It has been an honor this week to support my friend and colleague, Bethany Connor, during the launch of her new book “Cherished – One Woman’s Journey to Love and Be Loved.”
OK guys (the male population out there), before you get scared by the pink flower on the cover and title of the book, consider this question … “Would there be any benefit to better understand how a woman’s mind works?”
Sure, this great effort by Bethany is going to resonate with the women more than the men, but the lessons Bethany shares apply to all of us.
A Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Nurse Corp, Bethany tells a very authentic and transparent story her story of transformation. Moving from an identity found in what she did to a purpose driven by who she is, Bethany holds nothing back in describing the deep emotional feelings behind her journey to living the life she was designed to live.
Finding strength through her faith, Bethany paints an incredible picture of how to find joy in who we are. Not because of our accomplishments, but because of who we have been created to be and how there is no failure in falling short, but merely lessons learned in finding our purpose and reaching our potential.
Like I said in the beginning, Bethany is a friend and colleague of mine, but reading her story has let me see “inside” and to better understand her strength and where she draws it from.
The big lesson for me is how much our self image impacts our behavior, and quite honestly, the joy we find in living life. I am not suggesting Bethany had a poor self image of herself, but more along the lines what I can attest to from my own personal story.
So many of us base our life story and personal worth based on what we do. Bethany’s story had added clarity to me that who we are is much more significant than what we do. Getting out of our own way is how we discover that.
Yes, this a Bethany’s story, a story of One Woman’s Journey to Love and Be Loved, but more importantly it is a story that we all share. This is a story on WHY we all suffer from this identity crisis and HOW we can move beyond that crisis and create a legacy that will add value to all those around us.
I am supporting Bethany this week and I hope you will to. I understand that everyone may not connect with the topic or content of this book, but this I know for sure – You know someone that it will.
My challenge to you – stretch outside your comfort zone a little, or a lot like Bethany has, and if you don’t want to add this to your reading list, forward this on to someone you think could benefit from it. You may be the only person that had the opportunity to expose a friend to these thoughts that could change their life. Is that something you want to miss out on? I think not!
- Click her to go to Bethany’s Website
- Click her to support Bethany on Facebook
- Click her to purchase “Cherished” on Amazon
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Barry Smith 9/19/13 photo courtesy of acherishedwoman © Building What Matters 2013
