The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on my life. Attitude to me , is more important than the facts. It is more important to me than the past, than education, than money, than failures, than circumstances, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitude.
Dealing with disability- what does that mean to you?
If you find yourself in a rut, a negative spiral, thinking -“I CAN’T do this, I CAN’T do that”…
STOP!
Better, ask yourself, “What CAN I do?”
If someone tells you,”THIS is you now. You’ll never get better. You’ll only get worse.”…What is best…to believe them, to accept it, to let that disability define you, limit you? -Or- do you decide to refuse to let that disability define you, decide that you will adapt, however that may be? You will press on!
Dealing with disability doesn’t have to mean focusing on personal limitations.
You can change your focus.
You can decide to take control of your attitude rather than let it be hijacked by the challenges of dealing with disability.
I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m not saying that you can simply wish away the problem. No, the struggle is real. The struggle is constant. A conscious decision must be made, every day, a deliberate effort to push the problem to the back of your mind (as much as possible). Mindset makes all the difference.
Sometimes I get pretty down on myself because of my disability. I might feel sorry for myself, get angry at my circumstances,or become frustrated beyond words. But, viewing myself as a victim never helps.
Dealing with disability is a challenge to be sure! A constant struggle, a mental marathon. Sometimes it seems too hard to find the motivation to press on. But, don’t give up. Don’t give in. You’re not alone.
It’s so encouraging to see someone maintain a positive attitude in a difficult situation.
If you’re dealing with a disability, please watch this video.
Sean Stephenson, thank you for sharing your invaluable experience with us!
Also, there are many encouraging experiences that can be read on jw.org. Just type ‘disability’ in the search box. Here’s one that I enjoyed.
