You should never let today’s disaster keep you down. Instead, use it as a springboard to unlock a much better version of yourself. April Shprintz discusses how your challenges right now can make you someone’s hero in the future.
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Today’s Disaster Will Make You Someone’s Hero
Embracing Today’s Disaster
I am so glad you’re here. What kind of day are you having? What kind of week are you having? Are you having one of those days or weeks that sucks? You’re wondering what the point is, and if there is any way that you can “look on the bright side”. What if I told you that a disaster would make you someone’s hero? Here’s what I mean.
I have a friend who went through something tough at work and needed some guidance, some support, and, more than anything, to understand that someone else had screwed up in a similar manner. I loved that not only did I have a personal story where I royally screwed something up in an embarrassing way early in my career and then went on to have tremendous success with the same clients, the same company, and the same leaders, but when I had a moment like this in my career, my boss, who was also my mentor who I looked up to as one of the best leaders I had ever known, told me his story.
He had been embarrassed and taken aback by some information that had been relayed to him from a client in a letter that was so terrible that he printed it out and framed it. The day was so bad, and he felt so terrible about it that he wanted to put that letter up and let anyone and everyone read it. He planned to be the kind of person that someone would read that letter and never believe that it had happened.
Sometimes, the hardest things will help and inspire others. That’s what you need to feel a little better in the moment about what you are going through. Share on XIt was such good advice for me when I had messed up so big in my own career. It was great to share with someone who felt like, whether it was true or not, they had done a terrible thing in their own career, and felt like, “How do you come back from that?” Sometimes, those things that are so hard are what will help and inspire others. Sometimes, that’s all you need to feel a little better in the moment about what you’re going through.
For those of you who’ve tuned in for a while, you know I grew up with very humble means. There were times when I came home and there was no power or no heat. I went through things that were embarrassing to me at the time because kids made fun of me for getting free lunch or not having the same amount of means that other folks had.
What is so powerful about going through something like that is that what it enabled me to do years later is help people understand that it doesn’t matter where you come from, the amount of money you have, the connections, etc. Anything you want to do is possible for you to do. It is easier for them to believe me because I came from that kind of background.
I have another example of a friend who has an amazing marriage that lots of people admire and say, “You have such a great marriage. You’ve done such a good job. You chose such a great person. You’re such an amazing wife.” She is so kind in saying, “Before this, I went through a horrific divorce where I had to pay to get out of the marriage. It was terrible. There was infidelity. There was stolen money. It was this terrible thing. It was so hard that I am so thrilled that this was on the other side of it.”
There is always a reason why you are going through a hard time. Everything is all working out for you. Share on XPeople find that so heartening when they are going through a difficult divorce because, one, they think, “I’ll never have a good marriage. I’ll never have a good partner.” Here’s someone who says, “You can have what you think you have now, and you can go on and have something so much better later.” Here’s someone who shows you that just because you’re in a difficult situation at the moment doesn’t mean that you’re broken or there’s something wrong with you. It’s something that has happened to you.
Three Things To Remember
I want to leave you with 3 things to remember on 1 of these disaster days. Number one, I want you to try and look at it now like it’s three years from now. What might you think about it in three years? Regardless of how it works out, how will it feel? Odds are it’s going to work out in your favor. In three years from now, will it be something that’s as upsetting as it is now, or will it be something that pivoted you to something so much better, and you’re glad it happened?
I want you to do a second thing. Mark a year from now on your calendar. Make a little note and say, “What is this situation like? How do I feel about this?” People are amazed at how much different their lives can be in a year when they are going through struggles. The third one is to know there is a reason. Everything is all working out for you. That reason could be that you’re going to be somebody else’s hero because you’re going to have the words, the understanding, the background, and the experience that lets them know they’re going to get through their hard time. That is amazing. Here’s to your success.
