Be The Encourager

Do you have somebody in your life that is always supportive?   Do you have that one person that is always encouraging you?  Even when you mess up?  Maybe especially when you mess up? 

I happen to believe that everybody needs that person in their lives.  And if you are lucky enough to have more than one...well, you are truly blessed.

I'm not talking about someone who always looks at things through rose-tinted glasses.  No, the person I'm talking about is not going to lie to you but they also aren't going to tell you that you can't do something.

This is a topic that I know too well.  I was told when I was in high school that college was not really in my future.  That "people like me" didn't go to college.  I guess I proved them wrong. 

I had a patient not too long ago that took a nasty fall.  Over 100' and landed on his feet only to drive his tibia 8" into the ground.  Yeah, nasty.

In addition to multiple breaks in his leg, he had severe injuries to his spine and was unconscious for several days.  It was recommended that his foot be amputated above the ankle.

He didn't agree to that.  Later, they recommended that his ankle be fused.  He didn't go for that either. He wanted to run again.  So he looked around for someone that would do his rehab that wouldn't put limits on him.  He found me. 

When he first walked into my office, he could barely walk.  He told me the basics of his injuries and asked if I was going to tell him that his dream of running again was impossible.  I told him it wasn't my job to tell him what he couldn't do.

After a lot of physical therapy he still couldn't run but he had taken a new job and the three hour round trip drive he was making to get here every day seemed too much.  He was quite motivated and a former gymnast so we agreed that he could continue with rehab on his own.

Jump forward several months and he shows back up at my clinic one day.  He asked me to step outside, proceeded to run across the parking lot (albeit with a noticeable limp), run back to me, shake my hand, and say thank you.  He had achieved his dream.

Too many people had told him that he would never run again.  He proved them wrong. 

I listened recently to the story of a professional dancer that lost her leg in the Boston Marathon bombing.  She was a bystander and not a runner.  Her story focused on the doctor that told that she would never dance again.  That person was apparently trying to get her to deal with reality. 

This wonderful young lady used that as motivation to not only walk again but return to her career, run a marathon of her own, and prove a lot of people wrong.

So who are we to tell people that they can't pursue their dreams?  Who are we to tell somebody that they can't do something?

I can tell you of several 5'6" or so linebackers that have played on state championship team at MHS.  Isaiah Thomas led the Boston Celtics to the NBA playoffs at 5'9" in a league where the point guards can be 6'7".  Too short?  Not at all.

So if somebody tells you that your dreams are impossible, eliminate them from your life.  Seek out those people that tell you that can.  As for those other people, prove them wrong!