| Real People Together: Real People. Real Stories. Real Insight. A REAL REVOLUTION. Founded by Author and Speaker Justine Hoepfner |
So why am I doing all this??
When I walked off the stage after picking up my college diploma in
2006, I remember thinking to myself: “Seriously. Those were
supposed to be the best years of my life?”
I had had high hopes for college. Heck, I had even had high hopes
for high school. But once I finally got to those stages of my life, I had
found them to be nothing like I had imagined. I didn’t have that
amazing superhero-boyfriend I had always dreamed of—the one I
had was actually downright abusive. I didn’t have a ton of hilarious,
dedicated friends—actually, I didn’t really have any friends at all.
And I wasn’t exactly accomplishing all of those big dreams I’d
always had, like writing and publishing that great novel I had inside
of me or even just succeeding in the public speaking competitions I
had originally been given a scholarship for. To top it all off, I had
even struggled with an eating disorder for most of that time!
College for me was actually kind of horrible, and that’s the only way I
can put it. But my life didn't just get better after I walked off that
stage. Eventually, the abuse in my relationship progressed to the
point where I literally began to question my own sanity. I began
having panic attacks on a near-daily basis. I began to doubt whether
I would ever be able to hold a real job again. And I began to have a
real fear that maybe my life wasn’t going to have that happy, fairy-
tale ending I had always thought it would.
Sometimes, things have to get really bad before you realize you
have no other choice but to do everything you can to turn your life
around again. When I got to that point, I literally had to start my life
over from scratch. At the age of 24, I found myself living with my
parents again for a period of time—me, the girl who had been voted
by her senior class as “Most Likely to Become First Female
President!” I didn’t have a job. I didn’t have any friends. I didn’t know
what the heck to even do with my own life.
At that point, I had to rely on my faith. I had to trust that God would
lead me in the right direction again, even though I had been ignoring
what He had been trying to say to me for a really long time. I had to
trust in myself, too; I had learn to trust in my own abilities again, and
to trust that I did actually have the strength I would need to continue
on with my life.
I was right to trust. Today, thanks to the work I am doing, I now have
the opportunity to speak to young people who are dealing with
some of the things I was dealing with not so long ago (and usually,
all kinds of other issues too). I have the ability to teach them what I
wish I would have figured out a lot sooner. And I have the ability to
stand as an example to them that, even though they might go
through some crazy and horrible experiences of their own, they have
everything inside of them they'll need to be able to pick themselves
back up and continue on. They have everything they need in order to
be really, truly happy— no matter what kinds of fears or doubts or
disappointments they will inevitably face throughout these early
years of their lives.
The same holds true for you, too.
Through my book project, and through my speaking and retreat
opportunities, I want to share everything I have learned about finding
true happiness in the midst of all those trials and tribulations of
adolescence. What exactly do you need to do? Who should you
connect with? And whose advice should you finally just learn to
ignore?
Give me some of your time, and you might just gain a whole new
outlook on your life.
2006, I remember thinking to myself: “Seriously. Those were
supposed to be the best years of my life?”
I had had high hopes for college. Heck, I had even had high hopes
for high school. But once I finally got to those stages of my life, I had
found them to be nothing like I had imagined. I didn’t have that
amazing superhero-boyfriend I had always dreamed of—the one I
had was actually downright abusive. I didn’t have a ton of hilarious,
dedicated friends—actually, I didn’t really have any friends at all.
And I wasn’t exactly accomplishing all of those big dreams I’d
always had, like writing and publishing that great novel I had inside
of me or even just succeeding in the public speaking competitions I
had originally been given a scholarship for. To top it all off, I had
even struggled with an eating disorder for most of that time!
College for me was actually kind of horrible, and that’s the only way I
can put it. But my life didn't just get better after I walked off that
stage. Eventually, the abuse in my relationship progressed to the
point where I literally began to question my own sanity. I began
having panic attacks on a near-daily basis. I began to doubt whether
I would ever be able to hold a real job again. And I began to have a
real fear that maybe my life wasn’t going to have that happy, fairy-
tale ending I had always thought it would.
Sometimes, things have to get really bad before you realize you
have no other choice but to do everything you can to turn your life
around again. When I got to that point, I literally had to start my life
over from scratch. At the age of 24, I found myself living with my
parents again for a period of time—me, the girl who had been voted
by her senior class as “Most Likely to Become First Female
President!” I didn’t have a job. I didn’t have any friends. I didn’t know
what the heck to even do with my own life.
At that point, I had to rely on my faith. I had to trust that God would
lead me in the right direction again, even though I had been ignoring
what He had been trying to say to me for a really long time. I had to
trust in myself, too; I had learn to trust in my own abilities again, and
to trust that I did actually have the strength I would need to continue
on with my life.
I was right to trust. Today, thanks to the work I am doing, I now have
the opportunity to speak to young people who are dealing with
some of the things I was dealing with not so long ago (and usually,
all kinds of other issues too). I have the ability to teach them what I
wish I would have figured out a lot sooner. And I have the ability to
stand as an example to them that, even though they might go
through some crazy and horrible experiences of their own, they have
everything inside of them they'll need to be able to pick themselves
back up and continue on. They have everything they need in order to
be really, truly happy— no matter what kinds of fears or doubts or
disappointments they will inevitably face throughout these early
years of their lives.
The same holds true for you, too.
Through my book project, and through my speaking and retreat
opportunities, I want to share everything I have learned about finding
true happiness in the midst of all those trials and tribulations of
adolescence. What exactly do you need to do? Who should you
connect with? And whose advice should you finally just learn to
ignore?
Give me some of your time, and you might just gain a whole new
outlook on your life.
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