"I am the first link in a positive chain reaction that nurtures the human spirit around the world." - Melanie Hayden Sparks.
Such a simple concept, but so true.
A gal from Calgary was in Yorkton last week and I had the opportunity to hear her speak. Her goal, says Melanie Hayden Sparks - through the company she has founded called H-Trio - is help people in communities across the country to realize that we are all connected and that we are all "links in a chain." If we work together towards common solutions for everyday problems, if we listen to each other and lend a helping hand, we will all be the better for it.
Again, it's a fairly simple concept, but it's something that we sometimes forget to put into practice. So often we tend to fall into that "each to his own" type behaviour and let negativity rule our lives rather than look for the positives. Granted, it's easy for a person to spew out jargon and expect the world to fall at their feet, but what I like about Hayden Sparks is that she practices what she preaches and she offers real life answers to common problems. This lady isn't some boardroom suit that comes up with a nice sounding idea and puts it out there. She's experienced life's challenges and instead of letting them defeat her, she's triumphed. With no post secondary education Hayden Sparks found herself the single mom of three young children for a number of years. Growing tired of telling them they couldn't afford this and couldn't afford that, she became determined to turn her situation around. That meant hard work and perseverance. She climbed the ladder in several companies, even becoming president of one. She found financial success and happiness with a new husband and her children. It's then she decided to found H-Trio to "pay it forward" she said and to give back. Just getting rolling into the business she was diagnosed with cancer.
"I literally had a year and half of just trying to put myself back together," she says. "I think everything is a blessing in the end because I have come out more determined than ever with a greater sense of urgency."
Today she travels the country with vim and vigor passing along her positive attitude, helping others to achieve their goals. "I think it's time for the positive people to become the dominant force in communities rather than all the negativity that seems to get so much attention... I am the first link in a positive chain reaction that nurtures the human spirit around the world... My goal is to make sure that everybody else feels the same..." United we stand.
