The Elevator Pitch

Saturday, April, 18th, 2020

Have you ever through about what you would say if someone was to ask you to give them a quick thirty second elevator pitch? Ya. Me neither. Until recently I thought I had a solid pitch to give people, the basic foundation of who I was in a nut shell. If you were to ask me on any random day who Amanda Walsh was my answer would be simple. "I'm a twenty-two year old, with a twin brother, I grew up in a small town, but had big city dreams. My family and friends are everything, and I work hard to reach the goals I set for myself." Nothing too crazy, nothing that remotely stands out. Basic information to throw into conversation yet, not too personal were the questions can be too invasive. A protected approach, not to get too personal, but also making sure to have enough there for another human to connect with.

But, my perspective recently changed. I realized sometimes you just have to give a little in order to dive deeper. Ya the surface is great but its superficial, there is so much more out there and to a person than how old they are or who they greyw up with. I realized all of us have a story, and you have to tell it, take ahold of it and be the author of your own life. Don't let other people think they know who you are, because of what they see on social media, or because they knew you once. Thats the thing, people are always walking around thinking they know a person, but the person they knew ... say in high school, is different than the person you are now years later. People change, everyday, every week, every month. I can guarantee you aren't the same person you were in January now in April. You simple aren't because there is some level of self growth, hell I changed the color of my hair between January and April. The point is, someone out there sees you for who your past self was, they don't see you for who you are today, and that can come from no longer being in contact, not seeing you in a while, a whole bunch of reasons. What I'm trying to say is, you have to wake up everyday and put your narrative out there, you have to use your voice and speak your truth.

If you were to ask me today to tell you who Amanda Walsh is, it would be a lot different, it wouldn't be superficial, it would be thought out and meaningful. I don't like to waste my time, I simply know life is too short to have regrets, and I choose not to have any. Tomorrow isn't promised and you need to live like today is all you have. You have to tell people what they mean to you, and make sure you don't leave anything left unsaid. So here is what my current elevator pitch would be. "I'm a woman who's lived a unique life, I choose to move to another country to escape and work through somethings which taught me alot about myself as a nineteen to twenty-one year old. I had cancer, and it was one of the biggest struggles I faced at twenty-one. It made me really think about my humanity, my mortality, and that changed my perspective on how I wanted to live day to day. But, most importantly I'm someone who doesn't give up, I know exactly what I want, and I don't ever stop fighting for it. I won't apologize for being who I am, I'm a genuinely caring human, who just wants the best for people. I never expect or want anything in return, instead I want to help build you up and see you happy. Ya, I guess that can be a downfall because I don't know when to stop caring about someone, but to me someone has to be that positive light because the world is an awfully dark and scary place without it. I'm stubborn, I've been that way forever. I was in fifth grade when I knew I wanted to go to law school and be a prosecutor ... what eleven year old knows exactly what their twenty-three year old future self really wants. Welp I was a thickheaded child because in the fall I will be in law school and I will be specializing in prosecuting Sex crimes." My elevator pitch is so different than what it once was.

I don't want to ever waste a moment because life is precious, we can't turn back time, we can't stop it, and we sure as hell can't slow it down. I want to live a thought provoking and fulfilling life. I like challenges, and projects. I like to be needed, its a weird thing ... but it is so fulfilling to be needed by someone or for something. It gives you a different purpose, a different focus to try and approach situations differently. Nothing in life is repeated the same way twice, you never have the same conversation, you don't ever meet two people the same way ... everything is unique and meant to teach us something, to make us stronger, to sometimes realize it just isn't only about you, but about someone else. I think the biggest thing I've learned about reflecting on my "elevator pitch" would be, to truly be yourself, 100% authentic. There is not another person out there like you, that's what makes you special. No one you meet, will ever meet someone like you again, and that can be scary for some, because sometimes you leave a bigger impression on their lives than you realize. But, at the end of the day, you get to realize they will never find someone like you again, and that's pretty special. For me ... It was when I realized not everyone has the same interactions I have. It was a foreign concept to me when I meet someone who didn't know what it was like to have someone genuinely care for them ... to me that made no sense, but it also broke my heart. I couldn't imagine being fearful that everyone I meet had an ulterior motive. All I could do was be there for them, and show them when it was like to be cared about. And I learned it is a hard thing for people to accept. But that doesn't mean I'll ever stop or change, I'll never stop caring about people if anything that lesson made me want to care even more, because now that person deserves to feel all the love and care they had been missing and were deprived of.

I leave you with this, please leave people better than you found them, make a lasting impression in their lives. Scare them a little, shock them so they can see there is good still in the world. Make them feel what they have been missing. But, please don't break someone, don't destroy a wonderful human ... because than you leave them broken for the next person who comes into their life, and you without knowing it, made things so much harder for them. I'll get into this in a further post, but please be mindful that everyone is human, and the scars you leave on them are permanent. Think about dropping a dish on the ground and it shatters, you may apologize, you may even pick it up and glue it back together, but it will never be the same ... it will have those ever lasting cracks that can't be filled making them no longer whole. Take a moment, reflect on what your elevator pitch would be ... and what it could be. I'd love to hear what your pitch would be, or even if you have a hot take on something I wrote. Just remember be kind, be caring, and leave people better than you found them.