There is a reason Rocky has stuck in our consciousness for a few decades.
It feels great to watch someone faced with adversity dig deep and win one for all of us.
Amanda Wang‘s fight has all the great elements of Rocky with an added twist.
Amanda is a graphic designer who lives in New York City. In 2007, she was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. She started her blog Rethink BPD as a way to educate others about the illness, as well as inspire them to make positive change.
She is also training for the Golden Gloves. And she is making a documentary about her experience.
In her words:
Every life is worth living…
but sometimes tragedy happens, chemicals in our brain change, or simply, the daily grind beats us into a less-than-ordinary existence. The Fight Within Us shows us how one person (that’s me!) deals with these obstacles and chooses to live through them by pushing towards a remarkable life. Throughout the year, I will chronicle my quest to find meaning in suffering, challenge my own preconceived notions, and learn from those further along the road — in hopes of discovering how all of us have the ability to fight the good fight.
A taste of the documentary
Watch the trailer below to see the power of Amanda’s story. I was struck by her honesty, and willingness to do what it takes to make meaning of her life and diagnosis.
The Fight Within Us: A Documentary by RethinkBPD from Amanda Wang on Vimeo.
How you can help
Amanda posted her project on KickStarter, a unique funding source for creative projects. Individuals like you and me can contribute funds to get projects launched. The donations do not have to be big. A lot of people donating $5 can make a huge difference.
The key with Kickstarter is that it is an all-or-nothing proposition — you have to reach your funding target within the specified time frame, or lose all pledges.
I like that kind of challenge.
Please take a minute to learn about the project. If you have the resources to contribute, post your pledge. If you don’t, please help spread the word to others you may know who would support the project, or benefit from it.
The Fight Within Us Project on Kickstarter
I am very proud that Amanda is a client, and can think of no better use of my energies than helping her get this project out in the world where it can help people.
Documentaries change lives
My friend Tanya Monteiro is another entrepreneur who has used Kickstarter to get funding for her documentary Surviving or Thriving? about ten people from around the world who were sexually abused as children and despite this, are thriving as adults. Her project is here.
Erik Proulx has made a huge impact on the great numbers of laid off employees with his uplifting documentary Lemonade.
Stories are powerful.
I hope these examples inspire you to tell your story to your people.
This is how we change the world.
[…] few months ago, I wrote about Amanda Wang’s courageous and brilliant project The Fight Within Us, a documentary she is […]
Wow. She’s just amazing, truly inspirational.
You might want to check out this link http://performtoprofit.com
It will help you achieve the most with your very limited time. Learn to manage your time and not the other way around. It helped me a lot, so I’m hoping it could be of help to you too.
Well, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I’m going to take a look.
Looking forward to taking a look at this.
Pam, thank you for bringing this very important topic to the attention of your readers. As a clinical psychologist, I have been able to appreciate how painful and difficult it is for someone to live with Borderline Personality Disorder. These individuals are constantly feeling tortured by their own insecurity, poor sense of self-worth (as Amanda mentioned in her video) and emotional instability. Amanda is very courageous indeed to put her story out there for the world to see, understand and appreciate. Excellent post!
Wow. The hairs stood up on my arms listening to Amanda. Anyone who has ever struggled with – or watched loved ones struggle with – any form of mental illness will immediately realize how courageous Amanda is. This is a story that must be told. Let’s all help Amanda… help others with her intense honesty, sincerity, and determination. Just made a donation – it’s super easy to do. Took me less than 5 minutes start to finish. Any amount will make a difference.