We Have To Keep Getting Up – Lesson 3

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I am happy to announce my blog has been read in 44 countries. I want to thank everyone that has read my blog and for sharing it with others. The feedback has been so uplifting and to know my blog is helping others is the true blessing. My blog is also healing my mind, heart and soul.
Well here we are now with lesson number 3, “We Have To Keep Getting Up”. Since starting my blog and reflecting over my life. I realized another lesson I learned and it is, We Have To Keep Getting Up. I look back over my life and I now understand I have been knocked down many times, but I never thought about how many times I got back up to keep trying. It is so easy to stay down and wallow in self-pity and complain about the hand I was just dealt. I must admit, there have been more times than I like to admit, I didn’t just pick myself up right away. I just wallowed in self-pity and wanted to quit. I just sometimes felt like why even bother trying, I won’t ever win. That way of thinking really stems from my childhood sexual abuse trauma. I had low self-esteem and I always expected the other shoe to drop. So often I felt when I would trust someone to be a good and honest person, they would end up trying to take advantage of me or the situation without my knowing.  I now know so much of my thinking goes back to being a sexual abuse survivor. I have learned the impact from childhood traumas are life changing and really affect how we look at life for ever. It is up to us to decide if we let it control us in a negative way. I chose the positive way. I believe happiness feels better than pain.Unfortunately so many of us that have been sexually abused can’t break free from the past and get ourselves back up, and into the game of life.
The turning point for me when I realized the importance of getting back up every time I am knocked down was in 1992. I finally said I had been sexually abused as kid to someone. Before 1992 I never told a soul, I just buried it and suffered in silence. After saying it out loud, a few months later my life turned upside down. I started having panic attacks, anxiety disorder and discovered I suffered from PTSD. I will be the first to admit, I was broken to the lowest point I could go without having a complete breakdown. I still wonder how did I survive 1992 and keep my young business going. I realized it was my wife’s, children’s, family and close friends  love for me, my will to survive and a desire to be happy. Most importantly it was God’s grace and love for me that has pulled me through. I had that desire to get back up into the game of life and win. I refused to let my abuser have that much affect on me in a negative way. It has taken counseling, love, my faith, the desire and time to win. I am winning everyday I get up, smile and face the new challenges life will throw my way.
I have gotten back up many times, but 1992 was the year, I became aware of the effect of childhood sexual abuse and that year started my journey of healing. It has taken me 21 years to get to this point in my healing process. I am still healing and now I am sharing my story of my lessons learned. My goal is too help others see regardless of the trauma or challenges in our lives, we can get back up each time and have a successful, meaningful and happy life. I want to give hope to those that are trying to find a way to happiness from their trauma or challenges of life.
I have gotten back up so many times, overcome so much and had a desire to overcome the affect of childhood sexual abuse, that I now have a beautiful family, a successful business, involved in the community, involved in my church and now a public speaker on the impact and survival of childhood sexual abuse. We have to keep getting up to win.
It is in each and every one of us to keep getting back up. Don’t stop getting back up when life gets you down. I always say to myself, If I stay down, I let that person or situation win and I refuse to let them win twice. The first time they knocked me down and the second time they would win would be if I didn’t get back up and try again. Therefore I eventually get back up and keep trying.
Please enjoy some pictures of nature, fishing and a recent camping trip. I had not slept in a tent in over 40 years. It was great, and this another one of those moments of enjoying life that I thought got away from me. Please enjoy the YouTube video of our camping trip.
Next blog post Lesson 4 will be about getting through the Fear after getting back up. Keep going for your dreams and be happy and make someone else smile. Keep getting back up and back into the game of life. You can win.
Enjoy the YouTube video from the recent camping trip. Listen to the words of the song used in the video. The words are so true about life.

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