How Claire Summers Went From Multiple Tragedies to Triumph

To say that Claire Summers had a bad year is an understatement. In 2017 Claire in fact when through five distressing life events, all within an eight-month period.

She miscarried a dearly wanted baby, she nursed her father through terminal cancer and left what she now recognizes as an abusive engagement and home. Following this, she struggled with deep depression, but was also acutely aware that she needed to give herself fertility options for the future. It was in this moment, she decided to freeze her eggs to empower herself with options, unexpectedly, she nearly died through the treatment which left her mum nursing her back to health.

Claire created her now business, the Gratitude Glass Jar as a visual tool to help her heal. The idea was that each morning she would write on a slip of paper what she is grateful for the put them it the jar and at the end of each month she would read a months work. By capturing daily notes of gratitude, that helped her rebuild herself and open her heart once more. She developed them while just out of hospital and in her mums care.

A month after her recovery, Claire received a dream job offer in Silicon Valley which was too good not to take so off she went, packing up her life for her brand new start and moving abroad. She was still creating her Gratitude Glass Jars on the side and on a whim decided to take them to a NYC Trade show to see if anyone ‘liked’ her jars. It was there that she was discovered by Oprah, who 9 weeks later, promptly brought her onto the stage to discuss her experience. She made 6 figures overnight.

So, what has Claire learned?

Showing gratitude even when you really want to give up can help you get into the right mindset to attract good things in 

No matter what you are going through, even if you are at your lowest try to find the good in your life. For me, some mornings when I was at my lowest all I would write for my jar would be “I woke up today” but at least it is something. The idea is to build yourself up. As you see your cards rise, you start to realize that there are many things in your life to be grateful for.

I started Gratitude Glass Jars as a visual tool to help myself. I never thought it would be an international business but being in a grateful mindset helped me push on and I eventually attracted positivity as a result. Opening my mind & my heart to opportunities once more.

Every day is a good day for something good to happen 

When I arrived to the USA, I knew no-one. I saw the USA as the chance to start afresh and I did feel this energy on the plane over there that you could do or be anything that you wanted to in the USA. I think it was this renewed feeling of ‘giving life a shot’ again, that ultimately took me to the NY Now Trade Show to see if anyone even liked my concept.  At this stage, I had just created them for friends or family who were going through a hard time. I hadn’t ‘planned’ on the Gratitude Glass Jar becoming an instant success overnight. I thought it may have led to a ‘side business’ allowing me to harness my creative skills. That decision to put myself out there and open my life up to new experiences again, changed my life. I won the award for the Best New Product for Gift & Lifestyle and an hour later, was discovered by the team from Oprah. 9 weeks later, I am standing on stage with the Queen of Gratitude herself, talking about the importance of Gratitude in changing your life. That day, I became the #1 best seller on Amazon, making 6 figures overnight.

It’s easy to get caught up with what is happening in your life but remember every single day has the opportunity to be a good day. Every day also has the opportunity to change your life. Which brings me to

Be open to the opportunities that come your way

Saying no is easy, being open to the opportunities that present themselves however may be a game changer for you and your business. Of course, if something is not right you don’t need to go for it. But don’t be so stuck to your plan or closed off that you don/t see the opportunities that present themselves to you. The best advice I ever received and advice that I live by, is ‘always put yourself in the best position possible.’

Get a plan into place

Whilst I hadn’t planned for the instant success of the launch of Gratitude Glass Jars, I certainly do now. I believe that the best businesses, come from those that have spent their 10,000 hours honing their craft. I had worked in marketing, sales & product development my whole life in my corporate career. I had ventured twice into the world of entrepreneurship, one success, one failure and it was these experiences that allowed me to react & scale quickly, once I knew I had a viable product. That experience and my ability to be open to opportunities, has also allowed me to scale into 6 countries.