Jon was born with muscular dystrophy. The only parts of his body he can move are his eyes and lips.
“And yet… I have an amazing life.”
Jon has traveled the world, started a business, and is now living a happy and satisfying life. But Jon’s life didn’t just happen to turn out amazing. He’s journeyed through some tough situations to get where he is today. And he’s sharing lessons he’s learned along the way to help others facing similar circumstances
Make a Change
A decade ago, Jon was living in the US and was dependent on Medicaid, a government-run health insurance that severely limits the amount of income recipients can have. But Jon wanted to work, and wanted to build and grow a business. So he made a change – a big one. He abandoned the US healthcare system and moved to Mexico where his health expenses would be greatly reduced. He was now also free to make more money. Jon took a risk with this move, but it paid off for him in the end.
“The options available to you right now may be hopeless, but you can always create new ones. It’s not easy, but if you’re strong enough, you can turn any situation to your advantage. “
Accept and Move Forward
Jon shares an event that nearly broke him along his journey. While traveling in his van, he was hit by another car and was seriously injured. He spent a month in the hospital recovering. “It was a miracle I didn’t crack,” he shares, because it would have been easy for him to spiral into depression with the added stress of his injuries and long recovery ahead.
But instead of looking down, Jon looked up. He used the difficulties he’d already faced in life to get him through this one. “Since the day I was born, muscular dystrophy has given me a daily beating,” he says. “The upside? It’s made me incredibly strong. I can take any punch life throws at me without even breaking stride.”
“The people who struggle most are the ones who can’t accept the incessant unfairness of life. They become so consumed with what should have happened, the way other people should have behaved that they become incapable of dealing with reality.”
Jon learned that acceptance is vital to moving forward. “A lot of people view acceptance as weakness. They think that, if they accept what’s happened to them, they’ll be admitting defeat,” he shares. “But it’s the opposite. It’s only by acknowledging reality that you can create a plan to change that reality. Acceptance, as it turns out, is the first step to victory.”
Never Give Up
Jon’s last piece of advice comes from a lesson he learned as a child. He had been diagnosed with pneumonia, and he was having trouble coughing up phlegm. His mother had to help him cough, but doing so was a painful process. “My mother rammed her hands into my ribs, forcing the air from my lungs. I coughed, the mucus rattling deep in my chest. And then I screamed.”
The technique worked to clear the mucus from Jon’s lungs, but the pain it brought was excruciating. Still, Jon and his mother had to push forward. “We couldn’t stop,” he recalls. “If we did, doctors were absolutely certain I would suffocate and die.”
Despite Jon’s cries for her to stop, his mother continued to help him cough every day even though the pain was nearly intolerable for both of them.
“One night, when I was lying in bed, wheezing and whimpering, she brought this little plaque of a quote from Winston Churchill and put it on the table beside me. It sits on my desk now.”
The plaque with the words “Never, Never, Never Give Up” are a reminder to Jon that even when all hope seems lost, as long as he doesn’t give up, he will find a way to push forward. And he wants others to heed these words as well.
“You’re still breathing, my friend. That’s all it takes to stage a comeback. So, say it with me now, would you? “I will never, ever give up.” Say it. Believe it. And then recognize you’ve begun the journey to becoming totally unstoppable.”
Share Jon’s valuable life lessons to help keep yourself and your loved ones moving forward!