I have often said that the hours spent recording vlogs, editing, uploading and all that goes into all of those functions – together with the time spent broadcasting and writing blogs – have their rewards. Not only in the day to day events but, every now and then, in the monumental impact events that we hear about.
Some of you know of Lesley who, when we met her a few short months ago, was too terrified to even sit in front of an open door – never mind go through that space. Today, during the Vaughnlive.tv broadcast, we heard from Lesley. She told us something that brought us to tears. Men and women alike. She told us that she went in a car with her father. Oh, and you need to know one more thing. She drove!
I always remember asking Lesley what being able to leave the house would mean for her. What was the goal in leaving? She told me “FREEDOM”. I asked her today what that freedom felt like on a scale of 1 (grr) to 10 (yippee) and she didn’t hesitate to give me back a 10.
Of course we are proud of “our” Lesley. We feel part of her incredible journey. First opening her door, then taking those tentative two steps out (and sending us that wonderful pic!). Then the second pic, when she went down to the gate and had her picture taken on the other side! Remember?
We know it took incredible work on Lesley’s part to take these steps to freedom. Today, on the broadcast we were discussing that we all have our “journey”. Each of us has incredibly hard steps to take to overcome our anxiety, depression, fears, frustrations and make our lives more enjoyable. Lesley continues to inspire us to take those steps. For is it not true that what this is really about is discipline? The discipline to set the goal, to not give ourselves excuses, to just do what needs to be done…however slowly. We just need to keep doing the right thing and getting the support to take the next step.
So, some days, I just sit here in awe. In awe of the great joy I get to hear these stories of things our viewers are doing to improve their lives. It reminds me that it has all been worthwhile. Every single moment of it. Every frustrating learning curve. I will be forever grateful to Benji and Judy for saying, “… we want to share you with the world”. I am also aware that without my discipline to refuse to quit when it was difficult or when no one was willing to talk to me during those first few broadcasts. My willingness to keep learning new things and appreciate every step forward, has helped us get here. Way to go, Leslie. You made it all worthwhile today.Onward to the next step… for us all.
YouTube Update – Week 77