executive business coach

Don’t Tell Me What You Can’t Do

Today’s article has nothing to do with business, but everything to do with business.

I want to introduce you to my nephew.  He is a little hero who defied all odds.  Andy was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, trisomy of the 4p and partial 4q and partial 5q. As a result, Andrew was born with a hypoplastic left heart, legally blind, agenesis of the corpus collosum, and some serious developmental delays. Before he was even born, the doctor’s knew that he would not live without a major heart surgery 5-10 days after his birth.  His life was going to be an uphill battle. The doctor’s recommended that comfort care be given to Andy until he passed away.  They did not think he would ever be able to have a good quality of life. Through a lot of prayer, my sister and brother in law decided to fight for their son’s life. Andy had his first open heart surgery at 5 days old. He had his second major open heart surgery 4 months after that. Andy’s life was full of “couldn’t-s”.  He couldn’t see.  He couldn’t eat.  He couldn’t talk. He couldn’t walk.  But the “could-s” are what defined him.  He learned to sit up and crawl.  He learned to take his clothes off and spent a lot of time doing it!  He had the best laugh and the most positive attitude.  He loved everyone and everyone loved him.

I tell my clients regularly, “Don’t tell me what you can’t do.  Tell me what you can do.”  I know that way of thinking was strengthened for me by watching my little Andy defy the odds time after time.

Andy passed away in 2013 and we all miss him like crazy.  July 28th would have been his 7th birthday. When he passed away, it was hard to imagine how life would go on. But it had to go on.

This year for Andy’s birthday, we can’t watch him destroy his birthday cake.  We can’t hold him.  We can’t listen to him laugh at whatever new noisy toy my sister would have gotten him.  We can’t kiss his sweet cheeks.  All of those things suck.

But what we can do is celebrate his life.  His entire life was a miracle.  And we can create those miracles for others!

My amazing sister runs a fundraiser for his birthday every year. This year she is hosting a virtual 5K to raise money to buy a wheelchair van for Andy’s good friend Simon.  (Check out the story on KSL, our local news station).

It is a great cause, and I invite you to be a part of it!  Amy Walker Consulting is sponsoring the Hero Run and I want to sweeten the deal for you!

For anyone that donates $250 to the fun run through a combination of registrations, fundraising and personal donations, I will give you my new Walk Your Talk Mentoring program for FREE.  That is a $997 value.  

To register yourself or your team for Andy’s Hero Run, or make your donation, CLICK HERE. Make sure that you leave a note on your donation that I sent you.

To learn more about my Walk Your Talk Mentoring program, CLICK HERE.

Here’s what I learned from Andy:

1. Don’t focus on what you can’t do, focus on what you can.
2. Challenges and heartbreak are a part of life. Choosing hope and joy during and after the challenges is essential.
3. Don’t wait for perfect situations to laugh and love life.
4. Socks are always optional.
5. Never accept the limitations given to you by others.
6. Every day is a gift.

Like I said at the beginning, this article has nothing to do with business, and everything to do with business.  http://amywalkerconsulting.com/