FindingForward

“It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” — Confucius

A positive mindset can make all the difference, but staying positive and mindful when you crave immediate results can start to wear at even the most patient of people. It's also easy to feel you're falling short when progress doesn't come to you as quickly as first anticipated or desired. But it's vital to your long-term progress that you remember it doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you keep going. Whatever your goals are, momentum is still momentum. Keep the ball rolling. You're already farther ahead than you were yesterday!

#NeverGiveUp #recoveryjourney #physicalrehabilitation #ProgressIsProgress #Dailyinspiration #selfcare #Stroke #Aneurysm #strokethriver #strokerecovery #Physicaldisability #settinggoals #Motivation #FindingForward

Here’s 3 key lessons I picked up from Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape training (SERE):

1. Never give up

2. Be thankful for your freedom each day

3. Respect and appreciate all who fight and sacrifice for the freedoms of our nation

These lessons alongside SERE training as a whole go a long way in maintaining internal control when going through hardships. Overtime, you learn to meet conflict and challenges head-on. Survival training introduced me to the warrior within myself, a warrior I was reacquainted to when recovering from stroke and paralysis. You have your own warrior inside! It’s time to tap into your own strength. You have the will within!

#warrior #innerstrength #fighter #Soldiers #AirForceVet #ProgressIsProgress #DisabledLivesMatter #StrokeSurvivorsNeverQuit #AneurysmSurvivorsNeverQuit #FindingForward

How long does it take to break a habit? Science says anywhere from 18 to 254 days. That’s right, the old belief it took 21 days to change a habit isn’t what psychologists are saying today. What does that mean for those of us looking to better ourselves, improve our abilities, and create a better day-to-day life? It means we have to live less out of habit, and more out of intention. When you find yourself going through the motions of your day, acting out of habit or your usual schedule, I encourage you to stop and ask yourself a few questions:

Does this habit help me or hurt me long term? How can I add a little extra happiness into my routine? Can I improve this routine in some way?

When you take the time to take care of your present self, you contribute to your future self's well-being. Small changes create big impacts. The more you live with intention, the bigger the lasting changes!

#thepowerofhabit #leadwithintention #bepresent #thismoment #recoveryjourney #physicalrehabilitation #ProgressIsProgress #Dailyinspiration #selfcare #FindingForward #Recovery

Have you ever taken a #workoutselfie but decided against posting it on social media? If you felt shy or embarrassed after seeing a fitness expert on Instagram share their warrior workout, I understand. No one would mistake me for Clark Kent, but then again... I never pretend to be the Man of Steel. Similarly, no one should feel compelled to compare their fitness accomplishments with anyone except who they were yesterday, the month prior, or the year before.

It's true what they say: the only person you're competing with is yourself. Let's cheer one another on and celebrate our accomplishments without eyeing the next person's trophy. We all can reach higher goals when we're looking up instead of at each other!

#innerstrength #truestrength #Survivor #Motivation #Dailyinspiration #StrokeSurvivorsNeverQuit #AneurysmSurvivorsNeverQuit #Stroke #FindingForward #perfectformpilates

Too many times, we get caught up in the idea of perfection. Whether you're recovering from a traumatic injury, finding your way back to yourself post-stroke, or embarking on another challenging journey, it's important to remember that progress is progress, no matter how imperfect. One movement, however difficult or tenuous, is a movement. A step forward, however unsteady, is a step forward. A less-painful day is still a better day than yesterday.

Perfection is a lie. Here's the truth: all progress adds up to the final result of you reaching your goals. Keep at it!

#perseverence #progress #truestrength #Survivor #Foodforthought #Dailyinspiration #StrokeSurvivorsNeverQuit #AneurysmSurvivorsNeverQuit #FindingForward

Ever wonder what it takes to make a book cover?

The photo you're looking at now became the front cover to my book. Before it was a book cover, it was a photograph snapped while I paraglided in Nepal. Before that, I had to relearn how to walk. Before that, I woke up from a surgery and was told I would be paralyzed for the rest of my life. Rewind from there, back to the start... I told my dog Mac I'd see him later that day, after a quick doctor's appointment about a bad headache.

The photo you're looking at now is so much more than a snapshot of one moment. It represents a culmination of overcoming challenges, beating odds, and fighting to find my way forward. It symbolizes the journey of reconnecting with my body after a life-altering trauma. This photo, in short, is so much more than a book cover... but at the time this photo was snapped, I had no idea what was coming. As I look ahead now, I still have no idea what is on the horizon. How exciting!

You can check out FINDING FORWARD: YOU HAVE THE WILL WITHIN where books are sold!

#FindingForward #BookCover #Survivor #Motivation #Dailyinspiration #StrokeSurvivorsNeverQuit #AneurysmSurvivorsNeverQuit #Stroke #FindingForward #finding

Are you tired? You've earned a rest. But what you haven't earned is a free pass to quit!

When I was waiting for life-saving surgery after suffering an aneurysms and a dissected artery, I dealt with an unbearable migraine for weeks on end. After living a life of day-to-day torture, I had all but given up. But on the Fourth of July, while thinking about so many people gearing up for celebration, my impulse to throw in the towel changed. I made the decision to keep fighting, regardless of the outcome, and make it through another day despite how dire my situation was. But what did I do before I recovered? I rested. A lot.

After learning how to refuel and recharge myself, I was in that much of a better position for making progress. So if you're tired from chronic pain, constantly battling setbacks, or another struggle, here's your sign: Rest, but don't you dare quit. Give yourself some time and space to recuperate, then get back up!

#neverquit #persevere #Survivor #Foodforthought #Dailyinspiration #StrokeSurvivorsNeverQuit #AneurysmSurvivorsNeverQuit #FindingForward

We define strength in many different ways. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you're weak for not meeting a certain goal or target. It's easy to focus on shortcomings. It's easy to avoid starting a new journey or dedicating to an aspiration because of previous setbacks. But you can't settle for the easy way out. You have to try again! Remind yourself: you are NOT weak. You are NOT a failure. You WILL overcome.

Remember: Strength doesn't come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming what you once thought you couldn't.

#innerstrength #truestrength #Motivation #Dailyinspiration #aneurysmsurvivor #Survivor #Stroke #Strokesurvivor #StrokeSurvivorsNeverQuit #Aneurysm #AneurysmSurvivorsNeverQuit #FindingForward

Hello, everyone, and thank you for stopping by to visit my new account. My name is Jeffrey Morse, and I’m here to tell you there’s life after life, but I’m getting ahead of myself. I was a U.S. Air Force veteran who worked—and still works—in commercial aviation. I’ve written a book, Finding Forward, about a life-altering journey that has changed me forever.

Almost ten years ago, a life that I loved living was unexpectedly altered when I woke up from a lifesaving surgery paralyzed from the neck down. My first thoughts in panic from this trauma was to figure my way out of this devastating problem, but there was no instruction book for healing from paralysis. While lying in the recovery room, I realized my thoughts and actions going forward would hopefully one day become the chapters and inspiration to those who also find themselves on a similar path. What I’m saying here is that I chose not to give up or let phrases like “I can’t” into my vocabulary.

Words like paralysis, stroke, or trauma (of any sort) are just words, and they by no means define who we are as human beings. If you’re finding that fate has chosen a new path along your journey of life, and you’re wondering why, look upon those new paths as a fresh start or a new beginning and set the word “why” off to the side for a while. These were my initial thoughts as I lay on a gurney, shut off from my entire body. Yes, I could have chosen to lie in panic, and my initial reaction was indeed that, but I chose a different path. My mind still worked; I could breathe, speak, see, and hear. Now all I needed was to create that first step in my mind and achieve it.

My purpose in writing posts is to share that beginning and my path along the way to help others find their own path as well. I said to myself when my journey began that beyond writing this book, if I could just reach out and help one person beyond their own struggles to get started, then I did a good thing to inspire someone else to continue on with the gift of their own life.

There is one other reason for reaching out here. One of the first goals I set on that first day was to motivate and inspire myself to fight on and reach this point one day. Nine and a half years later, every day of pain and struggle has been worth the effort. If I can do it, so can you!

This initial post, like learning to walk again, is only the first step. My hope is that you will choose to walk with me along this new journey. Let’s all find forward together!

Feel free to connect with me and share your story!

#Strokesurvivor #neverquit #Survivor #persevere #FindingForward #Stroke #Aneurysm #aneurysmsurvivor