After surviving an SCI, we are encouraged to pour enormous amounts of energy into rehabilitating our broken bodies. Although I’ve been rolling around for 11 years, getting physically stronger each day, there is still one lesson I wish I’d have understood from the very beginning. We need to put an equal amount of focus into mending our minds. This blog post is dedicated to one strategy I intentionally use to take care of my mind and stay out of the pity pit. It’s a mantra called “Life Happens. Live It!”

Life Happens. Live It!

Catchphrases are everywhere, but this one hits home for those of us battling unseen mental struggles. “Life Happens – Live It!” (LHLI) reminds us to focus on what we can do, not what holds us back. In 2008, I broke my neck in an instant. That moment changed everything. After days of tears and grief, the pressure became unbearable. My mom, overwhelmed and stressed, added to the tension. I couldn’t take it anymore. Straining against my neck brace, I turned my head as far as I could and said, “Mom, would you just chill! It is what it is.” That small moment, born out of chaos, became a turning point. None of us knew it then, but LHLI was born right there.

Breaking Down LHLI

Let’s break LHLI down into two parts. Life Happens (LH) means choosing to accept that unpredictable, bad stuff happens all the time, to everyone. While this is common knowledge, it’s unbelievably easy to sink into our own world and feel like all the bad, unfair zingers are only being flung your way. Instead of giving in to the temptation to slide into the pity pit, try replying with “Life Happens”. This separates you from the situation, reminds us we have handled adversity before and helps ward off a mental breakdown.

The second part of this mantra is Live It (LI). Consider it your reminder to ask yourself “What next?” or “Now what am I going to do about it?” Too often after something unexpected happens we just sit there, accepting that this kind of stuff always happens to us, spiraling downward into an unhealthy place. Afterlife happens, changing your initial reaction to be “Live It” is like setting a reminder on your phone to focus on what you need to do to move forward again. It’s simple, but not small.

A Positive Mindset

Feeding your mind positive messages takes real effort, and I won’t pretend an LHLI mindset makes problems disappear. But it does help me avoid sinking into the mental fog that often weighs heavier than the physical challenges of living with a spinal cord injury. When I respond to life’s daily curveballs with “Life Happens. Live It!” often enough, I notice a shift—not just in myself, but in the people around me. Caregivers, family, and friends start changing how they talk about their own struggles. As someone with a disability, I can’t control everything. But I can choose to bring a positive energy into the room. LHLI gives me that choice—and that choice makes daily life better.

Life Happens. Now how are you going to live it?

 

Jake French

Motivational Speaker

Author of the book “Life Happens. Live It!”