What inspired your path of expertise?

What inspired your path of expertise?

For me, it was weight issues and a poor self-image.

Back in high school, I was overweight, awkward and extremely shy. 

Actually, to encapsulate that sad sentence into one sadder word, I’d say ashamed. 

I hated how I looked, and hated even more about how I felt on a day-to-day basis. 

I remember buying this 3XL Colombia rain jacket one spring at an Army/Navy store. It was dark green, all rubber and no lining.

Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever worn an all-rubber jacket before, but boy, does that thing get hot and sticky in there. 

Well, I used to wear that thing every single day - rain or shine, spring, fall AND during the summer. 

It was tortuous in the summer heat - gallons of sweat poured off me - but I wore it everyday, nonetheless. 

You see, in my deluded mind, I felt that it did a good job of hiding my weight based on how it fell on my body, so I needed to wear it to hide my shame around how I looked.

So yeah, it wasn’t a good time in my life. 

I spent a lot of my time alone thinking horrible thoughts about myself. 

Not good. 

While I still have my issues with the way I look, I’ve left a lot of those self-defeating, negative and harmful thoughts in the past. 

And, I no longer run away from cameras when they’re pointed in my general direction, which is an added bonus :) 

But, thinking back to times like this from my past shines a bright light on why I chose a path to help people while they’re in front of a camera. 

It also explains why I’m specifically drawn to work with folks who feel insecure and uncomfortable in front of the camera because of something that bothers them about the way they look. 

Weight. Age. Disfigurement. Fill in the blank…

I lean into those folks with a mixture of empathy, motivation and tough love.

I realize that when I’m there to support these folks when they start getting down on themselves in between shots, I’m really talking to the both of us at the same time. 

For many experts, their path of service is defined by what once held them back. 

In order for them to grow and evolve, they needed to somehow jump over the hurdle that was creating friction, resistance and stagnation.

The next thing they knew, they became extremely knowledgable on the topic and realized they could actually help others solve the same problem by sharing their real-life experiences that got them over the hump.

I’ve heard several speakers share similar stories of dealing with their own demons and, out of that experience, created a path for their future selves as an expert on the subject. 

While I do feel a strong sense of regret regarding the decades I spent torturing myself because I felt horrible about how I looked - and how unlovable that made me feel - I am grateful that it ultimately led me to a path of service that is fulfilling and meaningful. 

Talk about turning lemons into lemonade, right? :) 

What about you?

Does what you do to serve others come from something you were struggling with during parts of your life? If so, share your story in the comment section below.