Story #18 is about the unexpected impact we can have on people. And the strange rubber band-ish outcomes that impact brings. The lessons I learned were:

• Getting past insecurities
• restrictive conditions in our life
• how making hard life decisions get you on the path to Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be

And there is a bonus observation that I wonder if it is also true for you? Ive noticed a high frequency of rewarding experiences and relationships coming from volunteering. It seems the people that have had positive influence in my growth and the experiences that changed my thinking, mostly come from the times I decided to volunteer for something. Have you noticed this in your life?

The volunteer experience that set the stage for my gigantic mind shift was me being the keynote speaker at a Parent Summit. This was a big deal for me, in the sense that I had never done it before and the audience was way more qualified than I was cuz I wasnt a parent. I felt out of place and worried that my message would bore people so much that they would get up and walk out.

Well, they didnt walk out. Actually it was a super cool experience but that wasnt the big thing. Several months would go by before I would understand how big that Key Note gig was.

The shift began at another thing I volunteered at. There was one parent who had attended the Parent Summit and was now getting a practice rep in on delivering her own story. It was her response to a general questions that triggered an awakening within me. She taught me even though I was flooded with insecurities, sharing my story can give a stranger the answer they have been looking for. We dont need credentials to make peoples life better. Im gonna say that again, We dont need credentials to make peoples life better.  

After the awakening began another truth surfaced. It was the ugly truth that the design of my life would restrict me from helping more people. By design I mean where & how I spent my money, this created the need for me to earn a certain level of income, which created the need for me to do a job that consumed all of my time. These were the restrictive conditions of my life. So I ask you, what are the restrictive conditions of your life? What is keeping you from serving in the manner you best serve?

2 things had to happen for me:

• I had to change what I did with money
• I had to find another job

Both of these are very difficult decisions to make and the work to execute on the decisions is even bigger. It was uncomfortable, very inconvenient and often felt like I was making a mistake. But looking back it was a pivotal moment in my life that led to more profound experiences and self discovery. 

You may be wondering how the hell do I get started? I think the answer is in the Bonus Observation. I think its in volunteering / community service. There is something about getting out of myself and doing something for others, the type of people that do that are the type of people I aspire to be. 

I hope to see you at one of those volunteery things in the future ;-)