Pay it forward – We are in it together and have the spark

Current Song: Afrojack – The Spark

I distinctly remember this day and it’s incredible that this was a year ago. Thinking back brings feelings of “why me”, being closed off with absolute disappointment, and outright scared. I then quickly figured out it was more than the physical deficiencies and there was something greater – mental health. It’s ironic that it is often the last to be thought of, but is actually the source of everything; it makes or breaks you, allows you to succeed or fail. You could be the strongest, most talented, intellectual person in the world, but if your outlook, confidence, determination, poise isn’t all together then it can all collapse and suddenly doesn’t matter. Many of you have asked me “how do you do it”, well let me tell you that I don’t have all the answers or a secret formula, but I will say the philosophy and key to my success in all aspects is to never loose hope, keep stepping forward, and have a bias for “yes I can”, I attest that abiding by this will allow things to just all fall into place.

To put things into perspective – the journey of life isn’t linear; think of it as a complex obstacle course designed to test your limits (Ahh, the classic days of childhood with Double Dare and the original American Gladiators). So I ask you, if you hit a brick wall or fall face first into a pool of mud do you throw in the towel and bow out? What is your limit, how much can you handle? Can you take a deep breath, suck it up and push through until you cross the finish line? It’s that athlete mentality that we can learn from to push the limit just a little further, today, a little more tomorrow, and so on.

I’ve learned that while it seems that you can force things to happen, it’s important to know that you need to let it happen and help those you meet along the way find their own path forward in their lives. Embrace failure, we are humans and it’s bound to happen. Don’t fear it – accept it, face it head on, and whatever happens happens. This goes for careers, dating, sports – it can be applied on all counts. Important thing is you tried, you no longer have to question it, you left it all on the table with no regrets! Keep learning, tweaking, you win some, you loose some and it just gets easier.

So please continue or come join me in paying it forward even with small acts of kindness such as holding a door open for someone; collectively if we all do a little more of this it makes this world we all live in a better place. Think about how you can frequently exercise your mental health if you don’t already do so! Many of us go to the gym 3, 4, 5 days a week to workout, so why don’t we do the same mentally?!? This can be done by just taking some time out to write, read, learn, challenge things in this world, dive deep, dissect it, be curious (unintentional A to Z plug) to meditation, relaxation techniques, teaching, motivational speaking, joining a group/community/club; the list continues. Lead by example and others will follow 🙂 Possibilities are endless and can’t wait to see what we can all accomplish together. Much love for you all and take care!

#blessed #aboutface #avmsurvivor #payitforward #nevergiveup #leadbyexample #stayhumble