Motivational

My wall has wheels

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Walls protect us but they can also keep opportunity out
Walls  are easy to build and hard to take down

I’ve seen more  damage  done buy low self-esteem and  doubt then anything else.  I’ve had my fair share of both. I learned during my struggles of getting a broadcasting degree that you can read about right here and here, that if you don’t believe in yourself, very few other people will. I’m not saying you won’t have supporters, you will but you will have lots more critics. They are never nice and they almost never have your best interests in mind. We all struggle, and it’s always hard. If you are struggling with low self-esteem or doubt it’s even harder. The past is called the past for a reason. It doesn’t matter anymore, and you can’t change it. You were put here for a very specific reason. You have skills and abilities that no one else on earth has.

The walls that you have built can keep you from finding your true potential. You are unique and special. Whatever has happened to you, has given you prospective that no one else has.

I have a wheelchair. No one sees the world like I do. Other people in wheelchairs have had different life experiences than me and almost certainly see the world differently than I do. My chair is an obstacle. A wall for me to get over. In the process of life it has made me strong, give me a will to fight, and not allow it to conquer me. Whatever the reason was that you built your walls, it’s time to take them down and start working towards being the person you want to be.

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Life in a wheelchair, Motivational

Someone is always watching put your game face on

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Maybe without the crazy eyes
Maybe without the crazy eyes

 

I spent the better part of the day at doctors office. I have gone to the same doctor for the better part of 20 years. Recently I decided it was time for a change. There was nothing wrong with the doctor I had, it just sort of seemed like he was going through the motions. Trying to get people in and out as fast as possible.

I don’t know about you guys but when I don’t feel well, or have a problem serious enough to seek out a doctor, I don’t like to be rushed, and I don’t like to be treated like a number. First visits to a new doctor are always a pain. I showed up a half hour early, because I knew there would be paperwork, and there was, lots of it. I spent over a half-hour filling out forms, (well Jane did but I had to answer her questions). Then when I was done, I had to wait 20 more minutes just to go back to the little room. Then once I got there, I waited another half hour.

At this point, I’ll freely admit to being a little frustrated. However, I was also intrigued. I could hear the nurses outside the door laughing and joking and even having fun with other patients. Something different was going on here.

Finally the doctor came in. He shook my hand(that’s kind of a big deal. If someone doesn’t know me, they don’t usually even attempt it.) Then, he sat down, and begin to talk me about my situation. We talked about other specialists who might be of help to me, and treatments to improve the quality of my life. This lasted about 20 minutes.

I’ve had a few doctors in my time. I’m not sure that I’ve ever had one ask how he could be of service to me. At one point he said “I’m really looking forward to working for you”

This brings me to the reason I am writing this post. I delt with a man today, who  obviously takes pride in his job, and wants to be of service to his patients.  That’s rare in today’s world.  when you see it, it’s very refreshing. By the end of the visit I didn’t even care that I had spent more than two hours in there.  His good attitude changed mine.

It reminded me that whatever I do, I need to do it with a smile, not only s smile, but genuine enthusiasm. You probably aren’t going to always like what you do, but if you do it like it matters, people will notice and doors will open. I certainly noticed today.

 

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Life in a wheelchair, Motivational

When in doubt go all out

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Truth
Truth

 

Life is too short for regrets. I have exactly 3 in my 36 years of life. Two of them I had no control over and could do nothing to change the outcome.

The third has to do with going from a manual wheelchair to a power chair when I started high school. If I were still in a manual chair today, I would be in so much better shape and there’s no telling what I could have done physically. At the time my parents were afraid I wouldn’t be able to get to my classes on time, and consequently pushed me to make the change. As a lazy 14 year old kid, all I knew  was that this would allow me to be even more lazy. I had no idea what the consequences would be, and even if I had, I probably wouldn’t have cared. I care now. Every time I see one of those extreme sports wheelchair guys I think” I could have been that”

Anyone that knows me, especially women, will tell you I speak my mind. I’ll say I love you often and I’m not afraid to be softhearted, because I don’t ever want to regret something I didn’t say. One woman in particular, (I’ll freely admit I’m very sweet on her.) For you young kids out there,that means I’m WAY into her) calls me  mushy” man. “she says I get” a sound” in my voice when I talk to her.

I never apologize for that. Life is too short to hold back.  In everything that you do, go all out. You’ll probably have to step out of your comfort zone, and you may get hurt, but at least you won’t regret what you didn’t do.

 

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Motivational

Work and wait and try not to drive yourself crazy

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I have to remember this every day
I have to remember this every day

I’m a hard worker. I work everyday on something. Lots of the work that I do doesn’t pay me, and I don’t get a pat on the back for it. There’s so much that I want for my life. When I was in my 20s I knew I needed a personal assistant. I searched for someone who could do the job, and a way to pay them, for more than 10 years. I now  have that. I have more independence now than I’ve ever had in my life. I had to wait a really long time to get it. Now I want to travel and speak and spend time with friends that I love. I want it now, yesterday.

I ask myself sometimes why I have to wait for what seems like such a basic thing. I don’t know the answer to that question right now, but I do know there’s probably a good reason, and the timing needs to be right. I know what I want will come when the time is right.

Never doubt your desires or ambitions. Do the work and wait. The waiting is the hardest part. You may not get exactly what you want, but what you get will probably be exactly what you need.

 

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Motivational

What he said

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Life is about choices. Whether you fail or succeed it’s up to you. Nick is a great example of the fact that we all have issues. Compared to him my chair means nothing. The choice of how to deal with my chair and everything that comes with it, is up to me. I can give up or keep going. You have the same choice. No matter what you’re dealing with the choice is yours. Will you give up or keep going? It’s your choice
Thanks Nick

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Announcements, Life in a wheelchair

Broadcasting on wheels

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I have a face for radio

 

Seems like they are talking hand everywhere you turn. There are shows of every type. Dr. Phil Dr. Laura, news shows, shows about money, politics, whatever you like to consume. Maybe I’m egotistical but I’ve always wanted to have one of those shows. I’ve always wanted a show that was a nationwide, that took on things from a handicap perspective.

I’d have a different gas every week. A doctor or nurse to talk about different medical issues. People with different disabilities to talk about the struggles they face. A a caregiver to talk about the different issues that arise when taking care of a person with a disability.

I really love the idea of people listening, and calling in to talk to me or our different guests. The podcasts, and videos that I do are fun but there’s nothing like a live broadcast. i’ve loved live broadcasts since my first day on the air at West Texas A&M University. You can read more about that here and here.

Being on the air is probably the thing I do best. That said, I have two questions for you dear reader first, would you watch or listen to a show like that? I was thinking about it today, and I could be wrong but I don’t know of any disabled news anchors or talk show hosts out there. I’m probably wrong about that. If I am please send me a link because I’ll be interested to see that. I guess I’m thinking that if these guys who do three hours a day on radio can do it, so can I That brings me to my next question.

Do you know anyone might be in position to help me make this thing happen? The old saying, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,  Is absolutely true in the broadcasting business I know some people but I don’t know anyone is willing to put me on the air. I can see why suppose. I’ve talked many times on this blog about the fact that we live in a politically correct world. I can see how  a very loud very opinionated guy in a wheelchair could be very scary to a  station owner or manager. (it’s only a wheelchair, it’s not like I have spikes on my wheels or something),

I truly believe if given a chance, I can turn the world of education and entertainment upside down. If you know somebody or are would like to talk to me about this send me an email send me an email jamie@jamiejordan.net

If you’d like to help out another way share this blog with your friends whenever you can. I’m really trying to get it out there to people. I truly believe I can make a difference. The bigger  the platform I have, the bigger the difference I can make. That said I’ve been around enough to know I can’t do anything without your help. If you weren’t here reading this, or listening to my podcasts, or watching my YouTube, there would be no reason to do any of it. You are my greatest ally, and I’m grateful that you pay attention. I know I can change the world, but not without you.

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Motivational

If your life is boring you might be doing it wrong

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I think everybody needs a routine. It keeps life organized and gives structure. I have certain days that I run errands, certain days I work out and days that I work from home.

It makes it easy for me to remember what needs to be done on a given day and helps to streamline.  The problem with routines is that we seem to get stuck in them and that’s not good. Today is Friday, Friday is normally a workout day. I wasn’t feeling well when I woke up and so I gave myself permission to break my routine. I don’t do it a lot. In fact you can be certain I won’t do it again next Friday. My point is, our routines keep us on track, but we’re not robots so occasionally we need to change things up a bit.

It doesn’t have to be anything crazy. You don’t have to take a vacation in the middle the week,(although if you can do that you’re awesome, and I’m jealous). It could be something as simple as changing where you go out to eat for lunch, I’ve noticed I tend to go out to the same places all the time. A lot of the time I get the same food at those places. I don’t even think about it, I just order it, and then I realize “Hey I got this last time” I understand someone who dislikes change, but something as small as ordering a different meal might shake up your life enough to keep things interesting.

I don’t understand why people put  where they’re going for lunch on Facebook. I mean it gives you directions to their exact location. One day, to spice up my life a little bit, I may just show up where you are and let you buy me lunch.  I think I did video about that.

Isn’t it cool how I can just drop a video in like that? I didn’t even plan that.

 

So let’s recap, routines are good. They give structure and direction. It’s best however, to break them up a little bit, on occasion, to keep  from getting bored. If your life is boring, you might be doing it wrong.

For more help on keeping life exciting check this out

Happy Friday everybody

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Life in a wheelchair

Technology has changed everything for disabled people

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I spend a lot of my time in front of a computer. The first thing I do every morning is turn on the computer, check my email, and all that kind of stuff. My family used to think that I did these things because I enjoyed it, but the truth is that a guy like me who has a handicap sometimes only has contact with the outside world through the computer. If life could facilitate me to go out and do more public speaking and motivational meetings, but having access to a computer allows me to do some sort of work throughout my day, even though I can’t always spend the time and money to get out of the house.

If I were born 10 to 20 years earlier, I would have a whole different life. The money that I make is because of the internet. When you can’t travel easily, the internet is there to provide work-from-home situations that weren’t available in the 80’s. If it weren’t for computers, my entire day would be much different. That said, I am old enough to know what life was like before the internet. There was a time when people didn’t carry their whole lives on their cell phones, and you couldn’t have access to every piece of information you wanted whenever you wanted it. I do remember those times.

I have no idea what the vision of the future is for kids that are growing up with a special need now, but I’m sure it’s a better situation than what we went through in the 1980’s because of the seemingly limitless opportunity that technology has provided. What are some of these opportunities? The opportunity to connect with other kids is invaluable. The ability to look up details about your specific health problems (particularly for teenagers) is very helpful. Kids that can’t speak can sometimes communicate through iPads, which is not only a great resource, it’s something that is completely common among their generation and doesn’t carry the stigma that some of the devices created for people with special needs have in the past. One of the great things about technology for kids that are old enough to use it is the opportunity to discover what they are passionate about, to find what their special talents are, or what drives and motivates most. I’m still waiting on bionic legs. The six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman were on the air almost 30 years ago. How does that stuff not exist yet? (Update) apparently it does exist for one special kid. This is a pure awesome


 

I also have to say Lindsay Wagner was hot. If you’re not old enough to know who I’m talking about, look it up.  I always wondered how her hair stayed in place after running so fast? Yeah….I need to get a life.

To read the entire story you can check it out right here 

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Life in a wheelchair

It’s a small world but it’s not THAT small

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I've met some people who have probably inspired this cartoon
I’ve met some people who have probably inspired this cartoon

People seem to think that all handicapped people know each other. When people meet me, I often get something like, “Hey, do you know so-and-so? They also have Cerebral Palsy.”… “Oh, no?” Then they make this face like it’s very unusual that I haven’t met this person. If there are handicapped persons conventions or parties, I haven’t been invited to them. We don’t all know each other. Which leads me to the next interesting bit…if there is a girl that they know that’s handicapped, they think that we should be hooked up. Think about this for a second. You’ve found a guy that doesn’t drive, with bad vision and a girl that also doesn’t drive, who also has her own issues that he cannot help with. Can you imagine two people with the same problems living in the same house? This is like people without arms marrying other people without arms. It would make much more sense to find someone without feet. Or at least with one hand.

Logically, this is why I’ve been drawn to able bodied women. This may sound chauvinistic, but I need a woman that can take care of me. I don’t mean full time. If I’m ever going to have a successful relationship, she needs to be able to focus on being my girl, not my caregiver. Realistically, I imagine the caregiver will be in the background somewhere and there if we need them. Having someone who can reach a shelf and has good motor skills, 2 things I don’t have, is a big deal. Basically it boils down to the idea that I want someone different for me. I can do things for her too, but probably not highly physical things.

I joke around a lot about a woman who is with me getting handicapped parking, or never having to stand in line because they would always have my lap to sit in, but in all seriousness, being with me has more than a few perks.

When it comes right down to it, people assume  a lot. I’ve heard jokes that white people assume African Americans or Mexicans all know each other, and should get together. That’s  what it feels like. Basic rule of thumb when dealing with any other human being, never assume anything  it will serve you well.

 

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