This is a guest post by J. Chad Barrett. Chad is the Director of Child Evangelism Fellowship of Greater Houston and Director of Inspiring Evangelism, a ministry dedicated to inspiring and training believers to share the gospel effectively. He is a speaker and has authored two books, Journey to Freedom and The RADIUS Initiative.  He lives with his gorgeous wife, Melissa, and their 4 kids. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook or his blog.

If you would like to goes post on this blog, read my guidelines here.

August 23, 2010. We sat on our daughter’s bed, silently staring at the floor. Tears streamed down our shocked faces. We had just received the most devastating phone call of our lives.

A Nagging Soreness

Four months earlier life was normal with all its hectic routines of having four children. Homeschooling, fun activities, church stuff, family activities…they filled our weekly calendars. Kristina, our 8-year-old, was in karate. She loved it–could take her older brother down if needed!

One afternoon she came up to me, “Daddy, my arm hurts a little.” I gave it a quick exam and saw nothing, so I told her to go back outside and play.

The next day she complained again. The slight pain was coming from her upper right arm. Nothing seemed unusual about the appearance. I thought it might be sore from playing outside or something.

Later that night, after the girls had their baths and put their pj’s on, Melissa and I watched them play and dance around in the living room. Something caught my eye.

Kristina’s right upper arm was a little bigger than her left. My first thought was that this karate stuff really builds muscles even in little girls!

“Kristina, come here,” I said. I showed Melissa, and we agreed she needed to see her doctor. One arm bigger than the other…this didn’t seem right.

Her doctor immediately led us to another doctor, who led us to Texas Children’s Hospital. We went through a couple doctors there who were trying to figure out what was going on with Kristina. Melissa and I had no idea what was about to happen.

A couple more months went by, and then the journey we were about to embark on began with that devastating phone call.

The Call

“Mr. and Mrs. Barrett,” said Dr. Thompson from Texas Children’s, “I am so sorry to tell you this. Kristina has cancer.”

There we sat on our daughter’s bed. I held the phone in my hand trying to figure out if this was real. We sat. We held hands, and we cried.

Whatever it Takes

So here we are, now, 19 months later. Kristina’s tumor had already spread to her lungs at the time she was first diagnosed. But those 9 little tumors have not grown nor spread.

We attribute this to the many prayers of thousands of our brothers and sisters. God is so good!

I research a lot. I look for other therapies that could cure my daughter’s cancer. It’s a rare cancer called Clear Cell Sarcoma.

I would do anything to save her life. No matter the cost. I would spend it all, go anywhere, do anything if it meant she would have a chance to beat this cancer and live.

She’s my little girl.

This is physical life. But what about spiritual life? That’s a matter of eternal life and death. What about other children? What about other moms and dads? What about people who need the cure for their disease of sin–the disease that will cost them an eternity apart from the Father who loves them so.

Would we do anything to save their lives? Spiritually?

Would we spend whatever it takes, go anywhere, or do anything if it meant someone would have the chance to trust in Jesus?

I believe that when we really think about it, the answer is yes.

Growth through Suffering

This journey we’re on with Kristina has changed us. It really hurts, but we like the change. God has changed us, and it is good.

He has brought us to the point of being willing to do whatever it takes to reach someone for Christ. We understand that if God calls us, He will guide us. He has not asked for our opinion, but for our obedience. We trust Him.

Kristina is doing well these days. Her tumors are still there, but they are stable. We rejoice in that!

But little children all over the world are still sick. Moms, dads, old and young. Someone needs to bring the cure to them.

Are you willing?

Share in the comments.

• What country are you adopting from?
• When will you be able to get your children?
• How long is the process?
• How much does it cost?
• Who is your agency?

But there is one question that I am asked more than any other.

5 Questions

This popular question isn’t asked immediately. It requires a process of 5 questions before the inquirer builds up enough courage to get to the real one.

Question #1. How many kids to you have?

In case you don’t know, four. Infertility is not an issue. It seems that if I wink at Amanda, she gets pregnant. Enough said.

Question #2. How many kids are you adopting?

After I say two, their eyes grow very large and they pause. I can see their brains working away on the math. They are doing the addition over and over again. 4+2=6. No, that can’t be right. Nobody does that. Let’s try again. 4+2=6!

The problem seems so simple, but the solution, the number 6, seems impossible. Perhaps crazy.

Question #3. The third question is respectful. What are their special needs? What physical problems do they have?

But the answers only complicate the arthimetic. 4+2+special needs= incredibly crazy. Maybe even stupid.

Questions 1-3 never provide the clarity they seek.

Question #4. Are these two kids siblings?

A legitimate question on the surface, but it is only an attempt to try to understand in a hope to avoid the last question. If the 2 kids are brother and sister, then that helps the math make sense.

But the answer is no. They aren’t siblings. At least not yet.

Let’s update the formula. 4+2+special needs+they aren’t already brother and sister=certifiably insane.

Question #5. So then the final question comes. The one they have wanted to ask from the beginning, but were too afraid to. A question driven out of the inability to comprehend what they are hearing.

Why?

Could you say no to him?

Great Question

Why would you do this? Why do you want to have 6 kids? Why would you have a family of 8 on purpose? Why would you take on so much? Why would you adopt 2 at the same time, especially if they are not related? Why do you want to have a family so big that you have to drive one of those big mega-vans?

The answer may seem strange. We want none of those things.

We don’t want our lives to be incredibly difficult. We never set out to have a family of 8. We never wanted kids with special needs. We don’t want to deal with surgery. We don’t want to manage wheelchairs and walkers and physical therapy. We don’t want to deal with attachment issues. We don’t want to add development delay to our list of problems.

We definitely do not want one of those huge, ugly, white vans.

Our Why

Or to her? Me neither.

We are doing this because we are compelled to. There are two orphans in this world who need a mom and dad.

We are doing this because we can.

Yes, there are many other things we can do that would be much easier on us. We could spend more time and money on ourselves. We can do short term mission trips with the intent of easing our conscience and longing for something greater. We could keep gong to church on Sunday mornings convinced that when Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow him, he meant sitting in a pew at church.

But life is not about arriving at death safely. Life is about giving it all. It is about saying thanks to our God who gave us all by giving everything we can for the good of his kingdom.

We will find room for our soon-to-be children in our lives. We will find room for them in our homes. We will try our best to cram them all in our much smaller and easier to drive minivan.

We have already found room for them in our hearts.

We choose this for ourselves because we choose to love, and we are going to let God fill in the rest.

Quesiton #6.

There is one more question to this list. I wish more people would keep going and not stop at #5. I wish they would ask it of themselves.

If we don’t do this, then who will?

Leave a comment.

What risk will we take? Where will we go? How will we get there?

But there is another important question you shouldn’t leave out.

How much of your life will you give away? How generous will you be?

I recommend many books. They are all ones that I have read and benefitted from. The Generosity Manifesto is one such book.

I frequently give away a few copies of the book as well. Today I am offering a free copy to everyone. Actually, the author, Mike Zserdin, is doing that. He has made his short eBook free for everyone. After all, it is about generosity.

In The Generosity Manifesto, Zserdin’s goal is simple. Convince you to give more. 

Click to download "The Generosity Manifesto"

Although generosity can include almost anything that someone else needs, Zserdin is specifically suggesting that you give more of your money away.

5 Reasons You Should be More Generous.

1. Generosity will make you happier. This isn’t just a cool idea. It’s science. This article discusses the “helper’s high.” The more you give, the happier you become. It’s simple. Even exponential. Be careful, though, this “high” might be more addictive than crack.

2. Generosity transforms lives. Recipients. Communities. Givers. People are changed. For the good.

3. Generosity shares the love. There are 2 different ways to influence people. To love them or to hurt them. Generosity is one easy step towards the better of the two.

4. Generosity breeds generosity. When you give, others will notice and be inspired to give more. Those who receive, will turn around give in turn. It can quickly become a chain reaction of giving energy. A nuclear explosion of generosity. And it all starts with you.

5. Generosity will make you bolder. How about $3 billion bold. This is Zserdin’s hope. That all of us will band together to give that much money away.

It seems an impossible number. Consider that we as a country spent $78 billion on soda in 2008. If we all just bought 4% less soda, we could do it. $3 billion to people who need it. This is a bold suggestion.

Where do you start?

First download The Generosity Manifesto.

Be inspired.

If it moves you then considering voting for it at changethis.com, a website devoted to spreading great ideas.

Find a way to give more. Pick out a cause that you love. Something that is important in this world.

It can be in your community. It can be giving to a friend in need. It can be giving to your local church. It can be to a nationally recognized charitable group.

Then be generous.

Opportunities to Give

If you are having trouble finding a place to start, here are a few examples of causes I either give to or have been involved in.

• Sponsor a child in the developing world with Compassion International.
• Give clean water with Charity: Water.
• Give clean water and HIV treatment to those in Africa through Blood Water Mission.
• Support kids in Uganda with Katie Davis through Amazima.
• Help Ugandan teenagers attend school with Bob Goff’s group Restore International.
• Fight human trafficking in Southeast Asia with International Justice Mission.
• Drink coffee that not only caffeinates your body, but provides a job for those in Africa with Land of a Thousand Hills.

Has generosity made your story better? Tell us about the causes you give to in the comments.

I want you to meet Joe Stivers.

Joe is a friend of mine from church. He leads FCA at the school he teaches at and asked for volunteers to speak to his students. Always excited about an opportunity to share, I jumped at the chance. That day I learned more from Joe and the students than they did from me.

Joe is a guy living a secretly incredible life as a middle school teacher, but it wasn’t easy for him to get there. t hope you learn as much about living a better story from him as I did.

JS: Joe, tell me about your job as a teacher and the school you work at.

Joe: I am the band teacher at Frederick Law Olmsted Academy North Middle School in Louisville, KY. We are the only all boys middle school in our system. The school has struggled over the years, and has been designated a PLA (persistently low achieving) school for over 12 years. Our school has about 800 students, 92% of which are on the free or reduced lunch schedule.

The most startling statistic I have learned about my students is that 90% of them have no father or father figure living at home with them.

JS: Wow. It sounds like a difficult place to teach. Maybe even a place where you have to focus on more than just academics.

Has it always been your goal to teach in this type of setting?

Joe: Not at all. When I finished my education, I was actually looking at 4 other schools in the same district. I knew Olmsted North could be in the mix, but it wasn’t where I wanted to go. I heard horror stories about the student’s behavior. It sounded more like a babysitting job than a teaching gig.

In my interview I was asked, “What would you do if a student decides to cuss at you during class?” I didn’t know whether to laugh or ask for the question to be repeated.

JS: So how did you find yourself there?

Joe: Like any other normal person, I applied to the better, more academic schools thinking “surely one of these school’s would need a Joseph Stivers.” I was wrong. God sent me to the one place I didn’t want to go.

Joe Stivers with his FCA group

JS: Once you started the job, how did it go?

Joe: It was really hard. I felt completely unprepared. College didn’t teach me how to manage a classroom of at-risk, inner city middle school adolescents. I came home exhausted every day from trying to keep kids in their seats and pay attention much less teach.

One day the hypothetical question during my interview became a reality. I corrected a student in the middle of class and he went off on me. I once again questioned whether this was the right place for me. I barely survived that first year.

JS: The first year sounds rough. How was the 2nd year?

Joe: I began the year with an incredible amount of anxiety, but that year something changed for me. I feel like I stopped complaining about not getting what I wanted and started to see God’s purposes in placing me there.

One day I was trying to get the kids lined up to go to lunch. They were loud and distracting to classrooms nearby. I tried everything to get them to quiet down, but nothing worked.

I was really frustrated. I had enough. I wanted out. I prayed right there in the hallway and asked God “Why?” Although I didn’t hear his voice, my thoughts seem to clear and focus. My frustrations melted away. I knew God put me there to do more than teach. He wanted me to minister to these boys.

JS: What helped you to change your focus from being frustrated with how hard the work was to simply choosing to do the work that is hard?

Joe: There is a verse in the Bible that helps me to stay focused on just that. It is John 15: 8;12-17.

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples… This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit…

I realized it is not about how easy the teaching job might be. Life is about loving others and bearing fruit for their benefit. To be like Jesus, I would need to lay down my life for the good of these students.

JS: That’s really an amazing shift in your mind and your heart. Have you seen any changes in your students?

Joe: Absolutely. It’s there if you look for it.

I lead FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and one day we were talking about Jesus appearing to Peter and the disciples after his resurrection. This is the first time they talked after Peter had denied Jesus.

The speaker asked the students how they thought Jesus would respond. Some wondered if he would yell at him. One kid suggested that Jesus would “lay the smack down” on Peter. I have been in church all of my life, so I realize that Jesus didn’t do this. But hearing the students’ responses made sense, and made the actual story better.

We discussed how that would make sense and be the normal thing to do. But Jesus did something different. He made breakfast for him. They sat around a fire and ate. Jesus told Peter that he believed in him. Jesus still loved him in spite of what had happened.

Once the story was finished, one student raised his hand and asked, “Is this story true?” You could tell that his skepticism came from seeing Jesus love so much even though Peter didn’t deserve it. I doubt this boy had much experience with unconditional love in his own life.

I had the opportunity to tell him it was, and that I agree it seems to good to be true.

JS: What have you learned the most from all of this?

Joe: I have learned to trust God. I believe he is good, and that sometimes he gives us something even better than what we asked for. I can’t imagine teaching at any other school than where I am at. There is no place I would rather be than with these kids.

We are missionaries wherever we find ourselves. God wants us to remain in him all of the time. He promises that we will bear fruit that will glorify him. We don’t know how God will use us in our everyday lives, but if we remain in him for every test, others will see him in us.

Have you been placed in a difficult situation? Has it become an opportunity for you to serve?

Share your own story in the comments.

Or nominate a friend for the Secretly Incredible You contest here.

There are different options to “swim.” Most pools have an incredibly shallow end, a kiddie pool that averages 6 inches in depth.

And most have a deep end with a 3 meter high dive.

If you climb in the kiddie pool, you get wet. You can splash. You can blow bubbles. You can almost stick your entire head under the water.

When the day is over, your eyes sting with chlorine. By most definitions, it is swimming.

photo by Monik Markus

But the kiddie pool is designed to allow you both to swim and to be safe. The experience provides cautionary thrills.

In the deep end, there is nothing to keep you safe. This part of the pool is so deep, that it can be hard to even try to touch the bottom. The only way to stay afloat is to swim.

You will get wet. You will be completely immersed in water. Maybe even in over your head.

It is dangerous, but it is exhilarating. It is risky, but it is fun. It fills you with both excitement and fear.

In an article called “How to Change Your Life”, I recently read this quote from Julien Smith.

In over your head should be the state you are always reaching towards– not knowing entirely what you’re doing, having taken on too much, being too ambitious because you’ve made ridiculous promises . . .

Like the deep end, we can live life many different ways. We are still living. We are probably even enjoying it.

But there is so much more than a kiddie pool out there for us.

When we stay in the shallow end, keeping not just our heads but also the rest of our bodies above water, we miss out on this great experience of life.

• Are you reaching out to something different? Or are you content to stay exactly where you are?
• Are you trying anything new with the hope to learn and grow? Or are you happy putting your face in shallow water, blowing bubbles?
• Do you take on more, maybe even struggling to get it all done? Or do you minimize your effort, saving room in your life for activities that do nothing good for anyone else but yourself?
• Do you make ridiculous promises, and then keep them? Or do you sand bag, keeping other’s expectations low?

If you told your friends you went swimming last weekend and stayed in the kiddie pool the entire time, chances are, they would laugh.

I invite you to the deep end.

When it comes to living your own story, which side of the pool are you in? Tell us which pool you are in and what is like for you in the comments.

The United States federal budget. Coffee mugs. Healthcare. Transmissions. Legs.

When we see things break, we feel a call to action. To fix it.

photo by lynnepet (Creative Commons)

The assumption is that everything that isn’t broken doesn’t need to be fixed. That it works as well as it can.

You are probably living a good story. You have a beautiful family. A comfortable house. Plenty of ways to entertain yourself. An immaculate front yard.

The question isn’t whether or not you are living a good story. The important question to ask is if your story is the best possible one.

Maybe it’s not just broken items that need to be fixed, but also good items that work perfectly well.

Are you living the best possible story? What about your life isn’t broken, but still needs to be fixed?

Leave a comment.

But what do you do if nobody is listening?

You build a platform.

Our ideas are important. Our stories matter. But if nobody is listening, then your message can’t be heard. If your message isn’t heard, then you can’t influence the people that need to experience your story.

There are 3 ways Michael Hyatt’s new book, Platform, will help you tell your story and convince your audience to listen.

1. It Will Help You Improve your Story

Many of us just go about our day doing the normal stuff of life. We do the same old same old.

If you put your life down on paper, would anybody read it?

The only way a message can spread is if the story stands out.

For any message to be worth hearing, Hyatt tells us to “start with wow.” No matter how good you are at spreading a message no one will listen if it is boring.

When living your story ask yourself, “Is this dream impossibly big?”

If you can say yes, then go bigger still.

2. It Will Help You Amplify your Story

A platform is a stage. It allows you to be seen and heard.

Without it, your story will be lost in the noise. And the world has never been a noisier place.

It has become so noisy, that screaming louder doesn’t work. The best way to be heard today is to gain permission.

A better platform will help you earn the right to tell your story.

And even though our voices might be softer, our messages become louder. And people will listen.

3. It Will Help You Spread your Story

The world is full of stories that add no value to our lives. Stories of comfort and safety. Stories of selfish gain.

The rest of us need your help. We need your story to influence our own. We need your story to inspire us to take that first step.

When you choose a better story, we need that message to spread. Good stories must be told to as many people as possible.

Everyone else’s story becomes better when your story spreads.

The best way for as many people as possible to hear it, is for you to build an effective platform.

The Secrets Revealed

With years of experience as a publisher, a writer, the CEO of the largest Christian publisher in the world, and now as a professional speaker and consultant, Michael Hyatt has learned how to live and tell an incredible story.

Knowledge often comes through mistakes, but it can also come through sharing. In his new book Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, Hyatt tells you all of his secrets.

Here are a few of the concepts he covers.

• Creating a “Wow” product
• Don’t settle for less than great
• Think bigger . . . No, Bigger!
• How to start a blog
• Understand what’s not important
• Generate more blog traffic
• Social Media Basics

If you buy the book by midnight May 25, Hyatt is offering a bonus package that includes an audio version of the book, a step by step guide to writing a winning book proposal, the digital version of the book, and a video guide on building your platform.

Click here to find out more about this bonus offer.

Leave a comment.

The greatest discovery I have made writing this blog is you.

As I write about my own stories and try to inspire you to live a better story of your own, I have come to realize that many of you already are. Some of you have written me and told me about the journey that either you or someone you know is on.

And your stories are amazing.

photo by Omnitographer (Creative Commons)

I have learned that the world is full of people who are Secretly Incredible. People like you.

These secrets are too amazing to let them remain that way. I have been inspired so much by your stories, that I want to share them with everyone else.

I want to tell everyone your secret. I want the world to know your story. And I want to help you share it with them.

Starting next week, every Friday I plan to spotlight the story of a person who is Secretly Incredible.

But I need your help finding these stories. I need you to tell me about the incredible story that either you or someone you know is living.

When I highlight your story on the blog, I plan on leaving links to your own website and social media connections, so that as many people as possible can learn more about you.

From your submissions,  I will select 20 to tell the world about. The contest will remain open until I select the last one. Up until then feel free to submit as many names and stories as you want.

At the end, I will put the stories together and publish them in a book. Yes. a real book with you and your story in it.

Remember, the more people you share this contest with, the better the stories will be. Please tell everyone you know.

To enter fill out the form below. Include your name, email address, and the person you want to nominate. Then in 200 words or less give me a description of yourself or the person you are nominating and what makes the story so incredible.

I will notify winners by email. Since the contest will last for up to 20 weeks, you may receive an email from me up to 4 months from now. If you do not receive an email, assume that I did not choose your story.

By entering, you are agreeing to allow me to publicly publish your story. I will not publish the story without notifying you or without your explicit consent.

Acknowledgements: I want to thank Joe Bunting at The Write Practice for helping me organize this contest.

How did they get their following? How did they build their platform? How did they find their tribe?

Unfortunately it is easy to confuse the idea of celebrity and leader. And the difference is important because they are two completely different pursuits.

Searching for celebrity results in trying to win a popularity contest, much like being in high school all over again.

Celebrity is about statistics. The number of people that retweet you. The number of Facebook likes you receive. The requests you receive to have you speak.

People become nothing more than numbers. Ideas a way to get the attention of others.

True leadership is something entirely different..

President John Quincy Adams once said:

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

photo by Trey Ratcliff (Creative Commons)

Being a leader is about influencing others. It is about having ideas and dreams and then helping others to not only share in your vision but to begin taking steps toward that vision.

That vision will typically be one that benefits other people more than it benefits yourself. Being a leader is about changing the world for good.

In many ways, being a leader worth following is very similar to living a better story.

The quote reads as a way to evaluate yourself, but if you take it and turn it around, it can also be used as a road map to help you focus less on celebrity and more on becoming someone worth following.

1. Dream More. When we are kids, the sky is the limit. We imagine the impossible, never daunted by reality. When we become adults, we lose the art of dreaming big and replace it with a rigid sense of reality. Leaders are those that believe the impossible once again. They dream and they dream big.

Let yourself dream. Don’t hold back. Drop the word impossible from your vocabulary. Go ahead and solve world hunger. The crazier the better.

2. Learn More. A leader is always learning. They view the act of acquiring new knowledge not as a task or a job, but as a privilege. Every conversation becomes an opportunity to learn. Every mistake is a new lesson on how to do a better job. Every book contains some hidden gem that is theirs if they find it.

Never stop learning. Never stop growing. Become more knowledgeable and experienced every day.

3. Do More. An important difference between a leader and a dreamer is doing. It is not enough to develop ideas, you also have to execute. What good are the ideas if they are not put to action? How will they ever benefit anyone?

Turn off the TV. Ignore the internet. Start solving interesting problems and making a difference in the world.

4. Become More. The best leaders are not focused on the goal of becoming something. They ignore the temptation of fame or success. But because of their dedication to their work, they do become more. Becoming is a consequence of doing. And it’s worth it, with or without twitter followers.

When you dream, learn, and then do, eventually will help others become more as well.

Who are the leaders who influence you? How do they inspire you to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more?

Share in the comments.

I hope the answer is yes, not because the you of now is someone we don’t like, but because a better you is possible.

I hope that this better you isn’t just one that helps old ladies across the street, although please feel free. I am referring to the you of your dreams.

The you that you see when you let go of all of your present circumstances and let your imagination out of it’s cage so that it can soar as high as the clouds. That you.

The one that knows no limits. The one that believes the impossible.

Maybe a 20 pound lighter you. Or a the recently promoted you. Maybe it’s the “I just got into law school” you or the loving parent who is patient and kind you.

Even better, maybe it’s the you who does a work that you love. Waking up on Monday morning is a delight instead of a chore because you have the privilege of doing an important work that you are good at. The you that makes a difference in the world.

I’m talking about that you.

photo by Camil Tulcan (Creative Commons)

Whatever that better you looks like, it’s not who you are now is it?

Have you tried, only to become frustrated? Have you set new goals, only to see them forgotten?

To understand the reasons you fail, you first have to understand where you place the blame. Do you blame others? Your circumstances?

Or do you blame yourself?

So many view their circumstances as impossible. There are too many difficulties preventing you from becoming the other you.

There may be some truth to the idea that there are formidable external forces that affect the outcome of your efforts.

Many focus on the environment. They move. They quit one job to start another. They switch churches. They find new friends. They end one relationship hoping to find happiness in another. They buy a new car, this time one that is more expensive.

But the only way to ever change is to stop looking at everything around you and start looking at yourself. The goal of blaming you is to change you. And you are the only thing you can change.

It is both an incredibly simple, but challengingly complex idea.

• Instead of blaming your boss, determine how you can do your current job better.
• Instead of blaming your spouse or your kids, become more patient and more loving.
• Instead of blaming the teacher, study more.
• Instead of blaming your readers, write better copy.
• Instead of blaming others who don’t acknowledge you, work harder and do better work.
• Instead of blaming your finances, buy less stuff that doesn’t make you happy anyways.
• Instead of blaming genetics, blame your decisions.

Accepting the blame in order to change requires humility. It requires accepting responsibility, even when it isn’t completely your fault. It requires the ability to choose how you act instead of merely responding based on how you feel.

As long as you choose to let your environment determine who you are, this better you will remain a dream and nothing more.

The problem isn’t out there. It is inside.

Do you blame others or are you trying to change yourself? Leave a comment.