The Defined Mind

I wake up every day with ongoing physical hurdles, but what has helped me stay in the moment is the embodiment of having a sustained mental state of positivity. I have abided by this model all my life and it has truly been tested like never before since suffering from a high spinal cord injury in 2014. Our body is like a car and the mind is the engine that drives it. You need to keep the engine optimally tuned so the path to enjoying life can manifest valuable and thankful returns. One can “fight the good fight” against paralysis as in my case or an impasse(s) you have endured in life by channeling the belief with perseverance that you can turn a bad reality into a good reality regardless of the severity. I consider myself a survivor and was meant to yet be alive for a grander destiny beyond the unexplainable.

My injury happened in a blink of an eye and there are dark moments when thoughts of “Why was I chosen to suffer? What did I do to deserve this?” comes rushing in, but they are immediately squashed without hesitation. To have self-pity is never productive and so the high road to take is to believe that life is still rewarding to partake in especially when you are surrounded by loved ones.

One can experience a mental, emotional and/or physical injury, whether it be minimal to severe, and would need to be coped with one way or another to recover. Likewise, for one to be pulled back into the world of the living when facing death’s door only reflects one thing and that is your indomitable human spirit flatly refused to be taken away. For inexplicable reasons, I was fated to still set foot in the here and now. How and why I will never know but having the resiliency to carry the torch of life continuation is what has kept me motivated to beat all odds. I believe humans possess this capability to draw from within when in dire circumstances. 

Living in the present is certainly “different” for me now but in the context of personal fulfillment, my adage is you simply adapt and persist to write new and exciting chapters. As challenging as it may seem, have the unwavering faith to fortify your mind, reflect on all things that gave you only joy, think positively forward without reservations, and not about what has negatively happened to you. It all starts with you and no one else. 

Lastly, trust that your mind is indeed a precious instrument to engage at your disposal. Use it relentlessly with vim and vigor and your voyage will have plenty of traction in the long run. Be an impenetrable conduit of tenacious willpower in good and bad times and everything will be alright. You can do it and imparting a determined mindset will light that fire!