When You're Down and Troubled...

The words are by Carole King. You may know it best in the harmonious voice of James Taylor.  The message is universal. And perhaps today it is more applicable than ever...

"When you're down and troubled
And you need some love and care
And nothing, nothing is going right,
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night."

The song hit #1 on the charts in 1971, and won multiple Grammy awards. My guess is that there is something in us that needs to be reminded every so often that we are not alone and that help is closer than we know:

"Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call..
And I'll be there.
You've got a friend."

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to interview budding student leaders for a full scholarship to a Leadership Camp this summer. I'll share the full story with you this week in our "What If Wednesday" live stream at the top of the hour on Facebook.

Every student had been recommended by a teacher or counselor as an all-star.  Each one had achieved incredible things, had amazing dreams, and had already exhibited extraordinary leadership potential.

Yet, I kept hearing things like, "I want to attend this camp because I don't have many friends."  Or, "I'm hoping to connect with other kids like me. I don't have that here at school."

What struck me was a pervasive sense of exceptional young people feeling isolated and alone. This was the driver for this week's possibility:

What if we take some time today to express gratitude for our friends?

What if we reach out to those people we know we can call when we get triggered by life's challenges and let them know how much it means to us?

What if we look for ways to build the kind of friendships that we desire? What if we reach out to others who share our interests and values and find ways to spend quality time together?

What if we knew that we are never alone, that making new friends can be easy and fulfilling, and that it matters perhaps more than we ever imagined?

C.S. Lewis writes: "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'”

Join my What If UP Club online for an opportunity to come together to realize that we are not the only one... We come together as a community of people committed to finding the silver lining even among the darkest of clouds.  We come together each week to remind ourselves that we have much to give to each other through our listening, our encouragement, and our support.

What if you share this message with a friend to let them know how much they mean to you?

In love and friendship,
Mindy Audlin
Author of "What If It All Goes RIGHT?"