I've been writing a lot lately about divorce. There's a reason for that, but while today's topic involves divorce it's not really about divorce.
Today I really need to talk about Hope.
My blog site has been a journey of hope, and I want to tell you my story about how it's been so far.
This post would end up being pretty long, so I'm going to break up this story into 2-parts. This is the first part.
When all hope was lost
After my divorce I felt lost. I was defeated. I felt alone. The person I had counted on for as long as I could remember was choosing to no longer love me. It hurt.
I took a little time to wallow in my self-pity, but I never took to it. I knew I needed to get out and do something with my pain.
I started a meetup group for people in my area who were separated and divorced. I thought if I could help others find some sense of normalcy, I could maybe find some. The group quickly grew, but it never really took off. After several months I closed it down.
Around that same time I attended a training about how to better present myself to people. It felt good to apply my skills towards something constructive. I have always enjoyed teaching and helping others.
While attending this training I had several different people, independent of one another, tell me that they felt I would be good at connecting with and helping a very specific group of people... divorced men.
I fought this idea for several months. I was a divorced man, and I knew the challenge of connecting with, and impacting the thoughts of a divorced man. Men are very often stubborn and prideful. Add to this that they have gone through a life changing defeat. Sure I'd like to help other men like me, but I did not feel up to that challenge.
While I eventually drew back from the idea of focusing on that specific group, I was determined to get out of my own head and help others. I chose to focus my attentions on the more generalized group of "everyday men." I knew I could relate to them, and I knew that they needed a strong voice.
It is my firm belief that the caliber of men in the world today has diminished greatly. I believe there are too many men who have lost a sense of confidence and clarity in who they are supposed to be. Rarely do we see the same level of respect and chivalry that I had grown up learning.
I knew that while I was by no means the perfect example, I had strong foundational values that I felt were worth sharing. I believed that if I could speak clearly and loudly enough, I could reach the hearts of the men who were sincere seekers of strength and motivation.
I also knew I was stubborn and strong enough to face that challenge, so I began my efforts by creating my blog site, www.DerickTurner.com
For several months I wrote blog posts on topics such as Chivalry and Etiquette, Personal Development, Manhood, Fatherhood, and yes, even Divorce. I worked hard, but I felt as if I was sending my writing off into the abyss, because I had almost no one reading what I wrote. Nonetheless, I knew my message was important enough, so I continued writing.
A shimmer of hope
Over time my writing has gained some traction. I have started seeing more unique visitors to my site. That inspired me to keep going, and to extend my reach.
As is evidenced by this article, you can see that I am now blogging for The Huffington Post.
This did not happen overnight. In fact, it feels like a miracle it ever happened at all.
Several months earlier I had sent some of my writing to The Huffington Post after reading an article posted on their site. At the end it called for interested bloggers to reach out to them. I was now a blogger, and I was interested.
After several months, and long after I had forgotten about it, they reached out to me. They liked my "voice" and thought I would be a valuable contributor. They wanted me to write for them as an independent blogger, primarily for their Divorce blog.
Ahh, there it was again. Divorce. The painful thing I had been spending many, many months trying to get past, and here it was calling me to come play with it.
I knew there must be a reason, and I felt I was being called to help shed some light on the subject.
In spite of this surprising development, I was ecstatic about the chance to get my writing out there in front of more people.
I knew that with enough effort and time, I could truly become an influence for good in the lives of others. So I continued hoping for the best and I went to work.
I had no idea where it was going to lead me... (watch soon for part two)
Question: When have you had to hope to get past a trial? Leave a comment below.
Divorced Dad, Blogger, and Personal Development Coach Derick Turner has been carefully crafting his message of post-divorce hope for a number of websites.
Follow his journey by subscribing to his blog at DerickTurner.com where he regularly posts content intended to help in Developing Upright Men. Follow his story and insights on Facebook, Twitter, DivorceForce.com and at The Huffington Post.