It's Friday, the last weekday of Charcot Marie Tooth Awareness Week.
I figured I would finish off the week on the topic of self esteem, since that's something I can possibly help other CMT sufferers out with. Self esteem can be a major issue with a person who has this disease, even if they are as blessed with talent and looks as...well, my wife ain't known as The Luckiest Woman on The Planet for nothing. Anyways, I've had this thing or stuff for eight years now, and if there is one thing I have learned it's not to let it define you.
Having CMT is a condition, not an identity.
Yes, it will change your life. Yes, it will reduce your options. No, it isn't who you are. That is still up to you. You may have to work harder at it, and you may have to be more creative about it, but you can still define yourself and not just be "the guy with CMT." Thanks to Charcot Marie Tooth, I am now Nate the Author. (I'm not really Nate the Supermodel...I confess the above image may have been retouched a tad.) Thanks to Charcot Marie Tooth, I am now a far wiser man than I was before. Thanks to Charcot Marie Tooth, I can write characters with a lot more depth and understanding than I could have imagined before.
So CMT can be a condition that can affect your options, but it's not who you are. That is still up to you. If you have to make a compromise here or there to get there, that's just part of the journey. In the end, the destination is your own identity.
PS: That hat makes me look goooooooood!
I want THAT husband!
ReplyDeleteFor the first time in my life, I'm speechless! :o
ReplyDeleteYep, it's the 'hat' that gave you away!!!!!
And Karla, you crack me up!!!
Nate,
ReplyDeleteThese posts have been very good. I hope others with CMT read them. It will be to their benefit.
Bravo.
Oh, wow. Even if you did look like that, Nate, that was TMI. LOL.
ReplyDeleteNo, Karla doesn't want THAT husband because he would be too busy staring in the mirror or working out to keep his beautiful physique to be any darn good for anything else. LOL
Thanks for being so candid about sharing what you are going through. It is not confined to CMT, either. That is an extreme version, but most of us are struggling with something that could define us with its limitations if we let it. I have learned that NO ONE is truly healthy. We all battle something.
What do you mean "if" I looked like that? Okay, I admit I sepia toned the image to mask a couple of blemishes, but nobody's perfect.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Very photogenic :)
ReplyDeleteWell said! We create the story. One thing I keep hearing about typical fictional health stories is that the challenge becomes a character's main motivation- getting to walk again, overcoming the illness, etc. In real life, know that there's a lot more than the challenges. In fact, with the right perspective, the challenges can enrich us instead of make us smaller.
Write on!
This post is actually really inspiring for me, thank you!
ReplyDeletehttps://blog.mindvalley.com/boost-your-self-esteem/