Soul n Peace

of life.

Would I have changed anything? Well perhaps, but those experiences helped make me who I am today. They defined my character.

Permit me to ask you this question. Have you ever considered what it would be like to lose the ability to do something that you have for so long taken for granted?  To perhaps lose your sight or the ability to walk for nearly five years?  And what if those five years were what you considered to be your most important years in terms of development between the ages of twenty and thirty?

Hmm. Well I was such a case because at the age of twenty-two I had a serious motorcycle accident that smashed my right leg and crushed my ankle thus ensuring it would never be the same again. Nine operations, nearly three years in plaster, numerous skin grafts, bone grafts, steel plates and screws, electric stimulator rods connected to a futuristic battery pack and a metering device that went through my skin and stuck directly into my shin bone along with a plastic joint and months of physiotherapy all assisted in my rehabilitation. And yet in my heart I knew my leg and my life would never be the same again.  It was then that I realized I had two choices. One I could either lay down in the game of life, or get right on back into it. I was very actively engaged in sport prior to this accident but this was a huge turning point for me for I could no longer do what I once did. I had to learn to walk again.

Well some somber moments, and some... no, make that LOTS of resentment for the loss of the ability I had just moments prior to that accident, but then a realization that I could use this
personal challenge as either an opportunity or a depressing anchor in my life. I chose the former and began to search for the seemingly elusive opportunity. A decision was made to enter the fascinating world of private enterprise.  Well so I thought. I started one business then another, and another until six businesses later and just a few short years ago I was CEO and Company Director of my own multi-million dollar company. In fact, my company was rated number two of some fifteen hundred plus associated businesses of its type throughout Australia.

Ahhhh, but I hear the question... So what happened?

Well in life we have many choices and as such not all of those choices will be our best or our wisest. We make our choices based on our experience(s), knowledge, advice, understanding, reasoning and wisdom. In my case I didn't choose the best options. I effectively over extended myself and created a very fragile financial situation.

In short I lost virtually everything.

But you know what?

There is something I didn't lose. In fact I gained something from all of this. I gained strength in character and I found a new set of personal values. In fact I became stronger for the experience.

At times the pain is excruciating on my back and legs - especially my not-so-good leg and ankle but I realize in these moments that I still have a choice. I can choose to yield to the screams of pain and emotional distress or I can choose to overcome the challenge and simply deal with it. I choose the latter. The reasoning behind my choice is that it's not what I'm going to get that matters, but rather who I am going to become from making the decision to push past the pain. I discovered that I could overcome the pain and the associated adversity if I simply chose to push past the mental blocks and limitations I had so appropriately and conveniently imposed upon myself.

And isn't that so true of life as well. Don't we all get little messages that make us want to give up and not go on, but rather retreat to a place where we know we will be safe and comfortable and yet sadly never get the opportunity to realize our true god given potential?

Well from CEO of a Multi Million Dollar Company to Pallet Person on afternoon shift sure helped me to realign my values of what's most important to me.  I'm not a religious man as such, but I do thank my god for my life and my experiences.  So in closing I would say to you this: Life is a gift, a very precious gift and whether we lose a leg, an eye or the ability to do anything we once could, we are still complete as human beings.  After all it's what's inside
of us that really matters!

Question is are you prepared to look inside and discover what YOU are really capable of?