by Paul Stuart Wichansky
My name is Paul. I am 26 years old. I am one of the honored and privileged to be born with cerebral palsy. There are many unforeseen benefits to having such a physical challenge as cerebral palsy. Because I have this handicap, I must work harder to meet the daily challenges that regular people often take for granted. Meeting these challenges requires Ambition. Determination. Dedication. The willpower to succeed, personally and academically. And you know what? I think I have made it! Using these qualities, I have overcome the biggest challenge of all: I have conquered cerebral palsy itself!
It is true that people don’t seem to care about one another anymore, that we have seemed to have lost our compassion for the fellow man. In light of this, those who have a physical challenge must show to others their capabilities so that others can witness our desire to be considered “normal.” A positive attitude helps a person realize that they should always focus upon their own capabilities, rather than dwell upon their personal challenges. Many physically-challenged people I have encountered often have bright, bubbly personalities because they want others to recognize them for who they are. Many of their personalities are very much stronger, their voices all the more dominating, and their enthusiasm for life all the more contagious.
Accepting a physical challenge requires a friendly personality, which often develops early in childhood. With this friendly personality comes an uplifting attitude that motivates anyone’s spirit. To motivate others, first consider if the following applies to you: “I just want to be a good friend, that’s all. You can call me a leader, but please do not call me a follower. I have been on that trail; it’s so worn down that it’s not useful to follow anymore. I’m forging a new one. So be willing to hold my hand, I will show you the way. It’s a long journey, and it will take some time, but it can only begin through small steps.”
So let’s start with this: you have a physical challenge. Big deal! A disability is only apparent if the person allows it to be! You are not going to be a bodybuilder anytime soon. You are not going to be called a “stud” by any of your friends. You are not going to be able to walk normally. You are not going to get that dream job of yours. Well, let me tell you that there is one problem with you if you agree with these statements. It’s your attitude about life, it’s just too negative! Buddy, if you want to succeed in today’s rough-and-tough world, a positive attitude is not only important, it’s critical! A smile is what you will find on my face not just today, but all year long. A smile symbolizes a positive attitude. So let me see that smile of yours, it’s an important first step on this journey.
Once you have that smile, you start to feel better about yourself! Wow! But the smile’s presence seems to fall short of your expectations. Let me see if I can help you out here … ahhh. Here is your problem! It’s with your heart, it’s not big enough! You know for sure that you would fail yourself personally if you don’t open your heart. Open your eyes to the world and witness all the different cultures. The different people. The different lifestyles. The different clothes. And believe me, you will discover all these treasures wherever you go. All sorts of people have different treasures. All of them! Did you discover yours? Perhaps not. Perhaps not yet! And it all starts with you. No one can open your heart for you … you must do it yourself. And if you cannot open your heart, I must leave you behind. If you do, then we can succeed. And we can do it together.
So what’s the next step on this journey? Well, do you have a dream? The fulfillment of dreams is only possible if you happen to be an overachiever. I do not think you are ready for that, at least not yet! Dreams are not realized without effort. Ambition. Drive. And we must transform these words into action. Roll up your sleeves. Be prepared to sweat. I am, and have been sweating for quite some time. It’s not the physical kind of sweat, but it’s more of a mental kind. You see, I am still continuing my education. And it’s challenging for me. And I enjoy the challenge. So that would be your next step on this journey: you must accept the challenge to realize that dream of yours. And be willing to work hard to reach it.
My dream is to walk normally, like other people take for granted. Not too much to ask, is it? It takes not only effort to realize your dream, but it also takes time. While you are often working hard to achieve your long-range goals, you will have to consider that you will face frustrations along the way. But the key here is not to let these frustrations get to you; otherwise, you have failed in your efforts. As far as my own dream goes, my many earlier attempts to walk normally were met by numerous falls. But even if I bruised my knee each time, I did not let that stop me from learning to walk normally. Even today, in my quest for reaching this goal, I sometimes fall to the ground. But I never let this stop me! I just get right up and keep on walking towards my dreams!
Paul Stuart Wichansky
- By Lori Radun, CEC
Maybe you would disagree, but to me, cookies and milk is a match made in heaven. They just go together. Can you enjoy cookies without milk? Sure, as long as they are Oreos or homemade chocolate chip cookies. Is a glass of milk refreshing by itself? Personally, I can’t drink plain white milk, so it must be chocolate milk. Cookies and milk are good by themselves, but put them together, and you have a perfect recipe for a satisfying dessert or snack. A little sugar, a little chocolate, some protein, and added calcium for our bones. Can’t beat it!
Vision and belief is another perfect match in life. Without a vision, you don’t know where you are going. Even if you believe in yourself, you will still wander around with no direction. Likewise, if you have a vision, but don’t believe you can get there, you won’t move very far. You need both vision and belief.
What is your vision? Vision is your ability to clearly see what you want in your life. Getting clear happens when we focus on what is important to us, and tap into who we are, with all our dreams and passions. Some of us have a business vision. Others have a vision of how they want their marriage or family to look. Maybe you have a plan for what you want to accomplish in the next day, week, or month. Our vision can be a short-term or long-term picture, or both.
For example, as a parent, I have a vision of who I want my child to be when he goes off to college in another two years. I picture him being responsible with his academics, able to take care of himself, and having the skills he needs to function in an adult world, without my supervision. Without this vision, I cannot see what I need to do as a parent to prepare him for the future. Does he know how to wash and iron his clothes? Can he fix himself a nutritious meal? Are his study habits and choices going to ensure him reasonable success in college? If not, I have some work to do. With a vision, I can see where I am today compared to where I want to be in the future. A vision highlights the gaps and helps you set forward-moving goals.
Belief is what gives you the confidence that you can realize your vision. Do you believe in yourself and have faith that you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to? If not, you will get stuck or sabotage your success.
Belief requires us to take an honest look at our strengths, and own them. It is not going to be helpful to focus on what we believe we lack. The world will deliver to you exactly what you believe you deserve. If you believe you deserve to be paid $50,000 for your skills and expertise, and you act as if you truly believe it, someone will pay you $50,000.
My son is a naturally talented baseball player. He has speed, the ability to hit on both sides of the plate, and his coach says he has a “cannon” at the end of his arm. His peers on the football team recently commented, “You know Kai is a really good baseball player, but he needs to have more confidence in himself.” People will pick up on a lack of belief — we act differently when we feel insecure, and our energy reflects that. I always tell my son, “You have to visualize walking up to the plate, see the ball thrown from the pitcher’s hand, and picture yourself crushing the ball into a gap in the outfield. You have to believe, in the deepest part of your soul, that you can hit the ball.”
What do you want for your life, and how do you see yourself? Do you have a crystal clear vision, and the belief it takes to realize your goals? If not, go have some cookies and milk and think about what you need to do to develop vision and belief.
About the Author:
Lori Radun, CEC is a certified personal development coach and professional speaker. To receive personal development tips from Lori and the special report “5 Tips for Maximizing Your Time,” go to http://www.loriradun.com
I always love puzzles, riddles and jokes because these keep me mentally and intellectually stimulated. The adrenalin rush when I get to solve a puzzle e.g. sudoku or MENSA stuff - is absolutely fabulous. I hope that you will enjoy this selection of puzzles and solve them before scrolling down for the solutions. Enjoy! Have a nice day :-)!
1. You are a prisoner sentenced to death. The Emperor offers you a chance to live by playing a simple game. He gives you 50 black marbles, 50 white marbles and 2 empty bowls. He then says, "Divide these 100 marbles into these 2 bowls.You can divide them any way you like as long as you use all the marbles. Then I will blind-fold you and mix the bowls around. You then can choose one bowl and remove ONE marble. If the marble is WHITE you will live, but if the marble is BLACK... you will die."
How do you divide the marbles up so that you have the greatest probability of choosing a WHITE marble?
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2. A man is sitting in a pub feeling rather poor. He sees the man next to him pull a wad of £50 notes out of his wallet. He turns to the rich man and says to him, "I have an amazing talent, I know almost every song that has ever existed." The rich man laughs. The poor man says "I am willing to bet you all
the money you have in your wallet that I can sing a genuine song with a lady's name of your choice in it."
The rich man laughs again and says, "Ok, how about my daughter’s name, Joanna Armstrong-Miller."
The rich man goes home poor. The poor man goes home rich.
What song did he sing?
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3. One day a father went to his three sons and told them that he would die soon and he needed to decide which one of them to give his property to. He decided to give them all a test. He said, "Go to the market my sons and purchase something that is large enough to fill my bedroom, but small enough to fit in your pocket. From this I will decide who of you is the wisest and worthy enough to inherit my land." So they all went to the market and bought something that they thought would fill the room, yet was still small enough that they could fit into their pockets. Each son came back with a different item. The father told his sons to come into his bedroom one at a time and try to fill up his bedroom with whatever they had purchased. The first son came in and put some pieces of cloth that he had bought and laid them end to end across
the room, but it barely covered any of the floor. Then the second son came in and laid some hay, that he had purchased, on the floor but there was only enough to cover half of the floor. The third son came in and showed his father what he had purchased and how it could fill the entire room yet still fit into his pocket. The father replied "You are truly the wisest of all and you shall receive my property." What was it that the son had showed to his father?
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4. Imagine you are in a sinking rowboat surrounded by sharks. How would you survive?
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5. A man walks into a room, turns around and walks out the same door he went in. When he gets out, he is in a different room than when he started. How is
this possible?
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6. The higher I climb, the hotter I engage. I can not escape my crystal
cage. What am I?
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7. Removing an appendix is called an appendectomy, and removing tonsils is
called a tonsilectomy. What is it called when they remove a growth from your head?
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8. A man was found murdered on Sunday morning. His wife immediately called
the police. The police questioned the wife and staff and got these alibis:
The Wife said she was sleeping.
The Cook was cooking breakfast.
The Gardener was picking vegetables.
The Maid was getting the mail.
The Butler was cleaning the closet.
The police instantly arrested the murderer. Who did it and how did they know?
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ANSWERS:
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1. Place 1 white marble in one bowl, and place the rest of the marbles in the other bowl (49 whites, and 50 blacks). Place the black marbles in the bowl first and cover them with the white ones. This way you begin with a 50/50 chance of choosing the bowl with just one white marble, therefore life! BUT even if you choose the other bowl, you still have a good chance at picking one of the 49 white marbles.
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2. Happy Birthday
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3. The son had shown his father a match. Whenever he lit the match, it filled the entire room with light, yet it was still small enough to fit into
his pocket.
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4. Stop imagining.
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5. He walked into an elevator.
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6. Mercury in a thermometer
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7. A haircut
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8. It was the Maid. She said she was getting the mail. There is no mail on Sunday.
So how many did you solve correctly? Please leave a comment if you wish and as always, I would love to hear from you.
Kids Are Quick
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TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America .
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?
CLASS: Maria.
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TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
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TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell ‘crocodile?’
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L’
TEACHER: No, that’s wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
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TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it’s H to O.
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TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn’t have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
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TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I’m a lot closer to the ground than you are.
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TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ‘I.’
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie….. Always say, ‘I am.’
MILLIE: All right… ‘I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.’
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TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father’s cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn’t punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
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TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don’t have to, my Mom is a good cook.
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TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on ‘My Dog’ is exactly the same as your brother’s. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It’s the same dog.
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TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher
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PASS IT AROUND AND MAKE SOMEONE LAUGH!
LAUGHTER IS THE SOUL’S MEDICINE!!
