Attitude is everything! Some would say that its money and to others it could be something else. But, in my humble opinion, it all starts with attitude. The right attitude at the right time accomplishes feats that will blow your mind away. Take the photo of Barry Muth in the Himalayas climbing Mount Everest in a wheelchair. Hey, I got two legs that work and I have NO desire or the right attitude to climb Mount Everest! I asked Barry the stupid question most would ask, “Why did you climb the mountain?” and got the quintessential Zen filled answer, “Because it was there!” Ok, I deserved that. I am positive Barry gave the idea considerable thought. It wasn’t about “should I

climb the mountain” , but rather how he would prepare his equipment, modifications to his chair and support systems, etc. His attitude was focused on, “I am going to climb Mount Everest come hell or high water!” and so he did.

Freedom and independence is all about attitude and how bad you want it, disabilities be damned. It takes patience, determination, focus, and a positive attitude. The Center on Independent Living (COIL) was founded on this positive attitude. Young severely disabled adults wanted to live independently and their parents listened to them. They made it work despite what the world had to say about it at the time, “It couldn’t be done!” Well they proved it can be done and did it. There are thousands of examples of people with the right attitude proving popular opinion wrong and making what seems impossible a daily occurrence.

The wrong attitude does exactly the opposite; it’s amazing how life works that way. My mother was fond of saying, “Can’t never did anything!” and she never accepted the, “I can’t” statement (Thanks mom!). We pushed hard in our family and to this day my mother will work us to near death no matter how far apart we may be. The wrong attitude will take you absolutely nowhere. Even if you desire to live independently and have a strong sense of getting the job done, the wrong attitude will bite you and can delay your goal. Be kind to those that are trying to help you! I get it, you have talked to a hundred people. Bureaucracy is SLOW, you get frustrated, and of course your attitude suffers and you take it out on whomever the poor soul is that is trying to help you navigate the red tape. Been there, done that and felt bad about it. I once went to a veterinarian office looking for a new dog food call Eukanuba. I was in a good mood, happy, had my positive attitude all fired up and asked the young lady behind the counter, “Do you carry Eukanuba dog food?” and she said, “What?” so I repeated myself, “Do you carry Eukanuba dog food?” and then she said, “What’s it for?” at this exact moment my attitude changed and I realized I was getting nowhere fast and I replied laced with eye rolling sarcasm, “My dog.” As I recall, the rest of the conversation went south. I didn’t get what I was looking for and certainly didn’t get any leads to where I could find Eukanuba dog food. Remember part of a good attitude is to stay focused, be kind, and you will prevail quicker. I eventually found what I was looking for but it took much longer.

Stay the course, keep it together and conquer the world! If you would like to help us spread good attitudes please feel free to donate! We need your help so we can help others! We accept virtually any kind of donation you can think of; oh you know like money, vehicles, property, you name it we will most likely take it to help our cause and give you a great big thank you in return. Until next time! Have a great day!