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Success has been defined as the ‘progressive realization of a worthy ideal.’ And one of the interesting things about achieving success is that despite what some may think, it rarely happens ‘overnight.’ Success is truly a process. One that requires setting a goal, then mustering up the belief or faith that it can be achieved, and then, taking the persistent action, day by day, step by step, to move forward making progress.
Consider the story of Cole Thomas. A few years ago, Cole was on his way to a job-site outside of Chicago when a deer ran out in front of his truck. Cole swerved to avoid it, but when he did, his truck ended up going down into a ditch and then back up onto the road, rolling over three times before it came to a stop. When he came to and tried to get out of the car, his legs wouldn’t move. He realized then his life had truly changed forever.
A good Samaritan came to his aid and helped him out of his truck. He was flown to a hospital in Chicago where doctors shared that he’d shattered his vertebrae and that sadly, he would never walk again. But in his own words, Cole was determined to dance with his wife and wanted to one day walk his daughters down the aisle for their weddings.
Only a few days after the accident, he began physical therapy. When asked by his therapists that his goal was to one day walk again, they attempted to manage Cole’s expectations for the future. Yet he was determined and his therapists, knowing anything is possible, started him on a program that focused doing specific tasks, like getting out of bed without any help. Yet after a month, during a touch test, Cole still couldn’t feel a thing. He began to feel like there was no hope, and that perhaps the doctors were right. Yet a few days later, he closed his eyes, and said a little prayer to himself over and over again. When he opened his eyes and looked down at his toes, he could see the slightest of movements. It was all the motivation he needed.
Over the course of the next few months, he would continue making small amounts of progress. From the big toe on his left leg, to the big toe on his right leg, every little movement was a sign that he could overcome this traumatic injury. As his therapist said, “every single week, Cole would reach a new milestone. Every Friday, he would do something new.” Only 4 months after his accident, Cole was with his family on New Year’s Eve when he made the biggest progress yet: he stood up on his own for the first time. And then, only 3 months later, he would graduate from therapy by walking out of his therapists under his own power.
Today, Cole is a physical therapist, using his experience to help inspire and motivate others in their therapy journey. His story is nothing less than a miracle, but even more, is an inspiring testimony to the power of believing in our own progress, even when it feels incremental or unsubstantial. As Cole’s story shows us, when we make even the smallest steps forward, it’s important to remember one thing: we’re still moving forward. Over time, you’ll begin to realize that what may have felt like only small changes suddenly become dramatic ones. We see this with children as they learn and grow, graduating from elementary school, to middle school, all the way through to college. We’ve also seen this with the Sunshine Initiative, as our communities have taken small steps in a positive direction, they are now beginning to flourish, day by day. We saw it with Cole, once paralyzed and now walking and using his story to help others. Our progress, no matter how big or small is under our control – within our power! We achieve positive outcomes in direct proportion to our belief and our persistence. So, I urge you to hold fast in your belief and ‘keep taking one more step forward,’ very much in the same manner as Cole – and inspiring and motivating role model for us both to admire and emulate.
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