kindness, love is honesty and truth.  Love is capable, love is worth, love is never immediate.  Love will always be eternal."

Age 34 

"Love is the chemical reaction in our brains that triggers an emotional response with a physical action to show we care about someone or something."

Age 23 

"Love is an act of expression. 

It means nothing if you don't show it."

Age 33

"To me love is caring. It's being willing to go to the ends of the earth for someone else's well being.  Love is meeting in the middle,  and not always getting your way. It's respect. It's trust. It's friendship and family. It's listening with an open mind and heart,  and being a shoulder to cry on at 2am when needed. Without love the world would shatter in isolation."

Age 20 

"Love is being able to trust and depend on another person without reservation. I also think love is a warmth- a "spark" in my heart when I see the other person coming to be with me. Love means listening carefully to the other person."

Age 89 

 

How would YOU define love? Shoot me a message or leave a comment below! I always LOVE hearing from you! 

 

...man, I love LOVE.

How do YOU define love?

 

 

 

BLOGATHON!

Spectacular news people! My blog about education got selected for a blogathon by BreakThrough TV called #selfiesforschool! Breakthrough’s #Selfies4School campaign is a campaign that aims to send young girls to school, because we believe that education can help break the cycle of early marriage. Every blog you submit helps send 10 girls to school.

#Selfies4School

 Check out this link for my story- and submit a #selfie4school yourself

Many thanks to Arunima for reading my blog and coordinating this wonderful site to promote education across the globe through the power of words! You are doing great things in the world- thank you for allowing me to be a part of this great cause!

Endless thanks to everyone who reads and keeps up to date with my blog- It really does mean the WORLD to me! Love you all!

http://tell-a-tale.com/

Crossroads of Freedom: College

His eyes were iceberg blue; he wore a torn and tattered OD green coat in the whipping wind. His large, rough hands gripped a one-word cardboard sign that read, "Imagine." A one-word cardboard sign that hit me like a bullet.

The light turned green. My heavy heart seemed to coarse through my veins all the way to my right foot and the gas petal mashed the floorboard. As I attempted to gulp down the frog in my throat, I imagined what his life must have encompassed, the roads he may have crossed to get to this street corner of humiliation. But as my mind turned this over and over again, I began to transition from not imagining this stranger's life, but imagining my own Dad; and moreover, thinking of my life.

You could say I've been dealt an ace in a hand full of struggles. I've witnessed heart wrenching events, lent a helping hand when it was probably time to walk away, and poured my whole being into holding a family together, but I will always have the knowledge that came with those events. The more I thought about that sign, I realized this could have been anyone; it could have been my Dad; my hero in my life that almost didn't make it. Or, it could have been me. 

That cardboard sign has stuck with me throughout the years. Encouraging me to take a different perspective and 'Imagine.' I now crave travel. I crave stories. I crave the knowledge it takes to delve deeper into the hearts and minds of those surrounding me on this little planet called Earth. Education is my window of opportunity to stop imagining, and start doing. Start seeking cultures that need a voice, people that have faced injustice, and seeds of knowledge planted in the minds of those who do not know it yet. I'm an aspiring photojournalist that is out to change the world; to explore, write, and capture the moments, memories, and stories of people around the world.  I have an incessant keyboard in my mind typing out accounts of the world through my eyes, and a higher education would allow me to excel in the pursuit of my dream. 

I believe we each start life with a breath of hope. We don't start with capturing charisma, eternal reassurance, or even the strength to love; we learn. We experience each avenue our life leads us, and sometimes we cross paths with a man on a street corner that makes us think, makes us imagine our path, and sometimes we come to a crossroads of freedom: college.  

 

High School Graduation

Graduated with Associate of Arts-
Now a full-time student at University of Colorado Denver

 

I Dare You To Try.

People always say live for the moments that you can't put into words.

I challenge you to find words for those moments. 

I dare you to take those speechless, powerful, life-changing moments and search for words. Describe the smile on your face, the sweet smell surrounding you, the way your heartbeat mimicked that of a hummingbird. I dare you to break out of the chains that hold you down in your weakest moments. To describe the way his knuckles went white and his grip suffocating.

Writing is healing. Writing is remembering. 

So for those moments you couldn't find words to describe your pure bliss, I dare you to try. It's a memory worth the books. When you find the right words for an experience like that, you've unlocked the power to relive that moment no matter where you are at, no matter how many years down the road. 

As for the moments you would rather push so deep inside you that they will never be able to escape; I dare you to let them. Sit down with your pen and just bleed. But only do this on one condition- promise once you are done you will leave it on that piece of paper. You will let that memory live on that page, forever. You won't bury it beneath every possible layer you can in your heart, you will unpack that memory from your heart and build it a new home on paper. 

Writing can hurt, or it can heal. It can make you laugh uncontrollably or it can make you weep. 

I challenge you to find words when words fail you. 

I dare you to remember your happiest moments,

and build a home on paper for your worst ones. 

 



Things the World Seriously Needs More Of

Blinkers. People who know how to use blinkers. People who use blinkers. People who know what a blinker means. People who respect blinkers. Can I get an amen?! 

 

Free ice cream after meals. This may be a dangerous move, but anything worth having is worth the risk. (I think that quote applies to ice cream, right?!) 

 

Forgiveness. 

 

Shark Week on Animal Planet.

 

Healthy snacks that are cheaper than a Big Mac... Or McDouble. 

 

People who speak more than one language. 

 

Smiles. 

 

Hand-holding.

 

Machines that get you ready in the morning while you sleep in. 

 

Honest people. Who tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God! 

 

Websites like, "The Onion," that help you decipher fact from fiction.....and play really cruel jokes on people who have no idea the basis of the site. 

 

Selfies.

^^SIKE! We have enough of those that probably shouldn't exist in the world. 

 

Giving people. Selfless people. 

 

Drama between celebrities. 

^^NOPE don't need that either. 

 

Love. Romance. Intimacy. Love notes. Date nights. Pickin' up what I'm layin' down? Smell what I'm steppin' in? ((Ew. Who uses that line in real life?! Please shake your head no.))

 

People who are currently living their dreams. As Aesop Rock so eloquently puts it, "You can dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it; cause dreamers always chase but never get it." 

 

Math with letters in it............Joke.

 

Bars for people to get schwasted and make poor life decisions.

^^Oh wait. One on every block--Check! 

 

Affordable education systems. Free education systems. 

 

Environmentally-safe paper (or some Eco-friendly material) plates; so I can refuse to do dishes and not feel a twinge of guilt. 

 

Photos. Images. Cameras. Pictures. 

 

People who understand sarcasm, and can respond to it without being offended. 

 

Genuinely nice people. Who are nice to be nice, not to get something in return.

 

Open-minds.

 

Starbucks. 

^^Because two on every block is simply not enough. 

 

And while we are at it, I'm going to jump on the beauty pageant train and say-- world peace. 

The world needs to know peace.

 

 

With Concern,

Sarah.

 

 

When a Rut Becomes Home

I’ve been stuck in a rut lately. I am not sure whether I got pushed into it, slipped into it by accident, or just jumped right on in on my own accord; but I’m here. What I realized though, is this hole I am stuck in is not like other ruts I have been in. The noticeably dark, scary, and dingy pits I notice myself in and am clawing at the walls to get out is not at all like the pit I am in right now. This one is well-decorated and comfortable. Actually, it is so comfortable that I could call it home.

You see, if we find ourselves in a bad situation for long enough, it eventually becomes home to us. The dark, scary place it may have been at the beginning is no longer how you perceive it in your heart. You see this scary place now as a comfort zone. For you, this may be a relationship that you aren’t fulfilled in and you stay there because it’s what is comfortable. For others, it may be a job that you have stuck with for years on end because the pay was good and the risk didn’t seem worth it to change. If you stay in this rut for long enough, you end up decorating the walls, dusting the cobwebs away, and putting your feet up for a while.

We reason our way out of that gut feeling that tells us to change. We may want to prove everyone else wrong, we may not trust ourselves or any other advice, and we may be relying on that comfort ‘pit’ to provide us with a sense of worth. It depends on what kind of rut you are stuck in, and how you got there to begin. What matters now is that you realize this hole you are in has been disguised as a comfy place to hang your hat; but it’s not.

This kind of rut is the last kind you want to be in, because you can’t get out without work…..And we don’t want to do the hard work it takes to get out. It’s uncomfortable; extremely. Although that hole you fell in was uncomfortable getting in, it’s now become home, so getting out is terribly uncomfortable.

I’m writing this to tell you that you can know freedom. You can know peace. A few tips I have found useful in my ongoing journey to step outside my comfort zone are as follows:

1.      Commit to getting out of the rut you are in.

2.      Recommit to getting out on a daily basis, on a moment to moment basis if you have to.

3.      Push your boundaries. You will discover that things that once were natural for you have become challenging. If you are uncomfortable in the situation, evaluate why, and then proceed if it is due to wanting to only remain in your comfort zone.

4.      Know that the butterflies in your stomach are a sign of progress!

5.      Enjoy the challenge ahead. There is a huuuuuge difference in doing what we know we should be doing, and doing what we have a desire to do. In the end, you will always go back to doing what you ultimately WANT to do, so make sure your desires and your actions are aligned with one another.

Addictions become our comfort zones.

Toxic relationships become our comfort zones.

Dead-end jobs become our comfort zones.

Ruts come in all different shapes and sizes; some with Gucci hand bags and fancy sports cars as a disguise; know when and how to recognize a potential pit in your life. Just because something is comfortable, doesn’t mean you should decorate the walls and live there.

 

"Why Do You W R I T E?"

I got asked the other day, "Why do you do it?" 

In a state of confusion, I asked "Do what?" 

 

"Why do you write if you don't even know anyone is reading. Doesn't it sometimes feel like a waste of time?" 

And to answer the question short and sweet:

"No. It does not ever feel like a waste of time, but thanks for your concern."

{albeit, rather rude concern..}

 

I write because it makes me happy to write, and I think people should do things that make them come alive and feel happiness.

{{If you haven't read my post about following your dreams, find it here }}

 

But to be honest; my answer should have been a lot more candid and truthful. So this is, stranger who asked me why I write, the real answer I owe you..

 

Sometimes I just stop in my tracks. I grab my phone or jot it down on a piece of paper...words catch my attention. Events, memories, smells, sights, desires.. They inspire me and I simply HAVE to remember 'whatever it was.'

 

And usually the things I write down are powerful for me; for self-realization. I have epiphany moments and maybe writing down two words helps wrap up this inner monologue and battle in my own mind. It may come weeks, months, or even years later, but when the words come to me, all is well. I gain a sense of clarity and understanding. But there's this crazy off-chance that maybe my two words will impact you as well. Yeah, I get it. It's far-fetched and absurd.... But maybe it's absurd to think that we're not all battling the same things. That we haven't all experienced the same emotions. Maybe it's far-fetched to think that my writing couldN'T impact someone struggling or dealing with the same things I am. That's why I write.

 

Maybe I will allow one person to go outside their comfort zone, to inspire someone to follow their dreams, to ignite a passion for life, to help someone else have an epiphany moment in this crazy thing called life. I write because sometimes I don't know what I think until I read what I say, and just maybe...there's a few other people like me out there.

 

I write because the world around me is filled with inspiration; I never want to forget that.......and there's this crazy, far-fetched, absurd chance... That it just might inspire you too. 

So whether it's watching 79 episodes of Netflix in a row, kissing your kids goodnight, getting lost in a good book, sculpting your near-perfect muscles, taking your dog on a walk, gardening, or whatever it is that makes you happy; do that. 

 

And most importantly,

don't let people question why you do it. 

 

 

With Love,

PhotoSoul Sarah.

A Love Letter to my Little Sis

Dear sis,

"You don't judge me when I'm weird. You don't judge me when I'm sad."

 

               We’ve always had this unique relationship; half the time the waitress used to ask me if I would like a high chair and a kids menu thinking you were mine. I am 14 years older than you, but you still say we are twins. ((I haven’t broken the news to you yet, although I think you’re on to something)) Okay, we’re not twins. There it is. I’m 22 and you are 8. You’re the best little sister I can ever imagine though. And at times I will probably act more like a mom, and you will get mad, but that’s only because I care about you and your well-being. I’ve always thought it was my job to be a perfect role-model for you. To help you and teach you and show you how to navigate in this messy, unforgiving world we live in. Usually though, you’re the one who teaches me things. You show me the laughter and excitement about the world. The way practice and motivation really does make perfection. You’ve shown me how to love with no reservations. You’ve shown me how to be a role model. You’ve shown me how to make really awesome bracelets, and also how to reorganize a doll house. You’ve shown me patience and understanding. You don’t judge me when I’m weird. You don’t judge me when I’m sad. You’re blunt when I’m being mean, and it allows me to grow and change. You’re kind and generous and light up a room just by being you. You teach me how to ride a RipStick, and induct me into your RipStick club. You teach me the power of giving.

"You teach me the power of giving."

               There will come a time when you don’t feel so awesome though. When you feel like it’s not okay to be weird, when you feel like your body is just not right. When you feel like you need to change for a boy, or change for your so-called friends. And I’ll be right there next to you, telling you the same thing I am today. You’re so special and unique. You have a passion and fire for life that is going to take you wherever you want. You are so strong; stronger than you will ever know.  And when you don’t feel like it, just come over or call me, because I will always, no matter what, see you as a bright-eyed, happy, strong, perfect girl who deserves the world.

"You're bold and brave, strong and passionate."

               Your beauty flows from the inside out. You told me the other day that you were going to grow your hair out until you were my age (which in your eyes, probably like an eternity) and then donate it to people who don’t have any hair. You’re eight now and already have a heart for those who struggle and are forgotten. You have eyes that see people hurt and you help them, and comfort them. When I’m sad you comfort me, and when I’m happy you share my happiness.

               I hope that you never get too cool for me. I hope that whatever life throws at us, we never grow apart. I hope that when you’re in trouble you will call me, and I will bail you out of it. I hope that we share secrets always. I hope that your singing voice is shared with the world and your dancing will move people to their feet. I hope you find health and happiness in everything you do; but when you don’t, try to think of yourself through my eyes.

What can I say? You’re more important to people than you may ever realize. One day, we will be those two old crazy ladies doing the cup song in the park. We will sing with the windows open at stop lights, paint our nails to match each other, and wear ridiculous outfits just to cackle our heads off.

               I see you growing into this beautiful, spunky, energetic, loving little girl, and I am so proud to be your sister.

You really are something else.

               You’re bold and brave, strong and passionate. My number one fan, and my toughest critic. And with only 8 years down, I’d say we have a lot more adventures to go on together… I’ll never be able to teach you everything about life, I’m still learning myself, but I thought it would only be fair that I remind you how amazing you truly are in hopes you will never see yourself any differently as you get older.

All the love in the world,

Your big sis and best friend forever.

-Fickle Memories-

Memories are so fickle; the mind, actually, is fickle. I can't think of another word to describe it-- always changing, and you can't rely on it. I feel as though from one moment to another my mind is irrevocably changing.... Which may seem like an oxymoron ((not able to be changed changing)) But it makes perfect sense. Here's my simplified version of it: I canNOT change the way my mind is constantly changing.

I don't mean changing my mind on what to wear, although that is certainly a challenge I am faced with in this material world, but I mean about real life decisions. One moment I am happy and content, and the next I am spinning in insecurities, doubt, and fear.

It's a battle.

What the heart feels versus what the mind thinks.
It's a timeless war that's been displayed in Hollywood dramas, high school gossip, and it will probably continue as long as man has the ability to love.

We don't know how to love. We came from it, but yet we are lost in love; and in turn, our own minds.

Love can be easy, it can leave you happy and content.... But usually love leaves deep scars. I often ask myself, if I am doing the right thing, why does it hurt so much? An incessant ache that begins in my heart and rages outward, coursing through my veins and igniting a physical pain in my being. I find it near to impossible to be happy sometimes. As a child, I used to imagine my career, my husband, my future family, my car, my home... And because I already possessed happiness, when adults would chime in about how "they just wanted to be happy" I would always giggle and think it was incredibly silly to just want happiness; there's so much to want in this big old world. But the truth is; I'm at a point where I just want happiness.

And then I think, wow.
How sad pathetic.

At some point in my life I transitioned from happiness, to unhappiness, without realizing it... And now I want to go back. I am not one to romanticize childhood; for I know the memory is fickle and often dramatizes even the smallest of memories, and I've gone through my fair share of hard times, but that isn't to say that I wouldn't desire to go back in time and relive the childlike happiness that I once held onto, unknowingly.

People always want happiness, so it's nothing monumental or new to write about a human desire to crave genuine happiness. But what I've come to realize, is people are afraid to feel the depths of emotion when they aren't experiencing this so-called "happiness." It gets a label. You become "emo," you become "depressed," you become "unmotivated," and even "fearful." And I can acknowledge the labels, and understand why people PLACE the labels... ((We're intrinsically quick to judge; even when we try not to)) but I guess I am "speaking out" against these stereotypes because I truly believe you learn the most when your heart is searching for more, your mind is in pain, and you may be hurting... A lot.

We  naturally ((it actually takes every conscious thought in my brain to not wear my heart on my sleeve)) try to hide everything we are feeling if it isn't "upbeat," or "joyous." Why is that though?  

We grow from pain; 

so if we are constantly trying to push it away, not feel anything and fake it until we make it per se, then how are we supposed to gain anything from the heartaches we experience?

My mind may be fickle.
My memories are fading; no matter how young or old.
And I may be experiencing these hard, heart wrenching things in life; but I want to FEEL, in my life. Whether that's love, heartache, joy, pain.. Whatever it may be.

Our minds are unreliable. They are constantly changing. I don't want to be angry for the depths of my emotions, the ever changing state of mind, my fears and doubts and insecurities.. I certainly want to conquer the unhappy feelings that occasionally slip into my mind, but I don't want to block them out in hopes of happiness.

So let's just put a label on my mind and say, "it's complicated," since we have to sum everything up to the quickest explanation these days. I'm complicated. My heart is complicated. My mind is complicated. But the complexities of my mind and heart are what makes me, ME. So I'm tired of fighting it.

I don't text back three words. I don't keep things short, sweet, and to the point. I don't wear make up everywhere I go. I say how I feel, over and over if that's what it takes. And I won't hide behind some label or preconceived notions about what somebody thinks I am; or how the outside eye perceives me.

And despite the complex, complicated nature of my soul; I am not flawed. The scars that will always be there pales in comparison to the knowledge I have gained along the way. So remember next time you see a strangers halfway, forced smile on the street, it's okay to be sad, and it's okay if you want to smile through it, but remember in the end; all of us are going through life experiencing many of the same things, so it's okay to feel. 

 It's okay to be complicated and complex in a world that forces us to just "keep it simple." 

With love,
PhotoSoul Sarah. 

"We Have Decided to Eliminate Your Position."

“Regrettably, we have decided that CCi will eliminate your position and you will cease regular duties effective February 04, 2014.”

               --One sentence that hit a conference room full of people like a bullet; their minds and hearts instantly racing.

An event transpired yesterday that left every employee at Everest University Online with a sadness and soaring uncertainty; an event that we were all blindsided by. Being laid off is no laissez-faire occasion, though. It’s about economics. It’s a numbers game- is the company hitting goal: OR NOT. Unfortunately, I lost my Everest family because the answer to that question was the “or not,” portion. We spend 40 hours, often times more, with our coworkers every week. So to put a title on the people I worked with daily, “coworkers,” does not suffice. I would venture to say, “family,” is the appropriate term here.

               Each of our stories is unique. Each of us have brought strengths, weaknesses, a sense of humor, an inspiring quote, a helping hand, a smile in the hallway, and even a daily cartoon for some comic relief! I started working at Everest in September 2012, wide-eyed and excited. As the years passed, my Everest family has guided me through a rollercoaster of life events. From relationships, family health, college, how to do taxes, how to show up on time, how to have a solid work ethic, how to accept change and thrive, and how to just live. My family there has been there with me through all my struggles, and through all my joys. I have gotten advice that is priceless; I have made friendships for life.

And instead of being bitter, angry, hurt, and confused, I plan on using all that and running with it. I am laid off, but I am unbelievably grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such amazing individuals. To build me up, to tell me I am worthy, to remind me of my strength. Being laid off is hard. Being laid off means questioning how to pay my rent, how to get groceries, how to keep my cell phone on, how to put gas in the car, and where my next turn will be. How to take care of those around me……

But it does not define me.

Mike Jenkins once poured his heart out to us in the same conference room we got laid off. His words stuck with me. He said he used to play a mean game of basketball, by himself outside his barn. As we circled the room with what contributes to success, I jokingly said, “It takes a mean game of recruiting students.” And as that was a mere 5 second exchange, a lot can be found in those words. Our leaders didn’t start at the top. They started with a dream… His dream was fueled by prayers. He spoke of praying by his bedside and then finding clarity. Knowing that, “All is done.” He, along with many others, have had to make sacrifices to fuel the company from an economic standpoint. We may look at them as the enemy because they still have a career, they still have money to take care of THEIR families, and now we don’t. But as you go through the stages of loss, remember that they are going through the same. Seeing the tears in people’s eyes, seeing the pale faces and shaking the clammy hands- it is a loss for us all. As humans we tend to dissociate our leaders with emotions. They got ahead by not having emotions, they have it ‘in them’ to lay us off- that’s not true. Think about their heavy hearts as they go home tonight. Having to give the news to a room full of confused, angry, sad, scared people….. That’s a moment they will never forget.

               The point of my little tirade is this, this moment was awful for all parties involved. The leaders that delivered the news, the ‘survivors’ that watched us walk out the door, the families that are now uncertain of what comes next, and each and every one of us that is now in the race for another job- a way to provide. The reality of the situation hits hard when you have to face family, friends, and loved ones and tell them the news. Don’t let this define your worth, though.

Life is about health and happiness.

Yesterday, and the days to pass, are a challenge. We will face days all too often with tears in our eyes and struggles before us. Negative emotions are all-consuming, and loss of hope is a killer. But please do not get bogged down in the negative emotions that an event like that will inspire. Remember, you are worthy, you are talented, and above all- You are strong.

I can not WAIT to see all that everyone accomplishes.

You have made a difference in my life- and I know wherever this road takes you- you will make a difference in the lives of many, many others!!

All the possibilities now right in your fingertips. Like a phoenix, we will rise from the ashes!

Praying for each and every one of us involved. I am sure each one of us has, or still is, going through the motions- experiencing denial, anger, fear, feeling helpless, depression, and then acceptance. So in writing this, understand I am too. I am writing this to all involved, and myself.

Remember this-

We worked to change lives.

 It’s time to kick ass and take names- and go change YOUR life.

Oh and P.S. If you have never heard the soundtrack from the children’s movie, “Frozen,” called, “Let it Go,” please go do so now. Listen to this verse below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk

It's funny how some distance,
Makes everything seem small.
And the fears that once controlled me,
Can't get to me at all.
It's time to see what I can do,
To test the limits and break through!!!...
No right, no wrong, no rules for me.
I'm free!

LET IT GO! Let it go!
Here I stand, and here I'll stay.
Let the storm rage on.
AND I'LL RISE LIKE THE BREAK OF DAWN