Resilience

Yesterday, I wasn't at the top of my game, I was feeling beaten up emotionally. While doing some internet research I came across a woman who lifted my spirits.

"I've had a really difficult life, but that's okay." says Lizzie Velasquez as she speaks at a TED talk in 2014. She talks about resilience and not being defined by how other people see you - or clearly don't see you or even look for you.

The cruelty of people still surprises me. Lizzie found a video of herself that had been posted online titled WORLD'S UGLIEST WOMAN", that had over 4 million views. In a state of disbelief she scrolled through the comments section, where strangers were merrily riffing about her appearance. A typical comment was "Lizzie why don't you do the world a favour, put a gun to your head and shoot yourself". At first the comments made her sad, but the more she read, the more determined she became. Lizzie exhorts us to "use the negativity that people direct towards you to light your fire", to motivate you to define yourself, not be swayed by the judgement of others.