We’re changing things up a bit for today’s edition of The Daily Fix. I know you’re used to getting messages straight from Dani every morning, but today I have a message to share with you.

In case we haven’t met, my name is Mary Howard, and I’m a Content Writer for DaniJohnson.com (which basically means I help create and deliver messages – read that, “content” – to help you with your business, career, finances, spirituality and relationships). But enough about me! Let’s move on to the reason I’m writing you today!

Have you ever reached a place of total despair? Have you ever felt totally alone? Have you felt invisible? Have you felt the searing pain of rejection? Have you felt the aching in your heart that comes from loneliness? Have you ever known something needs to change, but you just didn’t have the mental or emotional capacity to do anything?

I’ve been there, too. Alone. Broken. Hurt. Depressed. Invisible. Desperate. Hopeless. And as scared as I am to admit it to you, it’s okay… because I know I’m not the only one. I know there are so many people out there who feel the same thing I have felt, and wrestle with the same things I have wrestled with.

That may be you today. You may be facing something hard. And maybe “hard” does not come close to what you’re facing right now. Perhaps impossible is a better word. Maybe you’re in the middle of an impossible situation and you just can’t see a way out.

If any of those things describe you, I have a message of hope for you today. This is something that has hugely impacted my life again and again. Something that changed my life forever. And something I believe will help you, no matter what you’re going through or facing today.

You see, I just left First Steps To Success in Orlando, where I had the unique opportunity to join 1200 of my closest friends, to learn skills and strategies to advance our careers, restore and strengthen our relationships, and annihilate our debt and create wealth. It was such an incredible weekend!

So I heard a story from my dear friend, Karla, who I met just a few months ago at a previous First Steps To Success event. This is a precious woman whose life has been radically changed. And not just changed… actually saved!

Monday evening, Karla shared with me how lonely and depressed she was, prior to coming to DaniJohnson.com. She had no people around her, supporting her and loving her unconditionally. She didn’t belong to any group of people. She did not have a community. She felt completely alone. She had been depressed and suicidal for years. She had no hope, no vision, no future. She was at the end of her rope.

Karla did not come to First Steps To Success for business training or even financial strategies. She knew her life – the way she had been living – was not how it was supposed to be. She knew she needed help, even if she wasn’t quite sure exactly what she needed, she knew she needed something.

She had tears in her eyes as she told me what has happened in her life in the past year, since she first stepped into her very first First Steps To Success. “Mary, in just a few months, I really became part of this incredible community. They became my family, my people! And I realized somehow, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I was not depressed. I was not suicidal.“

She went on to say, “As I’ve been working on myself and my personal life, I’m seeing so many side effects of being part of this community. I’m beginning to lose weight I’ve held onto for my entire adult life. I cut my work hours back from 80-100 hours a week to 45-50 and finally hired an assistant.”

As I stood there, listening to this incredible story come out of her mouth, I was awestruck! It hit me, as tears welled up in my eyes, right then I realized just how important community is.

I love the definition of the word community. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines community as “A unified body of individuals.”

Something so powerful happens when you are part of a unified body of individuals. You’re no longer on your own. You’re not tackling challenges alone. When hard times come – and they will always come – you have people around you to encourage you, build you up, fight for you, spur you on and help carry the load. When you’re part of a community, you don’t have to face life alone!

When you start heading down the wrong path – whether it’s just one or two wrong decisions leading to bigger decisions, or you’re running headfirst in the wrong direction, knowing full well where that road will lead – a community doesn’t let go of you. They reach out to you, grab your hand and hold on tight.

When you are part of a community, you’re no longer invisible. People see you. They care about you. They want to see you succeed. They want to see you achieve your dreams. They cheer you on, “Come on, friend! You’ve got this! Keep going! You’re doing it!” or “It’s okay, let’s get up, brush off your hands and knees and give it another shot. We can do this together! You’re going to make it!”

I’m so grateful for the DaniJohnson.com community. It’s not just another website, or another Facebook page, or another training event. It’s a unified body of individuals who get to pursue life together, encourage each other, and run this race hand-in-hand.

If you don’t have a community of people who love you for YOU, who support you, who love you with no strings attached, who pull the best out of you, who actually do everything they can to help you to succeed, I’d love to introduce you to the community Karla and I are blessed to share. There’s always room for one more! Connect with us on Facebook. Join us at a LIVE event. If you’ve been longing for a family, a community, we are here for you! You don’t have to go it alone!

I’m sharing this with you today because I believe in you… and Dani definitely believes in you. I love that we get to connect, even here in The Daily Fix. I truly want to see you succeed.

And if you get nothing else out of this message today, just know this: You are important. You are valued. You are loved. You matter. You belong. So please let YOUR community know anything you want to share below – a problem, a prayer request, advice, a success story – because we’re ALL here for you!

Don’t forget to tune into Dani’s weekly Spiritual Equipping episode of The Dani Johnson Show, for more biblical inspiration to help you through whatever you might be experiencing! You can find the show on your TV and radio and please remember you can always stream today’s show right here on our website.

Glad to have YOU in MY community,

Mary Howard

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