Last week, I sat in a room with more than a dozen college students and watched one of my clients share her message with them.
As I listened to them discuss the challenges they face in today’s cultural climate, I thought back to this era of my life and winced.
You couldn’t pay me enough to go back to that time of my life.
Spiritual matrix shattered.
Family relationships strained.
Health spiraling out of control.
Engagement to fiancé shaken by all of the above.
And I had it good by most standards.
I didn’t worry about where my food and shelter were coming from.
I didn’t have to worry about discrimination or violence.
Plus, I was a top performer because I had a clever tool for focusing my mind.
So, what was my problem?
My source of HOPE had been shaken to its core.
Everything that I believed to be true was in question.
I didn’t feel safe.
I didn’t feel like I belonged.
I didn’t have access to my light or my purpose.
Who am I?
Why am I here?
Why is this so f-ng hard?
How do I make this pain stop?
Maybe it will never stop…
Maybe there is no point to trying…
Maybe no one will ever see, hear, or know me…
As I looked into the faces of these young people, I saw all of these questions and fears racing behind their eyes.
I thought about how my first impulse in college was to shift my major from journalism to teaching—so that I could be there for young people going through similar pain.
I thought about how I became a teacher, only to realize that I hadn’t been given the actual tools these kids needed to deal with the real shit that was going on in their lives. [For the raw version of this post, check out this FB LIVE I did the day after.]
I thought about how almost the minute I said, “Who teaches kids how to deal with this pain?” I found a life skills training program that gave me the tools to deal with my own pain and help others do the same.
And I wondered for a second, “Why am I NOT still doing that? Am I supposed to be doing that?”
And then I glanced to my right and saw my client fully engaged and activated.
And then I looked down at the notes I had been taking about how we need to shift the messaging to this audience and adjust our current curriculum design to meet them where they are at.
And I thought about all of the times I’ve coached her and other messengers through the doubt, frustration, and confusion that often joins us on the messenger journey.
And it hit me.
How freaking awesome is it that I get to do all of it?
By supporting messengers, I am supporting their audience, which happens to include the middle and high schoolers that I so badly wanted to teach, the college students who feel unsafe and alone, the educators and helping professionals who are burning out while trying to support all of them, and so many more…
So, I guess it’s time to start shouting from the rooftops that my book launches on Wednesday, November 21st, eh?
If you know a messenger who is absolutely compelled to change the world but is struggling to move their message forward, please grab a copy or several and let them know that you see them and their huge hearts, you hear their desire, and you know their capacity to be the change.
If you’re not sure who I am talking about, please CLICK HERE to read the introduction to this book and see if it helps you identify the people in your life who may need to hear this message.