How To Properly Kick Life In The Shins.

This is a ridiculous story.? And it’s painfully true.? A particular innovative manufacturer I know well created a podcast for their dealers to learn more about their products.? Some consumers liked it too, finding the deeper insight fascinating.

An East Coast, ambulance-chasing attorney also found it fascinating.? So enamored, the attorney used a straw man to file a lawsuit against the builder for violating ADA laws.? The podcast violation?? No transcripts so the deaf could also enjoy the podcast. ?

Some wicked world we live in.? No initial inquiry, “Hey, how about some transcripts?”? Nope, here’s a slap in the face, plus the financial threat of extinction.? That definitely takes your eye off the ball.? And there’s no line item on the budget labeled “frivolous”.

Drawn in the 70’s and meant for easier access to buildings, drinking fountains, elevators, and the like, ADA laws have a place.? Podcasts weren’t a thing then.? Today, twisting those laws to extort dollars as a business is the devil’s design.

The net result benefited only the attorney.? The bullied builder pulled the podcasts from the website, the straw man was never a buyer, some 85-year-old guy who was probably not deaf, but the attorney pocketed a settlement.? NOT leaving the world a better place, should be on his headstone.

Protecting yourself from unscrupulous vultures is nearly impossible.? But having the right mindset is.? Marcus Aurelius is correct,

“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can't tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own - not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands, and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural.”

This is the mindset that keeps you from wanting to kill motivation busters.? That hole in your bank account won’t be filled with resentment and anger.? Trading anger for wisdom is the only path. ?

A reflection.

Life can be tough.? Imagine being deaf and blind, rendering life really tough.? Choosing to be a success despite being dealt a difficult hand yields the best outcome.? My pal Jeff is a blind magician.? His spellbinding tricks are that much more entertaining since he can’t see.? His audiences love him.? He’s leading his best life through his special magic.? He’s maximizing his purpose despite that he’s blind.? What he sees for himself in his mind’s eye isn’t stymied by what he can’t see in his grasp.

Despite being both blind and deaf, here’s a short list of one of America’s most accomplished women.

She:

• Became the first deaf and blind person in the USA to earn a BA of Arts degree.?
• Published 12 books, and wrote countless speeches, essays, and articles.
• Was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Important People.
• Helped found the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920.
• Traveled to over 40 countries.
• Met every President from Grover Cleveland to LBJ.
• Had numerous famous friends including Alexander Graham Bell, Charlie Chapin, and Mark Twain.
• Was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964
• Was elected to the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1964
• Has been portrayed in many movies and documentaries.
• Is featured in Alabama’s Quarter, her birth state.
• Is depicted on a commemorative stamp honoring her in 1980.
• Is remembered annually on June 27, her birthday, now officially Helen Keller Day decreed by President Jimmy Carter.
• Is buried at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC

The study of Helen Keller never ceases to amaze me.? Her outlook on life made all the difference.? She didn’t talk about being handicapped, she spoke of being deprived.? Deprived of sight and hearing.? Obviously, she didn’t let anything stop her. ?

Deprived.? Such an interesting word.? We’re all deprived.? Deprived of money, love, the right connections, the best education, the perfect location, or dots that won’t connect no matter how hard we try.? Everyone’s got their reasons, steep mountains to climb.? Through that lens, Helen Keller’s deprivations may not be so removed from our own, albeit in a very different way.

Accordingly, moving mountains is more about mindset than anything else.

When challenged, you have two options, become bitter or better.? You know the bitter type, victims whose destiny has been irrevocably snatched.? Becoming better creates an immovable foundation on which to build your best life.

Ask yourself:

1. Do I see challenges as growth opportunities?
2. Can I reframe pain points as passing clouds?
3. All the darkness of the universe cannot extinguish the light of a single candle, can I be that candle?

Nobody gets out unscathed.? And the most beautiful works are forged on the anvil of life. Becoming unstoppable is embedded in these truths.? In that instant when life slaps you, when you’re choosing your response, the right action is to recognize the universe conspiring to make you mightier. It's helping you do much more than survive, but to wildly thrive.

So when life slaps you, see yourself becoming stronger in spite.