Wheelchair

Amanda

Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn. It doesn’t necessarily mean catastrophe or tragedy but sometimes it is the small or short-term things can have a big impact on your ability to fulfill your plans.

Recently, quite unexpectedly, I broke my toes. It was a small accident with big consequences. Suddenly I found myself completely incapacitated on crutches and at times in a wheelchair, unable to wear anything other than open toed shoes (and trust me in winter that is not funny). I could not drive initially, walk or get myself about in ways that I am used to. I had to be assisted to do certain things, even just getting in and out of my home was a challenge. I live alone and I knew this was going to be tricky and really test my independence.

Plus I had plans, a lot of plans. Running a business with clients relying on me to deliver training or coaching or just to show up was going to be difficult. I had to face up to the fact that I may not be able to deliver the service I had promised, I may not be able to work for a while, and I may have to be reliant on others in ways I may not feel completely comfortable with. I felt pretty low.

But I had to recognise my limitations and deal with them head on. I could not just give up. I knew that it was a short-term problem but its impact on me and my business could be significant.  Facing a period in my life where I suddenly felt vulnerable I had to look at the problem from a different perspective. I had to change my direction in order to achieve my goals and keep afloat. I had to be flexible in my thinking and consider other ways of delivering and keeping going.

Remembering back to a keynote speech by a Paralympic athlete who had been disabled through injury later on in life, her words have always stayed with me. She said “sometimes things are meant to be and truly do happen for a reason; you just have to find new ways, other ways of achieving your dreams. Never give up; make that reason count”.

Things do not always go the way that we had planned and part of being an entrepreneur means that you are always ready to adapt, looking for a positive outcome and have a can do attitude, so when we are thrown a curve ball we have to look at ways to get back on track.  Asking for help is sometimes the only way to get through it.

Posted in:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.