Have you ever had a moment where everything changed?
A moment you didn’t choose, didn’t expect, and couldn’t control.
It might be your health. It might be redundancy. Or it might be the weight of everything that’s happening in the world right now. Whatever it is, those moments can leave us questioning whether we’re strong enough to get through.
At the recent Scottish Final of the Toastmasters International Speech Contest, I spoke about what I now call my “fire alarm” moment—the point at which everything changed.
For me, it began with what seemed like a routine fire alarm at the London hospital where I worked. But it wasn’t a drill. A chemical spill exposed me to ammonia, and within minutes, my health—and the life I had planned—changed completely.
What followed were years of breathlessness, wheelchair use, and nights too frightened to lie down. Gradually, I had to come to terms with a very different life from the one I had expected.
But the details of my story are not the most important part.
Because at some point, life sounds the alarm for all of us.
And when it does, we’re often told to “be strong.” But what does that actually look like?
Strength doesn’t always feel powerful. It often shows up quietly like getting through the next minute, the next hour; asking for help, or choosing to try again tomorrow when today didn’t go as planned.
While we don’t get to choose when life sounds the alarm, we do get to choose what happens next.
That choice rarely comes as one big defining moment. It tends to appear in small decisions—whether to stop or to keep going.
Sometimes it’s getting out of bed when everything feels heavy. Sometimes it’s making a phone call, or simply showing up when it would be easier not to.
If you are facing your own “fire alarm” moment, don’t wait until you feel ready or confident. Take the next step anyway.
Because strength isn’t about making huge leaps. It is about continuing, even when life feels difficult.
And whatever you are facing, remember: you are stronger than you think—because you’re not finished yet.
Sheena Pritchard
Toastmaster, motivational speaker, and a certified coach specialising in chronic health conditions. With a background in physiology and as a former senior sister, she combines practical, evidence-based insights with lived experience to help people navigate adversity and learn to thrive now, on the journey.
