Life is too precious to waste feeling sorry for ourselves or fearing what nightmares may be waiting ahead of us on life’s journey. Your outlook will determine whether you handle your challenges successfully or you crumble because of them.
Let me share with you a story:
Two seriously ill men were roomed together in a hospital. One of these men had a bed next to a window while the other was to his side with no view outside. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their military service, and so much more.
Every day the man by the window would describe to his new friend everything he could see. The colour of the sky, the trees, birds flying by, the pedestrians walking around on the other side of the window. To one side was a park with a glorious lake and all sorts of animals drinking from it and swimming around. Ducks and swans majestically floated up and down. Children stood by the side throwing them bread and laughing while having fun. In fine detail everything was shared with the man away from the window and he could see in his mind the picture of all that was happening. It gave him happiness and an inner strength.
Alas as the man away from the window began to recover, the one next to the window began to fade away. One morning, the nurse found he had passed away. A few days later the other man was moved to be next to the window. He took his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. It faced nothing more than the wall of another building.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.” And it worked, as a positive outlook would work for anyone.
You wake up on a Monday morning, what is the first thought that comes to your mind?
Everyone’s outlook on life is different. It is your outlook that will determine the journey you take, and the goals and dreams for life that you set for yourself.
You can be positive or negative. Excited or fearful. Empowered or Powerless.
In my roles as a blogger, author, motivational speaker and professional coach, I help people break through barriers, overcome obstacles and resolve challenges so they can succeed in their personal and professional lives when faced with visual impairment.
The most important message I feel compelled to deliver is that to enjoy a life of success and happiness you have to open your mind to the multitude of possibilities and opportunities still available to you after visual impairment, instead of focusing on the limitations it brings.
The moment I realized my vision loss was permanent, I descended into a deep, dark, lonely and seemingly endless depression. I thought going blind meant I would never have or experience all the things I wanted− love, happiness, freedom, independence, success. And without those things, I thought, what’s the point of life? I didn’t just lose my sight, I lost all hope and vision of a future. I disengaged from everything and everyone.
I didn’t allow this to go on for too long. I knew I had a choice. To either go on to rebuild my life and overcome the obstacles I was facing from my visual impairment, or let it get the better of me and accept the fears I felt and let this destroy the rest of my life. I made the decision to rediscover myself, find my solutions, and get my life back on track.
Happiness and success are not just for me; they are for you, too. Of course, your success and happiness is unique to you, and, inevitably, will look different than mine. But, it is your happiness and success and you not only deserve it, but can have it. And, here’s how:
Move away from the feeling of hopelessness and on to the road to reinvent yourself, which will help you unleash your true potential. To do this you need a positive outlook, having a positive expectation for your future. It is what you think of your life, your abilities, and what you can achieve.
A positive attitude can impact every aspect of your life. People who maintain a positive approach to life situations and challenges will be able to move forward more constructively than those who become stuck in a negative attitude. Your happiness and success is intertwined with your outlook on life.
If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges. Pat Riley
Attitude does not emerge from what happens to you, but instead from how you decide to interpret what happens to you. I refused to allow my vision loss to be my excuse!
By shifting your outlook, you change your world and how you live in it. Vision loss is like a fork in the road one path leads to depression you know just a feeling of hopelessness the other path leads to a better acceptance and a knowledge that there is hope for you and you take the road of empowerment.
We as blind or visually impaired people certainly find our vision can limit the things we can do. So many things we’ve taken for granted are now so difficult. We have to overcome many obstacles and jump over many more hurdles. Yet disability isn’t just about making technical changes, or about using a particular assistive technology, but more to do with making internal changes altering our mindset.
A positive outlook is a choice. Choose to be positive. Choose to be happy. Choice to make the most of your life and not allow your disability to hold you back.
When you wake up every day, you have two choices. You can either be positive or negative; an optimist or a pessimist. I choose to be an optimist. It’s all a matter of perspective. Harvey Mackay
With a positive attitude you see the bright side of life, become optimistic, and expect the best to happen. It is certainly a state of mind that is well worth developing.
NOW WORK ON YOUR POSITIVE ATTITUDE!
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