Can Those With Disabilities Still Be Successful In Business?

Today I'm delighted to welcome Swiyah Woodard to my blog, author of Don't Call Me Crazy! I'm Just In Love With God. She's been touring the internet for a while, so you've probably seen that cool purple cover in many places already. But why would anyone call her crazy?

Swiyah lives with and takes medication for her own diagnosis. In this book, inspired by a true story, she invites all who struggle with mental illness or the consequences of mistreatment to see a true way forward.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog Swiyah. And now, over to you...

Can those with a disability be successful in business?
By mental health expert, Swiyyah Woodard

Can those with a disability be successful in business? Sure they can. The secret is to find something you love to do, something that you are willing to do for free until you become a professional expert. Start off by volunteering. 

There's a such thing as positive stress and negative stress. Negative stress is what happens when you work a stressful 9 to 5 job. You really don't want to be at work. The customers get irate and there's little you can do about this. Challenges occur that you don't know how to overcome. Supervisors put more work on you than you can handle. All of this adds to your stress. All of this is negative stress. But when you're doing a job that is fun and a God given talent, you're a natural at it. You quickly attack problems. You rarely get an unsatisfied customer because you're working from your heart, and you get a load of work that you can actually handle. This is positive stress and I believe those with a disability can easily handle this type of job. 

I was misdiagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia but I have a mental illness and I cannot work a daily 9 to 5 but I blog and I find it easy. I write and I find it easy. I'm a TV producer and I find it easy. And I'm an actress and I find it easy. 

Start developing a list of different talents that you can do for free. The money will come eventually because you're doing it from your heart. Go online and go to the library to research how you can make money doing what you love to do? The more you practice at your craft the better you will get and when you hear those words, “how much do you charge for your services?” You will know that you are ready.

Build a team.  There will be things required of your business that you will not be good at and will not want to do. Find those that you can hire and find those who have a gift from God that would be willing to volunteer until you get on your feet.

I didn’t allow my disability to interfere with my progress. I believe that God created a person that can excel at any job created. You just have to do what you were created to do and learn how to delegate responsibility. Never stop. Never give up. Through God any dream is possible.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Swiyyah Nadirah Woodard was selected as a Bay News 9 Everyday Hero, which was seen by two million viewers, for publishing a book and teaching the community about her own battle with mental illness. She was hospitalized six times and misdiagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Her first book, Don't Call Me Crazy! I'm Just in Love, became required and suggested reading in Reading, Writing, Abnormal Psychology, and General Psychology classes at a four year Institution. 

She was born in the housing projects of 
Saint PetersburgFL. Her father left when she was three so she was raised in a single parent home. At the age of five she was molested by her eight year old brother. She later started school, she had slurred speech and didn't care to make friends so she was bullied by her peers. At the age of eight, she wanted to kill herself because a girl wanted to fight her. She looked into the medicine cabinet for medication. Thank God, she couldn't find any.

As a teenager she was physically abused by her step dad. The abuse was so severe, God blocked it from her memory. At the age of 20 the brother that molested her committed suicide, which was devastating to her and the entire family. Swiyyah has always viewed herself as normal. She never received any disciplinary problems in school, made good grades, and received her BA degree in Psychology from the 
University of South Florida.

When the doctors misdiagnosed her with the most debilitating mental disorder known in mental health, paranoid schizophrenia, she denied it. She questioned their expertise. She refused to take medication. She was then hospitalized six times. Her family took a picture of her at her worst and that's when she knew she needed help. She has been taking medication now for ten years without a relapse.

She is now a published author and a National Inspirational Speaker. Her first book is entitled, “Don't Call Me Crazy! I'm just in Love,” and is inspired by her true story. 

She was raised Muslim and the revelations she received from God and placed in her books, didn't make any since until she meet her Christian husband 14 years after her first relapse. 

Please contact Swiyyah to book speaking engagements, life coaching, author and speaker coaching, radio and TV interviews, or to purchase her books at 727-495-3217, Swiyyah@swiyyah.com.

FIND HER HERE: WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK



ABOUT THE BOOK:
DON’T CALL ME CRAZY! I’M JUST IN LOVE WITH GOD
Author: Swiyyah Woodard
Publisher: Swiyyah Productions, Inc.
Pages: 229
Genre: Inspirational / Motivational / Romance / Christian

Because of God, nothing will stop Anika from marrying the love of her life, not even paranoid schizophrenia. You don’t want to miss this spiritual journey filled with inspiration and power.
This book is insightful and perceptive. Inspired by a true story. Few people consider the God factor in mental health. Join Anika and journey with her as she receives revelations from God while on her walk to overcome mental illness and naiveness towards religion. Required reading for High schools and colleges.

FIND IT HERE: Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Book Excerpt:

     Anika begins to lose her mind. While continuing to stare at the television set, Anika sees a vision of Jesus. He appears to her in just as perfect form and image as the paintings on Mary’s wall. She then hears Jesus speak, “I am the son of God.” Then just as fast as he appears, he leaves her vision.
     “Did you see him? Did you see Jesus?” Anika turns and looks at her friends. Words are stuck within their throats.
     “Did you see him? Did you see Jesus?” Anika repeats once more.
     “Anika, you’re really scaring us. I thought you were Muslim?” Mary says.

Anika then feels as if someone was controlling her thoughts. “Forgive yourself.”  

She then begins to ramble, “Atoms are neither created nor destroyed. There was always an existence. You have to take baby steps to understand how this existence works, where we came from, how it started. Don’t jump from A to Z. No, you must go from A to C. Take a break. It has been painted. First there was nothing; it was blackness, pitch blackness. There was first the black hole. A plumber can understand the black hole. There was a white light. The creator is positive energy. We all have a little bit of positive energy. A person of positivity can change your life without saying a word. We try to increase positive energy which is the same as increasing spiritually. Once we are of that same positivity as the creator, we become one with him. Only a few souls have reached this level of existence. The rest of us are growing spiritually so we can reach that level.“

     It appears to Anika that she is making sense as she began to explain herself, justifying her words.

   “Positive times positive equals positive. Negative times positive equals negative. Therefore, if you have any negativity in you, you cannot become one with positivity.”

   “The creator is all positive energy. Negative times negative equals positive. If you learn from loads of negativity you will learn from your mistakes and become all positive. It’s mathematics. Everything stems from mathematics. Less than a cup of wine is what I need to rest. Don’t want to scare away this beautiful spirit controlling my thoughts.” While holding the sides of her head trying to rid her racing thoughts, she runs into the kitchen and pours herself a cup of wine. She then thinks, “no one will ever have to go through what I went through again!”

Anika takes a look at her past to see how in the world she got to this point in her life.




Comments

Jean Harkin said…
Interesting, but why is her actual diagnosis never mentioned in the review or commentary?
Swiyyah Woodard said…
To be continued. Book coming soon.... Great review Sheila! Follow me @swiyyah.

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