ThisAbility

It's not your disability that disables you, but your inability to see your worth that becomes a disability. Determination has no #disability.

DWELL IN POSSIBILITY

Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege.
Use it.
Dwell in possibility.

Oprah Winfrey

Begin Where You Are

Don't let life discourage you, difficulties are meant to rouse. Everyone who got where they are had to begin where they were. Don't give up.

Strength From Distress

Life is bitter. We live with the scars we choose. Those who can smile in trouble & who can gather strength from distress, grow brave by reflection. #StrengthFromDistress

ACCEPT THE BLESSINGS

You deserve all the good things that happen to you.
Don't feel guilty and accept the blessings.

Paulo Coelho

DISABILITY DOES NOT DEFINE YOU

Don't let your thoughts cripple you with your disability. Disability does not define you, it's how you defy the challenges that disability puts you thru.

Healing

Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion.

Buddha

Beautiful Love

How beautiful to love someone, not for need, not out of compulsion and not by alone, just being there is worth loving.

To Better Days

Head up, heart open. To better days!

Kindness

Kindness in words creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates love.

Lao Tzu

Deep

You don't need to have a degree before one appreciates the bounties that one has after SCI. Little things that mostly are taken for granted are the most important: Like transferring on your own from the bed to the chair, like entering the kitchen helping or making ur own meal. Even the self esteem that you once lost because you think you are the only one or can't contribute to a development. Or meeting the most amazing people who make you want to do more in your life. Some are gaining confidence everyday. SCI gives us the opportunity to know who truly love and care for us. Our diversity makes us to appreciate one another and life itself. For some will walk, some will never, while some can take a year just to lift a finger so which of the blessings of our Lord can we deny?

The Fear of Failure

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve:
The fear of failure.

Paulo Coelho

No Reason To Love

One is loved because one is loved.
No reason is needed for loving.

Paulo Coelho

Be Soft

Be soft.
Do not let the world make you hard.
Do not let pain make you hate.
Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness.

Ponder Upon This

Some things are beyond planning.
And life doesn’t always turn out as planned.
You don’t plan for a broken heart.
You don’t plan for an autistic child.
You don’t plan for spinsterhood.
You don’t plan for a lump in your breast.

You plan to be young forever.
You plan to climb the corporate ladder.
You plan to be rich and powerful.
You plan to be acclaimed and successful.
You plan to conquer the universe.
You plan to fall in love - and be loved forever.

You don’t plan to be sad.
You don’t plan to be hurt.
You don’t plan to be broke.
You don’t plan to be betrayed.
You don’t plan to be alone in this world.
You plan to be happy.
You don’t plan to be shattered .

Sometimes if you work hard enough, you can get what you want. But MOST times, what you want and what you get are two different things.

We, mortals, plan. But so does God in the heavens. Sometimes, it is difficult to understand God’s plans especially when His plans are not in consonance with ours .

Often, when He sends us crisis, we turn to Him in anger. True, we cannot choose what God wishes us to carry, but we can carry it with courage knowing that He will never abandon us nor send something we cannot cope with.

Sometimes, God breaks our spirit to save our soul.
Sometimes, He breaks our heart to make us whole.
Sometimes, He allows pain so we can be stronger.
Sometimes, God sends us failure so we can be humble.
Sometimes, He allows illness so we can take better care of ourselves.
And sometimes, God takes everything away from us so we can learn the value of everything He gave us.

Make plans, but understand that we live by God’s grace.

Ponder upon this...

My Story

My name is Ibrahim Omotosho -  I am a paraplegic that has survived the harsh living condition of growing up in a developing country. I decided to tell my story to inspire everyone and anyone going through one form of challenges or the other.

I grew up in the Police Barracks alongside my four siblings and our parents. I could walk for a year and 7 months. December 18, 1984 I had a short siesta, I cried from sleep to discover I could no longer stand, walk or run anymore. I had to go through sessions and sessions of physiotherapy. The sessions got my neck and hands functioning again. Then I was able to make use of the armpit crutches and leg braces (calipers). 

I would play football with my siblings as well as with my neighbors and other boys and girls in the hood. I played "4-post" almost every weekday at my secondary school. I didn't for once feel intimidated by no one - I was very courageous. Funny thing is, I would last the whole of the breaktime without conceding a goal. A good friend, Dr. Irawo Adamolekun, of blessed memory would call me "Dr. Octopus" simply because I would play along with my two held armpit crutches as as well as my two legs thereby occupying the whole of the goalpost. Guess what the goalposts are - the table/desk of our class.

I was blessed with a loving family. My mother (God bless her soul) trained me like the rest of my siblings - no preferential treatment. This gave me the tenacity to face the numerous challenges. I was somewhat funny and very playful. But, I was a very smart boy. I attended a physically challenged primary school which gave me the right foundation. I attended a 'normal' secondary school which gave me the much needed confidence to soar as a young kid. My university days were the most challenging -  I had to let go of my crutches and fully embrace the use of the wheelchair due to the terrain and for easy movement. I got my first car in 2013 and I learnt how to drive in just 4 days. Albeit I can only drive a car with automatic transmission. 

Permit me to talk about just two of my ordeals: the first is my encounter with one of the university lecturers. I would begin with one of my favorite quotes from Johnny Depp; "One day the people who didn't believe in you will tell everyone how they met you." 

I decided to go observe my Jummah Salat at the University mosque. Lo and behold! I saw one of my 'funny' lecturer. I remember his mean and hurtful words to me back then in the university: "the university system does not have facilities for people like you". There and then I was checked in at the school clinic and placed on drips. The date is 9th of February 2009.

To God be the glory I wowed everyone that saw me at the mosque's perimeter.

2. I had difficulty with relationships because some believe I could not impregnate a woman or father a child. The societal misunderstanding. 

Having lived a more-difficult or complex life, which I try and make huge efforts not to reveal it to people around me, I came up to be built with this 'tough skin' of "I will succeed in life". I converted my complex living to a life of success (I am still a working success though). I was very determined and would never give up on having a decent living despite being living in a developing country with being physically challenged. I always tell myself "I would never give up". The more challenges I had, the more determined I became towards achieving that goal. I changed the intent people had about me which was, pity et al into a man of inspiration everyone admires and would tell tales of him to others.

I made sure the smile on my face remained, clouding the pains I go through. I kept smiling at the challenges. 

You too can keep smiling at your various challenges in life - change your intent. Accept your differences. Embrace your uniqueness. Do not be defined or restricted by your disability. For in disability there is ability. 

Lest I forget, I am blessed with a cute son. 

Thank you very much. #DisabilityChamp #DisabledInTheLegsNotBrain #SmashSomething #ISeeNoBarrier #BeMotivated #BeInspired #YouWalkIRoll

TRUE COMPASSION

True compassion does not come from wanting to help out those less fortunate.

But from realizing our kinship with all beings.

Pema Chödrön

NOTHING IS PERFECT

In nature, nothing is perfect.

Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways and they're still beautiful.

Alice Walker

LETTING GO

Let today be the day,

You learn the grace of letting go,
And the power of moving on.

S Maraboli

OBSERVE YOUR THOUGHTS

The quality of your thinking determines the quality of your life.

Robin Sharma