Recently a local cyclist where I live was hit by a car and injured badly, he ended up going to the same rehabilitation hospital for therapy I did. After communicating with his family online, I decided to go back to the hospital for the first time in over a decade to visit.
Unfortunately, due to the Covid, I wasn’t allowed to visit with the cyclist. But I did get to explore the hospital grounds where I used to struggle to get around in a wheelchair it was overwhelming for me just being there.
Although the grounds themselves had changed so much I felt like I was back in therapy myself. I remembered a talk I had with my neuropsychologist about my options when I first arrived there. She warned me the journey would be long and hard. I had to make up my mind about how I would handle it.
- Fight the process
- Learn from the process
- Or feel sorry for myself and give up altogether.
These are also options that are available to aspiring writers. The path to publication is long and may not ever materialize for many. I’ve experienced many disappointments on the path to publication, or lack thereof.
If it weren’t for the encouragement and wisdom of writing friends and mentors, I would have given up long ago. But like with the rehabilitation process, I believe in pushing through the trials in order to learn the writing process. I’ve learned life is often the journey that makes it worth it.
Worth It!
The dictionary defines worth as,
“Personal value: the value of something measured by its qualities or by the esteem in which it is held.”
The concept of worth is intangible because we each have different values and qualities.
After my accident, I believed my worth was less because my quality of life had changed. But over the years as I’ve met other persons with disabilities, I began to better understand their worth and my worth as well.
In the brain injury community, there is a saying, “I am not my brain injury,” because our worth doesn’t come from our disabilities or what we can or can’t offer. This saying is a ray of hope for persons with disabilities.
According to the CDC disabled persons are five times more likely to experience depression or mental anxiety.
Although persons with disabilities still have worth, it’s often hard to find their place in society.
A society that tends to operate based on one’s abilities can be pretty intimidating to somebody with disabilities. And we all know that comparison is a thief of all joy. Therefore we mustn’t base our worth off of others or what society says, that alone is depressing enough for anyone.
Below are seven easy ways to appreciate yourself more from Kristan van Tilburg on medium.com
- Decide you’re worthy just being alive.
- Consider where the criticism is coming from
- Remember all you have accomplished.
- Reward your efforts.
- Stop judging yourself harshly.
- Appreciate all the good things in your life.
- Let yourself receive appreciation from others.
Whether disabled or not, getting paid for writing or not, these seven practices could help lead to understanding your worth and find a place in your community.
Trying to break through as a writer is difficult, just like living with a disability, but pressing through the difficulties makes the journey worth it. Sometimes the biggest reward comes from just doing it.
Just Do It!
As I close this month’s post, I want to point out that next month is brain injury awareness month. It is also the same month I sustained my brain injury 25 years ago.
According to the CDC, 1.5 million Americans sustain a T. B. I. (Traumatic brain injury) every year, but only 230,000 of these are hospitalized and survive. For the rest of their lives, survivors must decide whether to give up are just do it, no matter how hard life may be for them.
The writing life can be traumatic also, aspiring writers must decide if they’re going to give up or press on through the disappointments and rejections. According to the Writing Cooperative below are the five most common mistakes aspiring writers make.
- They want to be, not do.
- Think you’re too good to start small.
- Think quality over quantity.
- Think short-term
- Confuse passion with purpose.[iii]
Living with a TBI means the rest of your life will come with risks, likewise pursuing a writing career comes with its own risks. Either way, if you’re prepared, the risk is worth it!
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJonhson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
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