We rise up from both pleasant and unpleasant experiences. Those moments shape us, leaving behind impressions that become part of our personal story. Each person we meet, whether briefly or for a lifetime, leaves something behind that we can choose to keep or let go. Inspiration often comes from the unexpected places, like the person who challenges us, pushes us past our limits, or even the one who hurt us deeply. Sometimes it's through the cracks they leave behind that we see the light pouring in, showing us new paths we wouldn't have explored otherwise.
In my inspiration book, there are people who cheered me on without hesitation, but also the ones who made me question so many things, including my worth. It may seem odd to acknowledge them but once I've drawn my boundaries, I've been able to appreciate my growth from the worst of experiences, from people who weren't always kind or supportive - far from it. Yet, their presence pushed me to redefine myself, to rise above their doubt. Their absence of praise, and their demean, taught me to seek validation within, to recognize my own power and not rely on someone else to fuel it. This is something we can talk about but it can be a hard thing to actually implement into our psyches.
For the people who believed in me, who saw potential where I saw fear, those are the names that glow the brightest. They're the voices I hear when I doubt myself. But there are also the quieter inspirations—the ones who didn't say much, but through their actions, demonstrated what resilience looks like. Watching them persist, regardless of their obstacles, became a silent lesson that stayed with me.
Who's in your inspiration book? If you pause long enough, you might be surprised at the variety of names that come to mind. The good, the bad, the unexpected—each of them played a role in making you who you are. There's beauty in the unexpected influences, those who forced us to stretch and grow beyond our comfort zone. It's not always the obvious heroes. Sometimes, it's the ones who made us stumble that taught us how to get back up stronger than before. And I give myself props too because it's so easy for people to drag others down - and there are so many who do that in this world - and to take what I've experienced, picked myself up, with the help of my supporters, I have to say that I'm pretty proud of the effort I've put in and the growth I've been able to make to help myself. We have to work with all our inspirations - both the unpleasant and the pleasant and make the best of them to create the best version of ourselves.
