My Story and My Why
Hello
Most people outside my home call me Dinky, but my real name is Diana Smith. Like you, as an inhabitant of this planet, we do our best to live and love each day. Sometimes, it can be challenging, and other days can be incredible. We don't always know what will happen throughout the day, but we do our best with our best selves.
It is important to embrace the day with your best energy and give it all you can. Breathe that great air and talk to a friend. As inhabitants, each day should be one of reaching out and up to find the best in what is possible. Ler's just call me Dinky.
My Story
I started mytalkingeye.com to share my experiences and motivate others to pursue their passions. After struggling with self-doubt and fear of failure for years, I decided to take a leap of faith and start my own business. Now, I want to help others do the same.
My Why... When Life Happens
No one wants to face major life-altering issues head-on, but that happened to me.
Everyone was there for my birthday in 2011; it was the best birthday ever—the last best birthday ever. Lilly was the last one to leave and would head home with her twelve-year-old daughter. I asked Lilly to let her child stay for the rest of the weekend to play with her cousins, and Lilly agreed.
Lilly left the party and headed home about fifty miles away, about an hour’s drive via the interstate. She left happy and knew her child would be home on Monday.
The phone rang at 4:30 am, telling me that Lilly was killed. That didn’t make sense to me because I suspected my daughter was home in bed, but that was not the case. Lilly was, in fact, deceased.
A drunk driver went down the wrong exit ramp and crashed into Lilly’s car, and Lilly died instantly- no pain.
Lilly’s daughter was safely tucked away and would soon learn that her mother had died. Deez became an orphan on my birthday because her dad died when she was only eight years old.
The shock and trauma to follow would set everyone back on their heels for a long time. Everyone was devastated at the loss of Lilly, but Deez and I had to learn how to face grief and depression head-on, and we would do it together yet alone. My husband and I got permission from the court to let Dyrah live in our home.
Deez started school in August, and it was hard for her. She was in a new school and still reeling from the loss of her mother. Middle school is difficult, especially when homeschooling was her accustomed lifestyle with her mother. Three years passed and high school would not be fun, so tutors were brought to balance her education and relationships with adults. I was not an educator at all.
But I had to face my own dilemmas, with personal loss accompanied by complicated grief and severe depression. Constant anger and sadness conflicted me to the point where my mind became my enemy. I will admit I made many stupid mistakes and paid a high price for them. My only remaining natural daughter did not want to be around me anymore; I could not function at my job, and all my friends were nowhere around.
I was lost and could not find my way out of the abyss. On a rare visit, my oldest daughter quietly asked, “Mom, don’t you see me anymore?” I did not see anyone, as she felt blinded by her grief. This sent off alarm bells in my mind, and I began to come around to reality.
As the months passed slowly, I began researching mental health to find answers to my condition. The DSM5 manual was marked heavily with potential conditions I might have. I was scared thinking I was going to the “Funny Farm.” With the purchase of many books, a library began to form in my office. I found I was not the only person wearing these type of shoes or living after the loss of a child. Peeling back the layers of pain meant dealing with them, and I soon found solace in understanding how grief works for the human heart and mind. I started drafting stories about my journey, ripping them up and starting over again. I knew I had to share my message one way or another, and this … this is just the beginning.
My Approach
I believe that success is about more than just setting goals and working hard. It's also about mindset, self-care, and finding balance in all areas of your life. That's why I take a holistic approach to being in the public eye and focus on providing information to help others live a better life.
I tried coaching and being a grief guide but it hurt my heart more so I chose to provide information through a podcast, blog, books and courses.