One of the most powerful conversations I’ve ever had with someone happened last week when I had the opportunity to interview Jessica Rasdall for my Youversation podcast. If you didn’t hear it yet, here’s the 7-second summary:
Jessica’s decision to drink and drive killed her best friend. She went to prison for four years. She now uses her testimony to honor her friend and convince teens and adults to not drink and drive and live a purpose-driven life.
Jessica and I talked at length about how she uses that tragedy to help other people. Her mantra?
“When you make a mistake or life happens, what do you do next?”
Her next could have been depression and isolation, but instead she chose to take her ‘mess’ and turn it into a ‘message.’ She now coaches people, helping them focus on embracing their stories and uncovering their purpose. She admitted to me the process is not always easy, but it’s worth it.
“Struggling is not a sign of weakness. Struggling is a bi-product of an unshakable strength from within. It is the little voice inside that refuses to give up.”
Share Your Mess
The key takeaway for me from this interview is that all of us have at least one ‘mess’ in our life. We’re all human and we are all going to make at least one mistake.
What’s great about that mistake is that we can use the experience and knowledge from that mess to help other people. If you help other people consistently, then you create value and become valuable to people.
Do you have a message about a mess in your life? Are you sharing it? If so, let me know. I would love to help you share your message with others because if I can connect your message with someone experiencing the same kind of mess, then I am helping both of you.