Damaged and Doing It!
Broken crayons still colour.
Torn dollars still have value.
And people, no matter how much pain they’ve been through or feel forgotten by the world, still have a purpose. Your bad experiences don’t strip you of your worth. They don’t take away your right to dream and continue on your path. If anything, all life’s experiences, good and bad, add to your value. Because only a person who has been through it all, hit rock bottom and stood up again, and survived the worst of storms can rise from the ashes with life experiences that prove their value.
There’s a reason why warriors take pride in their battle scars. And mothers, no matter how much they miss their pre-baby body and were near traumatized by the pains involved in delivering their children, would never take any of it all back.
Because ultimately, all our collective experiences make us who we are. Those times we felt broken, abused, and humiliated can lead us to somewhere better. The choice of changing the narrative is ours. Don’t allow yourself to be the victim in your own story.
Life can be cruel. It can throw you too many curveballs, kick you when you’re already down, and make you question your purpose. But before you allow yourself to feel numb as a way to defend your heart and protect your emotions, remember that feeling the pain is essential. In fact, before you can fully move on, you need to own it. You need to acknowledge that ache and frustration. Give it a name. Because without allowing that agony to be felt, you’ll end up bottling it up, holding on to it, and never letting it go.
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
There’s so much truth in that saying. Allowing yourself to go through the process of pain doesn’t mean you have to suffer through it. Remember that you choose how to feel. You decide how and if it will affect your self-worth. The things that happen to us don’t need to define us.
It’s easier said than done, I know. When someone we love breaks our heart, we can feel unloved and unwanted. It’s enough for us to look at ourselves in the mirror and hate what we see. We convince ourselves that we are unworthy of love.
However, what one person’s opinion of us, no matter how significant they were in our lives, doesn’t need to be accepted as truth. They don’t get to dictate how you live the rest of your life and whether you’ll be able to love again. Take the lesson you’ve learned and moved on.
When you fail at your job or your business, the humiliation of defeat can be enough to make you feel like giving up. But realize this, for every time you fail, whether at work or as an entrepreneur, you take away valuable lessons that you can use to make your next endeavour a success.
So the next time you feel broken and question your value, remember to take those crayons and prove that you can still colour a path that is purposeful and most importantly, all yours.
Dr. Yashima White Azilove
I am an international speaker, certified coach and skilled consultant with over 20 years of corporate brand communications executive experience in the media, entertainment, healthcare and financial service industries. I now use my expertise in brand communications to ELEVATE audiences, corporations, celebrity/talent and faith organizations.