Four simple words. One emotion-filled, tear-jerking story. Many impacted lives.
It’s one thing to hear someone’s story. It’s another thing entirely when you get to experience them telling it. Whether their story is a mixture of struggle, sacrifice, or victory I can’t help but to be grateful that even if the cards I have been dealt in life are pretty awful, I still have cards to play.
It has taken me a couple of weeks to put into words what it was like to experience Michael Crossland share his story live. If you ever get the chance to hear him make sure you have a box of tissues with you. Both Fei Hsia and I were on the verge of walking out of his talk. It emotionally impacted us so much we almost couldn’t take it (pride doesn’t prevent me from admitting that my eyes are leaking as I re-live the experience writing and editing this post – maybe I need to see a plumber? ?).
Why did Michael’s story touch us so much? Parts of it were like a mirror on our past. Other parts were so incredibly relatable. But most importantly his vision into the future aligned so much to our vision, our dreams, and reminded us that we are in the right place to make an impact on other people’s lives much like he does.
If we choose for our identify to be one of a survivor; of a winner; of someone who triumphs over adversity; of someone who makes a positive impact and creates a multi-generational legacy; of someone who takes a “bad” hand of cards and turns them into a royal flush; we will take action in accordance with that identity, and the way we feel will follow suit. What do you think will happen if we switch some of those words to their antonyms?
How many times have I chosen to let my feelings dictate my actions? How often have those actions distorted my sense of identity?
Too many. Time for it to stop.
Too often in life, people use their adversities as the reasons why they fail, instead of using their adversities as their motivation to succeed.
Michael Crossland
Play the cards you’ve been dealt as though they are the ones you’ve always wanted.
Michael Crossland