Brutal Facts
February 4, 2022
by Dave Ciaccio, Board Chair
There are moments in daily life with Parkinson’s where we confront the brutal facts of our disease.
I was faced with one this month in a Rock Steady Boxing class. Simply put, my body had a hard time doing what the brain was trying to tell it to do. There were too many movements coming too quickly. When I faced this fact, I had to either step aside or move past it to continue boxing. I had to make a conscious choice to keep on despite being discouraged.
Jim Collins writes about this in his book Good to Great. He says that real change begins when we confront the brutal facts. That we need to maintain ‘unwavering faith’ in order to succeed regardless of the challenge.
Some days, defining success with Parkinson’s might simply mean showing up and doing our best. Other days, we might find that we can rise above the realities of PD with unwavering faith in ourselves.
When you come face-to-face with a brutal fact, don’t let it become your truth. Instead, make a choice to keep on with resilience and determination.