What is the most powerful story you have read, or watched?  The kind of story that leaves you ready to go out and conquer the world … after all the hero in the story just did.

Don’t you just love a great story?

My favourite?  A gripping bibliography. 

A movie or book based on a true story.  The more “real life” it is the better.

•  A man who survives freezing weather overnight in a mountain cabin, simply by living 5 seconds at a time.
• A family who climbed Mount Everest together
• Gordie Howe’s story of servant leadership and record breaking hockey skills
• A mother who changed her family’s life by radically loving others

Who is the hero in your favourite story?

The trick is, we can either find ourselves in the story, or think that we can’t be the hero … so we don’t even try.

This week our Bloom coaching members listened to the a video interview with Cyndi Wilkins.  As a young Mom with two young kids she developed the flesh eating disease and after waking from a coma lasting a few months she was told she had become a quadruple amputee in order to save her life.

A hard and beautiful story of a life filled with intention, purpose, and gratitude.  

It is so easy for us to read her story (Shine On book by Cyndi Desjardins Wilkins) and be so inspired we remove ourselves from the story.  

After all, we could never live up to that kind of transformational life … or could we?

We are just … you fill in the blank.  Just an empty nester, just a stay at home Mom (hardest job ever!), just a nurse, just a retired grandma, not retired yet, or just a home manager.  

Truth … we are never “just”.  

Your story is your story.  You were made to be you.

You feel stuck and overwhelmed because you are trying to be the hero in someone else’s story instead of leaning in to your story.

What if right now, this place right here in your story, is the most important and impactful place you could be?

Would it change how you show up in your story?

What holds you back is trying to be someone else.  The hero in someone else’s story.  

Did you know that you are the only one who can be you? Even if someone else tries to be you, they are just someone else trying to be you, they will never be you.

And if you are busy trying to be someone else, then who will be you?

You can see it’s a vicious cycle.

What if we tried to live with the same hardships and inspirations that Cyndi lives with?

What is she tried to live your life each day?

It just wouldn’t work.

Today, you are right where you are. 

Your clarity of the life you want to lead, and giving yourself the permission to change your posture of pleasing into a posture of purpose and potential ,will change how you lean in and lead your life.

I had the privilege of hearing Murray Howe, Gordie Howe’s son, speak about his Dad.  He talked about how he would show up early for his hockey games so he could engage with the fans and be available to help his team mates.  He didn’t leave anything to luck, he knew who he wanted to be and where he wanted to go.

His best piece of advice?  “You don’t have to be Gordie How to be great, you just need to be your best you.”

Who is that for you?

Who do you not have to be to be great?

Who would your best you be?

If you need to believe you can do it, read a great story.  Just keep yourself in your story.

If you want to be inspired to live each day with gratitude and purpose, grab yourself a copy of Cyndi’s book … you won’t be able to put it down!

Shine On by Cyndi Desjardins Wilkins link is right here.