This post is a day late. I knew I had a great motivational comic in the works and I wanted to wait to post it. When you’re in a wheelchair almost every part of life is different than for a normal person. That’s not a bad thing it just is. I’ve been in this situation as pictured in the comic many times. 9 out of 10 times I’ve gotten to go down that slide with some amazing help from someone else. it is very strange to be independent minded like I am and yet require so much help for things that most people take for granted. The thing about overcoming a challenge is that you can have all the help in the world, but before any of it is useful, you have to be willing to work and do your part. Every challenge I have ever faced I needed someone’s help to overcome it.

I have had people literally carrying me up the ladder of a slide like you see here. This blog is another great example. The writing comes from me but I cannot express to you how much work Evie does on a weekly basis to give me the ability to talk to you. Besides this project she is involved in everything else that I do. Having her with me has changed my life(and I’m not just saying that because I know her mother reads this.) At this point, I don’t start a new project without her, she means that much. If I wasn’t willing to do the work. she wouldn’t want to help nearly as much.

I do get frustrated because I need so much help, I think anyone would, but as a friend of my dad says “Do the best you can with what you got”  I am less afraid now than at any other point in my life to ask for help, but I know I have to be willing to do my part. What challenges do you need to overcome and who can you ask for help? (if you’re a really nice to me I’ll let you borrow Evie but I’ll need her back).

For more on this topic check out The support system

I have lived with cerebral palsy for almost 37 years now and as I get older it gets harder. One thing that always stays the same is the fact that my seat is always comfortable.

I could tell you what I struggle with every day,( and sometimes I do) but most of the time I think we should always look for the upside in every situation, I don’t really think about my Seat until I’m sitting at a sporting event, or in church,(Church it Is interesting because not only do most people have to sit in uncomfortable seats but they have to get up and down a lot too) I think the church leaders do that to keep most people awake.(Holy aerobics, up down, up down, up down) It’s extremely comical to be sitting in a church service, while  every other person in the building is standing.

I often joke that if I could add a couple cup holders, and a massager attachment I’d have a La-Z-Boy on wheels.

If you are having a tough day, tough week or tough month, I promise there is an upside.  You may not like your job but the fact that you have the ability to go to a job is a blessing. I’m certain your paycheck is better than mine.

No matter where you are or what you’re doing there is an upside, you just have to be willing to look for it. No you can have my seat.

Are you jealous Evie? Give her a round of applause folks for another fabulous cartoon.

I spoke to a school recently and I had a sophomore in high school ask me if I had ever been bullied. My answer was no. That seemed to surprise everybody in the auditorium. What might be more surprising to you is that it’s true.

Everyone was always nice to me. I don’t know if this is because they genuinely liked me or if they were afraid. I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older that there is a lot of fear out there towards me and the other people with handicaps. Fear of the unknown I guess.

I think one of the main reasons I was never bullied was because I was vocal. If someone had wanted to push me somewhere I didn’t want to go, there wasn’t much I could physically do to stop them. No one ever really tried. I think this is mostly because everywhere I went the authority figures, teachers or older people were always my friends.

If someone had ever tried I would have been very loud and vocal about the fact that I was not a fan of being moved without my permission, and someone around  would have come to my aid. Evie has told me that I am the loudest, most opinionated man she has ever met, bar none. I think most of the people that know me would say the same thing.

I think it comes from the fact that someone in my position has to be able to communicate well because if we are in public there’s a pretty good chance that we will require assistance of some type from others around us. I don’t like it, but that’s just a fact of my life. Because of this, if I don’t like something or don’t want to do something, I’m pretty loud and obvious about it.

I think that’s the key to bullies. You have to make your desires known, and make them known loudly. Preferably to somebody in authority.

I know lots of people, especially young people want to handle their own business, and don’t want to be seen as unable to take care of themselves. If you are one of those young people reading this. Take it from a guy who can’t take care of himself. Like it or not, at some point you are going to have to ask for help from others to be successful.

I truly believe that human beings are not designed to work alone. Maybe that’s just because my circumstances don’t really give me an option to try to work alone. There are many times in my day, whether it’s getting dressed, or going to the restroom, or showering that I wish I didn’t have to ask for help. In each of those situations however, I don’t really have a choice. If you are being bullied, say something. In many cases I promise there is no better choice. You are important, and your opinions and desires matter.

You can take control of every situation that involves you. Sometimes taking control means asking for help. Sometimes you may have to ask more than once. If that’s what it takes then do it. You are in control of what happens to you. If it has already happened, be loud and let anyone who will listen know, so that it doesn’t happen again. You are too important to be bullied, abused or neglected. You are special, and worth it. Take control and let everyone else know it.

I am insanely protective of those who are important to me. You are important to someone, never doubt that. We’ve all been given free will and the ability to take control of our lives however we choose. Don’t lose the remote.

Thank you to Evie for being my partner in crime and helping me to illustrate my stories far better than I could on my own.

Life is hard it just is. I think it’s built that way. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, everyone struggles with something, my something happens to be a wheelchair. I’ve met a few people in chairs(I emphasize the word few) who just take life easy. If something is hard, they get help before even attempting it themselves.

I’ve never been that way. I wish I had the mindset to chill all day and play video games or watch Netflix, because I can. That would be awesome. Unfortunately I have this little voice in my head, that says “there is work to be done” I am not independently wealthy and I don’t think that will voice will go away until I am. I’m going to be really honest here and tell you that I have no idea what my future holds. I’ve always lived with my family and they have been care of me. I’m at an age now where I know they’re not going to be around forever. When my parents are gone, I know I’ll be taken care of but I don’t know to what extent. Consequently that little boys in my head is getting very loud. I’m constantly working, trying to find a way to make money. (that’s part of the reason that there is a donate button on every page of this blog). Most of that goes to Evie by the way. Fancy webpages and art don’t come cheap, and a girl has to eat.

Back to the point. It would be hard for me to go out and get a regular job. Even with my fabulous personal assistant and Jane. So, I work from home. I don’t make all the money that I will need to prepare for my future, but it’s a start.

My mom gets frustrated when people park in handicap parking spaces and they aren’t handicapped, or in front of ramps. I don’t because I figure I’ll find a way to get somewhere, no matter what obstacle it Is in front of me. There’s always away, it may take time find it, but there’s always a way. Believe it or not I found ways to get in to friends houses that had stairs. It wasn’t easy but we did it.

I think that’s the key to getting through the toughness in life. You just have to do it. You have to get up everyday, and face whatever obstacle is in front of you. The only way you can lose and not make progress is to quit. No matter what you’re struggling with Debt, School, relationships, work, whatever it is, the only way you can fail is to quit.

It may not feel like you’re not getting  anywhere for weeks, or months, or years. It may feel like you’re drowning. I’ve been there and it wasn’t so long ago.  When you are in that place all you can do is keep going, I’m pretty sure I have already written a post or two on this topic. I bring it up again today, because I feel that we need to be reminded regularly that we all go through the same stuff and we are not alone.

Here’s my question to you kind reader. What obstacles are you facing in your life, and how do you plan to get over them? Comments please.

Thanks again to Evie for today’s comic.

I know that most of you made New Year’s resolutions. I don’t really because I don’t see the point. You can pretty much say anything, but if you don’t do the work it doesn’t matter. A very smart friend of mine routinely says” under promise and over deliver. I find that this works extremely well in almost every aspect of life. Applying it to my own life, most people don’t expect a lot of me because i’m in a wheelchair.  consequently, when I do something that’s not even really that amazing, I get applauded. (graduating from college is a great example of this).

There were a lots of people in my life who thought I had conquered the world when I graduated. If there are any Young kids out there, going to college is not hard. If you show up every day and put in a reasonable amount of effort, you’ll be doing better than 90% of your classmates, and trust me, you will be rewarded for it.

Back to the original point. If you want to get something done this year. The key is just to start,and take small steps towards where you want to be. I know that I need a book under my belt, and this blog is a small step toward getting there. When I first started writing the book, I would sit in front of the word processor, and be completely at a loss as to what to write. Then Sara came along, and helped me deal with one of my biggest hurdles at that time, the typing. When she got too busy to help me anymore. Evie showed up. After some trial and error. She started this blog, despite my whining. I’ve learned over the last several months , that if I have even a little feedback from readers, it’s much easier for me to continue writing. (my friend Scott Adams calls this creating a system to make it easier to get to where you want to go.) You can read my review of his book right here.

It’s been several months since I read that book, and I’ve had a chance to apply systems to my own life, (this blog being one of them), and based on my experience Scott was right. This is much easier than sitting in front of a word processor, (and much more dynamic). Sometime in the near future, (I have no idea when), I will have enough content here to finally put together the book that I started years ago.

So let’s recap, grand resolutions are hard to keep, (impossible for most of us). So instead create a system that will get you where you want to go. If you want to lose weight, find something you enjoy doing, like taking a walk in the park, instead of going to the gym. If it’s fun you’ll do it better(and the more often) I swear. Working on this blog is fun, so I write more it’s that simple.

Just for fun, tell us what resolutions you have made for 2016 in the comments.  Let’s talk about creating systems instead of setting goals to get you where you want go. Give Evie some props for the fancy artwork while you’re down there. Thank you rock star.

Also thanks to Scott Adams. Go read his book.