“There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is hope. ” -Stephen Hawking
Every day we wake up we are given a fresh start. We open our eyes to a blank slate and a second chance to take advantage of all that life has to offer us. Some days it may feel like we are in complete sync with the universe and other days life can throw us some unexpected curve balls.
Recently I watched the new Stephen Hawking film, ‘Theory of Everything’ and was so inspired by his life story. Stephen Hawking is a famous physicist and cosmologist who was diagnosed with a motor-neuron disease while in college and told he only had two years to live. He slowly lost all ability to move, walk and even speak and was eventually confined to a wheelchair. Talk about a curveball!
What I found so inspiring about Hawking was that he never let his disease stop him from pursuing his dream of discovering and writing theories about the universe. He pushed through his everyday challenges with humor, wit, incredible strength and determination and focused his energy on his passion. Eventually with the power of technology he was able to write and published a world famous science book called ‘A Brief History of Time’, a bestseller which has sold more than 10 million copies in 20 years! And is still alive today surpassing his two year life span diagnosis!
I literally needed a tissue box in the theatre! How is it that a man who lost all of his mobility to walk, speak, move could still see the silver lining in his life? He never once gave up on his theories or passion to learn and educate people about the universe. Amazing isn’t it?
How we can apply Stephen Hawking’s attitude and approach to our lives?How can we also begin to see the silver linings with every storm? I believe it comes down to three things: 1. Optimism, 2. Humor, 3. Trust in the Unknown.
1. Optimism gives us the positive energy we need to face every day with a fresh pair of eyes and ears. Listening and paying attention to the signs that life shows us. These signs will be positive or negative but with optimism we can believe that even with a negative there will always be something positive to follow as long as we are in the flow and trusting.
2. Humor helps us to remember that we are human and life isn’t going to be perfect. Sometimes we focus so much on the detailed plan we have in our heads that when something does go wrong it really puts us in a bad place. Even with these roadblocks, look for the silver lining and try to see the humor behind it. Personally, I get so wrapped up in the silly things that I forget to take a step back to see that it’s not really that serious. It’s often said laughter is our best medicine. Stephen Hawking laughed off his disease because he knew he was so much more than his body. He was a mind and a soul who firmly believed in his dreams.
3. Trusting in the unknown gives us the freedom to let go and surrender. It’s so painful to try and have control over everything. We are never going to know what the bigger picture is but if we just try our best every day and give what we can to the best of our ability we too can also fulfill our life’s mission in the same way Hawking did and continues to still do. We all have a great purpose here and whether or not you have discovered yours yet doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you can seize each and every day with the knowing that you are listening and allowing the universe and soul to guide you. The rest is magic and with just those steps you have succeeded.