Teresa Cavaliere
West Palm Beach, FL, USA

Teresa Cavaliere (credit: Joseph J. Bucheck III)

Something happened to me. I don't know how, but IT happened. I found IT! IT was always there, buried under all the doom and gloom I was going through. I somehow found my inner strength one day and called a colleague from my past. And just like that - I got a job!

What an amazing feeling to be welcomed with open arms. Quite a different experience from what I had been drenched in lately. Nevertheless, here I was, starting a job!

I hadn't been in the work force in four years. Fighting foreclosure, a failed marriage and losing my assets while saving my children and myself from falling down that dark hole of depression and failure, I had lost myself. But today was different. Today, I stood TALL. This was my comeback. I conquered some major life-changing decisions. My confidence was back!

Realistically, let's face facts, my confidence was all I had left. I believe it was always intact, but it was hard to see while swimming in muddy waters for so long. The excitement of having a job outweighed the fear of my first day back. It was one of the greatest days of my life! I found ME again. I got my MOJO BACK. All I can do is smile and keep to my goal to provide for my children and myself. The rest, well, it's just a waste of time. GROW UP!

"Kill them with kindness," that’s what my mother used to say. Never let someone else's doubts about themselves bring you down to their level. Most of all, put your best work out there and the rest will come. I can honestly say that at fifty-two, life has taught me that great lesson.

Off I go to work again - grateful and inspired. I GOT MY MOJO BACK! What about you?

Teresa Cavaliere is on the frontlines of today’s America and reports on the curves life throws at her.