I’ll never forget one time when I was in yoga class my RA was so bad that I was not able to get up off the floor.
It took me about 3 minutes of manipulating my body into weird positions – and using my head as a lever – to peel myself up into a seated position. Then another minute to negotiate my way into a standing position (which back then was all weight on one good leg).
It’s easy in those situations – faced with agony, humiliation and drug-induced fatigue – to think “What’s the point? There is no hope”.
I’m serious. This disease we call Rheumatoid Arthritis can leave you flattened. Shattered. Broken. Hurting. Crying. And feeling hopeless.
If you’re like everyone else with this disease you’ve probably experienced moments like these. After working with thousands of people and helping them with their RA I see that there is a common thread from all correspondence – we all just want to feel that sense of hope again.
Hope that there will be improvements in the future.
Hope that there is more to life than pain.
Hope that goals and dreams may be realised, even in spite of this disease.
Well, you never need to be afraid and you never need to panic. Here is the truth:
The truth is that there is ALWAYS hope.
Hope isn’t like a fuel in the car that can run out, or water in the body that must be constantly replenished for the body to survive. Hope is always within us in and hope can always be found. Hope is like love. It’s a part of us and a part of being human – but sometimes it feels like it’s missing, until we work out how to feel it again.
I define hope as “A belief that a positive outcome is achievable”.
Just think about this for a second. Imagine right now if you had 100% faith that an improved outcome for your condition was possible, and possible within the short term. Feel the shift? Feel that kernel of emotion that is light and makes your heart jump for a second.
That’s a sense of hope.
It’s also important to look at the opposite scenario – and view my definition of lack of hope.
My definition of a lack of hope is simply “an inadequate game plan to take yourself from Point A to Point B”.
Without a game plan to go from A to B we feel overwhelmed.
It needs to be simple and it needs to be clear.
For me, when I was stuck on the floor of the yoga class my mind was filled with worries, problems, pain and exhaustion.
My brain could not see a path through all of that clutter.
Keeping things simple, working on one thing at a time, and following a proven path to success is that way to restore your hope.
Every day I get emails from people who have their hope restored through having a clear plan and getting quantifiable improvements in their RA through our Paddison Program for RA.
Improved blood test results. Improved range of motion. Less swelling. Less number of joints affected.
Naturally, hope returns in massive quantities when this occurs, and snowballs the enthusiasm that comes with having a great game plan.
If you’d like my help jump on our mailing list – it’s on the right hand side of this page. I’ll teach you via email dozens of free strategies to help you reduce your RA starting right now.
– Clint
