Although my book brings clarity and acceptance around my disability, in my personal life nothing has changed.
Cerebral Palsy 'A Story' teaches me many valuable lessons. We should know who we are and as long as we're not hurting anyone, it's okay to work through what's right for us. To stay emotionally well, we should care less about the people who care less about us.
Accept Your Success
If you meet with success, you shouldn't feel bad about it. I'm a success in that I wrote the book. It's a success story for me, knowing I know about my disability. In the book I talk about believing I would end up going to the grave without knowing about my disability, that was always a possibility.
Both my book and my experiences have taught me to stand tall. For those who don't care for us, then it's okay to let go. We shouldn't own or carry others' guilt.
Do Your Best
Doing your best, means your best will get better. You may also get to live a more peaceful life when you care about the people that matter. It is okay to care where appropriate.
For the first time, my Book has given me a life, an altogether better life for knowing about my disability. We should celebrate other people’s success as if their success were our own – not to implies we have a problem with their success.
Be Happy for Others Success
That is genuinely part of the problem. Others need to be happy for us. If the shoe were on the other foot they would expect nothing less from us.
If you fancy reading either of my books, you can grab paperback and Kindle copies on Amazon, or through the following link https://www.thecpdiary.com/my-books
When I received your book I was standing tall, standing proud and absolutely amazed at your transparency. Your task was not to search for identity, but to simply free your identity.
You were standing tall way before you authored your book, I assure you. Many of us are standing tall after reading your book; my mind awoke automatically.
Thanks Tim. Your response heartens me. The difficult part for any author who writes about their experiences in this way is finding a balance.
Having gone through every word, every page, every chapter with a fine tooth comb, if I had my time again with the book, there is nothing in the book I would change. And you're right, for years I had no identity I was 'Ilana' with the disability she didn't know she had.
I needed to free myself from the shackles of my experiences, I needed to stand tall, to recall my experiences in the way they happened, but in a way that offered explanation, positivity and hope for others too.
You talk about my transparency. Being able to open up in the book and put a positive slant on each negative experience has not only brought about my spiritual and emotional growth, but it has also normalised my thinking.
Writing in the way I have, allowed me to be 'myself' in a world where I was continually having to be what everyone else wanted me to be. For the first time I got to know me and that feels amazing.
Even though your experiences are different to mine, you have now taken the same journey as me. I love the fact that you have taken from the book, what I set out for the reader to take.
Your book has taught us that the only way we can live is if we grow and you show us how. To bring that clarity and hope in these dark times is unique.
Thank you. You're not supposed to sing your own praises, but my book is uniquely different to what's out there.
Yes, it's a memoir, self-help and mind/body/spirit book, but it is written from a universal stand point and that brings clarity and makes my book unique.