My mother passed away in September 2014. She was only 56.

Preparations for her funeral involved deciding who would speak at the funeral service. Several of her friends and family members were approached about delivering a eulogy. I was one of three that accepted the offer to speak at the service.

Delivering a eulogy at my mother's funeral was one of the most difficult things I have had to do in my life.

After giving myself time to grieve and heal, I can now reflect back on the funeral and clearly see the life lessons that were contained in that day. These were the life lessons I took from that day:

Persevere. On a few occasions during my speech I was so emotional that I couldn't talk. When this happened I gave myself time to take a deep breath, regain my composure and then continue speaking. I battled with my emotions but made sure I completed the speech. When life is difficult you have to keep going and finish what you start.

Do it now. Witnessing the end of somebody's life caused many people at the funeral to examine their own life and look at what they have done or failed to do. Life is happening right now. The clock is ticking. Start living your best life today.

Face your fears. A family member told me that she wouldn't want to speak at a funeral mainly due to her fear of public speaking. Confidence builds when you overcome situations that scare you. Accept the challenge and win!

Smile. Telling a funny story about my mother made people smile and instantly changed the energy in the church. Turn off the news and watch a comedy.

"He who laughs, lasts." - Mary Pettibone Poole

Let go. Balloons were released into the air at the end of the service to symbolize letting go of my mother and to allow the grieving process to begin. What do you need to let go of in your own life? Let go of anger. Let go of the past. Let go of toxic relationships.

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.