1. • I have POWER, do you?
Andrea Buening
Survivor
2. May 16, 1997
– Car wreck – brain injury/shattered hip
– 7 week coma
– I didn’t drive for 3 years
– I didn’t work for 3 years
– I didn’t know my limitations
– I didn’t know my strengths
– I didn’t know how to make good decisions
– I had a guardian for 5 years
–I was full of fear
3. Build YOUR Confidence
Whether you have a guardian or not!
Learn to make good decisions.
A guardian can protect you.
Your guardian can teach you.
They need to be honest with you. EXPECT IT
and listen!
You should be allowed to make mistakes and
practice while gaining ability.
Help paying bills
Go shopping
Become aware of your situation
Learn how to ask for things and be assertive
Assertiveness is a lifelong struggle
Making good decisions is a struggle
4. All people are different.
Every Brain Injury is
different.
My Life with a brain injury is not YOUR life
with a brain injury.
We started out as different people and we all
have different things that motivate us.
SO
5. DO YOU WANT TO BE ALL THAT
YOU CAN BE?
Your attitude can determine your
ALTITUDE
6. MOTIVATION
Start where you
are. Use what
you have. Do
what you can.
Arthur Ashe
Problems are not
stop signs, they
are guidelines.
Robert H.
Schuller
8. What sparks your interest?
You command your destiny. It’s up
to YOU to make the
choices that will make
YOU happy!
9. Do you want to enjoy
your life?
What things do you like to
DO?
Do you like to do them alone or
with a group?
What things do you want to
learn to do?
Having a brain injury doesn’t mean
you can’t learn. So, find
SOMETHING that you can be
passionate about!
10. “If you don’t
know where you
are going, you’ll
end up
someplace else.”
Yogi Bera
Planning
11. Family
You knew the person before.
Do you feel they are totally different?
THAT’S BECAUSE THEY ARE!
Are there things that your survivor did
before for fun that they might still be able
to do?
What opportunities can you encourage
your survivor to try?
What excites your survivor?
12. PERSISTENCE
“Good intentions might sound
nice, but it’s positive actions
that matter.” -Tim Fargo
Set your goals high, and don't
stop till you get there.
-Bo Jackson
13. Even if we have a GUARDIAN, we
still have choices.
POSITIVE choices create positive outcomes
We HAVE to keep our minds active
Your mind needs exercise
Exercising our minds wears us out
Play cards, board games, crossword puzzles, chess,
SEQUENCE, and trivial pursuit. Any games!
Computer games work too but we don’t all have
computers.
EVERY day
Make a schedule for the next day
KEEP IT WITH YOU and mark off things as they are completed
Go to bed at the same time
Wake up at the same time
Get some exercise in the morning!
Think Good things, not bad things
14. Accountability
Takes courage
“accepting responsibility for YOUR behaviors and
mistakes rather than pointing fingers at
someone else.“
• Accepting responsibility for your behavior
– No more excuses
– Accept the consequences of the choices you make
– If you don’t like the consequences, change your behavior
• Meeting/exceeding expectations
– Know what is expected.
– Meet/exceed these expectations.
– Volunteer to assist whenever possible.
– Encourage feedback on how you are doing.
– Use the feedback offered to improve performance
15. Accountability
Takes motivation
“accepting responsibility for YOUR behaviors and
YOUR mistakes rather than pointing fingers at
someone else.“
• Admitting your mistakes
Do you accept responsibility for your mistakes or
do you blame others?
DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP!
• Admitting your limitations of knowledge.
People attempt to "fake it" when it would be in
their best interest to admit, "I don't know the
answer, but I will find out."
16. Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome Them
Fear
• What are you afraid of
today?
• Confront it
• Take an action
• And FREE yourself
No Goals
• Know Your Passion
• Find your purpose
Lack of Energy
• Create Energy by:
• Exercising daily
• Doing the things you
love to do
• Resting enough
No motivation to be
better than where you are
• Define Complacency
• If you don’t like where you
are, YOU must change it
(any way you can)
• Strive for excellence
EVEN IF IT’S HARD,
force yourself to be
aware of yourself, your
needs, and your
surroundings.
17. Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome Them
You have CHOICES!
If you are in a Bad
ENVIRONMENT
• You can surround
yourself with support,
take criticism as guidance and
think about it.
• Control the amount of doom
and gloom in your life –
ATTITUDE is a choice
Take care of your HEALTH
• Exercise daily
• Eat a well balanced diet
• Join a health club/apply for
a scholarship
If you had bad experiences
during childhood
• Anyone can overcome
their childhood
Be around people who are
positive role models
• Study their behaviors
• Change your behavior that
you know is
unacceptable
BE HONEST WITH
YOURSELF!
18. Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome Them
PROCRASTINATION
Spoils one’s chances of
success
Waiting for the “time to be
right”
Don’t wait! The time will
never be “just right.”
Start where you stand,
and work with whatever
tools you may have.
LACK OF PERSEVERENCE
Most people are good
“starters”
• We can be poor
“finishers” of what we
begin
• People are prone to give
up at the first signs of
defeat
• Don’t stop or resign
yourself to defeat
19. Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome Them
Having a NEGATIVE PERSONALITY
You have power to share, so use your winning/positive
personality instead of negative character.
You DESIRE TO GET “SOMETHING FOR
NOTHING.”
Progress takes WORK
You might sit on your sofa wishing for a million dollars
23 hours of every day. You might not pay your bills. You
lose your house due to non-payment and you get hungry.
People don’t get something for nothing.
Desire is necessary but it is only the beginning – an
action plan as well as ACTION are both essential
20. Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome Them
LACK OF ABILITY TO MAKE A DECISION
People who succeed know there are no failures – only
tests.
People with brain injuries need to think before they act
and talk over decisions with someone they trust
INABILITY TO TAKE RISKS
The person who makes no decisions, takes whatever is
left by default. By NOT choosing, you ARE choosing to
let someone else choose for you. Over-caution is as bad
as under-caution.
What to do: Make small decisions first. Remember, there
are no failures!
21. Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome Them
LACK OF CONCENTRATION OF EFFORT
What to do: With laser focus, continue on that
path that brings you happiness
Don’t get sidetracked
LACK OF ENTHUSIASM
Are you a happy person?
Do you try hard to succeed?
What do you do that makes YOU happy?
22. Roadblocks To Success
and How To Overcome Them
INTOLERANCE
When a person is unwilling to accept new beliefs, ideas, beliefs and
behaviors
How can we expect others to be tolerant with us if we aren’t
tolerant with them?
Be open to any idea, statement, judgment, or opinion that comes
your way.
Respecting what someone else believes doesn’t mean you
believe the same things. Always be open to alternative views.
You just might learn something about yourself along the way
GUESSING INSTEAD OF THINKING
People don’t work to find facts and seem lazy
People prefer to act on opinions
Check your facts and do your research.
Thinking is your most powerful tool because what you
think, you will be!
23. SUCCESS!
• “Success is getting what you want,
happiness is wanting what you get”
― W.P. Kinsella
24. Resources
Maria Romano
• http://givebackorlando.com/resources.html
Brain Injury Association of Missouri, Caregiving
• http://www.biausa.org/brain-injury-family-
caregivers.htm
The Independent Living Center
• http://www.ilcenter.org/
LIFE, by Andrea Buening
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/to
pic_motivational4.html
