Download - What sparks your interest 3
• I have POWER, do you?
Andrea Buening
Survivor
May 16, 1997
– Car wreck – brain injury/shattered hip
– 7 week coma
– I didn’t drive for 3 years
– I didn’t work for 3 years
– I didn’t know my limitations
– I didn’t know my strengths
– I didn’t know how to make good decisions
– I had a guardian for 5 years
–I was full of fear
Build YOUR Confidence
Whether you have a guardian or not!
Learn to make good decisions.
A guardian can protect you.
Your guardian can teach you.
They need to be honest with you. EXPECT IT
and listen!
You should be allowed to make mistakes and
practice while gaining ability.
Help paying bills
Go shopping
Become aware of your situation
Learn how to ask for things and be assertive
Assertiveness is a lifelong struggle
Making good decisions is a struggle
All people are different.
Every Brain Injury is
different. My Life with a brain injury is not YOUR life
with a brain injury.
We started out as different people and we all
have different things that motivate us.
SO
DO YOU WANT TO BE ALL THAT
YOU CAN BE?
Your attitude can determine your
ALTITUDE
MOTIVATION
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.Arthur Ashe
Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.
Robert H. Schuller
Preparation
“BY FAILING TO PREPARE,
YOU ARE PREPARING TO FAIL,” Benjamin Franklin
What sparks your interest?
You command your destiny. It’s up
to YOU to make the
choices that will make
YOU happy!
Do you want to enjoy
your life?
What things do you like to
DO?
Do you like to do them alone or
with a group?
What things do you want to
learn to do?
Having a brain injury doesn’t mean
you can’t learn. So, find
SOMETHING that you can be
passionate about!
“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll
end up someplace else.”
Yogi Bera
Planning
FamilyYou knew the person before.
Do you feel they are totally different?
THAT’S BECAUSE THEY ARE!
Are there things that your survivor did before for fun that they might still be able
to do?
What opportunities can you encourage your survivor to try?
What excites your survivor?
PERSISTENCE
“Good intentions might sound nice, but it’s positive actions that matter.” -Tim Fargo
Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there. -Bo Jackson
Even if we have a GUARDIAN, we
still have choices.
POSITIVE choices create positive outcomes
We HAVE to keep our minds active
Your mind needs exercise
Exercising our minds wears us out
Play cards, board games, crossword puzzles, chess, SEQUENCE, and trivial pursuit. Any games! Computer games work too but we don’t all have computers.
EVERY day
Make a schedule for the next day KEEP IT WITH YOU and mark off things as they are completed
Go to bed at the same time
Wake up at the same time
Get some exercise in the morning!
Think Good things, not bad things
AccountabilityTakes courage
“accepting responsibility for YOUR behaviors and mistakes rather than pointing fingers at
someone else.“
• Accepting responsibility for your behavior– No more excuses
– Accept the consequences of the choices you make
– If you don’t like the consequences, change your behavior
• Meeting/exceeding expectations– Know what is expected.
– Meet/exceed these expectations.
– Volunteer to assist whenever possible.
– Encourage feedback on how you are doing.
– Use the feedback offered to improve performance
AccountabilityTakes motivation
“accepting responsibility for YOUR behaviors and YOUR mistakes rather than pointing fingers at
someone else.“
• Admitting your mistakesDo you accept responsibility for your mistakes or
do you blame others?
DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP!
• Admitting your limitations of knowledge.People attempt to "fake it" when it would be in
their best interest to admit, "I don't know the answer, but I will find out."
Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome Them
Fear• What are you afraid of
today?
• Confront it
• Take an action
• And FREE yourself
No Goals• Know Your Passion
• Find your purpose
Lack of Energy• Create Energy by:
• Exercising daily
• Doing the things you love to do
• Resting enough
No motivation to be better than where you are
• Define Complacency• If you don’t like where you
are, YOU must change it (any way you can)
• Strive for excellence
EVEN IF IT’S HARD, force yourself to be aware of yourself, your needs, and your surroundings.
Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome Them You have CHOICES!
If you are in a Bad ENVIRONMENT• You can surround
yourself with support,
take criticism as guidance and think about it.
• Control the amount of doom
and gloom in your life –ATTITUDE is a choice
Take care of your HEALTH• Exercise daily
• Eat a well balanced diet
• Join a health club/apply for
a scholarship
If you had bad experiences during childhood
• Anyone can overcome their childhood
Be around people who are positive role models
• Study their behaviors• Change your behavior that
you know is unacceptable
BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF!
Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome Them
PROCRASTINATION
Spoils one’s chances of success
Waiting for the “time to be right”
Don’t wait! The time will never be “just right.”
Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have.
LACK OF PERSEVERENCE
Most people are good “starters”
• We can be poor “finishers” of what we begin
• People are prone to give up at the first signs of defeat
• Don’t stop or resign yourself to defeat
Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome Them
Having a NEGATIVE PERSONALITY You have power to share, so use your winning/positive
personality instead of negative character.
You DESIRE TO GET “SOMETHING FOR NOTHING.”
Progress takes WORK
You might sit on your sofa wishing for a million dollars 23 hours of every day. You might not pay your bills. You lose your house due to non-payment and you get hungry. People don’t get something for nothing.
Desire is necessary but it is only the beginning – an action plan as well as ACTION are both essential
Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome ThemLACK OF ABILITY TO MAKE A DECISION
People who succeed know there are no failures – only
tests.
People with brain injuries need to think before they act
and talk over decisions with someone they trust
INABILITY TO TAKE RISKS
The person who makes no decisions, takes whatever is
left by default. By NOT choosing, you ARE choosing to
let someone else choose for you. Over-caution is as bad
as under-caution.
What to do: Make small decisions first. Remember, there
are no failures!
Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome Them
LACK OF CONCENTRATION OF EFFORT
What to do: With laser focus, continue on that
path that brings you happiness
Don’t get sidetracked
LACK OF ENTHUSIASM
Are you a happy person?
Do you try hard to succeed?
What do you do that makes YOU happy?
Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome ThemINTOLERANCE
When a person is unwilling to accept new beliefs, ideas, beliefs and behaviors
How can we expect others to be tolerant with us if we aren’t tolerant with them?
Be open to any idea, statement, judgment, or opinion that comes your way.
Respecting what someone else believes doesn’t mean you believe the same things. Always be open to alternative views. You just might learn something about yourself along the way
GUESSING INSTEAD OF THINKING
People don’t work to find facts and seem lazy
People prefer to act on opinions
Check your facts and do your research.
Thinking is your most powerful tool because what you think, you will be!
SUCCESS!
• “Success is getting what you want,
happiness is wanting what you get”
― W.P. Kinsella
ResourcesMaria Romano
• http://givebackorlando.com/resources.html
Brain Injury Association of Missouri, Caregiving
• http://www.biausa.org/brain-injury-family-caregivers.htm
The Independent Living Center
• http://www.ilcenter.org/
LIFE, by Andrea Buening
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_motivational4.html
Your turn!