The Brilliance Of Obstacles

Sorry for the brief post this time out.
I do have some serious things in the works. Definitely some more instructional videos coming soon.

I wanted to touch base a little bit about facing obstacles. Once in a while hard times can come your way. It is what you do with the challenges you encounter that can make all the difference. You have to face things head on and keep a positive attitude.
In this case I think art can express more than any words I could ever type. So I will let the video below do the talking.
A great music tune, Jóga by Bjork. A beautiful song I had not heard in a while that I was recently re-reminded of. The whining but uplifting strings, the desperate yet hopeful vocals, the fear, and the excitement.

What will you do with your "State Of Emergency"?

FlowRider Surfing With Action Sports Foundation

We went out a couple of weeks ago to Surf Style in Clearwater, FL. Surf Style was gracious enough to donate time so our group of disabled athletes could have fun on the FlowRider surfing machine.

Included is a video showing some of the fun.

Very special thanks to Action Sports Foundation and Kiteboarding Tampa Bay for donating their effort, time, funds, and video equipment into putting together such a wonderful event. It was truly a blast. Outings like this add invaluable experiences to the participants. I am highly looking forward to working with and participating in future events with these organizations. I saw a lot of ear to smiles...which is one of best things in the world.

Paul Falk

Hey All.

Included is a video by a friend I met at The Sarasota Amputee Support Group.

Paul Falk. He is an incredible guy that has been through a lot. Paul has dealt with diabetes, was once on dialysis, has had heart surgery, a kidney transplant, a pancreas transplant, and lost the vision in his left eye. On top of all that he is also a bi-latera BK amputee.

When Paul told me he hits the gym on a regular basis, I just had to go and check him out. Included are some video clips he was nice enough to let me shoot. Paul showed me some of the typical exercises he goes through during a workout.

Special thank to the Lakewood Ranch YMCA

Amputee Workout Routines - Ampucise

I finally got around to documenting a workout routine. I have been doing short, burst movement circuit training lately.
I documented part of a routine I did this afternoon at my apartment. As I have always stated you don't need a lot of time or expensive equipment to get in a good workout.
The featured video shows 6 exercises that I feel most prosthetic wearing leg amputees should be able to do. You may have to modify some of the exercises or even add different ones depending on your situation. I definitely think that 'if there is a will...there is a way'. REMEMBER NOT TO PUSH YOURSELF TOO HARD. Make sure your prosthesis fits well. If you feel something weird going on take the time to check things out and readjust if needed. The goal is to have fun and stay injury free.
I recommend you seek advise from your prosthetist and doctor before beginning any type of exercise.
Baby steps! As you can see in the video, my form is not so great on some of these movements...but I am glad to be able to do them.
The exciting thing is I have hit up some of my fellow amputee friends. I have made arrangement to shoot a little video of them doing some of their respective workouts. This project has been a long time coming and I am glad to get the ball rolling on it.


Ampucise Workout Routine I

Something Bigger Than Us

I have had an abysmal month. Without getting into my personal life too much I can say things seem to have all gone wrong at the same time. My current problems feel so huge. I have found myself at a point where I have been seriously examining my life and my role in this world. I have spent the larger part of some days isolated and feeling sorry for myself.

I have managed to complete a few task. I participated in a 62 mile bike ride, helped host an Amputee Support Group and have gotten some important things completed that I have had to address. I do see light at the end of the tunnel. It can just be tough staying focused sometimes when things seem down.

There were some other commitments I imposed upon myself this month that I did not get to. One project I aspired to complete were a set of Amputee Workout videos I wanted to shoot and edit. A friend was going to come visit me here in Florida. I was going to have him help me with the project while we were hanging out. To make a long story short he canceled the visit and I got discouraged. I became very disappointed in my friend and the situation when things fell through. He backed out at the very last moment and I felt he really left me hanging. You cannot control the actions of others. There is no use wasting energy being mad at someone. If it is meant to be I will complete the affair in due time.

We often can be over dramatic about our problems. In the big picture what does me shooting a video have to do with the larger scheme of life? I would like to think it might be a helpful tool for someone. Without a doubt my ego is probably placing way more emphasis on something that is quite trivial. I have had to sit back and realize that you know 'There are a lot more important things going on in this world than my problems'. I have also had to remember that everything isn't always in my control.

I am learning that I have to 'give up' my fate to a higher power and trust things will work out. Without being overtly religious I think part of the solution lies within the wise words in the Serenity Prayer. "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can and the wisdom to know the difference." I have to remind myself that if I can live my life by those words on a daily basis I will be a much happier person.

One word of caution. I think people often use the 'turning things over to a higher power' mantra as an excuse for inaction. It is true some obstacles are out of our control. It is not productive to woe over things you cannot do anything about. We must work on changing the things in our grasp like our thoughts and our attitude. We all have been given a set of tools and certain gifts. I believe everyone in this world has something positive to offer. It is your duty to get out there every day and do the best you can. I have come to find that giving extra effort on days I feel down is very rewarding. It can also change your whole outlook on the day.


Spread Happiness To Become Happy
It doesn't always seem like it but one of the best way for us to feel good is to attempt to make other happy. I'm not just making this up. There are many studies that show the biggest human joy comes from bringing joy to others:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1820947/
http://web.med.harvard.edu/sites/RELEASES/html/christakis_happiness.html

Even though our problems are small in the grand scheme of things, small gestures can make a huge impact on you and the life of others.
What I want to point out is we continue to put our small problems ahead of what is really important in life. I am reaching out to hopefully remind you that you can address your problems and be happy while using your personal gifts to make a difference in this world.

Small Changes = Big Impact - Ty

The Best Prosthesis In The World...Or So We Say

The marketing of prosthetic devices is useful but can inevitably have it's pitfalls. Marketing is defined many different ways. If you were to ask several people to define marketing the answers will vary. My definition of marketing is, distributing information to an audience to try and effect behavior. Advertising can be subtle or strong. Marketing is a concept that is constantly changing. Ads, product placement, catch phrases, infomercials, on-line advertising, buzz words and other marketing ploys are so ingrained in our society it is often hard to gauge their effects.

Marketing be can be used for wonderful purposes. You can put out a health campaign that increases peoples quality of life or that helps prevent the spread of a disease through education. There are many helpful prosthetic devices that use marketing to reach the amputee community. We have all seen images of super light prosthetic running feet and high tech mechanical limbs. There are several professional and amateur amputee athletes that use and promote prosthetic equipment. In some ways amputee ad campaigns are more effective because they are an anomaly. Amputee athletes tend to be more noticeable than their able bodied counterparts, because they are rare.

The bad side of marketing can rear it's ugly head. Sometimes money becomes so important the effects on consumers can be overlooked. Who could ever approve of a campaign that promotes smoking to kids? Yet we all know that there have been some subtle and not so subtle ways smoking has been romanticized toward youth. Believe me, tobacco companies know the value of a consumer that begins smoking at a young age. What about fast food? It is very convenient and can be helpful when we are on the run. Fast food also is inexpensive and often has a pleasing (some would argue) addictive taste. We all know it isn't good for us to eat on a regular basis. I am not against anyone smoking or eating fast food if they choose to. I believe in personal choice and freedom of expression. Is there a place where we should draw the line? An individual should be allowed to make their own informed decisions shouldn't they? Of course they should. The problem is when a product or organization promotes itself as something that it isn't. Consumers are not allowed to make a decent choice without honest information.

The prosthetic industry is not immune to the same perils as other commercial enterprises. Often millions of dollars are sunk into research to make a device. Some prosthetic products are beneficial to certain people, but sometimes not as favorable as portrayed. Even when products are helpful to certain segments of the population they can be paired with individuals that receive little aid from them. There are large amounts of money involved and the prosthetic industry can be just as susceptible to abuse as other big corporations.

When someone 'qualifies' for a certain type of prosthetic device it does not necessarily mean they need that device. The type of product is often a judgment call between the Doctor, Amputee and Prosthetist. Judgment calls can be influenced by money and education. If the provided product education is flawed or sensationalized then it may not help someone make an informed decision. A medical professional makes money on reimbursement from the services and devices they provide. I would argue that the marketing done by some prosthetic manufacturers promotes their usefulness, at times, beyond their actual benefits. I do not blame the industry for this. I am certain that if I spent a lot of time, money and energy on something I would be very proud of it and espouse it's usefulness. I am also sure that many other industries such as fast food, pharmacy companies, soft drink manufacturers, hospitals, politicians, and other organizations energetically promote their benefits and diminish their weaknesses and flaws as well.

I am sure we can all think of products that we have thought would be great and soon found disappointment from. At one time or another we all have been sold something and realized it was not what it was portrayed to be. I still regret getting duped on those x-ray glasses as a kid.:)

Marketing has become more sophisticated over time. There have been millions of dollars spent on research, think tanks, human behavior studies, psychology reviews, and many other subjects relevant to marketing. It is a guarantee that all of this money and time would not be spent if marketing did not work. There are currently many companies that spend more money on advertising than they do on anything else, including making their products. I recently watched a film by documentarian Morgan Spurlock called The Greatest Movie Ever Sold . I found Spurlock's movie to be an interesting look at marketing and it's often unheralded influence on media and society as a whole.

What is promising is that effective marketing can be done by those of modest means more easily than any other time in history. With the ability to blog, post videos, and use social media the layman can arguably promote their own effective marketing strategy. A person of modest means certainly does not have the same advantage as a big corporate entity, but the tools are more effective at a cheaper price than ever.

I am not here to condemn the free enterprise system. I definitely think capitalism is the best way to promote and develop products. Ultimately consumers tend to use or not use a product based on if they like it or not. My main advice to all when making important decisions is to be informed. There is nothing wrong with taking another look, doing your homework or getting a second opinion. As an amputee I caution you to be realistic. You have to have reasonable goals about your physical capabilities when choosing a prosthetic device. I can definitely attest that a prosthesis does not always have to be fancy and have all the bells and whistles to be effective. There have been many hills walked, runs run and lives changed by a simple, effective, and proper fitting prosthetic device.

The best marketing in the world is character. Word of mouth is still the best way a product get promoted. It is a good ideal to remember those that use your products or services also have access to the tools of the Internet. Which means anyone can use digital means to praise or complain about your products and services. As the saying goes, "A satisfied person will tell 3 friends a dissatisfied one will tell 30". Doing a good job, providing good products, being an upstanding individual, and having excellent customer service are still key to being a success.

Remember - Selling a positive attitude gives back an Invaluable return Ty

Speeding Into The Holidays

Wow! Time is flying by. In fact it is moving by so fast, and I have thought about it so much, that I did a slideshow presentation on it. Actually many different variations of this lecture have been in my arsenal for quite a while. I consolidated things down and put a simple power point together. It isn't the best, the audio is hideous. I smashed it together kind of hastily. I hope it gets across some key points.

Time is definitely one of my favorite subjects. Since being a young boy I have always held a fascinated with time and time travel. I know this is unorthodox material for a holiday month type of blog. I just kind of went with what I felt was good subject matter for me right now. Honestly I have had writers block about everything else but this project. I just wasn't going to be able to focus on anything until I got my thoughts on 'time' out there.

I do feel this is a very special period of the year. I wish the best to all. I hope everyone of us will make the time to be thankful and feel blessed. I know it can be very hard during the holidays for many of us. I also know that taking challenges head on can build inner strength and peace. The bottom line is that your happiness is up to you. You have to find it from within. There are tools out there to help you overcome anything...please never be shy about asking for help to find them.

Even though time is not directly related to being an amputee or prosthetics I do feel it is relevant. Time is what we all must deal with. Being patient, meeting deadlines, showing up for appointments, and so fourth. Time is meaningful to each and every one of us. The premise is simple. The longer we live, the faster time appears to be moving. The key question, "Is time really moving faster"? Well that depends on who you talk to. There are tons of theories on both sides of the argument. If time isn't moving faster why does it appear to be? That opens up a whole other line of questioning. Once again there are many ideals as to why this phenomenon appears to be happening.

Most people do feel that time is moving more rapidly. Yet a second appears to be a second...a minute a minute and so fourth. How often do we say things like "I can't believe it is Christmas already" or "so and so sure did grow up fast"? Time can seem to fly by in the blink of an eye.

I really don't know the answers. No one seems to be certain. My thoughts are that we are able to do more in a shorter amount of time. This ability to constantly have more power, more options and more choices make it appear things are moving faster. You can do so much more in a smaller amount of time than ever before. Think about how long it used to take to mail a letter or travel in the past compared to today. In the future as technology advances you will be capable of doing even more in a shorter span of time. Remember how slow the Internet used to be? Remember not having the Internet? So in many ways time is speeding up.

Yet another question is, will things get so fast that you won't be able to keep up with them some day? If things keep progressing like they are the definite answer is yes they absolutely will. Doesn't it seem like they already have sometimes?

Of course, all of this is theory. So who knows? Maybe you don't feel like time is getting faster to you? Maybe sigularity isn't happening? I personally feel optimistic about the future and feel privileged to be in these times. I feel some very important world events are on the near horizon. It is exciting to think you may be part of a whole new world paradigm.

I once heard a lecturer say, "That at some point all things that are possible will all happen at the same time". So what do you do then? Well the best advice I have heard is "Follow your intuition". If you can picture yourself being in a river with it flowing more and more rapidly. There you are hanging onto a branch along the side bank out of fear...Sooner or later you must let go, ride the current and be one with the water...

Letting Go Of Everything But Hope - Ty

Time Is Speeding Up