James Chartrand got my attention early on in my foray into social media. I was intrigued by her humour, wit and presence, whether on a Men With Pens blog post or in a 140 character tweet.
And yes, you read that right.
Her story is both shocking and inspiring, and like many who commented on this initial reveal, I was surprised that it’s still an issue in this century.
The tagline for this series is Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things, and James is a perfect example of what I mean by that.
She did what needed to be done – to raise a family, have a successful and fulfilling career, and thrive in a society that still takes issue with gender.
What’s uncommon is that she did it without fanfare. She simply did what it took.
The lesson in that IS extraordinary.
It’s easy to let circumstances stop you. At some point, you’ve probably thought, “It’s not the right time to…start a business, pursue your dream, commit to a relationship” etc.
Newsflash: It’s NEVER the right time. The circumstances and your reasons will always be there. That’s life. But you can choose to focus on what you want instead. Reasons or results. Choose.
That’s the part of James’ story that really inspires me. She had a lot of reasons – to play small, get a job and survive. But she didn’t. She took a bold, gauntlet-has-been-thrown stand for living life on her terms.
