Oshawa is a city outside of Toronto with a population of 160,000 people. In the recent election, a new mayor was chosen in Oshawa with 70% of the vote. His name is Dan Carter. And he spent many years homeless due to addiction that stemmed from tragedies in his youth. He was assaulted as a paper boy at the age of eight and his older brother died in a motorcycle accident when Dan was only 13 years old.
After his sister helped him get off the streets and into rehabilitation in his 30s, he started a business and became a city councillor. And now he is mayor.
I wonder if he ever thought his life would end up this way when he had no place to lay his head at night?
Anything is possible.
Film director Taika Waititi said, “People overcoming the odds is actually a really important part of humanity, and I don’t think we kind of get to celebrate that as much as we should.”
We should honour the mountains we climb and the mountains climbed by others. It’s so inspirational to see what we can overcome.
Michelle Obama said, “You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages.”
Dan Carter’s journey is what gave him the tools to be a good leader. He plans to focus on homelessness and the opiate crisis and how those issues are affecting his constituents.
What adversity in your life is preparing you to become who you were meant to be? And what action are you taking to keep moving forward in your journey?