Today I’m going to tell you a story about how the tragedies in your life can be the making of you. And why everyone needs to know their ‘why’.
In 2010, I had an amazing life.
I’d finally landed my dream job as deputy features editor on one of the UK’s top women’s glossies. I basically got to meet and interview celebrities every day. What 27 year old wouldn’t kill to do that?!
I also lived in a trendy London suburb in the most gorgeous garden flat. I shouldn’t have been able to afford it but the owner was a reader so bingo! It was mine!
Oh, and I’d also met a boy. We were in big sloshy love and I was pretty sure he was going to propose any minute now…
If you’re not feeling too nauseous, I’m about to get to the point now I promise.
The moment where everything changes.
It was one evening in April. I had travelled home to see my mum and dad for dinner, and after we’d finished, we all sat in the window seat in my dad’s study.
And they told me that he was dying.
My lovely dad had terminal cancer. They thought weeks, maybe months was all.
From that moment on, all I wanted to do was sit in that room for however long my dad had left, and cry big ugly tears in to his chest.
But of course, that wasn’t allowed.
For a start I had a job, and a soon-to-be fiancé.
And my parents, who are a little bit crazy (and incredibly wise), had already decided we’d waste as little time on tears as we could, and instead be as happy as we possibly could be.
From then on, I’d go home and find they’d spent the whole day doing things like only conversing in song (For eg. to the tune of verse 2 of Bohemian Rhapsody) “Why don’t you ever put the lid back on the bread bin?”
Because singing made them feel happy.
My dad declared every day a Champagne day. And for the next few weekends we made excellent progress through his very substantial (and very fine) wine selection.
We used the best china.
And more than once, all 9 of us squeezed in to his bedroom to eat our pudding when he was too poorly to join us for Sunday lunch (mum drew the line at taking up roast beef and gravy).
I even came home one day to find him lying on his bed with Walkman headphones wrapped around his tummy, and when I asked what on earth he was doing he said, “Mozart is very good for shrinking tumours.”
Yes. Even in a crisis, my family are as mad as a box of frogs.
But for those 12 months that my dad outlived his diagnosis, I had some of the sweetest moments of my life.
And I also had a conversation that would change the whole trajectory of it.
You see, at the beginning of 2010, I did have an amazing life. But only on paper.
Because the reality was, my dream job was not what I wanted to do after all. Working my way up the magazine ranks was no longer right for me.
This was partly because at the time I was suffering from chronic health problems which made working a demanding job a trial of endurance.
I felt so poorly that the only way I made it through the day was with a packet of painkillers and a hot water bottle that i carried at all times (even on the tube).
I spent the evenings in my beautiful garden flat with my lovely fiancé, not smiling at how smug and happy we were, but crying about how miserable and confused I felt.
My dad’s cancer, was just the icing on top of a very crappy cake.
But 6 months after his diagnosis, my dad told me something that made me stop and take control of my own happiness.
It was autumn now, and I was back in his room surrounded by his beloved books. He was recovering from major surgery, but despite a 12-inch wound down his middle, he still agreed to let me sit on his lap for a cuddle (I know. Such a baby).
My dad said to me, “If you could do anything. If money wasn’t an issue. If what people thought didn’t matter. What would you do tomorrow?”
I thought about it for a while, and said, “I’d leave my job, go freelance so that I could fit my work around my life and my health, and in my spare time I’d write my own stories.”
My dad was silent for a while.
“Then that’s what you should do,” he said.
“But I can’t,” I said, and began to reel off all the reasons why.
He listened. And then he said something that I’d seen typed out and cellotaped to his computer monitor. A quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
“And I truly believe it,” he said.
My dad didn’t live long enough to walk me down the aisle the following summer (this photo is of my gorgeous big brother giving me away ten weeks after our Dad died).
But he did live long enough to see me resign my job, start my new career as a freelance writer, and in the first two weeks land an enormous copywriting contract which earned more in a year on part-time hours, than my full-time job in magazines.
And my dad was so proud.
It’s been a meandering path from there to here.
But because my dad gave me the courage to be brave,
to be a little reckless,
and to be who I really wanted to be,
these last 7 years really have been amazing (although it’s far less glamorous, on paper).
My why, is simple:
My dad and all the things he believed I could do.
What better legacy could a parent leave?
The reason I’m telling you this, is partly because it’s a story I finally felt I could share one hot, sleepless Sunday night. I suffer with bad SNI (Sunday Night Insomnia) ?.
But also, because I want you to ask yourself, what is your why?
Write it down. And when you’re ready, share it with your audience.
Because that is what makes a story worth reading.
And that’s what makes a story uniquely yours.
You’ve slaved over you copy and you’re ready to unleash it to the world – but wait! Have you done the Lucky 7 Essentials to maximise your clicks, likes and shares?
Download my FREE Copy Checklist and Workbook now – you don’t want to press post, publish or send without it!
For most up-to-date information you have to visit internet and on world-wide-web I found this site as a finest site for latest updates.
sat essay online scoring free englisch essay einleitung beispiel https://needmoreessay.com/
clep english composition essay sample ap bio essay questions dna replication https://essaytruelist.com/
narrative essay about experience in life sell yourself essay examples https://essayanalyticok.com/
terrorism essay in english 150 words hvordan starter man et dansk essay https://essayrightversion.com/
possible essay questions for julius caesar persuasive essay prompts for 7th grade https://essaychekhere.com/
generic viagra in the usa buy viagra in singapore https://viagraadultsed.com/
cialis generic 2017 cialis orders paypal paid https://cialisandeds.com/
go deal now sildenafil pills canada https://gogiviagr.com/
online pharmacy pain medicine canadian overnight pharmacy https://jijopharm.com/
can you take cialis and viagra at the same time cialis time to work https://hojocialis.com/
who makes cialis how to get doctor to prescribe cialis https://cheppercialis.com/
buy viagra paypal sildenafil for sale online https://viagrexok.com/
tadalafil (generic cialis) tadalafil bleeding https://tadalafilise.com/
sildenafil coupon 100mg buy cheap viagra pills online https://pfdviagrixx.com/
pfizer viagra online canadian pharmacy citizens rx pharmacy https://postpharmixus.com/
generic viagra order viagra online australia fast delivery https://liloviagra.com/
cheap t jet 60 cialis online how much is cialis in canada https://cilciallis.com/
sildenafil citrate review sildenafil tablets 120 mg https://sildenafilkook.com/
cost less pharmacy sending prescription drugs through fedex https://ostipharmso.com/
viagra 50 mg tablet online how to get viagra without a prescription https://hedrviagros.com/
20mg cialis generic does united healthcare cover cialis https://xucialika.com/
recommended canadian online pharmacy mail pharmacy https://uuuppharm.com/
cost of cialis at cvs does cialis work https://goesuscialis.com/
how to use viagra 100mg viagra cost https://xtyviagrix.com/
buy cialis in australia cialisblack https://cialssis.com/
order viagra 100mg online buy sildenafil online australia https://foxviagrixed.com/
can i buy sildenafil citrate can you safely buy viagra online https://vigrixvix.com/
universal pharmacy canada pharmacies canadian https://pharmregtop.com/
canadian no prescription pharmacy cialis canadian pharmacy cialis brand https://cialssis.com/
can you buy real viagra from canada buy online viagra usa https://foxviagrixed.com/
viagra pills online purchase sildenafil cost australia buy sildenafil
free cialis how much is cialis without insurance cialis bph
viagra without prescriptions where to buy female viagra canada viagra from india pharmacy
overseas pharmacy no prescription online drugs canada best rated canadian online pharmacy
cialis cipra cialis for daily use reviews cialis generic vs brand
canadian pharmacy cialis 10mg discount pharmacy card sam’s club pharmacy
non prescription cialis cialis from canada cialis viagra mail order uk discrete billing
buy viagra online usa paypal order cheap viagra cheap real sildenafil
viagra soft tabs 100mg pills buy viagra gel sildenafil 100mg price usa
where to buy real viagra 50 mg viagra cost viagra tablets in india online https://viagrjin.com/
over the counter viagra cialis cialis quebec dollars canadien where to buy liquid cialis https://ciallsed.com/
anabolic steroids online pharmacy reviews sildenafil citrate online pharmacy online pharmacy worldwide shipping https://mgpharmmg.com/
cialis made in the usa cialis on ebay purchase cialis in montreal https://pocialgo.com/
viagra online without prescription usa sildenafil 25 mg tablet price buy generic viagra canada https://zenviagrok.com/
buy cialis and receive in 48 hrs cialis buy without cialis support 365 https://qcialiuss.com/
Thanks for the good writeup. It in reality was once a entertainment account it.
Glance advanced to far introduced agreeable from you!
However, how can we communicate?
turner thesis apush thesis editor essay thesis template https://thesisabbess.com/
luther thesis thesis adviser argument thesis https://thesismetre.com/
professional assignment writers psychology paper writing service hire writer https://papermelanin.com/
thesis vs dissertation which of the following best describes what a thesis for a historical essay should be? how long is a senior thesis https://thesisabcd.com/
a well worded thesis statement is both __________ and __________ how to write a thesis statement for beginners thesis title page https://thesismelon.com/
can you write my paper pay someone to write your paper pay for paper https://paperabbrs.com/
Wow, incredible blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your web site
is wonderful, as well as the content!
research and writing services write my paper fast custom coursework writing
opinion essay mla essay format covid-19 essay
thesis examples sentence what is a thesis statement the thesis statement of an argumentative essay should
essays writer paper help professional business letter writing services
finished custom writing paper executive resume writing services best resume writing services nj
uconn honors thesis thesis title page cruel angel’s thesis band
essay cover page freedom of speech essay this i believe essay examples
how to write an introduction paragraph for an essay how to start college essay holocaust essay
college essay introduction examples expository essay write an essay about yourself
self-evaluation sample essay essay transitions essay on racism
overcoming a challenge essay proposal essay essay
essay examples college essay guy black lives matter essay
cialis in melbourne australia levitra vs viagra vs cialis cialis doses
when will generic cialis be available where to buy cialis online cialis vs sildenafil
order viagra online without prescription purchase viagra online canada sildenafil discount generic
viagra 4 tablet sildenafil 100mg gel best generic viagra brand
university of chicago essay prompts essay on leadership essay fixer
college essay template synonym for essay death penalty essay
where can you buy viagra over the counter in uk buy viagra no rx sildenafil 50mg brand name
cost of 1 viagra pill where can you buy viagra in australia female viagra singapore
viagra for females where to buy women viagra female viagra pill over the counter
where can i get generic viagra viagra singapore pharmacy generic sildenafil cost
buy viagra online india viagra tablets buy online in india sildenafil 90mg
viagra mexico cost where can you get viagra over the counter viagra pills uk
cialis generic versus brand name cialis 25mg cialis vs tadalafil generic
buy cialis cheapest super active cialis with no prescription cialis on the web
what is cialis used to treat cialis logo cialis buy cheap with master card
viagra online price usa can you buy viagra over the counter nz cheap real viagra
cheap cialis generic online cialis dosage for bph tadalafil price
cialis without a doctor prescription usa where can i buy cialis over the counter que es cialis