Today I had the honor of interviewing author, Glenda Watson Hyatt. Glenda has "traveled across Canada and the United States, as well as to New Zealand and Australia" with cerebral palsy...showing the world that nothing is impossible with God by your side and the determination to keep living the life you were always meant to live. Discover how she uses her "disability" to change the lives of others and how her experiences encourage men and women everywhere...

Many people think, "I can only write a memoir or autobiography if I'm famous" yet you've proven that the right message could make the world of difference. How does your story differ from that of celebrity memoirs?

I view my autobiography, I'll Do It Myself, more as part of my legacy-as my way of passing on the lessons I've learned in hopes of making someone else's life easier. It is also my way of showing that having cerebral palsy is not a death sentence, but rather a life sentence. By sharing how I have overcome obstacles in a rather ordinary, everyday kind of life, I try to give the reader encouragement and ideas for handling similar situations.

The experts told your mother that you "would not amount to much" yet you've proven them all wrong. Many people, without cerebral palsy often give up because they're told in one sense or another that they, too, would never amount to much. What advice can you provide others looking for reasons or assurances to validate themselves?

Everyone has a unique gift or passion whether it is a skill, talent or characteristic, which can be contributed to their world. Identify that gift or passion and to use it. Embrace your gift and surround yourself with positive thoughts and people. Tune out the negativity around and within you, and going for it.

When you do, you will begin having successes; they may be small initially, but still recognize them as successes. Remind yourself that you are a worthy, valuable, successful person. Believe in yourself and others will believe in you too.

There was a period of time when you sort of kept to yourself, when you became a hermit. There are many people facing some form of handicap-whether physical, mental, or merely perceived-that tend to hide from the world, thinking that they are protecting themselves by doing so. How did you get out of "Hermitsville" and how do you stay out of there today?

I would like to explain what I meant by Hermitsville. The internet has opened a whole new world to me. I can finally communicate with others without my disability getting in the way. Oftentimes, others don't even know I have a disability. If they do, they don't know the extent of it. That is not to say I intentionally hide my disability; I'm fairly open and forthcoming when people ask me about it and I really don't mind people asking questions. But, it does mean we can have more meaningful exchanges because we can bypass the misperceptions and misunderstandings of my cerebral palsy and get right to the topic at hand. It is such a liberating feeling! And, it is amazing who all I have connected with online.

However, spending so much time online can, in a sense, lead to withdrawing from the real world. It is a balancing act. I make a conscious effort to get out and be with people face-to-face when I feel I am spending too much time online.

If you could leave our reader with one word of advice, what would it be?

Attitude. It is all about attitude and having a positive attitude changes your whole perspective on life. A positive attitude attracts energy and enthusiasm and creates opportunity. A positive focuses attitude focuses on what you have and on what you can do - and that is so empowering.

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