Very often in life we
complain about things being beyond our control, about things done to us,
of injustices we have suffered, of circumstances we must live through.
Many times we refuse to be empowered and take control of our own lives
because we would rather wallow in misery. Often we give up without even
trying because we feel we are doomed to failure. And even more often, we
like to justify our failures by pretending that circumstances beyond
our control kept us from being great. But the truth is the only thing
that keeps us from anything - is ourselves.
I am aware of two women who the world considers to be disabled. One, Teri, was born without an arm. The other, Sarah, had her lower legs amputated shortly after birth. We could argue over which is the greater disability, but that is not the purpose of this exercise in thought. The purpose of this is to look at their lives and consider who is actually disabled. Teri is a drug addict. She married an alcoholic. She lives on the same plot of land as her parents with only her daughter to keep her company. She has no education and lives on disability checks from the government. She is, by all accounts, a miserable human being. Sarah, on the other hand, is a motivational speaker. She graduated from Georgetown, interned at the Pentagon, and competed in many athletic events (which she won). She is also a model and actress. She has even made People magazine's list of most beautiful people.
How interesting the differences are between these two women. They are in many ways, opposites. What made the difference? Attitude. Teri gave up on life. She feels the world owes her. She carries the baggage of being ugly and unloved and projects it upon all of her relationships. Sarah changed the dialogue. She inspires schoolchildren and even inspires envy in others because of her ability to change her height at will. Her positive attitude and refusal to identify as disabled has allowed her to elevate herself to a superhuman place.
Which kind of person are you? Do you justify your laziness because of some "disability" you possess or do you push yourself to do the impossible? Are you a quitter? Have you given up without trying? Did you show up for yourself and win the race no-one thought you could enter? Which kind of person do you want to be? Do you love yourself enough to stop defending your failures and choose to succeed?
For every shortcoming, unfortunate circumstance, and obstacle in our path, there is another person out there who has the same. They are living their dreams. Why aren't you?
I am aware of two women who the world considers to be disabled. One, Teri, was born without an arm. The other, Sarah, had her lower legs amputated shortly after birth. We could argue over which is the greater disability, but that is not the purpose of this exercise in thought. The purpose of this is to look at their lives and consider who is actually disabled. Teri is a drug addict. She married an alcoholic. She lives on the same plot of land as her parents with only her daughter to keep her company. She has no education and lives on disability checks from the government. She is, by all accounts, a miserable human being. Sarah, on the other hand, is a motivational speaker. She graduated from Georgetown, interned at the Pentagon, and competed in many athletic events (which she won). She is also a model and actress. She has even made People magazine's list of most beautiful people.
How interesting the differences are between these two women. They are in many ways, opposites. What made the difference? Attitude. Teri gave up on life. She feels the world owes her. She carries the baggage of being ugly and unloved and projects it upon all of her relationships. Sarah changed the dialogue. She inspires schoolchildren and even inspires envy in others because of her ability to change her height at will. Her positive attitude and refusal to identify as disabled has allowed her to elevate herself to a superhuman place.
Which kind of person are you? Do you justify your laziness because of some "disability" you possess or do you push yourself to do the impossible? Are you a quitter? Have you given up without trying? Did you show up for yourself and win the race no-one thought you could enter? Which kind of person do you want to be? Do you love yourself enough to stop defending your failures and choose to succeed?
For every shortcoming, unfortunate circumstance, and obstacle in our path, there is another person out there who has the same. They are living their dreams. Why aren't you?
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