You are not alone

Thoughts for Difficult Times

One of the privileges of being a doctor, and in particular a weight loss doctor, is that my patients share their stories with me. Sometimes they share their good news, but often they share their struggles and their pain. My visits with patients allow me to see a wide cross section of people – from different walks of life, backgrounds, religions, and politics. Each person has their own story to tell, carries their own burdens and faces their own unique challenges. What is interesting and important is that from all that “uniqueness” there is a significant amount of “commonality” and shared struggle. We all face difficulty in our lives and we all have pain. So if you think it’s just you, think again. I have spoken with thousands of patients and I can tell you: it’s not just you and you are not alone.

I read an inspiring story this week written a rabbi who suffers from ALS and is entirely paralyzed. He writes by blinking his eyes. He said that in the moments he might think “why did this happen to me?” he turns that very message around, to ask himself “why was I chosen to confront this challenge and what can I create from it?” He uses his circumstance to inspire others through his writing and his message. He took his situation and decided it must have a purpose and he had to determine what that purpose is. Wow.  Here is a link to the article:

http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/3076883/jewish/How-I-Found...

Our challenges don’t define us nearly as much as our responses to them do.  When I read the Rabbi’s story, it spoke to me but what I find inspiring, might not inspire you. The key is to find your own inspirational mantra or philosophy to lean on in difficult times. Maybe you have a person in your life or a public figure you admire who has faced down great personal struggles. Maybe you have an inspirational quote that motivates you. Whatever and wherever you find your inspiration you need to lean in to in difficult times and draw strength and motivation from it.  Remember, that if the rabbi can do it in the face of all his challenges, so can you.

One of my favorite sayings is “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.” Life is at times a struggle, but always know you are not alone, and as my late father-in-law used to say: “This too shall pass.”