Hello from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
Life is full of obstacles and challenges; you would be fooling yourself to think otherwise. What can you do when an obstacle bumps into you? Take the following steps to overcome it next time.
• Calm down so you can focus on what you want to achieve. Your problem requires more attention than your emotions, so give it the spotlight it deserves by putting your emotions aside. Focus your energy on how to improve your situation, not on how you are reacting to it.
When I lost my eyesight at the age of seventeen, I first focused on making the most out of my situation and moving forward. I did not involve any negative emotions. I knew that it was not the end of my life, and that being miserable would not help me in any way. In fact, it would make my situation worse than it was already. I also knew that losing my eyesight could be a lot worse than simply that. With this thought, I was actually able to appreciate my situation. I simply did my best with what I had. So I became an author of three books at age twenty, and now at age twenty-six, I am an award-winning author and motivational speaker, with seven published books, to touch others with humor, hope, and healing. I may not be able to paint or draw now, but I am still able to love the life I live.
• Fight negativity with negativity. Your situation could be a lot worse. Imagine something a lot worse than what you are going through now, and compare these situations—with which situation would you rather be dealing? Instead of breaking an arm, you could have broken a leg. Instead of losing your wallet, you could have lost your home to the subprime mortgage crisis that is shaking our economy.
• Fight negativity with positivity. Think about something that you are grateful for, that makes you happy, that you love, and then replace your negative thought with the positive one.
Whenever I run into a stressful situation, I think about my Heavenly Father and my beloved earthly mother, and I become so grateful and happy to have them that I no longer find my situation stressful; I am able to tolerate and endure the negativity so much better.
• Keep these points in mind as you face your obstacle:
a) There is always someone out there who is in a much worse situation than you, so be thankful for your own situation, for what you have and the people who are around you. While you may be frustrated paying your bills, there are many who are homeless and would be more than glad to own the keys to your house. While you are complaining about having a bad hair day, at least one person on Earth is losing all of his or her hair after receiving chemotherapy for the cancer that has spread.
b) You are not enduring alone. Millions and millions of people are suffering this very minute, from the starving in Africa and the homeless on the streets to the abused behind closed doors. And there may be people going through the same difficulty you are experiencing now.
c) Everything passes, and so will your current negative situation. When you are angry or upset, keep in mind that it will pass, so why waste your energy on something that will be gone tomorrow? It is true that a negative event, or any kind of event for that matter, can affect your entire life, but you cannot control life when it shouts "Surprise!" in an unpleasant way. You simply have to prepare for any challenges and make the most of what you have.
For instance, the tuberculin skin test I received when I was eleven months old caused the severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis that will remain with me for the rest of my life. I know that life moves on no matter what happens to me, so it is wise to move along with it and make the best of what I have. Would sulking and worrying about my life do me any good or turn my situation around?
• Have faith. Lastly, the most important shield you need to have deep in your heart to fight negativity is faith. The most vital kind of faith is unwavering faith in Jehovah God. It is faith in God that has allowed me to move forward, one sure step at a time, as I know He is there guiding me, supporting me, and loving me. Keep your faith in God strong and steady, and your steps will be strong and steady in turn.
As you can see, you can be in control of what happens to you after a negativity suddenly says "Boo!" in your face. You do not need to be the victim of your troubles. Let your troubles be victims of your faith and positivity. If you do not let problems stop you, they cannot and will not stop you. Only you have the power to stop yourself. It is completely up to you—would you want to be stopped or unstoppable? I made my decision a long time ago. How would you like to join me?
Q & A with Shirley
This month's set of questions is from Kathy Fraser, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry on the faculty of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Her first novel, A Journey, a Reckoning and a Miracle, will be published by O-books in July. www.o-books.com/product_info.php?products_id=597
Question: Has anyone met a person who has recovered from traumatic amputation of all limbs and blindness? When I say "recovered" I mean in a meaningful sense to the individual, and how has this person inspired others?
Answer: I have not heard of any individual in this situation. I will answer the second part to this question in my following answer.
Question: Even if you haven't met such a person, can you imagine someone like this, and what can you imagine her/him doing with the rest of his/her life?
Answer: When I had my eyesight, my favorite TV shows were animal and science shows on the Discovery Channel, TLC, and the Animal Planet. Once, there was a show on tortoises, and it showed two male tortoises fighting, and one got flipped over on its back. The narrator said that because of fighting, some tortoises get turned over, and if they could not flip back onto their legs, they would eventually die in that position. This question reminds me of those tortoises that are flipped onto their backs, for a human being without any limbs are physically helpless. So I will address the physical aspect of such a situation first.
If a person had no limbs (no stubs at all), they would not be able to survive on their own. How would they be able to get food or water? Even in my situation where I have all four limbs, I still need help with my life's necessities. Therefore, in order to survive, they would need someone else to care for their needs.
When they have a caregiver, then they would be able to continually live, and in turn, seek or expand on their spirituality.
Now, I would like you to imagine two people in the same situation—blind and without any limbs—but the only difference between the two is that one is a believer in God and one a non-believer. Let us focus on what life would be for the non-believer first.
For many who do not believe in the existence of God, they cannot conclude what life's purpose for the world is. They disagree with one another on the purpose of existence even though some are not truly satisfied with their own theories. When one cannot obtain the truth of life—why we are here, where we will go, whether there is an afterlife and what that life is exactly is—life is valueless and empty. People without accurate answers to these issues live on autopilot, doing whatever life requires at that moment, without living knowingly of their life's missions.
What would life be for the blind and disabled person who does not know about life's truths? Certainly, they can be happy and find life's enjoyment (i.e., bird chirping and singing along to the radio), but would their happiness be deeply rooted if they do not believe that such happiness can last? I feel such happiness will eventually dissipate, especially when that person nears their time to leave. They may feel discouraged. After all, what meaning could they possibly find, when this is all there is to life?
Even if they could achieve great feats, would they be certain to find true and lasting happiness when they feel they themselves would not last? Would they be truly fulfilled with their life when it is ready to come to an end?
Now, let us imagine the life of a blind and limbless individual who knows all of life's truths from God. They know that their troubles and challenges are just passing problems. They know why they are here, where they will go, and what life after this world will be like. Thus, they will get their strength and hope from this knowledge to live truly happily. They will be able to overcome and endure all odds, and achieve spiritual fulfillment like any other healthy person.
I would, therefore, imagine such an individual would live with their life learning and assimilating the love, the wisdom, and the knowledge from the Bible. In turn, they could receive no greater happiness, pleasure, completeness and fulfillment in life; and their knowledge will lead them to an everlasting life of bliss.
This person will become the epitome of God-gifted strength people can model after. If this individual can still be and remain happy despite it all, then there will be no excuse for anyone else not to!
It's a site where you can share your own life stories, so check it out!
Until next time, remember that you are the creator of your destiny. Go make today your best day!
Take care!
Content Copyright by Shirley Cheng; All rights reserved
You are permitted to only give out or link to this website or post; all other distribution and copying is prohibited without the prior written permission of Shirley Cheng. Contact Shirley at www.shirleycheng.com
Did you get this from a friend's forward and would like to subscribe? Then send a blank e-mail to subscribe@shirleycheng.com from the e-mail address you'd like to sign up under.
Award-Winning Author with fifteen Awards
5-Time Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award Winner
Mom's Choice Awards Recipient
Miracle survivor, inspiring author and contributing author of 25 books by age 25, poet, motivational speaker, self-empowerment expert, advocate, and a co-author in the bestselling Wake Up...Live the Life You Love book series
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
http://www.shirleycheng.com Having a bad day? Then meet Shirley Cheng, A.K.A. the modern day Helen Keller, to inspire, empower, and motivate you to go for the gold medal in life!
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope haul you high!"
Sign up to Inspiration from a Blind newsletter by sending an e-mail to: subscribe@shirleycheng.com
Please sign the Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care: Give Parents the Right to Say No Petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/parentr7/petition.html
