When I Accept and Adapt to What I Can Not Change I am Much Happier

To watch and listen to the video presentation of the article, you may click on this link: When I Accept and Adapt to What I Can Not Change I am Much Happier Video Presentation

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Over the past 6 or so months the YMCA, where I workout, has been going through a renovation. These renovations began in the men’s locker room in the past couple of days.

During a conversation, yesterday, another member asked me what I thought about the changes in the locker room. What came to mind for me and what I shared with him was, “Accept and Adapt”.

I went on to share with him that when I Accept and Adapt I am Much Happier.

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Last month I wrote an article Yesterday, August 11, was the 51st Anniversary of my Brain Injury.

The reason I wrote the article was not to draw attention to how many years I have lived with a brain injury. The reason was to encourage individuals living with the impact of brain injuries to not give up on their recovery process, as recovery is about a process, not an event.

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Discouraged, Despondent and Disheartened

You may have been living with the impact of a brain injury for only a year or maybe 5 years. You may be discouraged because your recovery process has not been “quicker”.  You may be despondent because you think you “should be” further along in your recovery progress. You may be disheartened because you may have been told you won’t get much better. You may be comparing yourself with other people living with brain injuries.

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Expectations of a Cure

You may be living in the expectation of “what if?”. You may find yourself focusing on “if only?”.  You may be led to believe that there is a/are silver bullet (s) and magic potion (s) that — if found — will take away the impact of your brain injury. You may have been led to believe that these silver bullets and magic potions– if found — will help you to regain your “old self”.

You may have been led to believe that someday you will wake. Wake up to no longer being impacted by your brain injury.

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My Encouragement to You

Your recovery process is your recovery process. The progress you make is up to you. People can give you suggestions, but finding a way that works for you is up to you. There are no silver bullets or magic potions. By accepting your reality and learning to adapt (to use your gifts, talents, and abilities) in ways that will work for you, you will succeed. You will achieve huge milestones, over time. Grieve what you can not change and move forward with your life.

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We Don’t Have to Do things Perfect

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

Through my ongoing recovery process, I have been able to make gains through repetition, repetition and more repetition.

I have learned this about myself because I have a difficult time learning sequences of information.

You may also have a difficult time learning sequences of information. Consequently, repetition may also be one of your closest allies.

One of the smartest men in history used this principle.

“It is not that I am so smart. It is just that I stay with problems longer.” Albert Einstein

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Click on the Link Below

Brain Injury — Why do I Feel so Misunderstood and Shunned?

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An Important Lesson Learned — That May Help You Too

Some thing that I Needed and You may also need to Do to Accept and Adapt

To move forward with my process I had to reach an emotional and spiritual “bottom”.

A “bottom” that helped me to realize that I could not change the impact of a traumatic brain injury that I sustained when I was 10 years old.

My bottom gave me the momentum to confront my denial.

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Confronting my own Denial gave me the Ability to begin to Accept my Reality.

 Getting to this point of acceptance took a lot of time and emotional pain. Getting to this point in time involved a grieving process.

A grieving process to be able to accept what I could not change.

To be able to adapt so that I could begin to see that other ways existed.

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Ways that would help me to “dance” outside of the “box” in “ways” that would work for me.

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By Accepting and Adapting

“Those who danced were considered to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.” Angela Monet

“Believe in yourself, go after your dreams and don’t let anyone put you in a box.” Daya

“Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.” Theodore Roosevelt

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