Inspirational speaker, author, and family friend, Jake French, coined this phrase after a devastating accident and spinal cord injury in 2008 left him a quadriplegic. From one instant to the next\u2014turn, turn\u2014his life drastically changed and in the first few days both he and his family felt hopeless. Then Jake chose to get out of the “pity-pit” and live his life to its fullest by focusing on the positive.<\/p>\n
And so when our carefully planned schedule recently came to a screeching halt\u2014when our son Jesse fell down steep stairs and broke his left ankle exactly one week before a trip to the States where he had hoped to start a new life on his own\u2014I reminded him of Jake’s horrific accident.<\/p>\n
\u201cA bad fracture,\u201d the doctor told Jesse. \u201cSurgery was successful because the operation was done in a timely fashion, restoring normal anatomy and assuring normal function of the leg.\u201d The doctor went on to explain that Jesse was lucky because it could have been a much worse accident. He told Jesse that he’d need to stay off the leg for several months and wear a cast for at lest four. The first few days in the hospital were the worst for Jesse as he sorted through the whole inconvenient ordeal of not being able to walk. He also worked through a range of emotions as he questioned why this was happening to him.<\/p>\n
Being a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and to everything there is a season\u2014turn, turn\u2014I tried to console Jesse by sharing my philosophy and belief that every cloud has a silver lining. He’s heard this one from me before. We talked about how inconvenient mishaps, that stop us in our tracks, can\u00a0 move us forward or backward in life\u2014depending on our attitude. Problems and difficult times can lead us to better days if we learn from the mishap. To which he replied, \u201cI guess I wasn’t meant to leave Uruguay now, for whatever reason.\u201d By the time Jesse arrived home, he seemed accepting of his fate and changed by the ordeal.<\/p>\n
Jake’s tragic mishap made him realize the importance of turning \u201cexcuses into expectations\u201d through positive attitude, focus, and choice. Jake’s living his best life\u2014and sharing with others what’s possible when one refuses to accept limitations and instead focuses on the challenges and choices life presents. Thanks Jake!
\nSusan Joyce<\/p>\n
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