The Uplifting Empire: Chris Rathje

Some of us are just blessed with certain talents while others are not. I think this part of the master plan to show us that we are all in this together. I believe I am naturally compassionate and selfless person, but I don’t think I should be commended for that. It is [...]

My wonderful friend Linda taught me that every possible emotion in the human experience boils down to either love or fear.
At first I didn’t understand this. It took me weeks of introspection to realize that this is true.
There are no words I can type in this moment, which will make anyone understand this if they [...]

The game of wheelchair rugby has taught me many lessons about life. In wheelchair rugby, like many other sports, there are three components to the game, offense, defense, and transition.
When I am off the court I try to play as little defense as I can. I want to focus on making myself better at [...]

I’ve got another humble suggestion:
Let’s eliminate the word struggle from human language.
I am writing this piece because I MUST eliminate it from my own personal vocabulary.
I have extreme confidence in myself, but I always expect a struggle. I expect to get knocked down seven times in order to get up eight.
Instead of struggling, let’s [...]

I would like to make a humble suggestion:
Let’s eliminate the word sacrifice from human language.
The word sacrifice connotes that the world is limited. This beautiful planet that we inhabit is vast and the possibilities that lie ahead are infinite.
We might have limited resources or widgets, but that is part of [...]

One of the most valuable pieces of advice I ever received came in the fall of 2001. My wheelchair basketball coach Mike Frogley told me “You can learn something from any situation or any person, even if the lesson is how not to act.”
God has blessed me with a pretty awesome brain, but I [...]

An Essay on Imperfect Growth
This title is a suggestion and not necessarily a practice. I am trying to live at a medium pace and not succeeding most days.
I am really bad at the practice of a “medium pace”. When my eyes get set on the prize I go 100% until my gas tank reaches [...]

An Essay on Fear, Growth, and Experimentation
When I was in first grade I had major surgeries to reconstruct my legs. The surgeries resulted in many painful scars all over my legs. The scars hurt so badly that when I was seven I stopped wearing jeans all together.
I tried to wear [...]

An Essay on Frequency & Fear
I have been mistreated a lot in my life because I use a wheelchair to get around and I injured my Central Nervous System when I was born.
This is commonly known as Cerebral Palsy. CP is the red headed step child of the disabled community [...]

An Essay on Dreams & Frequency
 
Chasing your dreams is easy, but not necessarily simple.  The name of the game is FOCUS.  Constantly ask yourself is this action serving my dreams?  Embrace every situation and every person with LOVE.  The universe is always working in our favor if we allow it to. 
 

Own Your Life and Rock [...]