How have your trials made you stronger? I moved to Japan when I was 12 and had to make new friends during a very vulnerable time of adolescent life. To make matters worse, I entered a school where most kids had been together since kindergarten. I soon realized my classmates had no interest in having me join their cliques. I had to adapt, find ways to express myself and gain confidence in ways I never had to in my comfortable life in England. I joined the basketball team, even though I had almost no experience, and made friends by approaching people from myself. The outgoing-ness of it all felt foreign to me at the time but with every small win came confidence and strength to keep doing more.
What’s one thing someone could do today to make them stronger? Ask for help. I’ve learned that not everything is meant to be done on your own. Asking for help allows you to focus on things you need to do or are better at. Asking for help allows others to feel strong by being helpful. It’s almost never a burden to someone being asked.
When has your strength been personally challenged and how did you respond? Becoming a mom. I have never been the type to ask for help and always want to get things done myself whenever I can. Becoming a mom challenged my ability to do everything. I needed help and at times I felt weak for not being able to take care of things on my own. It took a few months of raw emotions to realize that being strong isn’t about doing things all on my own, that it was about being vulnerable to ask for help.
Jessi’s Intentional Act of Kindness
How did you use the $100? I gave the $100 to an acquaintance in Poland who is currently housing refugees from Ukraine in her home. The war in Ukraine is heartbreaking. All war is heartbreaking but the war in Ukraine felt closer to home (half my family lives in the UK). With social media, I feel more connected to what is going on and it hurt me to learn about people leaving their homes, unsure if they could return. Many with young kids who are having to experience this hardship during a period of growth. I felt this donation was a small way of lending a hand.
What was the 'Intentional Act of Kindness' process like for you? I could think of many ways to give the $100 but it wasn’t as easy to make it personal. I wanted to make sure it was used directly to help someone. It was harder than I thought to find a meaningful and personal cause to give to that didn’t feel awkward. I thought about giving to a random stranger who looked like they could use the money but that also didn’t feel right. The process was eye opening for me to realize that we live in such a physically disconnected world. Partly due to the pandemic but partly just how our lives have shifted more online. I don’t walk outside of my own neighborhood enough to see how people are, how the world is moving. It’s easy to get caught up in your own world but there is a lot more “out there”. This process has made me want to be more connected with my community and find ways to give back more.