There are two people who taught me the concept of believing I am the best person for this.
The first was a client I once had who, for this post, we will call John.
John was a very religious man and was once a Father in the Roman Catholic church. He enjoyed his jobs of younger years as a DJ and then florist, but I think his spiritual role was always the closest to his heart. He loved helping people and through his position would counsel people and families who were going through end of life stages.
He had a stroke pretty early on in his retirement years that left him mostly paralyzed on his right side. This greatly limited his mobility and required him to have a caregiver to help him with personal care and housekeeping. He lived many more years after that, with his mind fully intact.
He began losing more and more mobility and, ultimately, was diagnosed with ALS in the late stages. ALS (also known as motor neurone disease or Lou Gehrig's disease) is a slow loss of muscle function, 100% fatal, with few treatments to improve quality of life (http://www.alsa.org/about-als/2013-aam/).
The last time I saw him in his home before he moved to a care home was the day he taught me this important lesson. His mind was sharp, but his body was deteriorating before his eyes. And you know what he told me? He said, "You know, it's better me than someone else because other people might not have the faith that I do."
I couldn't believe it. The function of his body, his independence, and his home were about to be stripped away, and he had enough faith to, essentially, say, I am the best person for this.
The next person who taught me this lesson is Jody Moore. Jody is a certified life coach who has an incredible podcast called Better Than Happy. Her podcast changed my brain for the better which led me to join her program Be Bold. While coaching clients Jody likes to offer them new thoughts to "try on." One particular woman was struggling with doubt regarding a niece coming to live with her. She wasn't sure if she was the right person to help her niece make a life turn around. Jody suggested, "What if you chose to believe that you are the best person for this situation?"
I don't know why, in that moment, that particular phrase stuck with me so strongly, but it has truly changed me. There are many experiences in this life I didn't choose or want that I also can't change, but I can try to choose what thoughts I believe about these experiences.
For example, I have a dizziness condition that is not even fully understood at this point. What if I chose to believe that I am the best person for this experience?
Maybe I am the best person for this because I have a family who loves and supports me and I am not alone. Maybe I am the best person for this because I knew how to research and be an advocate for myself and learn what helps and what doesn't help my condition. Maybe I am the best person for this because I believe the bad "stuff" helps us see and feel the good "stuff" even more. Maybe I can be the best person for this situation by having faith that, though it is not perfect in this life, my body will be perfect and whole again in heaven someday.
For the record, believing this doesn't negate the totally real feeling and thought that "This totally sucks, I wish my eyes and head would heal." More than one thought can be true!
I encourage you to "try on" this thought with a situation in your life that you did not choose or can't control and let it grow within you to, just maybe, become true.
