Thank You for Breaking My Heart… Sam Smith’s Lesson in Love

“Thank you so much for breaking my heart because you got me four Grammys!”

Those were Sam Smith’s words while accepting the Record of the Year at the 2015 Grammy Awards for his song, Stay with Me.

All I could think when I heard him say it was, ‘Hell yeah!’

THAT is a man who has moved on.

He used his pain to his benefit.

He channeled his hurt and created something amazing.

And I love that!

I have said all my life that the greatest revenge after a heartbreak is to keep on being great.

It is one of the few things I KNOW I’ve taught my children that I hope will stick with them forever and ever.

When people hurt you—and they will, I’m sorry to say—the very best thing you can do is pick up the pieces, put yourself back together, and be so incredible that when they see you again, they’ll wonder what the heck they were thinking when they let you go.

I’m not saying it’ll be easy, or that you won’t hurt.  Oh, you will.

So, give yourself a day (or two if you must) to cry and scream and, in a nutshell, be miserable.

But then, wake up and realize that THEY are the ones who will be missing out on something wonderful.

THEY will be the ones looking back one day and thinking, ‘that’s the one that got away’.

Hopefully, you’ll learn a little from the relationship and a lot from the pain.

And, instead of hurting others, you’ll find your therapy in some creative outlet that will help others get through their pain some day, too.

For me, writing eases my ache.  Pouring out my feelings on a page helps me sort through not only what hurts, but why.  For you, it may be painting a picture.  For Sam Smith, it is making music.

And, this morning after the awards, one can only wonder how that man, the one who hurt Sam Smith so deeply that he created this beautiful, award-winning hit song, how that man feels today, knowing he walked away from such a winner.  And I don’t mean he’s a winner because of the four Grammys the song earned him…I mean because he has the grace to thank the man who hurt him enough to inspire the immense talent within him, and go on, being even greater.

(Want to hear the song?  This is it, below.)

[hana-code-insert name=’sam smith’ /]