Outrunning Fate

Beating the Odds

Beverly Kearney defied her doctors’ expectations to walk again. Chappale Linn Burton, a Los Angeles-based coach and author of How to Choose Happiness Most of the Time — 30 Ways in 30 Days (Monday Smiles L.L.C.; $19.99), offers these tips for overcoming an obstacle when the odds are against you.

Predict your own outcome. Take your focus off of the current situation and place it on the end result you desire. “You’ve got to be specific. So say whatever it is you want in a sentence,” Burton recommends. The minute Kearney decided she would walk again, her mind started working on a plan to do so, blocking out the grim prognosis.

Increase your competency. No matter your goal, “there’s a price to pay,” says Burton. Once you know what it is, you can gain the skills or knowledge necessary to achieve your goal. Burton urges you, “Ask yourself what information and resources am I missing and how can I get them.”

Positive Reinforcements. “Don’t share your goal with people who are not going to support you,” Burton says. Find like-minded people who don’t believe in limitations. “Sometimes people are like crabs in a barrel (pulling one another down). Find people who are supportive or get on with it yourself.”