The more I learn about life the more I learn that almost everything is a paradox. Most of life is constantly trying to balance the duality and tension that exists. If we go too far in one direction that causes problems and if in our efforts to correct that we go too far in the other direction--more problems. The conversation I had with Michelle highlighted this tension in a very real and meaningful way. She started off stating "courage" as her most important value. She wants to be outside her comfort zone, she wants to set big goals no one believes in, and she wants to be unapologetically true to who she is. 

As I learned more about Michelle's past I started to see that balancing act come into view. Michelle had a tough childhood, trying to fit in with her Indian roots/culture while also trying to fit into her American community, trying to live up to the expectations set for her, and even trying to overcome the trauma of sexual assault. As she stated, she felt broken and thought she was incapable of achieving anything. So what did she do? She did the extremely hard work of trying to build herself back up. She committed to building her courage, self-worth, and motivation so she could realize how capable she really was. As she did this though, she found herself running into conflict with her family and spending excessive amounts of money on personal coaching. Her friends and family worried that she wasn't focused enough on relationships or wasn't being financially responsible. Even with the best of intentions, that tension is always there. 

You even hear it pop up as Michelle talks about her background and accomplishments. She is a coach, TEDx speaker, 2X best selling author (with plans for another best selling book soon), and she's been featured on the Tonight Show and done interviews with people like Dr. Deepak Chopra. All amazing accomplishments for anyone, especially someone who had to overcome what she did. But how do balance that tension to not let the aim of achievement and success take over? How do you stop your ego from taking control and taking you too far in that direction? 

I don't know the answer to these questions and Michelle doesn't either (no one does). But what she does have is a willingness to ask the questions. Through her work she is committed to trying to be more aware, be more true to herself, and to use her knowledge to help others (especially teenagers) to increase their confidence and live a life they fully love.