Mental Illness Awareness Week
Oct 08, 2020
This one was hard to write folks! Not only because of the nature of the topic but also because of the personal impact I have seen mental illness have in both my personal and professional life.
To start out, take a second and think through 4 of your closest friends and family. Think about the people you love. Odds are that 1 in 4 of your closest loved ones will at some point be personally diagnosed with a mental illness. Now I am not a betting man, but wow! Those are ‘good’ odds! And let’s face it, getting diagnosed with mental illness is not winning the lottery. However, it also isn’t the detrimental thing that we often make it out to be.
The difference between detrimental and instrumental is HOPE! You are and can be that HOPE! And with 1 in 4 odds, there is a very large chance that you will be called upon to be just that. Hope! I challenge us all to take up that mantle and help carry those in our lives who need a hand. And today is the day you can start. You just have to look for the opportunity!
Life is a struggle and these struggles go on all around us. It is in that struggle that we find the truth in humanity, and that truth is that all humans have weaknesses. I challenge us to see weaknesses differently than so many of us do! I also challenge us to see that the awareness of our weakness is actually a sign of true strength. In fact, we can immediately start to help those around us by simply owning our weaknesses. For instance, showing ownership and taking action in addressing our own struggles allows us to be an anchor point to those in need around us. On the other hand, hiding our weakness only makes us unapproachable and unrelatable.
In other words, getting help is not a weakness! Prevention is key! For example, going and getting an oil change is much simpler than replacing an engine. Likewise, if you don’t change your oil you will end up changing the engine. And the really funny thing? Even after you change the engine you still have to change the oil!
We don’t have an option for an engine swap folks! We all get one body, one mind! And just like we mention in our video this week, prevention is key! We will all need an oil change. And there will be times, through different circumstances, we will need an overhaul! In order to do any of that well, we need a team!
In short, I want you to remember these 3 things daily.
1) We are better together!
2) People are people.
3) Prevention is key! Address the mess!
Let’s put them into practice, and start changing lives and oil (better french fries, and a happier car, everybody wins)! Let’s be a team!