Inspiration for the Journey: Blog Carnival

This ongoing journey requires faith in the power of a single lamp to hold the darkness at bay. It demands confidence in the power of humble actions to act as an inspiration, or a magnet, and draw in greater energies. There is also a need for a certain agility and strategic planning that puts these positive energies a few steps ahead of the negative trends. And, above all, we need a constant awareness that the 'other' is not really different from the 'self'. --Rajni Bakshi

Each time a man stands for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. (Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.)

We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own. --Ben Sweetland

Never interrupt someone doing what you said could never be done. Amelia Earhart

True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost --Arthur Ashe

We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery. --Samuel Smiles

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning. ~Frederick Douglass

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. --Nelson Mandela

Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work. --Ralph Marston

It takes guts to go out the door. It takes courage to enter the world. Because every day there will be hurt, every day there will be stares, comments, social violence. Every day takes a renewed spirit and a sense that it matters what I do, it matters where I go, it matters the respect I demand.

It matters so I do it.

It matters so you do it.

Because our lives have been imprinted with disability.

Therefore our lives have been gifted with purpose. Dave Hingsburger

Where there is no extravagance there is no love, and where there is no love there is no understanding. --Oscar Wilde

So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in the all oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell all those who come after how much fun it was." --Molly Ivins

Innovation is fostered by information gathered from new connections; from insights gained by journeys into other disciplines or places; from active, collegial networks and fluid, open boundaries. Innovation arises from ongoing circles of exchange, where information is not just accumulated or stored, but created. Knowledge is generated anew from connections that weren't there before. --Margaret J. Wheatley

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there
must never be a time when we fail to protest.
Elie Wiesel

Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that. --Norman Vincent Peale

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. Those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
C.S. Lewis, 1952 (found here)

Everyday courage has few witnesses. But yours is no less noble because no drum beats for you and no crowds shout your name. --Robert Louis Stevenson

Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that power to work is a blessing, that love of work is success. --David O. McKay

More quotes here.

Taking Action: Be Encouraged

Give, give, give -- what is the point of having experience, knowledge or talent if I don't give it away? Of having stories if I don't tell them to others? Of having wealth if I don't share it? I don't intend to be cremated with any of it! It is in giving that I connect with others, with the world and with the divine. --Isabel Allende

"Either you go through your life thinking you can change the world or thinking you cannot. If those are the only two options, how can you not at least try?" Matt Allen, ‘the ice cream man’

Daphne Rose Kingma : Language does have the power to change reality. Therefore, treat your words as the mighty instruments they are - to heal, to bring into being, to remove, as if by magic, the terrible violations of childhood, to nurture, to cherish, to bless, to forgive - to create from the whole cloth of your soul, true love

"A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for."
- Admiral Grace Murray Hopper

We do not need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: We have the power to imagine better. --J.K. Rowling

You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind. -- Darwin P. Kingsley

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties. -- Erich Fromm

Support the strong, give courage to the timid, remind the indifferent and warn the opposed."
--Whitney M. Young,
civil rights leader

The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. -- Helen Keller

Learn and grow all you can; serve and befriend all you can; enrich and inspire all you can. -- William Arthur Ward

If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it.—Anthony. J. D’Angelo

Our tendency to create heroes rarely jibes with the reality that most non-trivial problems require collective solutions. Warren Bennis

In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."
--Theodore Roosevelt,
26th president of the U.S.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable ... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. -- Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

People can only hear you when they are moving toward you, and they are not likely to when your words are pursuing them. Even the choicest words lose their power when they are used to overpower. Attitudes are the real figures of speech. --Edwin H. Friedman

Innovation seldom depends on discovering obscure or subtle elements but in seeing the obvious with fresh eyes. Billions of tea drinkers observed the force of steam escaping from water boiling in a kettle before James Watt realized that this vapor could be converted into energy. --Richard Farson


As long as you're going to be thinking anyway, think big."
--Donald Trump,
American businessman

To love what you do and feel that it matters—how could anything be more fun? Katherine Graham

Take pride in women who defy, exceed, or trifle with conventional expectations. Autumn Stephens


This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good. --Author Unknown

Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful. Perhaps different action or adjustments will need to follow. But any action is better than none at all.
-Norman Vincent Peale

Excellence can be attained if you…
Care more than others think is wise.
Risk more than others think is safe;
Dream more than others think is possible.


When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life. --Greg Anderson

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be. --Pantanjali

For more inspiring quotes click here.

Ten Ways to Avoid Burn-out for Disability Advocates

My alphabet series continues with all the hard letters ahead!! Today is T…

Whether you are involved in personal advocacy—facilitating life for yourself or another person who has a disability—or whether you are advocating for improvement in entire systems and cultures that affect people with disabilities, the most difficult thing to manage is our own energy. Many times burn-out and exhaustion (or the fear of burn-out and exhaustion) keep us from getting involved.

There are, however, people who stay active for years and years without being consumed—so how do they do it???

I believe that often these feelings of burn-out stem from a feeling of helplessness. I will begin with a list of 10 antidotes—I would love you to put your own additions in the comments section where anyone who reads this can benefit from them.

Self care. Taking the best care you can of yourself is the FIRST and most important advocacy skill anyone can learn—and sometimes one of the most difficult.The realities of our lives often affect our most basic functions. If for example, our child does not sleep, we might not sleep either. While we may need to live with very different sleep patterns, we should not ever make the mental leap that says our sleep doesn’t matter. Even if we haven’t come up with a viable solution yet, our mindset needs to affirm that we and our needs DO matter.

It is counter-intuitive, but an attitude of self-respect makes us respect-able to the folks we are approaching. Advocacy is more successful among equals. If we give the impression that we are suffering martyrs folks will need to “rescue” us—and we won’t have input, instead we will need to be grateful for whatever they can come up with. If people see us as inspirational heroes there is nothing they can come up with that will meet our standards, so they are off the hook to try to. We again, will just have to deal with whatever they offer because they ‘could never reach our level.’

If we are equals at the table (any table—at school, at work, or at the statehouse) we can better work to craft something that will meet our needs.

Caring for yourself happens behind the scenes, but the attitude of self-respect that it instills in you is a very effective advocacy tool. Try it, you’ll like it!

Inspire yourself. Surround yourself with uplifting things as much as you can. Artwork (gallery-ready, or posters, or something made by your kids—your choice!), music, movies, newsletters, e-subscriptions, or whatever will improve your ability to address your needs with others.

If your faith tradition has a daily discipline that inspires you, try to fit it in (modify it for your needs—it’s a reasonable accommodation!). If you have friends that always make you feel better, get in touch with them and if you have friends that bring you down avoid them!!!! If a certain color, or wearing jewelry or not wearing jewelry inspires you, go for it!

I like the movie Robots which is good since I see it many, many, many times a week (“See a need, fill a need”—who wouldn’t love that?), I like Natalie Grant’s song What Are You Waiting For, I love Darynkagan.com and Gimundo.com, I subscribe to charityfocus.com, I listen to a fair amount of Irish music… None of these are the focal points of my life—they are merely the ‘soundtrack’ and set the scene.

What inspires you? What does your ‘soundtrack’ sound like? What scene have you set? Share your ideas, I want to know!

Develop skills. There are classes, on-line resources, books, and more experienced mentors in nearly every area of advocacy. Knowing how to write a powerful letter, give testimony, use a microphone, negotiate, look up a law, understand a law, meet with a legislator, etc is very empowering.

A person who has these skills is not intimidated—does not feel helpless—because they can address anything. Knowing that you are able to face the situations that may arise in your life is a great way to prevent that overwhelmed feeling that makes you want to crawl under your bed. Having the tools you need on hand, aka being prepared, works—whether you’re trekking through the wilderness, climbing mountains, or living with a disability.

If you want trainings there is a Partners in Policymaking program in most states (there are also on-line Partners sessions), there are Parent Training and Information Centers in every state, there are University Centers on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities around the country, and Parent-to-Parent is everywhere.

Over to the right hand side of this blog are listed many great books and websites that teach skills—check them out!

What else would anyone recommend?

Be informed. Once you have the skills you need, knowing what is going on is the next step of empowerment. You need to know your rights, you need to know when things are changing, and how and why. Staying aware prevents overwhelming surprises and allows you to plan advocacy efforts that can make a difference.

Have a sense of history. When you are arguing with your school district or trying to change a law it is easy to get frustrated and think that your efforts make no difference. Remembering that 35 years ago that people with disabilities did not have the RIGHT to an education, that no one had ever considered accessibility, that the life expectancy of people with Down syndrome was 9 years old helps. It helps us to remember that the efforts of other have moved things forward, and ours will too. Little by little.


Respond. Often our feeling of helplessness come from feeling we should ‘do something’ and then not doing it. Do not buy into all-or-nothing thinking and decide that since you can’t run for president you can’t do anything at all. Pick an action and do it—you’ll feel better.

Right-size your response. There are two aspects to this idea. First, be strategic and choose to do something that has the highest chance of making a difference. Secondly, choose something that will satisfy you.

Years ago my brother worked several small part-time jobs. He was in college and needed money without ongoing responsibilities—it was perfect at the time. When he was done with school he kept those jobs for a while and eventually the lack of connection and cohesiveness began to depress him. At that time he needed one job with ongoing responsibilities that would BUILD something for him.

Sometimes you need to just pass along e-mails, sometimes you need a project, sometimes you need to make a career of an issue. Listen to yourself, and invest what you need to invest to be satisfied.

Supersize EVERYTHING! I don’t mean when you are out to eat. I mean get as much bang for every effort you make as you can. If you write two minutes of testimony and speak at your county’s budget hearing make copies of it for each of the legislators to have, tweak it and turn it into a letter to the editor, tweak it again and turn it into a newsletter article, e-mail it to as many people as you can think of, etc.

Make your efforts count by putting each thing you do to work in as many ways as you can think of!

Friends, supporters, and mentors. Have them, be them. Enough said!

Creativity and passion. The successful long-term advocates I know are creative. They look for new skills, new approaches and new ideas in advocacy. They do not keep doing the same things over and over and over.

They also have other passions and interests in their lives. (Gary DeCarolis calls them ‘sanctuaries.’) They are active in their churches, travel, make stained glass, garden, collect antiques, read voraciously, cook like fiends or SOMETHING!

That's 10. What should we add?