For Moms – Personal From David Sharpe

From the archive: originally published May 2013 on the Empower Network blog.

Grateful For The Moms Of Empower Network

Are you a Mom? If so, thank you for making life fun, fulfilling and meaningful 🙂

I know how much the Moms in my life do for me, and mean to me, and I have the same deep gratitude for any woman who has had the title “Mom” in her life.

So thank you 🙂

As we grow and more people join the team and become customers of our products, more powerful and amazing women reveal themselves, and because of that, lives are transforming in ways no one could have guessed when we launched Empower Network back in late 2011.

The Vision Behind Empower Network

When the original vision was set in stone for Empower Network by Dave Wood and I back in mid 2011, I had a dream we would show people how to transform into their most powerful selves, and learn how to use all their past “baggage” as motivation for themselves and inspiration for other people. However, that concept has taken on a life of its own.

A lot of the progress we’ve made is because of the women here at Empower Network.

Watching Women Step Into Their Power

I’ve watched some of you come out of your shells.

I’ve watched a lot of you step into your power.

I’ve seen many of you venture out and do things you weren’t sure if you could do.

And I’ve watched you NAIL it, and prove to yourself and the world that you’re meant for greatness, and that you can change people’s lives with your words and experience.

On this Mothers Day I want you all (both men and women) to remember a lesson I learned back in 2008 when I got clean from a long battle with alcoholism and addiction (which I’m still clean and sober from over 5 years later).

The Lesson I Learned Getting Clean

The lesson came unexpectedly when I started to go into treatment centers, institutions and jails to speak to men who were in the same desperate place I once was, trying to overcome their struggles and find a new way to live. I would build relationships with these men, and they would tell me how they were going to get out and stay clean, take care of their families and change their lives for the better. But not all of them did. And that started to cause me to second guess what I was doing.

Until one day I was venting some of my frustration to one of my earlier mentors, and he said, “David, the only thing you can give someone is hope. Nothing else. The rest is up to them”. He went on to point out something that has changed my life to this day.

He said, “A year ago, David, you couldn’t stay clean. You tried everything. You changed friends. You tried geographical changes. You even had judges, authority figures and family members tell you (even beg you) to stop trying to kill yourself. It was ONLY when you started to get outside of yourself and help others that you found a way out”

That conversation changed my life, and still to this day, is why I do what I do.

What This Means For Moms And Dads

What does that have to do with Mothers Day, you say? I believe Mothers have the same effect. I also believe Fathers do, too. I believe when we lift each other up, we also lift ourselves up. When we lift our children up, we lift ourselves up.

So Ladies: keep lifting each other up. Keep telling your stories. Keep being fearlessly honest, even when you think you’ll be judged for it. And remember, the people that matter don’t judge, and the people that judge don’t matter. There’s a woman sitting somewhere right now who desperately needs to hear what you have to say. So say it.

A Message To The Fellas

And Fellas: don’t ever give up on your dreams. Life is not about being a tough guy. I wasted a lot of my years protecting my damaged ego because I didn’t want anyone to know who I really was, and how I really felt inside. I ran from my own shadow, and hid from my fears and insecurities on the streets and in places I feel terror when I think of today. I covered up my feelings anyway I could, mostly with drugs and alcohol. It was ultimately the people who I was running from who helped me save my life. One last lesson I’ll share today that I learned on my journey, is: there is no competition in life or business, there’s only collaboration. Lock arms, and hold on tight to your brothers and sisters. They might save your ass, or your life, sometime down the road.

I gotta run. We’re having some Moms over today, and my daughter Bailee and I are responsible for the dessert. Enjoy your day, Moms 🙂

– David Sharpe
“I Rose Up From The Ashes . . .”