My Journey to Overcome Spina Bifida with DDP Yoga

As it says in the title of this blog I was born with a disorder called Spina Bifida. I was also born with a disorder that often appears in tandem with Spina Bifida known as Hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus happens when excessive fluid amasses in the brain, mainly due to an obstruction that prevents fluid to drain properly (http://byebyedoctor.com/hydrocephalus/). I would have died the day I was born if it wasn't for the quick action of doctors and surgeons as they placed a ventricular shunt in my head that stopped the excessive flow of fluids in my brain. I still have that shunt actually, even though the average person has one replaced many times in their life and the first time is usually by the age of 15. For all I know I may hold some kind of world record in that regard. I probably should do some research on that actually.

But back to the Spina Bifida aspect and how it has effected me throughout my life.

When I was an infant, my parents were told there was a 50/50 chance that I would never even walk. And while it was later than most, I did learn to walk. But that original diagnosis followed me from childhood into adulthood. The words were repeated to me many times by many people:

"You're lucky to even be able to walk"

So for a very long time that was enough. Because of the overprotectiveness of those around me and my own fears of failure I never really challenged myself throughout my youth.

• I never learned how to ride a bike
• I never learned how to swim
• I avoided roughhouse play
• I received a doctors note to excuse myself from phys. ed. from middle school to high school (though I won't deny I also used it as an excuse to avoid showering with boys)
• If lifting something heavy could be avoided I did
• If climbing could be avoided I did
• To this day I still do not have a drivers license

As I entered into adulthood; feeling "lucky to even be able to walk" was less satisfying every year that went buy. Continuing to go through life with the balance and coordination of a child and less than the physical strength of the average adult female was not something I wanted to do. But I still didn't act on these desires. My own fears of failure continued to haunt me.

I found myself in the right situation to finally act on those desires. My neurologist office is right next door to a physical therapy office. So one day I asked my neurologist about it and he wrote me up a script to begin physical therapy at the office next door.

The physical therapy office also had a driver service that picked patients up from their home which was perfect for me. During my time there I made great strides. Using the weight machines there I was able to lift 100lbs for the first time in my life and the main doctor there noted a significant increase in all aspects during my time there. It was perfect. Then one day I was told that my insurance would no longer pay for my visits and I was no longer allowed to do therapy there.

So I was left to figure something else out for myself. I went to a regular gym a few times with a friend and did pretty well for myself. But that wasn't meant to be the answer as our schedules conflicted too much to make it a regular thing. Due to the driving situation, going to a gym by myself wasn't a great option. Also, I figured that working out with weights without a spotter probably wasn't a great idea no matter how much I wanted to push myself.

I came to the conclusion that I needed to find something that I could do by myself at home. I toyed with the idea of getting a Bowflex but never made the purchase. Which is where DDP Yoga entered into the picture.

DDP Yoga is a yoga program developed by retired professional wrestler Diamond Dallas Page (DDP). DDP began doing yoga as a way to treat a chronic back injury. He was skeptical at first but it worked wonders. That birthed the idea for a new fitness/Yoga program that was designed to be more "guy friendly" where he would modify traditional yoga moves and create some of his own. Over time his yoga program, that he would brand DDP Yoga, became friendly for men and women alike. DDP yoga went on to develop an incredible track record for helping people heal injuries, lose incredible amounts of weight, and simply accomplish fitness goals.

As I mentioned before I am a huge wrestling fan so obviously I knew who DDP was. I was aware of his program for years. Like many people I had also heard the story of Arthur, the disabled former Army paratrooper who made an astounding recovery by doing DDP Yoga. You can see that here:

But it was not the story of Arthur that finally inspired me to "Own My Life" with DDP Yoga. It was the story of another one of my wrestling idols Jake "The Snake" Roberts that finally did the trick.

At that point, I decided that if it can help Jake then it can probably help me. So I did my research and found out that DDP Yoga can be great for...

• Improving core strength
• Improving balance
• Improving coordination
• Improving range of motion
• Improving posture

All of the things I need to do to become a stronger, better me. I know it is going to be a long, hard journey. But I am up to the challenge. And I have nothing to fear as I will not fail.

After all, people have been able to overcome greater obstacles than I have to "Own Their Life" with DDP Yoga.

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Everybody's Working fo... On the Weekend

Ok maybe that title isn't entirely true.

Most people probably aren't working this weekend.

But I am.

And I'm sure many of you are too.

Obviously, I feel your pain. Everyone else is off doing something. Or at home doing nothing. Or even at home working on all those projects around the house you never have time for yourself. While all this is going on, you're stuck at work. You miss out on all the good stuff.

It's not the most fun existence in the world. But you have to do what you have to do in this world. Someone has to run these shops, restaurants, factories, and offices on the weekends. As long as the check clears, it might as well be you. As they say, it's a living. And it's not likes it's all bad either.

But I guess if you're that tired of the weekend grind, you can always ask to work a different schedule. Or find a different job that requires a different schedule. Or you can take the big risk to start your own business and set your own schedule. It is your choice. I don't believe anyone is ever truly stuck anywhere. You just have to make the right big moves to get yourself out of an unhappy situation.

But whether you're happy with it or not; it's still your job until it's not your job anymore. So show up, do your best, and make the best of it.

Be a weekend warrior.

Online Friendships are Real Friendships

I've been a member of various online communities over the years and I always made the distinction between my online friends and my real friends. The distinction was made simply because of the idea that "if I've never met someone then how could they be a real friend?"

That is a very logical way of looking at it after all. Friends are supposed to be people you go places with, do things with, and invite into your home. You're supposed to meet them through school, work, and mutual friends. You're not supposed to make friends by logging into some website and typing words into a box to anonymous figures using screen names.

But that is what I have done.

Over the years I have discovered these people's real names, seen pictures of their families, and learned personal things about them and vice-versa. We have spent countless days and nights I would have otherwise spent alone talking, joking, and laughing with each other. I've probably spent more hours of my life with these people than anyone else in my life currently; while working and maintaining an active social life too.

They are my friends. Some of my best friends in fact. And I don't think I could picture my life without them.

And that's as real as it gets.

One Week Later

I launched this blog one week ago tonight. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but I am happy with the results so far and have high hopes for the future of it. One thing that has been a pleasant surprise is the support I've received amongst my Facebook friends. There are people I haven't spoken to in over a decade that have given me great feedback and shared my blog with their friends. I am greatly appreciative of this. Thank you all for your support so far and the best is yet to come!

It's Ok to Like Nickelback

A few weeks ago a friend on Facebook shared an app that showed "People you should unfriend now" and clicking on it took me to a list of all of my Facebook friends who Liked the band Nickelback.

Now, it gave me a chuckle and it was obviously meant to be tongue-in-cheek but it got me to thinking a little deeper. Why do people look down upon other's choices of entertainment? We all have our own passions and guilty pleasures. We're all geeks for something. And yes, you can even be a geek for sports. So why is one person's entertainment any geekier, lamer, or even trashier than anyone else's?

As a lifelong fan of pro wrestling, I have a lot of experience in dealing with the snobiness of others. For the majority of my existence on social media, I posted little or nothing about my favorite form of entertainment. I just didn't want to deal with the potential negative reactions. I also feared what any potential employers might think and Heaven forbid a woman I might be interested in find out about my dirty little secret.

Recently, I finally came to a realization: why am I hiding a part of myself from social media because someone else might be a judgmental jerk. They're the one with the problem, not me.

So I encourage all of you to Like whatever you want and post about it freely. But use the filter in your brain at the same time; no one wants to see 10 posts about the same subject come through their feed in 10 minutes. Other than that one little tip, please feel free to be you online.

The realization I made has also lead to what's become my social media marketing slogan:

Be Real. Be Yourself. Be Human.

Now I haven't trademarked that yet so you're all on the honor system here.

In closing, it's ok to Like Nickelback.

A Small Moment That Could Mean A lot

This past weekend I ended up in a room with someone who at one time was a close friend. We haven't been close friends in a long time because of a falling out. I won't go into the details of the falling out here though maybe someday I will. We actually barely spoke for nearly for nearly 2 years and even in the last year, real conversations are rare.

But I had overheard them talking about something important in their life and I was curious to know more of the details. So when we were in the same room, I decided to ask what exactly was going on. They told me some good news that I was happy to hear and we had a nice, if still brief, chat.

It wasn't until later that it dawned on me: after all of the bad feelings if this somehow ended up being our last interaction then at least it was a positive one. Closure has been a big theme in my life lately and to achieve a sense of it with someone that had been the source of a lot of turmoil in my life is a good feeling.

Most likely, this won't be the last time we speak to each other so I can only hope that moment can be the beginning of a turn for the better for the both of us. But no matter what the future holds I can safely say that I have no bad feelings left and that is a huge weight off of my soul. 

What You Won't Ever Read in this Blog

I know almost everyone with some form of voice on the Internet voiced some kind of opinion on the Donald Sterling controversy in the last 48 hours. Even I did on Twitter (@ChrisCalamidia), so I am not immune to this either.

But when it comes to this blog I am making the decision not to be a part of any controversial or divisive topics. I want this blog to be a positive place for people to come and read. I don't want anyone leaving here angry and I damn sure don't have time for the inevitable flame wars I would get myself into.

There are plenty of places on the Internet for people to argue politics, religion, race, and other social issues. I don't believe the world needs another one.

What the world does need more of is positivity, wisdom, inspiration, and humor

And I intend to deliver those.

The Plight of the General Business Graduate

 



 

That up there is one of my prized possessions. That is my college degree and I am very proud of it. I worked hard for it for a very long time and receiving it is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. It meant a lot of things for me but there's one thing in particular it did not mean for me: a guaranteed career.

 

Now there are a number of reasons for that but there is one in particular I would like to focus on today. That reason is that my degree is simply in Marketing with no specialization. I believe this is a problem for many Marketing and Management majors as they graduate in this day and age.

 

There was a time when it seemed that all one needed to get in on the ground floor of a good company was a degree in anything. It didn't matter whether that degree had anything to do with that industry. Simply having a degree meant that a person was reasonably intelligent, trainable, and worthy of an opportunity. In particular a general business degree could be seen as something of a "Golden Ticket".

 

But times have changed and I had to learn that the hard way. When the economy collapsed the job market became a buyers market. Companies have the pick of the litter and can afford to be choosy with their hiring standards. So just having a degree is no longer the foot in the door of your dream career.

 

If I had it to do over again I would absolutely do more to specialize myself in something more specific. But you cannot change the past; you can only learn from it and use what you have learned to better yourself going forward and pass that knowledge on to those who are where you were.

 

Coming out of college I had to ask myself the questions I should have asked before. What kind of marketing will I do? What will I market? So that's what I have done for the last year.

 

I've had an interest in social media marketing for several years. So I decided I was going to take the time to really study it and learn it. My study of social media lead me to an interest in learning about search engine optimization (SEO). Studying SEO lead me to wanting to learn how to develop full-scale online marketing strategies. That took me to learning about how important it is to create quality written content for websites, social media platforms, blogs, etc. And that is where the gears really started turning for me as I have always had strong writing skills so that can be a real golden opportunity for me. Going forward I will need to learn more about producing & distributing audio/visual content and I will also attempt to learn web design in the coming weeks and months. 

 

So what I've done for the last year is gain a knowledge base and skillset that will work in tandem with my degree so that hopefully my services will become a hot commodity in the marketing game. It's a learning process that will be continuous as I gain more knowledge and sharpen my skills over time.

 

So my advice to you Management and Marketing majors, still in school, out there is to either learn about a specific industry or learn as much as you can about a niche or niches beneath either of those two umbrellas on your own time. For those of you who have graduated and are wondering "ok what now?" I suggest you do the same with your time. Trust me, you need to specialize in something. And even if you don't feel you need it, you should want to anyway.

About my blog

The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my journey through life and share my thoughts on whatever it is that's on my mind at the time. My blogs will vary in length; make no mistake about it I can be verbose but I've also never been the type to belabor a point. I welcome all questions and comments. If you believe I'm wrong about something, let me know about it. A healthy debate is a good thing. I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong. Maybe we'll all learn something. And that is after all one of the four points of any communication platform. To inform. To persuade. To entertain. And, what I hope to do most, inspire!