Many times in our lives, we’ve been taught to feel despair, whether we have cerebral palsy or not. Time and again, we feel the lack of hope because people in our lives make us feel incompetent and less than. That is when fear sets in. We begin to discount ourselves. We feel as though our keepers have power over us. They know exactly how and when to push our buttons. They know exactly how to threaten and intimidate us. They know exactly how to make us quiet.

We try to separate ourselves from our learned hopelessness and helplessness, but it takes over anyway. We freeze. We’re afraid to speak up for ourselves. We become powerless. Subsequently, we avoid all such situations regardless of cost.

The only way to overcome this paralysis is to open our minds. Be willing to take on your life situations, look them in the mirror and let them go. Listen to your inner voice that will lead you to safety. The answers are within each and every one of us.

I have the power to move through this. I have hope and faith in myself. I can conquer anything. I speak with a convincing strength that saturates my goodness.