11th March, 2010 by Rich Dixon 1 Comment
If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room. Anita Roddick
Do you ever wonder if what you do matters?
When you send words into cyberspace every day, it’s an important question. It’s easy to wonder if those words make any difference, if anyone would care if they didn’t show up.
I’m not thinking about numbers and success and making money. You can measure that stuff easily. But does it really change anything?
I’m thinking that we often don’t recognize the significance of our actions. Maybe the most important things we do pass unnoticed. (more…)
2nd March, 2010 by Rich Dixon No Comments
God has given you one face, and you make yourself another. Shakespeare
Are you different?
As a wheelchair user, I’m probably hypersensitive to differences. Even after twenty-two years of rolling around, I still feel uncomfortably conspicuous.
My inability to stand up makes me stand out—or at least that’s how it seems to me. (more…)
11th February, 2010 by Rich Dixon 3 Comments
We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love. Mother Teresa
Are you grateful?
One of the amazing benefits of this work is meeting and connecting with truly remarkable people. Recently I’ve encountered some especially inspirational folks who’ve blessed and enriched my circle. I want to tell you about them, but I’m struggling for an appropriate description. (more…)
4th February, 2010 by Rich Dixon 2 Comments
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. Gandhi
Do you ever look at something really familiar and see something you’ve never seen before?
I admire Gandhi; this is one of my favorite quotes. I get his point, but a closer look causes me to wonder: who’s “they”? (more…)
7th January, 2010 by Rich Dixon 8 Comments
Once you label me you negate me. Soren Kierkegaard
What do you want to be called?
As a wheelchair user, I encounter this question more than most folks. Sometimes it’s directed toward me personally, but more often it comes up in an article or interview. The question-behind-the-question is really “How can we label you in the least offensive manner?”
Of course I have my own sarcastic answer … (more…)
15th December, 2009 by Rich Dixon 3 Comments
What would Jesus think?
I’ve been doing a little exercise based on 10 Ways You Can Enjoy An Intentional Christmas. I’m trying to spend some time each day at the nativity scene, wondering about the thoughts, emotions, and experiences of each character. And I found myself wondering how Jesus would respond to the presence of a disabled person in that holy circle. (more…)
22nd October, 2009 by Rich Dixon No Comments
I felt lost, and I desperately wanted God to show up. Instead, people appeared and gradually helped me toward the light. Only later did I realize that was how God shows up.
How can you help someone who needs you?
I’ve been working on a presentation for folks who are working in difficult areas of ministries. Since I’m a wheelchair user, I’m supposed to offer a seated perspective of things people have done that have been helpful and some that haven’t.
Here’s my list so far. Hopefully you’ll help me with something I’ve missed.
Show up. I seem to always need help at inconvenient times, and I’m grateful for friends who show up even when they’d rather be somewhere else. There’s a difference between Signing Up And Showing Up.
It’s easy to say, “Call me if there’s anything I can do.” It’s hard to ask for help. The real heroes are the folks who show up.
Don’t label. Labels isolate. When you label someone, you hide their individuality behind a category. The person in front of you isn’t a category—she’s a uniquely gifted, precious child of God. Here are some additional thoughts: God’s Version Of Special
I’ve been asked whether I prefer to be called “disabled,” “physically challenged,” or “mobility impaired.” Personally I prefer “Rich.”
Stay away from clichés and inspirational platitudes. “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” Really? When you’ve just discovered you’re permanently paralyzed, that feels like a slap in the face.
Clichés can be like labels—they make us feel better without really having to do anything.
Change what you can change. World peace may be a bit too much to tackle, but some issues aren’t that complicated. A family living in their car doesn’t need a lecture on the benefits of facing adversity—they need shelter. A hungry child doesn’t need a gardening lesson—he needs a meal.
When snow keeps me from leaving my driveway, I understand that the weather’s beyond my control. I’m grateful for folks who show up with a thermos of hot chocolate and a snow shovel.
Accept what you can’t change. Life isn’t fair. Some circumstances stink, and that just the way it is. Complaining, lamenting, and worrying only make it worse.
Be creative. I’m quick to decide a particular task or situation is hopeless or impossible. I’m astounded by the creativity people demonstrate in helping me discover how to do things that seemed beyond my capabilities.
Be realistically optimistic. I’ve explained The 8000/2000 Principle as my way of avoiding pessimism. It’s amazing what can be accomplished when we focus on possibilities rather than obstacles.
Have a healthy sense of humor. When we’re struggling, everything becomes an earth-shattering crisis. It helps to keep some perspective and chuckle at life’s absurdities.
It’s never okay to laugh at someone’s misfortune. But we all find ourselves in silly circumstances, and it’s good to avoid taking things too seriously.
Choose hope. Most of all, I’m grateful for friends who helped me believe, and believed for me when I was so immersed in darkness that light seemed impossible.
I’m not talking about empty wishes—I hope someone gives me a bag full of money, but I’m not counting on it. I’m talking about hope that’s an expectation rooted in faith that Jesus always walks with me.
Love. Agape is the self-sacrificial concern for others that makes it all work. Someone once said she felt frustrated because she didn’t know how to help, and it felt like all she could do was love me.
That’s plenty.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. [1 Corinthians 13:13]
What would you add?
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17th September, 2009 by Rich Dixon No Comments
Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. Benjamin Franklin
It’s a lot easier to assert my rights than to act responsibly. (more…)
15th September, 2009 by Rich Dixon 2 Comments
Congress acknowledged that society’s accumulated myths and fears about disability and disease are as handicapping as are the physical limitations that flow from actual impairment. William J. Brennan, Jr.
I have a confession: I tend to get possessive and judgmental about disabled parking spaces. (more…)
25th August, 2009 by Rich Dixon 1 Comment
A leader inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more.
A reader recently emailed and asked if I ever did motivational speaking with groups of young people.
I love speaking to kids. You don’t teach math for thirty-five years, especially at the middle school level, if you don’t like interacting with kids. I appreciate opportunities to talk to young folks in a variety of settings. I’ve spoken to groups of public high school and middle school students, as well as to youth groups and Sunday school classes. (more…)
I'm a writer and motivational speaker who enjoys exploring issues related to adversity, hope, dreams, and faith.
