Stepping up

This past week has been a roller coaster week for me. One of my intentions for this year was to have my life story published in Psychologies magazine. Through an amazing series of "coincidences" this is exactly what happened and I am featured in the First Person feature of the November edition of the magazine.

Seeing painful parts of my life in print in such a public way affected me in a way that I wasn't expecting. I suddenly felt very visible and there was some fear around that. What was I afraid of? I was afraid of being judged and of people questioning my motives. I asked myself, "Have I done the right thing?"

Then I remembered why I had gone so public with my story. I remembered all the lessons that I have learned from overcoming so much pain in my life. And I remembered that my intention is now to help as many people as I can through what I have learned. If I can change from being in such a negative mindset about myself and the world to one of feeling connected, motivated and inspired then I would love to help others to do the same.

In order to do that, I need to become visible. I need to face my fears and step up to the challenges that present themselves along the way, with courage and with love. Only then can I be a role model for others to follow.