Everyone faces obstacles, trips, and falls. What is it that gets us to pull ourselves off the ground, stand straight and tall and proceed forward? That something is what we call motivation. It comes from deep within the heart. You can’t bottle it, drink it, or take it as a drug. You know you are not a child anymore when you have it. You are able to handle adversity with grace, dignity, and poise. We, people with I/DD, face all kinds of barriers that can easily be overwhelming. Self-Advocates say to ourselves we are stuck, but somehow, someway, we are going to get moving again. We may need guidance and support to help us but we are not going to stay here stranded. It takes mental toughness to be a Self-Advocate and a lot of communication. We get ourselves unstuck in all manner of life–family, friends, relationships, work, school, and healthcare. Our ability to motivate ourselves defines who we are and it fuels our journey to success.