Challenge Day

I had the amazing opportunity to participate in Challenge Day at JL Mann on Tuesday. If you have ever seen the show on MTV called "If You Really Knew Me," it is the same thing! The only word to describe it is amazing, and even that doesn't really do it any justice. 
The whole point of Challenge Day is to be able to be yourself, express your feelings, and learn that you are not alone in life, ever. It was a very emotional day but it was a refreshing one as well. 


The group was composed of 130 people; students, teachers, and people from the community. We started the day playing some games to get everyone used to each other and comfortable. As the day progressed, things got more serious and the topics we discussed got deeper. There were 2 activities that really were the most influential to me. The first was done in a small group of 6 people and we completed the sentence, "If you really knew me..." Wow, can you say emotional? Things were shared in my small group that those students had never told anyone. Heck, I told those students things I had never told anyone! It was amazing to see the relief on some of their faces when I shared that I struggle with insecurity or that they weren't the only person feeling "not good enough" or abandoned by someone close to them. And to be honest, it was a refreshing relief for me as well. 


The other activity that I liked was so powerful. It was called "Cross the Line." There were two lines on the floor and the leader would call out different categories. If the category pertained to you, you would cross the line. The scary part? Not knowing if you would be the only person to cross the line. The scary part? Vulnerability. The categories ranged anywhere from having lost someone close to you to having thoughts of suicide and feelings of inadequacy. The most powerful part of this exercise though was this, seeing that you did not cross the line alone. I saw that high school students, community people, and even teachers struggle with the same issues and have experienced some of the same pain in life. There was one category that got me, and I mean really got me. The leader said, "Cross the line if you have ever been teased, put down, or hurt by anyone IN THIS ROOM." Can you imagine the tension? I looked up and saw my little brother cross the line. As much as we joke and play and know that we love each other, there was something about seeing him cross that line and knowing that somewhere along the line, I had contributed to that. It changed the way I look at him and our relationship. It was so powerful.

Challenge Day exceeded my expectations in every way possible. I made new friends, and I grew closer to old friends. I learned that it is okay to express your feelings, matter of fact, it is healthy. I also learned that I am not alone in life, ever. There is someone, somewhere who feels like I do. And lastly, I learned that there are people that are around me every single day that are struggling and I may never know. How I treat them could make their day or break it. I could be the best part of their day or the worst. Everyone is fighting a battle, we just can't always see it. Be kind. 


I really think living life with this outlook will not only change the lives of people I come in contact with, it will change my life as well. The motto for Challenge Day is "Be the Change." So as a challenge to you and to myself, What are you going to do in order to "be the change?"