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Earlier this month, I was asked to speak about resiliency with Project Give Back. Besides the fact that it was such a worthwhile, and meaningful experience, it was scary being on YouTube! Thank you, @ellenlevySchwartz for the advice and extra time you spent with me. “Just pretend we are having coffee together”. Ellen reassured me numerous times.
@Project_give_back is a passion-based program designed for elementary students to develop empathy, build character, and ignite community-minded leaders. Each year, students choose a charity to learn about and in turn, teach their classmates all about it. The result? There is an increase in patience, understanding, and most importantly, empathy towards one another.
Sounds like a brilliant learning experience, right?
Enter COVID-19.
Learning about empathy should not stop due to a pandemic. Project Give Back could no longer be in the same amount of classrooms but wanted to reach everyone. Thankfully they have moved into the comfort of our homes, via Zoom.
Introducing a spin-off: Project Give Back Connects. Every two weeks, @EllenLevySchwartz, Founder of @Project_ Give_Back hosts a live virtual get-together that features an expert on a subject, some music, a young person who has made a difference in our world, and a call to action.
On October 14th, Ellen asked me to be an “expert” on resiliency with Project Give Back and I jumped at the chance to participate along with some great company. The music of @tylersimmusic. The personal journey of @Samkaplun and the uplifting kindness corner with Lindsay from @one2giveto.
We went through three questions. You can get the full story in the video above. Here is the condensed version.
My struggle as a child became my purpose. I had my fair share of challenges with friends and bullying and therefore, growing up for me wasn’t easy. These experiences were kept tucked away until I was ready to put them on paper.
The story Me and My So-Called Friends is not a memoir, but an amalgamation of my personal experience, what I saw, and my imagination. The fun and best part of writing the book was creating all of the characters and creating interesting, funny scenarios so that I could keep the reader entertained.
It will teach the reader that the more disappointments you have while being able to heal and move on, the more you will be able to keep bouncing back, become stronger, and be resilient.
In addition, having relatable characters going through difficult challenges can make the reader feel comforted. For instance, the character Lizzie had a nasty rumor spread about her. I can guarantee that just about anyone has been in that exact situation. Isn’t it a relief to know that Lizzie survived?
And so will you.
How I love talking about resiliency with Project Give Back.
According to Google, is the capacity to recover quickly. I somewhat agree, except when it comes to the “quickly” part. Nobody should be on a stopwatch here.
You know on TV and in the movies, there is always the perfect comeback the villain says to the hero? Ever daydream if that could happen to you?
I wouldn’t rely on counting on the perfect comeback. It’s never going to happen. You may think of it after, but then it’s too late.
I’ll tell you what can be the perfect comeback FOR YOU.
March directly to your TOOLBOX. What is a toolbox? Part of the resilient plan!
In this toolbox, are a bunch of ideas and stuff to help you AFTER whatever occurred. Anything that will make you feel better. So you can “comeback” all on your own.
I’m sure you all are dying to know what’s in my toolbox! I’ll show you mine if you show me yours! 
Mine’s real easy. Talking to someone I trust and love. Hot bubble baths. Running, and then I get a huge dose of endorphins! A good book and a really trashy TV show.
What can be in your toolbox is totally up to you. Just know, in the back of your head that your toolbox is waiting for you.
There is one particular exercise that I love in the Brave the Waves Teacher’s Manual. You and a friend take a huge piece of butcher paper and lay it out on the floor. One person lies down on the paper and the other friend traces the outer frame of that person’s body. Then you can point, on to a particular spot on the outlined body, where you feel a certain emotion. That time when you felt anxious, afraid, or hurt? Where did you feel it? In your stomach? Chest? Point to it on the paper! This exercise reassures you that what you are feeling is real.
You are allowed to feel hurt, but you are also allowed to get up and be resilient.
The Project Give Back Connects episode was only 30 minutes, but my goodness the time flew by.
There’s nothing better than listening to great music, hearing the journey of others, and sharing the work that you do with the world. I hope what we all brought to the table made a difference in someone’s life.
I’m so grateful to be able to have the opportunity to write what I’m passionate about and what I think will serve others. If you would like me to write about you and your passions for the Braves The Waves Journal, or for your own company, please be in touch.