Forged in the Fire – Jason Schechterle (Entrepreneur, Author, Inspiration)

 

Jason Schechterle is a man who has faced incredible tragedy and overcome it, but doesn’t allow himself to be defined by it. In his out coming book Burning Shield, Jason shares the story of the accident that changed his life. While working as police officer Jason was struck by a taxi traveling at an estimated 100 miles per hour causing his car to immediately burst into flames. He was trapped in the fire for an unbelievable eight minutes before he was rescued and was left virtually unrecognizable, with little hope of survival.
To have gone through the physical, mental, and emotional challenges that an accident like Jason’s presents is amazing but what’s even more impressive about Jason is his attitude. Jason admits that there’s not a lot we’re in charge of in our everyday lives but the one thing you are always in control of is how you react to things. Jason believes that when you choose to have a positive attitude and live in that 90%, we will find ourselves amazed at the strength of our spirit.
When we listen to a story like Jason’s, it reminds us to be so thankful for what we have but it can also lead us into the trap of distancing ourselves from that story by thinking “Well, I’ve never had to go through anything that challenging”. Jason would be quick to disagree with you. He encourages us not to assign a hierarchy to pain and adversity. “You didn’t wake up this morning and say that your life is perfect,” says Jason, “No one can say that and life wouldn’t be any fun if we could. We’re all forged in the fires of adversity.”
We all have scars; be them physical, mental, or emotional, says Jason. He also emphasizes, however, that scars are a reminder of where we’ve been and they do not dictate where we’re going. It’s easy when facing a challenge to say “Why me?” and give up, it’s much harder to fight, but nothing worth doing is easy. When you’re facing a challenge, ask yourself, how am I going to react to this?
As entrepreneurs, we have a lot of challenges thrown in our path every day, but Jason reminds us that we are in control of how we handle them. It’s an important reminder and an amazing story from a man who’s faced tragedy and decided to come out of it positively.
Listen to my conversation with Jason now:

Get Jason’s Book Here:
Burning Shield: The Jason Schechterle Story