This featured blog for the month of May was written by founder of the Drive to Save Lives prevention speakers network and top youth speaker, Cara Filler.
Hey everyone,
If there’s one thing life has taught me, it’s that we can’t change what happens to us—but we CAN choose what happens next. Our past, no matter how painful or difficult, does not have to dictate our future. This truth is one of the most powerful lessons I’ve ever learned, and it’s one I share with tens of thousands of young people every year.
For those of you who don’t know my story, I lost my twin sister, Mairin, to a high speed related car crash the day after our 18th birthday. It was the kind of tragedy that shakes you to your core, the kind that makes it feel like time should just stop. I felt like I was missing half of myself, and for a while, I let the grief consume me. I let the guilt of not being able to save her, and regret hold me back. At some point, I realized—while I couldn’t change the past, I COULD decide how to move forward. I could choose how I let this experience shape me, how I could use it to inspire positive change. I started speaking in local schools, within months, to share our story with the hope that others would make better choices because of it and not become a statistic- a number on a piece of paper.
That’s what life is about—choices. Every day, we make decisions that impact our future. Who we surround ourselves with, how we react to challenges, how we treat others, and even how we speak to ourselves. Are we choosing growth, resilience, and hope? Or are we letting fear, doubt, and regret take the wheel?
Your past may have shaped the first few chapters of your story, but the writing pen is still in your hands. You get to CHOOSE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. So, choose wisely. Choose courage. Choose kindness. Choose to make a difference.
Because your future is waiting—and it’s yours to write.
Cara