as a society would be foolish to ignore the generational patterns passed down to us. Whether it is the misuse of finances, lack of acknowledgment regarding mental health, or our inability to dream beyond the limitations of our family and community, we all have generational insecurities that need to be challenged.
Justin and Alexis were faced with the daunting statistics that they were expected to fall victim to. Intentionality is the word that sustained them through those antagonistic trials. So easy are we to submit to natural habits. In society, we are often ignorant and careless if our habits are conducive to our lives or the community around us. Using alcohol as a mechanism to bury depression was “normal” in Justin’s family and natural for him to follow. Alexis associating love with pain made it almost natural for her to join an abusive relationship. But the choice to adhere to the normal or pursue a life beyond the standard is a narrow margin. Both Justin and Alexis make the daily decision to take control of their life. They didn’t think years or months down the road. They chose to be better than they were the day before.
Justin learned to overcome the statistics by becoming the “first”. The first in his immediate family to be married, graduate college and start his own business. Alexis found her freedom in education and broke the study abroad record at her university with eight programs in four different continents while bringing Justin along for four of them. Together, the couple would travel to nearly 30 countries as they began to change the narrative placed upon them.
As they construct a new pathway and further themselves from the ideas and culture they were raised in, they are dedicated to being an example to current foster youth. They’ve learned that the circumstances of life are meant to deliver perspective and purpose. And they’ve found their purpose in reshaping the images people have of themselves and influencing them to obtain ownership over their life, future, and career.
It took years for Justin and Alexis to redefine their normal, now they are challenging you to redefine yours. You may not have experienced extreme trauma such as theirs but you must uncover the insecurities buried deep within you. Those insecurities are the obstacles that minimize our self-worth, capabilities to learn, and ultimately who we are. These are the weapons that the world uses against us to dictate what we will become.
Justin and Alexis have challenged