October 10, 2004. Superman died.
Just a few weeks ago I watched an interview with Christopher Reeves. Energic, hopeful, positive as always, he said about his paralyzed body, “I think it’s very possible that I could walk again ~ or not. You play the hand you’ve got. Sometimes you get more face cards than not.”
Since his tumble in a horse back riding accident in 1995 he has become more than Superman to so many people who deal with similar disabilities, fears, depression and frustrations — and for even more of us that don’t.
The disability and early death of this courageous, intensely positive and generous man is so very sad. But more important, the life he lived before and after this accident is a life of powerful lessons and triumph.
The bottom line for each of us is to learn from Reeves and people like him — maybe even a neighbor who has this same internal reset button for optimism and groundedness — to keep us anchored in positive thoughts, decisions, actions and forward moving focus on faith, hope and courage.
In another interview with actor, Michael J. Fox regarding his life-process with Parkinson Disease, he said, “This is going to be interesting — it won’t be boring!”
A friend of mine, W Mitchell, author, TV host, business leader, conservation leader and international speaker defied two near fatal accidents in his life that left him paralyzed from the waist down and burned over 80% of his body. He sums it up in a simple sentence, “It’s not what happens to you, but what you do about it that counts.”
Reality is we don’t have total control over all the things in our lives. But, we DO have control over our attitude and the choices about what we’re going to do with what is happening in our lives every moment.
We can ORGANIZE our Inner Clutter every second. We can grab our chaotic and distracting unhealthy thoughts and emotions that take us into a downward spiral in seconds and stop it in its tracks.
When you become conscious of your thoughts and attitude stop and ask yourself, “Is this true?” Choose to let it go right there and then. Then, choose again. Choose a new way of looking at your situation. There is always more than one right answer.
Change your mind about your feelings, attitude and thoughts. Change the direction and focus of the energy they give. Change the vibrations of this energy from negative, fear-based and closed to positive and open.
Spread light, not darkness.
Events are just events. Whatever is happening is just happening. Learn to detach from your emotions and rambling thoughts about your ‘circumstances’ right now, … and now, and now, and… .
You never know what role-model you are for others. What do you want others to learn from you? What are you spreading?
Christopher Reeves’ physician, Dr. John McDonald, said about Reeves’ life:
“Before him there was really no hope. If you had a spinal cord injury like his there was not much that could be done, but he’s changed all that. He’s demonstrated that there is hope and that there are things that can be done.”
No one is exempt from “bad things happening.” We all have challenges, limitations, and weaknesses, problems, tragedies and disasters… sometimes very serious ones.
Learning to organize your thoughts, emotions, attitudes, choices and actions are the core of what it takes to transform your circumstances from dark to light, from down to up, from negative to positive, from fear to faith. Take your focus off what doesn’t work and put it on what will, can or might. It’s a choice.
Be an ever increasing positive contributor to your world, our world.
W Mitchell puts it this way, “Before I was paralyzed there were 10,000 things I could do. Now there are 9,000. I can either dwell on the 1,000 I’ve lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left.”
You don’t have to think of course that you need to rally and make your frustrations into some national cause. No. In your everyday personal life make higher choices for yourself that will change your life for the better. You will automatically be an inspiration to those around you. Even if you inspire no one else, you will have a better life, and that’s worth it! You’re worth it!
Be courageous today. Don’t nurse your doubts or disappointments. Don’t pick your emotional scabs. We all have them. That’s life!
Focus on what is good, what is possible, what can change and what you can do about it. Work with what you have, leverage it, and build on it.
One more great example of an everyday person who made an extraordinary life for herself by re-organizing her frustrations and circumstances from the negative to the positive, using creativity and love to help and bless so many needy others. It’s called Locks of Love.
When Mrs. Coffman was in her 20′s she developed Alopecia (loss of all body hair) after receiving a hepatitis vaccination. With medications, she recovered. 15 years later, her 4-year old daughter developed alopecia and lost all her hair. Madonna said her hair loss was difficult to deal with but her daughter’s was ten times harder. It was at this time that she quit all the other charity work and took on Locks of Love as a full time volunteer cheered on by her daughter’s recovery as her inspiration.
For some time the contents of Mrs. Coffman’s garage contained bins of mail and hair donations. After finally securing donated office space from a local hospital and locating a manufacturer of the highest quality prosthetics, LOL was off and running. Since the beginning the charity has received a great deal of support by both the media and its volunteers throughout the country. LOL has been featured or mentioned on television shows like Oprah, 20/20, The View, Jay Leno, Maury Povich, Good Morning America, CBS Good Morning, CNN Espanol and Inside Edition and in national publications including USA Today, The NY Times, People, Seventeen, Glamour, CosmoGirl, Self, Redbook, Woman’s Day, ElleGirl, Child Magazine, and Ladies Home Journal.
Over 2,000 hair donations are received through the mail each week. 80% of our hair donors are children.
The number of hairpieces produced has increased significantly since its inception, from 21 the first year to over 1,000. Locks of Love has recipients in all 50 states and Canada and is working towards its goal to help every financially disadvantaged child suffering from long-term hair loss.
“We either make ourselves miserable
or we make ourselves strong.
The amount of effort is the same.”
~ Carlos Castenada
©2004 Kim Wolinski, MSW “Dr. DeClutter”Stress, Change and Organizational Skills Expert
Editors and publishers are free to reprint blog articles as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and the signature line remains intact.
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