I’ll Never Forget the Day I Saved His Life & He Changed Mine

A few weeks ago something happened to me that has rocked me to the core and unleashed a deep sense of peace in my heart – I saved a man’s life.

While I never want to be in a similar situation again, I am also very grateful for having experienced this intense 2-3 minutes of being ‘positively traumatised.’

It’s only looking back I now realise it triggered a huge shift inside and that has been the catalyst for me making some significant changes in my life – including my decision to step back from my business for a while, as I shared in my recent blog post: I’ve Fallen Out of Love With My Business…

This life-changing event happened as I was waiting for a train at a quiet station in central rural Scotland. I was on the phone sheltering from the rain when a guy came into the shelter and started bouncing off the walls. Initially, I thought he was drunk and so I walked down to the other end of the platform to continue my conversation in peace.

Once I finished my call I looked up and saw he was now staggering towards me. I felt uncomfortable at the prospect of being alone with him at the quiet end of the platform, so started walking towards the other end of the platform, where there were more people around.

But as I walked passed him I sensed he had no conscious awareness of me, nor that he was on a railway platform. He was staggering perilously close to the edge of the platform and I was scared he was going to fall off it.

Then he did!

Fall off the platform and onto the tracks.

He was now lying across both railway tracks: directly in the path of a train arriving in 1 minute, and another arriving in 2 minutes.

After a slight panic, I pressed the ‘HELP’ button on the unmanned kiosk and got through to a lovely man who helped me explain calmly where I was, and that they only had a couple of minutes to stop both trains.

During this conversation, I became increasingly hysterical as I watched the Glasgow train appear and approach the station (the man was still on the tracks between the train and the station).

Then before we knew it, the train was in the station.

“What’s happening?” asked the guy at the end of the helpline.

“I don’t know” I replied. “He was on the tracks a moment ago, in front of the train. But the train is now at the station.”

SILENCE…

As I wondered whether the train had hit him. I didn’t know.

Then a young woman who’d run down the platform shouted that he’d rolled out the way of the Glasgow train but was now directly in the path of the Edinburgh train. There was still time to save him.

When I recounted this information to the control room I was told “we can’t get through to the driver on the Edinburgh train, you need to try to flag it down.”

“What? How do I do that?” I was screaming.

“Wave it down. Wave it down.”

And so there I was standing on the platform waving down the next train approaching the station.

Fortunately, the driver must have heard what had happened and gave me the thumbs up as he came into the station. The train came to a stop well short of the man who was still lying across the tracks.

Phew, it was over. All was well. But there was more…

After a short discussion, we put the man on the train so the transport police could help him at the next station.

He was wet, slightly injured and still very disorientated. But he didn’t smell drunk and peacefully allowed us to usher him onto the train.

He sat quietly on the train for the next few minutes as the rest of us calmed down.

Then as he was being escorted off the train, he turned and mouthed to me “thank you.”

Two simple words that have had a profound affect on me.

It was as though he was giving me permission to live and inhabit my space on this planet.

I’ve done a lot of work on myself about the feeling I’m good enough, but there was obviously still a part of me that hadn’t felt this way.

I thought I’d healed from the grief of not having had my own children, but a part of me still felt I didn’t deserve to be here. What is the purpose of life if it’s not to have children, and keep the human race alive?

The messages I took from him were:

You have saved my life.

You deserve to be here.

You don’t need to have a purpose.

Or to justify your existence.

You are already good enough.

Just as you are.

You are a gift to me

You are a gift to the world.

I now firmly believe and feel that my purpose is different to that of most other people. It doesn’t matter that I’ve not had children.

My worthiness is not linked to my purpose or contribution. Simply being here in my physical body means I deserve to be here. I don’t need to know why.

One of the things I talk about in my book Heartatude, The 9 Principles of Heart-Centered Success is the importance of connecting to your heart, and listening to the nudges your body gives you about what is good for you.

Since the day I saved that man’s life I’ve felt a much deeper sense of peace, acceptance, and clarity.

I don’t feel the same need to prove myself.

Nor do I feel the same sense of urgency about all I thought I needed to do–hence one of the reasons I’ve decided to step back from my business for a while.

It’s only been a few weeks but already I feel much calmer and more connected to the core essence of who I really am than I have months.

Simply because I’ve given myself permission to STOP and BE instead of being overwhelmed with DOING.

• How often do you give yourself permission to stop?
• What’s driving you each day–love or fear?
• What could bring you more peace?

Thank you universe for these insights!

And thanks to you for reading this and being the wonderful soul that you are in the world!

Alisoun Mackenzie is The Compassionate Business Mentor, Author, and Speaker who inspires business owners and social entrepreneurs to turn their passions into profits and make a difference in the world. 

She is also the author of two Amazon Best Selling books Heartatude, The 9 Principles of Heart-Centered Success and Give to Profit: How to Grow Your Business by Supporting Charities Social Causes.

Alisoun is also the founder of The Heartabiz Hub a business network and training academy and has written the following free ebooks:

• The 9 Secrets to Signing Up Clients Without Selling (click here)
• 101 Ways To Attract Great Clients, With Heart, Integrity & Social Impact (click here)
• 52 Ways to Raise Funds for Charities and Social Causes Through Your Business  (click here)

You can connect with Alisoun here:

• Alisoun’s website – www.alisoun.com 

• Alisoun Mackenzie Facebook Fanpage (for tips on authentic living and business mastery) – click HERE

• The Heartabiz Hub Facebook Fanpage (for details about our courses and events) – click HERE

• Give To Profit Facebook Fanpage (tips on supporting charities and social causes) – click HERE