What Doesn’t Kill You Only Makes You Stronger

“We often question why we have it so bad, when bad things happen to us, and can become hopeless fairly quickly that we just can’t catch a break. As long as we stay in that defeatist mode, we won’t catch a break. I remember the feeling all too well.”

Back in October 2008, I was stricken with an illness (still undetermined to this day) and became hospitalized for six days. During that time, as five or six physicians ran their tests on me every single day, I was only allowed to suck on ice chips and became involuntarily anorexic during my stay (it was like an episode of House — no lie). Uninsured and newly self-employed, my reserves were running out quickly and I was unable to work in that frail state. I was almost afraid to be released back into the real world again. I was discharged, ten pounds lighter and $45,000 in greater debt. Oh and, on top of that, I could not drive or barely walk without assistance. Thank God for my mom.

So, every single day that passed as I was recovering slowly, but surely, I often pondered, “Why did this happen to me?” I wanted to know why, when everything was going so well for me, my world came crashing down on me like this. I was healthy, happy, focused, etc. I couldn’t make sense of it at the time. After a split-second thought occurred in my mind that allowing myself to die could be an easy fix, I quickly called up my coach, closest friends and family members to ask for their support; this was me truly stepping outside of my comfort zone.

As weak, tired, worried and depressed as I became, I found the strength and courage to CHOOSE to improve my health and well-being and began employing POSITIVE thoughts to intention all the things I wanted to achieve. It was freakin’ difficult, I am not even going to lie to you, to smile and focus on positive end results. However, I did it. I embraced the present moment and lived my life with intention every day to achieve my daily goals. I pushed away thoughts of regrets from the past and anxiety about “what ifs” in the future.

After 36 days of job searching and still recovering, I was offered a job from a company whose culture and value proposition matched my own. On top of that, I have been incorporating my coaching expertise into my daily interactions with internal and external contacts. I have regained good health, well-being, and financial stability. On top of this, my coaching practice has taken off. So, I recently asked myself the question again, “Why did this happen to me?” I knew that the answer would eventually surface when the time was right and now I understand with great clarity. This had to happen to me so that I would have this compelling story to tell you. My words can inspire a passing thought, but it is through my actions that I can leave an imprint in your life.

“Courage is not defined by those who fought and did not fall, but those who fought, fell and rose again.” – Anonymous

Author - Bernadette Xiong

Tags - Courage, Inspiring, Intentioning, Living in the Present, Overcoming Adversities

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