What inspires you?

Everyone has something that inspires them. Maybe they read a book at a young age that made them want to be a writer. Maybe they had a teacher that showed them they could be and do more. For me, I find inspiration from a lot of things. From people I admire who never gave up on their dreams, from nature... even from myself. 

It sounds a bit weird to say, "I find inspiration in myself," but I do. When I look at my life now and any of my past lives, the fact that I never gave up no matter how much I wanted to is inspirational... but to me. It reminds me every day of what I went through to get here.

But do I consider myself inspirational to others? Absolutely not. I've never been comfortable with the term "survivor" even though, by definition, I am one. People have called me strong and brave, but it's hard for me to see those things outside of my own experience. When someone tells me that my story is inspiring, I don't know what to say really. Do I say "thank you"? Do I just smile and nod? Or do I tell them that mine is one of thousands that are just like me.

Because that's the thing... I'm no one special. I am just one of many who can say, "oh boy, have I lived a life and a half." Is it because I'm so forthcoming and honest about it? Is it because I just keep going and try to stay positive?

If I were to hear my story from another person's point of view maybe I would think differently, but I can't. I can only experience it as I lived it. Maybe that's why I shirk at the idea of being an inspiration... because I lived it. I know the things I did wrong, the points I could have (and should have) left, and I know how much pain I could have saved myself. But we can only see our own stories from the inside.

To quote a wise man, "Who tells your story?" Someone else reading my story may see me as an inspiration because they're only seeing it as I tell it. If they were to hear it from my ex's perspective it would probably be a very different one.

So what inspires you? Do you consider anything about yourself inspirational? What would you think about your life and your past if you were hearing about it as an outsider? Is there anyone in your life that would tell your story differently given the chance? Maybe we need a different perspective in order to truly see what we've been through, endured, and, yes, survived.

- Danielle