If you had to write the title of your autobiography, what would it be?

Mine would be, “She didn’t give up.”

I texted a good friend of mine recently to tell her about my new career move. She said, “I knew it was just a matter of time. You didn’t give up.” I truly believe that with a supportive community and a growth mindset, you can achieve your dreams. Or, the path can lead to opportunities that far surpass your goals. Keep believing, my friends. Hold on to hope.

What do you think of when you hear the words, “I don’t know”?

For many years, that saying made me uncomfortable. I was stuck on seeing the term “I don’t know” as a negative thing (as if I didn’t have all the answers) or a stumbling block.

Over time, instead of seeing the words “I don’t know” as a stopping point, I learned to cherish them as a starting place for my personal and professional growth.

As you know, I love sharing stories of people who have impacted my journey.  I was saddened to find out that a beautiful soul, Zach Sobiech, lost his battle to cancer yesterday.  Zach was only 18 years old when he died but in his short time he embraced life to the fullest.  His passion for life, love of others, and contagious joy touched my heart as well as those of many others. His legacy will live on.  As Zach said in his documentary, "It's really simple, actually, just try to make people happy."

As I have said before, one of my favourite things about blogging is connecting with others.  Erin and I connected randomly on Twitter. Erin O’Brien lives in Sydney, Australia and is Chief Encouragement Officer at Activate28. She helps women who procrastinate and feel overwhelmed, and who want more *flow* and ease in their workday. I'm so glad I met her. Soon after she emailed me the following virtue card along with the message:

"When you mentioned that perseverance is a core theme for your life, I decided to attach the virtue card of perseverance. The third sentence reminds me of your website … and I imagine other sentences would resonate with you on the journey you’ve been on. "

Happy 2013! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends.

I'm looking forward to getting back to posting regularly after January 12th (when my book is done).  I have some wonderful "Profiles of Perseverance" interviews and personal stories to share with you.

Other than spending time with loved ones, I devoted my time to finishing my book "Stand Tall & Speak From the Heart: How to Find Your Way," which is due out this month.   As a result of all the writing I am doing, I chose a song of the week which has helped the process.  The song is "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield which encourages me to be vulnerable and write.  Natasha is an amazing singer and songwriter who speaks from her heart. I hope you like it!

As you know, I love sharing inspiring stories to #fuelpersistence in jobseekers and new graduates. So, when a good friend of mine, Ruvini Godakandae, sent me this post I had to share it, as it holiday themed . I love how even though Ruvini has an obstacle in her path (being unemployed), she perseveres, reaches out, and inspires others! She now contiues to do so through being an employment educator (December, 2015). Thanks, Ruvini, for helping others shine! 

“Never, ever, ever, give up!” You may have to adapt your course like I have, but trust me don’t quit! I have persevered through many obstacles in my life; the most recent occurred within the last year. Instead of giving up, I changed my approach.  Doing so has made all the difference to achieving my goals.

Through my research and athletic experience at graduate school, I saw a need to reduce bullying in sport. The research I had conducted focused on creating effective school-based bullying prevention programs.  However, towards the end of my studies, it became very apparent that prevention cannot only occur in formal classroom settings (as these programs were using). I believe this needed to reach beyond the classroom. After I graduated, I wanted to improve the climates of educational and athletic environments by focusing on healthy relationships.

As I mentioned in my last post, I found my answer to the question “Who are your role models?” To me, my role models are individuals who have the courage to be real, to be vulnerable, to be themselves, and to share their journeys.

Janine Shepherd certainly fits those criteria.

I was introduced to her TedTalk after a friend and fellow blogger shared Janine's talk on her blog. I cried the first time I watched it.  Thank you Amelia for introducing me to Janine's powerful story and for sharing your personal journey!

This quote has been my mantra as I’ve been navigating the journey of my twenties.  I threw off my bowlines, sailed away from the harbour, caught the tradewinds, but got stuck.   I stopped my journey for awhile, as I was unsure of the direction to sail my ship. The wind (i.e., the passion) was there; I was just unsure in which direction to steer.  Do I choose mainstream (i.e., the common path) or set my own course? 

During my pitstop, I reflected on my life journey thus far and where I could go from there.  I wanted to manifest my calling of empowering others to persist despite any setbacks they encountered.  As I was stuck momentarily, I decided to use my personal journey as a tool to start discussion and implement change.  Therefore, I developed my blog as a way to coach others to navigate their personal journeys. I went against the wind and began creating empowering media; I was turning my dream of helping others thrive into a reality.

I just saw the story of Mallory Weggemann and had to share it with you.  She is such a beautiful person inside and out.  The world needs more people who live life the way she does. I had to showcase her story in this series.  I would love her to do my interview someday :)

I’m Sharon Hughes; from Perth, Western Australia.  I was raised in a large family (the eldest of 6).  We had a relatively adventurous life, growing up on the road – Dad was with the circus until marrying Mum, then he drove long haul trucks around Australia, with family in tow. We were often left with carnivals, the circus, acquaintances or our maternal grandmother, if dad and mum couldn’t take some or all of us with them. Unfortunately, because of dad’s mental illness, he was violent, so the adventures were often marred with sadness. I stuttered severely from the time I could speak, this meant constant taunts from fellow students and teachers at school, not to mention always being the new kid (due to moving around so much).  We went to over 20 schools around Australia (apparently).  I was taunted by dad, teased for stuttering and all sorts, my self-esteem sucked.

After reading my post yesterday, I realized how much certain people have influenced my journey.  I thought I would share this beautiful quote with you.  Due to numerous factors, I can't see certain friends as often as I would like but want them to know that they are always with me.