Inspiration Corner
A collection of write-ups from experiences of life that inspire, empower, influence & trigger positive values, habits & mindsets.
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How To Gain Strength and Overcome a Devastating Life Event
5 Tips to Inspire, Encourage and Empower you to believe anything is possible
Everything changed in the summer of 2007. It started off as a typical day; driving to work, listening to my favorite tunes, walking into the office to greet my staff and pouring my morning cup of coffee. As I was sitting at my desk preparing for my morning meeting, I heard my name being called at the front desk.
The receptionist politely told the person, I was not available and could she take a message. The patron becomes very insistent about speaking to me and told her it would only take a couple of minutes. After a few minutes of listening to this dialogue exchange, I decided to approach the front desk to see what the confusion was all about. As I approached the desk, he asked me if I was “Cheryl Schultz”, my legal name, and I said yes! He said, “You are being served!”
Within the course of about 45 days, I was being served with lawsuits every week. When I totaled them all up, they were over 4 million dollars.
The amount sent a shockwave through my body. My heart was racing at an alarming rate, my hands began to shake uncontrollably and I was desperately holding my desk to control the dizziness.
The stress was palpable! How in the world was I going to pay for 4 million dollars? I did not have that kind of money. I only had the business open for 5 years and was just keeping my nose above water.
You see in 2007, I owned and operated my own Real Estate title business. I purchased a commercial building, had 15 employees and I thought life was good! However, I was not prepared for the series of events that were about to alter my life and who I am today.
I immediately had to hire an attorney and I attended weekly meetings and depositions. Then came the attorney fees. My attorney fees were running over $5 – 10K per month. I had to take a loan to pay my attorney.
What I did not know or understand, until after I was being served with lawsuits, is that fraud was running rampant in the real estate industry. Individuals were recording fraudulent documents at the Register of Deeds, which is a government office, and my staff was retrieving these documents and closing transactions. Not knowing they were fraudulent, hence all the lawsuits. {People were claiming they owned the priority, when in fact, they did not}
Then approximately six months later, while I was dealing with these lawsuits, we had the worst real estate crash in 2008. People were losing their jobs and homes were foreclosing at an alarming rate.
Now let’s add more fuel to fire and place more anxiety and fear on top of this already stressed filled body. Within weeks of this real estate crash, my top three clients call me and tell me they're closing their doors. They informed me no one was buying, selling or refinancing their homes and there was absolutely no business or orders.
With no business coming through the door; it meant no income. My world was now spiraling out of control. I had to lay off 14 employees within 7 days and I kept one employee on part-time.
The stress, the fear, and the anxiety had now reached an all-time high. It was at a point where I could not eat, sleep and I lost a lot of weight. I know some of you are thinking – YEAH a great technique to lose weight, however, I don’t recommend it!
These meetings and depositions went on for 2 long years but I was able to get on the other side to see the light. My attorney negotiated a deal where I did not have to pay one dime towards the lawsuits, however, I did have to close down my business within 30 days.
Why do I share my story with you, because I want you to step into your own personal power and believe anything is possible.
Let me encourage, inspire and empower you with these 5 Tips, I personally used, to overcome the fear, stress, and anxiety during this devastating event.
What I realized during these 2 years, is that when you are faced with fear, you must face it, rather than avoid it. To ignore the one thing you are afraid of only gives fear more power. If you confront it, it will decrease its power over you.
I knew if I was to overcome my fear, my stress, my anxiety, then I had to face it straight on. The way I did it was to push myself to get up every morning and walk through my office doors. It was one of the most difficult things I had to do but somehow, someway I needed to feel self-worth and feel some type of accomplishment each day. Otherwise, I would have stayed underneath the covers.
Yes, there were days I would sit at my desk and stare at the ceiling tiles and wonder where my life was heading. Then one day I told myself, I need to start thinking of all things I am grateful for instead of being discouraged by was is occurring.
You see, you cannot be grateful and discouraged at the same time – It’s a choice!!!
There were so many things to be grateful for. All you have to do is just look around and you will see hundreds of items to thankful for.
Change your thought pattern. Fearful thoughts attract fear and positive thoughts attract success. It takes as much energy to think positive as it does to think negative. Instead of expecting the worst expect the best. Make Positive Affirmations every day about your future.
Be consistent, Be prepared, Be dependable and focus on the solutions. Take the initiative and go the extra mile. Do not dwell on Scarcity. Learn, think and speak as an abundant person. Focus your attention on being ready and willing for the beauty, wonder and divine connections coming your way. As long as you stay open and work towards it, success will find you!!
We’ve all had victories, but for some reason when we are going through the storm, we forget about all the things we have achieved and attained. Strengthen your belief by reflecting on all your small victories. Close your eyes and feel the wonderful emotions each victory has created in your life. Bring this same emotion into the here and now and allow it to motivate and move you forward.
Here are just a few examples of victories:
1. Getting a promotion
2. Passing a Test
3. Getting Married
4. Graduating from college
5. Becoming an entrepreneur
6. Buying your first car
7. Having your first child
Have a support group around you who sees your strengths. Allow them to give your praise and recognition. We need our family and friends as pillars of support, especially during difficult times. Having a strong network of supportive family and friends will improve our confidence and overall well-being. Additionally, we need this support for advice, encouragement, decision making and a boost of inspiration and motivation.
Why do I share my story with you? I want to help you identify and implement the critical steps that will shift your momentum and unleash you Inner Power. You have all the gifts, the talents and the experiences to propel you forward, you just have to believe you do!
Step into your power and dream big. Dare to be different and have no doubt about your success!
There is NOTHING you cannot overcome!
Love and Hugs,
Cheri Schultz
The Motivation Zone Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/cheri-schultz
Everything changed in the summer of 2007. It started off as a typical day; driving to work, listening to my favorite tunes, walking into the office to greet my staff and pouring my morning cup of coffee. As I was sitting at my desk preparing for my morning meeting, I heard my name being called at the front desk.
The receptionist politely told the person, I was not available and could she take a message. The patron becomes very insistent about speaking to me and told her it would only take a couple of minutes. After a few minutes of listening to this dialogue exchange, I decided to approach the front desk to see what the confusion was all about. As I approached the desk, he asked me if I was “Cheryl Schultz”, my legal name, and I said yes! He said, “You are being served!”
Within the course of about 45 days, I was being served with lawsuits every week. When I totaled them all up, they were over 4 million dollars.
The amount sent a shockwave through my body. My heart was racing at an alarming rate, my hands began to shake uncontrollably and I was desperately holding my desk to control the dizziness.
The stress was palpable! How in the world was I going to pay for 4 million dollars? I did not have that kind of money. I only had the business open for 5 years and was just keeping my nose above water.
You see in 2007, I owned and operated my own Real Estate title business. I purchased a commercial building, had 15 employees and I thought life was good! However, I was not prepared for the series of events that were about to alter my life and who I am today.
I immediately had to hire an attorney and I attended weekly meetings and depositions. Then came the attorney fees. My attorney fees were running over $5 – 10K per month. I had to take a loan to pay my attorney.
What I did not know or understand, until after I was being served with lawsuits, is that fraud was running rampant in the real estate industry. Individuals were recording fraudulent documents at the Register of Deeds, which is a government office, and my staff was retrieving these documents and closing transactions. Not knowing they were fraudulent, hence all the lawsuits. {People were claiming they owned the priority, when in fact, they did not}
Then approximately six months later, while I was dealing with these lawsuits, we had the worst real estate crash in 2008. People were losing their jobs and homes were foreclosing at an alarming rate.
Now let’s add more fuel to fire and place more anxiety and fear on top of this already stressed filled body. Within weeks of this real estate crash, my top three clients call me and tell me they're closing their doors. They informed me no one was buying, selling or refinancing their homes and there was absolutely no business or orders.
With no business coming through the door; it meant no income. My world was now spiraling out of control. I had to lay off 14 employees within 7 days and I kept one employee on part-time.
The stress, the fear, and the anxiety had now reached an all-time high. It was at a point where I could not eat, sleep and I lost a lot of weight. I know some of you are thinking – YEAH a great technique to lose weight, however, I don’t recommend it!
These meetings and depositions went on for 2 long years but I was able to get on the other side to see the light. My attorney negotiated a deal where I did not have to pay one dime towards the lawsuits, however, I did have to close down my business within 30 days.
Why do I share my story with you, because I want you to step into your own personal power and believe anything is possible.
Let me encourage, inspire and empower you with these 5 Tips, I personally used, to overcome the fear, stress, and anxiety during this devastating event.
1. Face Your Fears
What I realized during these 2 years, is that when you are faced with fear, you must face it, rather than avoid it. To ignore the one thing you are afraid of only gives fear more power. If you confront it, it will decrease its power over you.
I knew if I was to overcome my fear, my stress, my anxiety, then I had to face it straight on. The way I did it was to push myself to get up every morning and walk through my office doors. It was one of the most difficult things I had to do but somehow, someway I needed to feel self-worth and feel some type of accomplishment each day. Otherwise, I would have stayed underneath the covers.
Yes, there were days I would sit at my desk and stare at the ceiling tiles and wonder where my life was heading. Then one day I told myself, I need to start thinking of all things I am grateful for instead of being discouraged by was is occurring.
2. Having an Attitude of Gratitude
You see, you cannot be grateful and discouraged at the same time – It’s a choice!!!
There were so many things to be grateful for. All you have to do is just look around and you will see hundreds of items to thankful for.
- Being grateful for your health. You are here today living and breathing.
- Be thankful we live in a place where we can express ourselves and be entrepreneurs.
- Be thankful for our families, friends, our children. This list goes on and on.
Change your thought pattern. Fearful thoughts attract fear and positive thoughts attract success. It takes as much energy to think positive as it does to think negative. Instead of expecting the worst expect the best. Make Positive Affirmations every day about your future.
3. Hold Yourself Accountable.
Be consistent, Be prepared, Be dependable and focus on the solutions. Take the initiative and go the extra mile. Do not dwell on Scarcity. Learn, think and speak as an abundant person. Focus your attention on being ready and willing for the beauty, wonder and divine connections coming your way. As long as you stay open and work towards it, success will find you!!
4. Revisit Your Victories.
We’ve all had victories, but for some reason when we are going through the storm, we forget about all the things we have achieved and attained. Strengthen your belief by reflecting on all your small victories. Close your eyes and feel the wonderful emotions each victory has created in your life. Bring this same emotion into the here and now and allow it to motivate and move you forward.
Here are just a few examples of victories:
1. Getting a promotion
2. Passing a Test
3. Getting Married
4. Graduating from college
5. Becoming an entrepreneur
6. Buying your first car
7. Having your first child
5. Support Group
Have a support group around you who sees your strengths. Allow them to give your praise and recognition. We need our family and friends as pillars of support, especially during difficult times. Having a strong network of supportive family and friends will improve our confidence and overall well-being. Additionally, we need this support for advice, encouragement, decision making and a boost of inspiration and motivation.
Why do I share my story with you? I want to help you identify and implement the critical steps that will shift your momentum and unleash you Inner Power. You have all the gifts, the talents and the experiences to propel you forward, you just have to believe you do!
Step into your power and dream big. Dare to be different and have no doubt about your success!
There is NOTHING you cannot overcome!
Love and Hugs,
Cheri Schultz
The Motivation Zone Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/cheri-schultz
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iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motivation-zone-motivation-life-inspiration-encourage/id1366455066Copyrights © 2024 Inspiration Unlimited eMagazine
Any facts, figures or references stated here are made by the author & don't reflect the endorsement of iU at all times unless otherwise drafted by official staff at iU. This article was first published here on 26th December 2019.
