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salon . My brother ’ s “ thing ” is being good at business and having a hilarious sense of humor . My dad ’ s “ thing ” is fixing stuff and knowing how to find a solution to any problem at hand . My mom ’ s “ thing ” is being confident and bold , a strong woman who is a pillar for her whole family . We all have our “ things .” For the longest time , I thought my “ thing ” was being sick . You see , I am sick . But I ’ m not ONLY sick , and it took me quite some time to realize that I could separate my “ sick ” self from the true me .
You see , it is rather hard to distinguish these two halves to my whole because I ’ m a widely-followed patient advocate known online as Arthritis Ashley . I ’ ve also written two nonfiction health memoirs about my medical journey . ( One is called Sick Idiot ; the other is entitled Chronically Positive .) I “ put myself out there ” all the time when it comes to my several ( or , several dozen ) diagnoses : I ’ ve spoken on Capitol Hill , tweeted with Oprah Winfrey , and won awards , all because of my being sick … and due to my tireless work in the health and wellness field .
But I ’ ve realized in recent months that Arthritis Ashley isn ’ t all that I am : as the back of my humorous health memoir says , I ’ m more than just a Sick Idiot .
Arthritis Ashley is the Clark Kent to my
“ Your ‘ thing ’ is your calling , and maybe your calling card , too .”
Superman , the Sasha Fierce to my Beyoncé . Not quite an alter ego , but not all that I am , either .
I can finally say , without fear of sounding like a poseur or an impostor or a narcissist that I ’ m an author . I ’ m an author . I ’ m an author , and a blogger , and a health coach . I ’ m a public speaker . I ’ m a lover of animals and fashion , of music and books . I ’ m a wife and a daughter , a sister and a friend . I like astronomy . I wrote one fiction novel called To Exist , and I am working on another . I ’ m a woman . A writer , and a woman . I ’ m sick , but I ’ m not just sick . My books are my “ thing .” A passion for language and the written word is my
“ thing .” And so I ask you … What ’ s yours ? Find your “ thing ,” and cling to it . Own it , live it , rock it . Your “ thing ” is your calling , and maybe your calling card , too . Maybe you ’ re a philanthropist or a phlebotomist , a churchgoer or an Atheist , an artist or a gardener or an ornithologist or a bilingual marathoner who dabbles in vegan cooking on the weekends . Antique-buyer ? Great ! Golfer ? Amazing ! Deep-sea diver or deep-dish pizza connoisseur ? Amazeballs !
Perhaps you ’ re a stay-at-home mom , an entrepreneur , a multi-level marketer , a corporate go-getter , a savvy saleswoman , a fitness fanatic , an animal-rescuer , or a web-developer . ROCK IT .
Are you an author like me ? Go get ‘ em . Write , and keep on writing .
Do you . Be you . Find out who you are , and fall in love with that person .
I promise that you won ’ t regret it .
Ashley Boynes-Shuck is the author of Sick Idiot , Chronically Positive , and To Exist . Reporter for healthline . com . • abshuck . com
82 INSPIRING LIVES SUMMER 2016