This question is so closely tied to what motivates me in life, what gets me up every morning, and what makes me who I am. So I guess I'd be answering all of these questions at once when I answer why I run for the title of Mrs. California...
First of all, I love people...they are without a doubt my area of expertise in life. I have been through many different fields of work, explored several opportunities, and tested my desire to pursue certain careers to the point that many people were left scratching their head in wonder when they glanced through my resume. Their question was often, "Soooo....what do you want to be when you grow up?" At first I would laugh and tell them I was still asking that question. I wondered why I hadn't found solace in any of my amazing opportunities I'd been given until one day I discovered a common thread. I loved people and I especially loved communicating with people, but, by far, what I loved most was helping people get somewhere they wanted to be, inspiring people to be the best they could be, and motivating people to find healing spiritually, mentally, and physically. With this in mind, I finally realized that being a life coach was truly and without a doubt what I wanted to be when I grew up. Well, I'm happy to say that I am seeing that dream realized now!
Originally I began running for Mrs. California because I saw it as a way to motivate myself as I relearned to walk and talk correctly again after experiencing traumatic brain injuries that left me with a struggle and confusion. It also gave me purpose as I gave a voice to people who didn't have one. It meant no curling up in the corner, but getting involved and about doing something meaningful. I experienced two more traumatic brain injuries after I began running for Mrs. California, which left me starting from scratch each time. I decided to relentlessly pursue rebuilding myself into who I wanted to be while pursuing recovery. I continued to run in spite of the bumpy road my journey was taking me down.
As my brain healed, the confusion began to clear, and I was able to express myself better, I found that my love for people and the desire to make their lives better was as strong as ever, but I wasn't sure how I would mesh it all together since I had no desire to tell my story. The last thing I wanted was people feeling sorry for me, labeling me, or catering to me because I was struggling through this unique injury. Unfortunately, I was looking at it from a perspective that wasn't very helpful and I stumbled on so sure that people wouldn't give me a chance if I told them what happened to me.
After sensing that God wanted me to tell my story and hearing many people convey their desire to hear my story and then their desire for me to tell my story to others after hearing it, I finally agreed to. To my surprise, most people accepted me for who I was and wrapped loving arms around me without labeling me or treating me with pity. Through telling my story, I began to see hope light people's eyes and hearts and realized what an incredible opportunity I had been given. What I thought had taken my dreams away, instead brought me to a destiny beyond my wildest imagination.
The next time I ran for Mrs. California, I had something urgent to share. I couldn't wait to share hope with the people around me who had been devastated by a brain injury whether they themselves had experienced it or their loved one had experienced it. Suddenly my path to self rediscovery had turned into a journey of healing for me and those who had experienced something similar. Becoming Mrs. California was no longer just a personal journey of discovery, but rather an opportunity to share hope with hundreds, thousands...who knows? ...maybe millions.
One thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to help people and becoming Mrs. California was definitely a way to do just that!
First of all, I love people...they are without a doubt my area of expertise in life. I have been through many different fields of work, explored several opportunities, and tested my desire to pursue certain careers to the point that many people were left scratching their head in wonder when they glanced through my resume. Their question was often, "Soooo....what do you want to be when you grow up?" At first I would laugh and tell them I was still asking that question. I wondered why I hadn't found solace in any of my amazing opportunities I'd been given until one day I discovered a common thread. I loved people and I especially loved communicating with people, but, by far, what I loved most was helping people get somewhere they wanted to be, inspiring people to be the best they could be, and motivating people to find healing spiritually, mentally, and physically. With this in mind, I finally realized that being a life coach was truly and without a doubt what I wanted to be when I grew up. Well, I'm happy to say that I am seeing that dream realized now!
Originally I began running for Mrs. California because I saw it as a way to motivate myself as I relearned to walk and talk correctly again after experiencing traumatic brain injuries that left me with a struggle and confusion. It also gave me purpose as I gave a voice to people who didn't have one. It meant no curling up in the corner, but getting involved and about doing something meaningful. I experienced two more traumatic brain injuries after I began running for Mrs. California, which left me starting from scratch each time. I decided to relentlessly pursue rebuilding myself into who I wanted to be while pursuing recovery. I continued to run in spite of the bumpy road my journey was taking me down.
As my brain healed, the confusion began to clear, and I was able to express myself better, I found that my love for people and the desire to make their lives better was as strong as ever, but I wasn't sure how I would mesh it all together since I had no desire to tell my story. The last thing I wanted was people feeling sorry for me, labeling me, or catering to me because I was struggling through this unique injury. Unfortunately, I was looking at it from a perspective that wasn't very helpful and I stumbled on so sure that people wouldn't give me a chance if I told them what happened to me.
After sensing that God wanted me to tell my story and hearing many people convey their desire to hear my story and then their desire for me to tell my story to others after hearing it, I finally agreed to. To my surprise, most people accepted me for who I was and wrapped loving arms around me without labeling me or treating me with pity. Through telling my story, I began to see hope light people's eyes and hearts and realized what an incredible opportunity I had been given. What I thought had taken my dreams away, instead brought me to a destiny beyond my wildest imagination.
The next time I ran for Mrs. California, I had something urgent to share. I couldn't wait to share hope with the people around me who had been devastated by a brain injury whether they themselves had experienced it or their loved one had experienced it. Suddenly my path to self rediscovery had turned into a journey of healing for me and those who had experienced something similar. Becoming Mrs. California was no longer just a personal journey of discovery, but rather an opportunity to share hope with hundreds, thousands...who knows? ...maybe millions.
One thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to help people and becoming Mrs. California was definitely a way to do just that!
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