Change the way you think about things – and life becomes good

This guest blog post is another wonderful installment of Voice of Soles.
Everyone has a story. If we give voice to our story, we empower ourselves and others. Sometimes all a person needs to know is that they aren’t alone in their journey.
We are many soles with one voice.
#emPOWER

Change The Way You Think About Things – And Life Becomes Good
By,Taylor
Age 20

I grew up in a house with a working mom, a lost father, and a brother who was six years older than me. In my younger years, I was a crazy child and only my mom knew how to handle me, but she was always working. So the responsibility fell on the other two people left in the house, my dad and brother. I was scared of my dad, he would always yell at me and he ended up hitting me few times; he used me as the scapegoat for everything from his financial anxieties to things going wrong with his business. In high school, I started to find my strength and I did not want to receive any kind of abuse. I don’t think he has any idea the effect his actions had on me when I was growing up. I used to have so much hate and contempt towards him, and I’ve learned that it was only hurting me. I try to let all my negativity go and move on; let it go as much as I can, and things have gotten so much better now that I’m older and doing my own thing.
Sometimes I feel sad about my childhood because I could’ve had a much better one and a healthy relationship with my father like I see my friends do. But I’ve come to realization that every single event that happened to me lead me to where I am right now just as Liz talked about. By changing the way I think about life, I change the way I feel in a more positive way. I believe that what you put out into the world comes back to you, but you decide whether its good or bad.
Listening to her came at a perfect time for me due to the fact that I have been questioning and doubting myself. Liz helped me relight the fire I always knew I had inside of me. I never knew how important working to better my self is along with bettering my life. I’ve come to realize that they aren’t separate but interconnected just like everything else in this world is.

I have felt so lost at times that I don’t even know how I made it to where I am. I feel like being lost, however, allowed me to find my true purpose and place at this point and time in life. I heard a quote on the television the other day: “We aren’t meant to be perfect, we’re meant to be whole.” I’ve found that sometimes I’m very hard on myself and others, and I notice that all I’m doing is being negative. I try to make things perfect or be a certain way. Life doesn’t always go the way I expect it to and instead of trying to make it perfect, I have to make myself whole from what life throws my way; to ground myself when I feel lost. To me, Liz is the epitome of my thoughts and she has such a positive energy that she spread it throughout the lecture hall to every single person in some shape or form. I feel honored to have heard her story and I will never forget the emotions she struck in me.