Why You Want to Be an “Incurable Optimist” like Michael J. Fox

Synopsis:
“Always Looking Up is a memoir of this last decade, told through the critical themes of Michael’s life: work, politics, faith, and family. The book is a journey of self-discovery and reinvention, and a testament to the consolations that protect him from the ravages of Parkinson’s.“

“The last ten years, which is really the stuff of this book, began with such a loss: my retirement from Spin City. I found myself struggling with a strange new dynamic: the shifting of public and private personas. I had been Mike the actor, then Mike the actor with PD. Now was I just Mike with PD? Parkinson’s had consumed my career and, in a sense, had become my career. But where did all of this leave Me? I had to build a new life when I was already pretty happy with the old one.”

The alternaview
So, this will probably be one of the first book reviews (and possibly the last, depending on your reaction) that you will read where the person writing the review (that would be me) openly admits to not having read the book (yet). Despite the fact that I haven’t actually read the book, I can tell you based on the information I have that it will probably be one of the best books you have ever read. I can tell you this based on one excerpt from the book.  This excerpt alone and the lesson for all those who decide to take it away would make the entire book worthwhile even if it was the only meaningful statement in the book (which I highly doubt).

“For everything this disease has taken, something with greater value has been given—sometimes just a marker that points me in a new direction that I might not otherwise have traveled.”

In terms of alternaviews, this is about as good as it gets (too bad its not my alternaview). The truth of this statement speaks volumes and when we apply it to challenges in our own lives, it can serve as the inspiration that may be needed to have faith to make it through the challenge. The truth it points out is one that we all know, but perhaps forget from time to time. It is one of the most important things to keep reminding ourselves of and that is that even if we feel overwhelmed by current challenges or issues in our lives, the reality is they are there for a reason and serve a purpose that will lead us to a better place.

The problem is not that we have the current challenges or issues, but rather that we have misclassified them as something that is limiting or problematic when in actuality they are the beginning of a new discovery or direction. If we could recognize and appreciate this truth, we would actually be grateful for the challenges that exist because we would know with absolute certainty that there is something much bigger and better going on. We would have the realization and alternaview, that despite the fact that sometimes the issues we face in life appear to suck the life out of us and strike us hard at the core, the reality and what is really going on could not be any further from this misperception. If you were able to look at all the pieces of your life and challenges and combine them altogether, you would see that in the end they all come together and makes sense. It is all a part of something much bigger and larger than you perhaps ever realized. It is all a part of a master plan that you must believe exists in order to have the faith to get through those times you have misunderstood. During our toughest times, we should continually remind ourselves of this excerpt…for everything that we feel has been taken, we are truly getting something much better in return…that is the alternaview.

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