Tabitha has disabilities similar to mine， yet she wrote， “I‘ve always felt blessed and because of this I needed to give back to the universe.” Her attitude of action led her and her family to start their own mission to create “goody bags” for children with major illnesses and disabilities and for those living in homeless shelters.
Sometimes the best method you’ll find for moving your life out of a rut or over an obstacle is to make life better for yourself or for others. Socrates said， “Let him that would move the world， move himself first.” When it seems like you can‘t catch a break， try creating your own. When you’ve been hit and knocked down by an overwhelming loss or tragedy， allow yourself time to grieve， and then act to create some good out of the bad.
Adopting an attitude of action creates positive momentum. The first steps are the hardest， no doubt about it. Just getting up out of bed may seem impossible at first， but once you are up， you can move forward， and as long as you are moving forward， you are on a path away from the past and toward the future. Go with that. Move ahead step by step. If you‘ve lost someone or something， help someone else or build something else to serve as a memorial and tribute.
One of the most devastating experiences is the loss of a loved one. Losing a family member or a friend triggers grief that can cripple us. Other than perhaps being glad for having loved them and known them and had time with them， there is little to be grateful for in such situations. Nothing prepares us for the grief that can overwhelm and even paralyze us. Still， some take action so that their terrible loss becomes a force for good. A well-known example is Candy Lightner， who channeled her anger and anguish into action after her thirteen-year-old daughter was killed by a drunk driver. She founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving （MADD）， which undoubtedly has saved many lives through its activism and education programs.
When tragedies strike us or those we love， the temptation is to go off somewhere and cry， hoping that eventually the heartbreak will ease one day. Yet many people like Tabitha， Joni Eareckson Tada， and Candy Lightner have taken attitudes of action. They believe that even the worst tragedy in their lives can provide opportunities for good deeds. An incredible example of this sort of person is Carson Leslie in Dallas. He was teen years old when I met him， but he had been battling cancer for two years already. This young star athlete with a brilliant smile， whose dream had been to play shortstop for the New York Yankees， was just fourteen when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor that had spread to his spine. He underwent surgeries， radiation， and chemotherapy. His cancer went into remission. Then it came back.
Through it all Carson did his best to be a normal kid， living a normal life. He often spoke of his favorite Bible verse， which someone had given him just after he was diagnosed. It’s Joshua 1：9： “Have I not commanded you？ Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified； do not be discouraged， for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Carson was quick to say that this Bible verse was not his “cancer verse” but his “life verse.”
“No matter how long I live， I want this verse on my tombstone. And when people visit my grave， I want them to read the verse and think about how it got me through my struggles in life， and I hope others will see that this verse can offer them the same kind of comfort it gives me，” Carson wrote in his book， Carry Me.
This incredibly brave boy wrote the book with his English teacher to “give a voice to the teenagers and children who have cancer but are unable to express how such an illness affects their personal， social， physical and emotional life.” Carson died on January 12， 2010， just as his book was being released. Proceeds go to the Carson Leslie Foundation in support of pediatric cancer research.
How unselfish this young man was. Though he was sick and weary， he spent his final days working on a book to encourage and benefit others. I love too that the final words in his book are these： “None of us know what life has in store . . . but it‘s easy to have courage when you know the courage comes from God.”
I met Carson through Dallas jeweler Bill Noble， a man of deep faith who has often invited me to speak to his church congregation and other groups. Bill’s children went to school with Carson， and he brought us together. He called us both “generals in the Kingdom of God.”
Aside from teasing me about being “disarming，” Bill often stresses the importance of leaving a legacy and making every second count just as Carson did， even at such a young age. Bill used to tell Carson something he‘d also told me many times. “God does not define man by his earthly body. As it says in John 6：63： ‘The Spirit gives life； the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.’ “
3. An Attitude of Empathy
If an attitude of action seems beyond your ability， there is yet another option， one that comes from the heart. As I grew more mature and my range of experience expanded， I realized that one of the key factors leading to my thoughts of suicide as a boy was the fact that I was terribly self-centered. I actually believed that no one suffered the emotional pain and physical frustration that I did. My focus was entirely on my own circumstances.
My attitude improved considerably when I grew up a little and realized that many have challenges equal to and greater than my own. When I acknowledged that， I began to reach out to offer encouragement to others with far more empathy. The young daughter of a family friend provided me with a very moving display of empathy on a visit to Australia in 2009. I‘d never met the girl， who was only two and a half years old. They’d brought her to a party， and for the longest time she kept her distance， studying me from afar as small children often do. Then， as her parents were preparing to leave， I asked this beautiful child if she wanted to give me a hug.