4 qualities you need in tough times
April 15, 2015
If you look at my face you can see a white line that starts in the middle of my forehead and runs up into my hairline. This white line is a scar. It is a scar from when my head split open. My head split open when my four wheel drive crashed head on into a cement truck.
This crash happened on the sixth of February 2004. Just over 11 years have past since that life changing moment.
I can still remember the conversation I had with a doctor not long after the accident:
"I can't lift up my right arm. I can't lift it up from my waist. It wont move," I said painfully.
"That is because you have nerve damage in your neck and shoulder," said the doctor.
"When will it get better?" I asked anxiously.
"It won't," the doctor said firmly.
I was shattered. I went home feeling depressed.
I sat at home feeling sorry for myself and desperate for inspiration. I started watching the movie Rocky 5 and heard a line in the movie that changed everything for me. The line was:
"when life says stop, you say go!"
I decided right then that I was going to prove that doctor wrong.
I immediately went looking for books about people/athletes that had overcome serious injuries and I started researching different exercise programs.
Fast forward 18 months to the end of 2005 and I have full movement in my right arm and I am in the best physical shape of my life. I proved the doctor wrong.
How did I go from crippled to victorious in 18 months? I did it by consistently using these 4 qualities:
1. Perseverance
I worked out 5 to 6 times a week with severe pain in my arm for 18 months. I was able to push past the pain because I was determined to succeed.
2. Patience
Progress was very slow and it took a long time to see significant improvements with my arm. I reduced frustration by having a long term focus.
"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet." - Aristotle
3. Intelligence
If a specific exercise was working I continued to do it. If a specific exercise was not working I stopped it. I trained hard but I also trained smart.
4. Good sense of humour
When I felt fatigued and overwhelmed I would make jokes about my situation to lighten my mood. Watching funny TV shows and movies served me well during the dark times.
Are you dealing with a difficult situation right now? All you need to do is persist, be patient, be smart and laugh.
This crash happened on the sixth of February 2004. Just over 11 years have past since that life changing moment.
I can still remember the conversation I had with a doctor not long after the accident:
"I can't lift up my right arm. I can't lift it up from my waist. It wont move," I said painfully.
"That is because you have nerve damage in your neck and shoulder," said the doctor.
"When will it get better?" I asked anxiously.
"It won't," the doctor said firmly.
I was shattered. I went home feeling depressed.
I sat at home feeling sorry for myself and desperate for inspiration. I started watching the movie Rocky 5 and heard a line in the movie that changed everything for me. The line was:
"when life says stop, you say go!"
I decided right then that I was going to prove that doctor wrong.
I immediately went looking for books about people/athletes that had overcome serious injuries and I started researching different exercise programs.
Fast forward 18 months to the end of 2005 and I have full movement in my right arm and I am in the best physical shape of my life. I proved the doctor wrong.
How did I go from crippled to victorious in 18 months? I did it by consistently using these 4 qualities:
1. Perseverance
I worked out 5 to 6 times a week with severe pain in my arm for 18 months. I was able to push past the pain because I was determined to succeed.
2. Patience
Progress was very slow and it took a long time to see significant improvements with my arm. I reduced frustration by having a long term focus.
"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet." - Aristotle
3. Intelligence
If a specific exercise was working I continued to do it. If a specific exercise was not working I stopped it. I trained hard but I also trained smart.
4. Good sense of humour
When I felt fatigued and overwhelmed I would make jokes about my situation to lighten my mood. Watching funny TV shows and movies served me well during the dark times.
Are you dealing with a difficult situation right now? All you need to do is persist, be patient, be smart and laugh.
