Shirley Cheng, a blind and physically disabled 23-year-old motivational speaker, poet, author and contributing author of eight books, has been inducted into the World Positive Thinkers Club for her positivity and strong passion for life despite all the high mountains she has had to climb in life.
"Life is simply too precious to be wasted," says Cheng. "I'm given life, I must cherish it. I value every minute of my life and won't let any obstacles get in my way of reaching for the stars. I hold on tightly to the happy moments and don't let them pass me by. I am honored to be a part of the World Positive Thinkers Club. I'm very much looking forward to supporting one another and empowering the world to live a life they love." Visit www.ShirleyCheng.com
Presently, the World Positive Thinkers Club, is a non-profit club consisting of Positive Thinkers, made up of over 500 "interesting" people (winners) from all walks of life. Their member page found on www.WorldPositiveThinkersClub.com has a partial member list of over 500 members—past and present, including Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong, Zig Ziglar, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Rocky Marciano, Garry Cobb, Teddy Roosevelt, Dan Castro, Earl Campbell, Ty Detmer, Reverend Bob Richards, Shaquille O'Neal, Bill Bailey, Kirk Douglas, and Rush Limbaugh.
The club was founded in 1995, with the purpose of recognizing & honoring Positive Thinkers who overcome difficulties; are an inspiration to others; are willing to help others become positive thinkers, and thus join the winner's circle. If you qualify, you will receive an autographed copy of the one of a kind, exciting book, 'Why Do Positive Thinkers Win,' (ten years of research on why some people meet goals and others don't, and the secret why), written by Ken Bossone, the club's president; a membership card; be listed on the winner's certificate and receive positive, uplifting newsletters. In the future there will be get-togethers, as well as a junior division for high school seniors. A percentage of the profits will go to the Hungry Children's Fund.
Shirley Cheng (b. 1983), a blind and physically disabled poet and the author and contributing author of eight books by age twenty-three, has had severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since only eleven months old. Owing to years of hospitalization, she received no schooling until age eleven. Having mastered grade level in all areas after only about 180 days of special education in elementary school, she entered a regular sixth grade class in middle school. Unfortunately, Shirley lost her eyesight at the age of seventeen. After a successful eye surgery, she hopes to earn multiple science doctorates from Harvard University.
Visit her at http://www.shirleycheng.com
With highly acclaimed experts like Dr. Wayne Dyer, Tony Robbins, and Brian Tracy, Shirley co-authored Wake Up...Live the Life You Love: Finding Your Life's Passion, Second Edition, the latest installment in the bestselling Wake Up...Live the Life You Love series; she is also the co-author of 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2, along with leading experts Jack Canfield, John Gray, Richard Carlson, Alan Cohen, Bob Proctor, et al.
She had been published twice before her writing career. One of her short stories, Mary Miller, the Elusive Lady, received Honorable Mention and was published by the Poughkeepsie Journal in 1997, and a poem, The Colors of the Rainbow, earned merit status and was published in Celebrate! New York Young Poets Speak Out in 1999.
In 2006, Shirley tied for 1st place in the national writing contest for Be the Star You Are! founded by New York Times bestselling author, TV/radio personality Cynthia Brian, garnering her a third appearance on Cynthia's live radio show. Shirley's winning entry, titled The Jewel from Heavenly Father, is dedicated to her beloved mother Juliet Cheng.
Shirley is also an advocate of parental rights in children's medical care, and aide/caregiver monitoring and screening for students with special needs and disabled people. As a parental rights advocate, she wants to help today's loving parents protect and keep custody of their children. "When doctors ask yes or no, parents should have the right to say no," says Shirley, who is the survivor of the 1990 five-month internationally broadcast news of mother Juliet Cheng's custody battle with a doctor. Juliet was on CBS This Morning with Paula Zahn.
Shirley promotes aide advocacy for the disabled because she was mistreated and abused by one-to-one aides when she attended school. "The trouble with the uncaring aides actually lies in the authorities," she says. "If they listened to my complaints and kept a close watch on the aides, I wouldn't have gone through all the suffering."
Shirley is available for interviews, speaking engagements, book signings, and inspirational events. She has been on nearly twenty radio shows, including Be the Star You Are! for three times, The Donna Seebo Show, and Stu Taylor on Business. She was featured in World Journal, the largest Chinese national newspaper in North America, in July of 2004.
