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In the past 10 months I have earned the word “Survivor” as a part of who I am and who I will always be.  I survived a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (a blood cancer), 6 months of chemotherapy, 1 month of radiation, a marital separation in the middle of it all and in the next few months I will survive a final divorce. I don’t consider myself a victim anymore. I am grateful for the experiences.

During these challenging times I was surrounded by wonderful people.  God placed each and every one of them in my life to carry me through and cheer me on.  I learned a lot about myself but mostly I learned about others and what they are capable of – good and bad. In the end, I am stronger because of it all and know that I can survive anything that is put in my way.

My message and reason for sharing my brief story is to help others realize that life is precious.  I lost 8 months of my life due to circumstances and things happening out of my control.  I don’t remember very many details of it thankfully. My life is very new right now. New inside and out – new hair, new friends, and new ways of seeing the world.  It’s an adjustment.  Some days I can look in the mirror and “know” me. Other days I see a stranger.  I have a lot more to go through with change, but I know now that change is good. It is each of us that fears and resists it. God brings you through challenges so you can see what you are really capable of.  You are the only one person that you have control over.

Be grateful for each moment you have, each breath you take and make sure the people in your life are of good character and strength. You never know when you will need them the most.

On a final note, if you don’t know what it feels like to truly love yourself and others…learn now before it’s too late.  Always have faith that everything happens for a reason and believe that no matter what happens you will be a survivor.  You’ve earned it and be grateful for it.

Many blessings,
Jennifer

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Jennifer Ford is a savvy mommy of two beautiful children.  She is a talented and creative decorative artist and interior decorator.  To learn more about Jenn, check out her website at http://www.jforddesigns.com/.  To read more of Jenn’s journey and be inspired by her honesty and bravery, I encourage you to head over to her blog at http://jforddesigns.blogspot.com/

I am so excited to announce to that my friend Erika was crowned Miss Wheelchair America this past weekend!  You may remember reading Erika’s inspiring story here in the Spring.  If you missed it, click here to read it.

I know Erika is so thrilled and hopefully we’ll get her back to the Gratitude Circle to share about this amazing experience and the work she now plans to do.

To read an article from the Miss Wheelchair America Pageant, click here.

Erika has created a “storybook” of her journey and I wanted to share its inspiring message of hope, life, gratitude and love with you.

Enjoy!

P.S. Be sure to click on the “full screen” button to read through the whole book in a larger format.

On January 20, 2002, I was in a devastating car accident caused by domestic violence that forever changed my life.

I was 21 years old, with a bright future ahead of me and a beautiful 2-year-old little girl.  When the accident initially happened, I was given only 48 hours to live. Doctors told my family that if I ever came out of the coma, I probably would not even know my name.

Two and a half months later, I began to wake up and I had my total mind…

Thus began my journey, proving that anything is possible and that in life, there are so many reasons to be grateful.

The first couple of years were very hard on me emotionally.  I was told that I would never walk again.  I felt as if there was no reason or purpose for me to even be alive.  I could no longer have the freedom to teach my little girl how to dance, ride a bike, or even carry her if she got tired. 

I could not understand why this had happened to me. I kept asking God… Why?  Why me?  What did I do to deserve this? I hid my inner feelings from everyone around me with a smile, pretending to be happy that I was alive.  Inside I was drowning in self-pity.

Slowly, I started finding reasons to be happy everyday instead of dwelling on what I had lost.  I was gradually missing out on all of the moments that I should have been grateful for because I was dwelling on the past, which I could not change.

I had three beautiful little girls, a home, wonderful friends and family, and most importantly, I was given the gift of being able to wake up everyday and live my life.  I had to make a change.

My change began one day, when I decided to write my feelings and story down just to get it out…it was my therapy.  One of my best friends read some of my writing and told me that it was so touching and I needed to share it more openly.  She explained how I was an inspiration for her.  When she would have a bad day, she would look at me or think of me, and see how I was still living my life everyday despite losing so much.  A light bulb lit up in my mind. I realized that I could possibly inspire many people with my story if I started sharing it.

I started creating my website, from that point on.  (http://lilunperfectangel.webs.com) I began marketing and promoting it, with hopes of turning my tragedy into an inspiration for people that read it.  Once I first started getting hits on the site, I also started getting comments and emails from total strangers from around the world, thanking me for inspiring and motivating them to keep on living past the obstacles that life had thrown them.

I was absolutely amazed.  God really did have a bigger plan for my life and all the things that I had endured were for a reason much bigger than I had ever imagined.

In May of 2008, I was contacted by someone that worked for a company called Colours Wheelchair in Corona, California who had read my website.  They explained to me that the company was looking toward possibly expanding to the East Coast, and that they would need people that were inspiring and active in the disabled community to promote their company and their mission statement.  I was so excited with this awesome opportunity.  More and more opportunities just like this started popping into my life.  I was in awe.

I began speaking locally to other newly injured spinal cord patients, schools and churches.  It became my healing process, to share my story publicly.  I was even asked to participate in the Ms. Wheelchair North Carolina 2009 pageant, in April 2009, to compete not only for the title and crown, but more importantly for the chance to represent people living with disabilities across the state of North Carolina.  I was so honored.

Throughout the next year, I kept in mind that I would not be participating in the pageant to win, but rather to have the experience and form new friendships with the other ladies.  All of that happened when the date finally approached on April 18, 2009, plus more than I could have ever imagined.

I was crowned Ms. Wheelchair North Carolina 2009! I was given the opportunity to not only continue sharing my story more publicly, but also to be an advocate for other people living with disabilities throughout my entire state.  I now have the platform to really, truly inspire people and reach my dream of turning my tragedy into a triumph that I am now grateful for. 

Yes, I am very grateful for my wheelchair, my paralysis, and my life! Without any of this happening to me, I would not have found my God given purpose to inspire and help other people realize their dreams and goals, in spite of any physical limitations that they may have.

I have so much to be grateful for. Even on the most trying days, I have to close my eyes and think of what my life could have become, if I hadn’t taken a positive path towards my future. 

My future has just begun. This is only the starting point, and if I had given up, I would have missed out on the opportunities that I have been blessed with and all of the ones that are yet to come.  I have proven to myself that being grateful does more for your life than just make it better, it opens up so many doors of opportunity by bringing positivity, determination and most importantly happiness.

No matter what we are faced with in life, we still have so much to be thankful for.  We must not ever forget that.  Once we lose sight of all of the things that matter the most, we lose a piece of our reason for existence.
“Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.”
-Robert Hunter

Erika Bogan, Miss Wheelchair North Carolina, 2009

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A note from the Gratitude Circle – We are so honored and excited to present you with Erika’s blog post and her inspiring story.  We would love for you to continue on and visit Erika’s Website at http://lilunperfectangel.webs.com.

Erika is in need of sponsors in order to compete for the National Title of Miss Wheelchair America.  Head on over to her site and click on the donation button, if you would like to donate to help Erika share her platform and inspire others on a national level.  Every little bit helps and is most appreciated.

We hope you truly enjoyed this post as much as we did and feel inspired by Erika’s story.

If you are on twitter, please follow Erika @unperfectangel

Erka Bogan!

Congratulations Erika, we are so happy for you and so very proud!

Many thanks for all the prayers and support that she received from everyone. I was so excited to learn Saturday night that Erika won and will represent North Carolina at the Miss Wheelchair America pageant later this summer.  It’s so exciting and I am so honored to share in Erika’s joy and journey.

You are in for a treat as Erika will be blogging for the Gratitude Circle very soon.  You will surely be inspired by her story!

In gratitude,

P.S.  Click on this link to read an article about the pageant and see a video/slide show about Erika.  Enjoy!

http://www.mountainx.com/news/2009/new_miss_wheelchair_north_carolina_crowned_in_asheville

Oh and take a look at Erika’s wrist – she wore the Gratitude Bracelet as her good luck charm and hasn’t taken it off since! 

I am so excited to share with you a new friend of mine. Her name is Erika and we met through Twitter. Her story is amazing and truly worth the read. She is such an inspiration to me. She and I, though from different perspectives, share so many common interests and many similar goals.

I am thrilled to share with you that Erika will be contributing to the Gratitude Circle within the next week or so as a guest blogger, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I wanted to send words of encouragement from the Gratitude Circle as Erika heads to the Miss Wheelchair North Carolina pageant this weekend. I know I will be praying for her and sending her all my positive energy as she ventures out to share her platform and story with others.

Good Luck Erika – We’re Cheering for YOU!

P.S.  Check out Erika’s website by clicking here. Are you on twitter?  She’s a must follow – you can find her at http://www.twitter.com/unperfectangel

How many times do things show up in your life that you write off to coincidence or serendipity? How often are you pleasantly surprised at things just fall into place perfectly?

We are very powerful beings with the capabilities of creating what we choose in our lives. Yet many times, we don’t believe in this power, don’t believe that we had anything to do with the “perfect timing” of a situation and don’t use it to our advantage. Instead, why not harness this energy and put it to work for you?

A recent example of serendipity in my life was when my husband surprised me with tickets to see a gifted musician, Jake Shimabukuro. It was an amazing night of pure inspiration. Jake was truly incredible and also allowed who he is to shine through to his audience through his stories. I was inspired and mentioned to my husband that I’d like to feature Jake as a Luminary on InspireMeToday.com. We agreed that we would talk with Jake after the performance.

The concert seemed too short for I could have listened for hours! When the concert ended Jake was swarmed by a mass of hundreds of adoring fans. Not wanting to wade through the crowd to get five minutes with him, I looked at my husband and told him that we’ll find an easier way to make this happen. He smiled at me, and knowing from past experience how things just show up in our life, we agreed that we’d just attract this to us. We didn’t want to impose on Jake when he was tired, or wait for an hour when we were tired too. We went home, knowing that we’d find an easy way to contact Jake- and soon.

The next morning my husband was flying out of Denver International Airport. While waiting in the gate area, he heard someone behind him playing Jake’s music on their mandolin or ukelele. He realized this person sounded as good as Jake himself! He spun around to discover the source, (you guessed it, didn’t you!) Jake Shimabukuro was seated directly behind him, strumming his ukulele. My husband laughed and as he proceeded to share the story with Jake, he too was pleased and inspired by the serendipity of the situation.

It’s so magical when we can trust that the right opportunity will show up, the right person will walk across our path, or the right circumstance will present itself to us- because it always happens when we believe it will!

Rather than chasing Jake or going crazy trying to find a way to make this happen, we made a conscious choice to allow it to be easy. We believe that life is meant to be easy and the things that we need are always there for us, if we’re paying attention. And in that belief, magic can show up!

We laughed at what some might call serendipity, but we knew better.

It is magic and it is there for each and every one of us- if only we can believe it.

What is it in your life that you’re chasing? Wouldn’t you like it to be easier? What if you relaxed into knowing that the perfect solution would present itself to you without you having to go crazy to make it happen? Would that relieve some pressure and stress in your life? What do you have to lose other than the stress? You’ll attract what you think about, so make every thought count.

Be consciously aware of what you’re thinking, or in other words, creating. See what you want as already done, just as we saw meeting Jake as an easy thing- before it happened. We didn’t know how it would happen, but as you can see, knowing how doesn’t matter. All we knew is that it would happen, and it did. All you need to know is that it will happen, and it will show up in your life too. The magic is waiting for you.

May there be magic in your life today, and may you be paying attention when it shows up!

Author’s Bio
The Self Growth Official Guide to Inspiration is Gail Lynne Goodwin. Gail Lynne Goodwin, known as the Ambassador of Inspiration, has been lifting people’s spirits for years. Motivated by mentors like Jack Canfield, Wayne Dyer and others, Gail realized the importance of daily morning inspiration in her own life. After years of gathering and sharing some of the best available inspirational wisdom with others, she founded Inspire Me Today in 2008 to make the Best of the Best Inspiration Daily, easily available to the world. Get daily inspiration and your free “Secrets to Soaring” eBook at InspireMeToday.com Now!

I have been very blessed to have immersed myself over the past six months into the world of social networking.  I have networked and met some unbelievable people.  It’s quite exciting to connect with all of these like minded people. It’s truly inspiring.

Having said that, I wanted to share with you a blog post from one of my social networking friends.  Here is a little about her from her blog:

Dr. Carolyn Clansy Miller possesses a passion for service that goes far beyond the pursuit of professional accolades. As a psychologist, speaker and life coach, Dr. Miller skillfully employs psychological, inspirational and strategic approaches to her mission of personal empowerment.

For nearly 20 years, Dr. Carolyn has provided consultation both nationally and internationally in her work with businesses, government, non-profits, churches, and universities. Her dynamic yet relevant and relational manner has propelled her to the national stage as a featured guest on syndicated radio and television programs such as Fox News, Texas Justice, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and The Doctor’s In.

I’d love for you to head on over to her blog, “Getting Good at Life“ and enjoy her blog post, “Coping with Financial Stress.”

Make it a great day!

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As we approach another holiday season and roll into the beginning of another new year – personally and professionally – it’s natural to reflect a bit.  Ever the time for looking at where we are, where we’ve been and, with a sense of hope, where we’re going.  New budgets, new goals and, of course, our personal self-improvement resolutions are on the horizon! Before I continue, let me say that you are a terrific person who’s doing the best you can with what you have right now.  It’s been a difficult few months out there for all of us and we need to remember that we will be fine…patience, perseverance, positive.

December and January are typically the time for organizational and business leaders/managers to wrap up year-end activities; review the past year’s successes and areas for improvement; for revising goals and making adjustments in budgets and the overall workplace. The wild economic ride and ensuing changes during the past few months of 2008 have brought change and choices to all of us in one way or another with some more drastic than others. Whether it was change you or your employees chose or change that chose you or them, the effect can be draining on our personal power source. How are you doing? How are your employees doing? Have you asked them? Talked with them “P2P” (people-to-people)?

Just like you, I have experienced life’s changes and choices – some I made and some that chose me – changes in residence, geographic relocation, divorce, single parenthood, job changes, job elimination, job betrayals, downsizing, finishing my education while working full-time, elderly parents’ declining health, starting my business…and the list goes on. Some of you may have heard me say, “I used to be six feet tall, look what happened!”  And cap it off by saying, “I’m on the grow again!”

As I reflect, here’s how I’ve coped…when a “perceived negative event” occurs, sure, I’ve gone through the stages of grief, anger, and the rest. What I’ve learned to say (and believe), is “Everything happens for a reason.”  I ask myself “what can I learn from this (adversity) situation? What do I need to do now to keep going?”  Instead of burying my head in the sand just waiting for time to pass and playing the “victim” role, I take a lesson from my parents’ play book! Let the dust settle, think about what’s happened, the role I played in it, what I can do differently, pick up the pieces, pray for guidance and get to work!  I give myself a “Power Surge!”  What about you?  Are you a “Power Surge” or a “Power Drain?”

Either way, You Are Your Own Power Source!

The Power Surge - Self-Empowerment – is relying on your own inner power and actively working through the adversity, which helps ease the pain and frustration.  Positive Self-Talk and action are the antidotes for negativity and plant the seeds for success!  The Power to make your life anything that YOU want it to be is inside of you right now!

Power Up!  Take Control!  As we come to the close of one year and begin another – both personally and professionally – let us remember that, in addition to setting new goals and understanding the financial aspects, effective leaders/managers continue to improve upon the three key leadership traits they need to possess to achieve results through people — objectivity, empathy, and self-awareness. It’s all about “P2P” and the importance of including in their high priorities, the employees – the people who are really driving their organization.

We know from history that economic downturns and recessions have tested the ability of leaders across the globe – in all sectors and in all industries. We learned that there are no easy answers!  Including a “people strategy” (P2P) in your business plans is a wise move because, without the people, the plans would not be fully executed.

Keep Your Power! Come out of your office; interact with your employees, your co-workers, your customers, your suppliers/vendors; increase communication; talk (face-to-face) with the people – they make your business work each day; seek their input; show your authenticity and human-ness!  It’s all about “P2P”!

Your attitude and behavior have a direct affect on bottom-line results, either positively or negatively.  Think about how you are affecting your employees, co-workers and the workplace environment…

Are you a “Power Surge” or a “Power Drain?”  Either way, You Are Your Own Power Source!
A Positive Workplace Means Business!  It Just Makes Cent$! TM
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Mary Jane (MJ) Paris, Founder and President of Positive Impact Consulting Services, LLC in Shelton, CT, brings a broad base of experience to her practice gained from more than 25 years in people management, sales, retail banking, training, recruiting, coaching, project management, event planning and community leadership.

With a focus on “The Positive Workplace,” MJ and Positive Impact specialize in leadership and professional development programs, speaking engagements, and small business coaching that bring “Positive Energy” to your workplace.  Engage employees, maximize productivity, improve customer service and business results…

mj@posimpact.net
203-929-6702
www.posimpact.net