One of the struggles that I face dealing with a chronic illness, is the idea that being sick will be the rest of my life. I began to feel like waking up with aching pains, eating only broth because it is all my body can handle, the rashes and constant infections, the extreme fatigue, expensive medications…will be the rest of my life? I slowly began to see more darkness than light. The light became so dim, that I thought I couldnāt see it at all. I even began to allow the darkness to completely take over me, but then I had a quick and swift wake up call. I will share this āwake up callā Ā in a future blog post. Honestly, itās still so fresh and new, I’m not quite ready to share it with the world. That wound needs to heal first. Although it was a tough lesson to learn, I am so grateful that I learned it. It gave me the push I needed to attempt to climb out of the darkness.
The first step for me was to write down what I want; what are my short-term and long-term goals. I then folded up the ālong-termā list and placed it in a safe spot. I didn’t want to obsess about not meeting my long-term goals while in the middle of accomplishing my short-term goals. I am definitely the kind of person that attempts to rush the process. I’m working on that as well. My short-term goals are very simple. Sometimes I feel like theyāre too simple.Then I remembered what once I have accomplished even the smallest goal, it will then give me the courage to conquer the next one. I did this to show myself that there are things to live for and not allow darkness to swallow me whole. See, darkness convinces you that you are not worthy of being great. Darkness tricks you into believing that your circumstance will never get better and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. I digress.
One of my short-term goals is to lower my stress. There are many causes of a lupus flare, one being stress. Honestly, I’m sure it is a large part as to why I experience a lot of flares. One way that I am lowering my stress is listening to motivational videos and speakers. Iāve mentioned it in a couple of posts before, so this should let you know how beneficial and awesome I think it is. Iāve honestly learned to have more confidence in my ability to move past what I am going through in this season of my life. I usually listen to random speakers on YouTube, but there is one speaker in particular that grabbed my attention the very first time I heard one of this speeches and I wanted to share it with you. 6 Keys to Self Motivation by Les Brown has given me the motivation is rise above my circumstance and get through this season of my life. Les Brown is a motivational speaker, author, radio personality, former television host, and former member of the Ohio House of Representatives. He has inspired millions of people around the world to improve the quality of their lives. Here I am talking like I’m a walking billboard. Honestly, Iāve just heard of this guy and I want as many people to know about him as possible. If youāre struggling to find motivation for anything, this is definitely for you. Below is a breakdown
11 Keys to Self Motivation by Les Brown Ā
1. Self-Mastery
–You must always continue to work on yourself to achieve self-mastery
-The greatest human ability is being able to become more. Ex. A dog canāt be anything other than a dog. A tree canāt be anything other than a tree.
-You have unlimited potential
-Find something that youāre passionate about
-Find something that gives you a strong sense of completion in order to develop your reputation
-You can work on yourself by reading books that inspire you, listen to motivational audio first to start your day. Your mind is more reception in the morning.
2. Live with Passion and Energy
-Make a conscious effort to be lively
-Stay away from negative and toxic people
-SMILE!
-We have a lot to be grateful for
-Your level of passion and energy determines how much you will accomplish and how well you can do it
3. Know What You Want
-What do you want? Be specific
-The more you are aware of what exactly you want, your subconscious will begin to align with what you want
-Write it down and keep it with you. Writing is an exercise that engages your subconscious mind
-Read it every morning, noon, and night. Reading causes you to focus and concentrate on what you want
-When doubt begins to cloud your mind to tell us we canāt accomplish our goals, this practice will help you focus and discipline your thinking to more positive thoughts
-You are powerful!
-You are a miracle worker!
-Self-doubt has conditioned your mind to forget this
4. Develop a Health Plan
-You canāt feel well and do well if youāre not healthy
-Respect your body because you are worth it
-Your body is the only vehicle you have to get you through this life
5. Monitor Your Inner Conversations
-Take charge of your inner thoughts
-Donāt listen to self-doubt
-When they pop up, change your thoughts
6. Visualize
-See yourself beyond your circumstance with the challenge already resolved
-Think about how you will feel once your goal has been accomplished
7. Know That You Have a Purpose
–Write down 5 reasons why you deserve your goal
-When your having self-doubt, read your 5 reasons why you deserve your goal as a reminder
-Know that life can be tough with challenging moments
-You need a purpose in your life to get through the tough times.
*Your purpose can be anything. God speaks of serving others if you need a place to start*
8. Master Your Skill
-Increase your level of confidence by finding something that you are passionate about and become the best at it
-Only compete with yourself and no one else
9. Be Relentless
-Recognize that you will go through hard times
-It doesnāt matter how hard you get hit, but that you get up to continue the fight
-In the face of hard times, BE RELENTLESS!
10. Take Action
-Donāt wait for the āright timeā
-The ideal situation does not exist
-Take action now towards your goals
-If you believe it, you can see it
-Donāt become discouraged if others do not see what you see
11. Focus On Something Larger Than Yourself
-Find a cause to contribute to that makes a difference
-It will drive you to become more, to become better.
Healing with Harotian 