Setting Standards

During my childhood, I had many role models. Only a few showed a positive side for anyone who was hearing impaired. Where could I go for the information I needed, to know about my disability? The movies and the television offered only a few characters. It's only now we are beginning to see characters with handicaps.

My initial reaction was to deny my hearing loss. I look back at the time when I pretended I didn't have a hearing impairment.

My self esteem flew out the door. I lost my identity. The person I had always been seemed to have fallen by the wayside.

I worried so much about how people would treat me that I grew suspicious and wanted to stay secluded. This too grew to be unbearable since I had always enjoyed the company of others, all through my younger years.

The standards I was setting for me were so bizarre. I had to face the facts and grab the bull by the horns. The more I was able to admit to myself I was hearing impaired, the better life seemed to treat me.

Soon, I joined the chatrooms at Delphi, and although I didn't find all of the answers, I did learn to understand, by hearing and reading other people's experiences. I discovered that my problems were similar to theirs, and therefore, I was never really alone at all.

Standards can be a very good thing in life as long as you don't set your standards too high. By measuring quality or value, you can be setting yourself up for a huge disappointment. I stop putting myself down and gradually returned to my life as it had been before my hearing impairment.

My writing of these articles here has been a learning experience. It has helped me meet my deadlines, however, when I start feeling myself coming to a burnout, I know I must change my writing standards to keep the creativity flowing.

A real shot in the arm, for me, when I begin to find myself lagging, or I start to lose momentum, is to give myself time for solitude. A walk or activity done for pleasure can be quite refreshing. Pets offer gratitude, as our human spirits start to grow disenchanted.

The standards we accept as part of our lives make us the people we are today. I am appreciative, at present, that I've set my own standards to match realistic goals.

The way you see yourself determines how you're able to set standards. I realize my capabilities to enjoy a full life begin and end in the way my mind perceives.

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