I recently received a letter from a former student, so this week I wanted to try something different and let her tell her story.
“My
name is Amelia. I am a twenty-one year
old marketing student from the Dominican Republic. Two years ago I attended the
Ultimate Life Summit, which is where I learned the 7 Mindsets. I currently study at my town's community
college, just three blocks away from my house.
“On
Tuesday October 1st of this year at about 8:00 p.m., I was walking home
from school with my sister. Less than a
block away from our house, two thieves on a motorcycle attacked us. They were trying to take my purse, which held
my schoolbooks and notebook as well as my ID, insurance card, college documents,
cell phone and wallet. In the middle of
their attempt to rob me, my sister started defending us. I was in shock, not fully getting what was
actually happening. She hit one of the
thieves repeatedly, so in order to take my purse, he cut the straps and stabbed
me in the hand.
“The
thieves got away with my things, and I was bleeding like crazy. People nearby noticed what had happened and
came to help us. I had to go to the emergency
room, but once there, the doctor on call realized that two of my fingers
weren't moving, and sent me for emergency surgery. When I had been stabbed, it had cut two
tendons and an artery, putting my entire left hand at risk.
“Surgery
finished at 2 o'clock in the morning, and it was successful. The next morning, people were calling my
family like crazy. I was discharged that day, and later that evening, all my
friends came to the house.
That
was four weeks ago. And now I'm going to
tell you some valuable things I realized during this past month:
“-
I can die any day. As horrible as that
may sound, it's true. So, if I die now,
what was the meaning of my life? Have I
done something amazing with my life? No.
Have I accomplished my dreams and goals
yet? No.
“This
raises the question: Why the heck are
you waiting to give your life some meaning?
The time to create an awesome life with what you are doing is NOW.
“-
Be GRATEFUL. Grateful that you are alive
and well. Grateful that you have the
things you have. I’m grateful that I am
alive, when lots of people involved in situations like mine end up worse, even
dead, while I got only a stabbed hand.
“-
Work on your relationships. I actually
didn't know that so many people would worry about me the way they did. I’ve
learned that I have the most awesome friends because I picked them wisely and
worked on those relationships.
“And
last but not least...
“-
Find your passion! Passion is the only
thing that will make you get up every day and face this roller coaster we call
life. Embrace that passion, and live as
if your last day is today. The reason I
am not depressed over what happened is that I have no time to be depressed – I am busy focusing on what I love and am learning
in order to get what I want!
“Scott,
why is it that only difficult situations make us see what is in front of our
eyes? How can we be so blind? I’m sharing my story with you in hopes you
might share it with others. What
happened to me made me open my eyes and reflect on my own mindsets. You can be certain that I am proceeding with
an Attitude of Gratitude and intend
to put my Passions First. The Time is Now to start living my
dreams! Your former student, Amelia José.”
Well
Amelia, to answer your question: I
believe difficult situations are an opportunity for us to re-examine our lives
and learn something to help us grow. There’s
an old saying that the measure of a great teacher is not how many students they
teach, but rather how many masters they create. It seems to me that the student has now become
the teacher. Your life experience and
words of wisdom are being shared with the millions of people who receive these
weekly stories. Today, you have reminded
us to keep our eyes wide open and live life to the fullest!
Until next week...
Live Your Dreams
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