Updated Dec 15th, 2022

Courage is Contagious

The Power of Story

“Stand ON your story, not in it. Standing in our stories is another way so many of us stay stuck. But we can use our stories in a completely different way. When we climb up out of our stories and stand on them, instead of keeping us stuck, our stories support us.”

– Jo Dibblee, “From Best Kept Secret to Success in Life, Love and Business”

A few years ago, I was honoured to be one of the speakers at the Best Kept Secret to Success in Life, Love and Business two-day event in Parksville, BC – a “Frock-alicious life series event.”

Wow! It was a very powerful experience…transformational.

Jo Dibblee, the founder of the Frock-alicious life events, is also the author of the memoir, Frock-Off; Living Undisguised, as well as the book, From Best Kept Secret to Success in Life, Love and Business.

Jo is passionate about creating systemic change in lives, communities and the world by tapping into true purpose and calling. She celebrates joy, growth and success.

Best Kept Secret to Success in Life, Love & Business events were designed to move women from best kept secret to success in life, love and business. Over the two days, participants are given relevant tools, tips and strategies to see immediate impact and results. Jo hand-selects speakers to provide mini-workshops that will empower people with the resources to begin living Frock-aliciously.

All the sessions were interactive, engaging, and give women the momentum to move FORWARD. Each presentation helped allow people to assess their life as it is…and to dig deep and face whatever may be holding them back.

The events were designed to help people identify and cut through any obstacles and get inspired again…enough to take ACTION!

For action is everything.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, to “frock-off” means to shed whatever it is that might be holding us back in life.

Our “frocks” can be the lies we tell ourselves – or they can be the truths from our past that are no longer serving us. Our frocks can be our stories, our excuses, our embarrassments, our habits, our coping mechanisms, our fears, our circumstances, our limiting beliefs.

The presentation I delivered in Parksville was entitled, “Courage is Courageous – Why Wait for a Wake Up Call?”

My key message was this: when we find the courage to share our stories – and what we’ve learned from our experience – our courage can inspire others to find their own courage.

Courage can be contagious…in a good way.

I spoke about the difference between staying stuck IN our stories versus standing ON our stories by choosing to learn and grow from our experiences, instead of getting trapped in a victim-mindset.

I have observed, over and over again, how our stories – the good, the bad, the ugly and the many lessons learned – can also encourage, inspire and empower others to reach down deep within themselves and find the strength and courage needed to make the changes they need to make in their own lives.

After delivering my presentation in Parksville, I asked the audience if anyone would like to share with the group about a change they know they need to make in their lives?

You should have seen how many hands shot up…but that’s the magic of a Frock-alicious event!

One woman came up to the front of the room, picked up the microphone, took a deep breath – and proceeded to tell us that she had come way too close to nearly taking her own life a month earlier.

She went on to say she knew she had a powerful message to share with others about mental health…and this event was the catalyst she needed to take the necessary steps forward to the life she knew she was capable of living.

Courage IS contagious. Sometimes when we lose our way, we also lose our courage. Or maybe we lose our way because we lost our courage somewhere along the way?

Or maybe it doesn’t matter which was lost first. Maybe what matters is that we find our courage again…through whatever story speaks to us.

Maryanne Pope is the author of “A Widow’s Awakening.” She also writes screenplays, playscripts and blogs. She is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and a co-founder of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. To receive Maryanne’s blog, “Weekly Words of Wisdom,” please subscribe here.