My friend Paula was a lawyer living in Philadelphia. Through a
mentoring program, she met Sasha, a teenage girl who was growing up in the
foster care system. She was routinely moved and often only spent a week or two
with each new family.
After Sasha was kicked out and left on the streets, Paula
took her in. Many of Paula’s friends and family didn’t support her decision.
They pointed out that teenagers with traumatic backgrounds can be difficult or
unruly. One of Paula’s friends turned it into a race issue, claiming Paula
shouldn’t be willing to open her home to a young woman of a different race. Can you imagine?!
But through it all, Paula leaned into her own instincts. She
navigated the legal system until she was given full custody. The years that
followed were difficult at times but Paula’s never once regretted her decision.
Going for
What You Want
Anna had dreamed about writing a book for years. But even though she knew I had finally published mine, she hesitated. She’d
been diagnosed with a learning disorder in school and her teachers had made fun
of her. Her self-esteem was low and she never pursued her dream.
Then a supportive friend told Anna about Frank McCourt. He
was an author who wrote his memoir titled Angela’s Ashes, a book which went
on to win many prestigious awards including the Pulitzer Prize. But what most
people don’t know is Frank didn’t complete the book until he was sixty-six
years old.
Anna listened to her friend and began writing her book. It
was slow going and her husband often mocked her for spending her time working
on what he called a “pipe dream”. But after several rounds of revisions, Anna’s
book went on to sell to a major New York publishing house.
Creating
More Joy in the World
Maddie was a home organizer. She loved getting to help her
clients organize their lives so everything flowed effortlessly. She built a big
stable of clients and she always had more thanks to the positive things her
former clients said about her.
Eventually, Maddie was approached by a TV producer. He liked
what Maddie was doing and her way of breaking through to clients. He wanted to
gather some footage of Maddie going about her normal job and show it to a
network company.
At first, Maddie said no. She worried that taking on this
new project would take away from her existing clients. But Maddie’s mom
encouraged her to look at the happiness she gave to her clients. “Now imagine
being able to reach hundreds or thousands of people and share that joy with
them.”
Maddie took her mom’s advice and agreed to the producer’s
request. A few weeks after the initial footage was done, Maddie received a
phone call. One of the TV network executives loved her work and wanted to talk
with her.
To be fierce and fearless you don’t have to become a foster
mom, write a book or launch your own TV show. These are just a few examples of
what it could look like.
