11 months ago, I had a bad skiing accident where I fell on my head and had a severe neck injury. Luckily, I was wearing a helmet, or I honestly don’t think I’d be here today.
Fortunately for me, my injuries were soft tissue injuries which though a pain (literally) would not be something that would haunt me forever.
It took 5 months of intensive and regular physical therapy, massages, an MRI to rule out the worst-case scenario before I could keep my head up for long periods of time without it jerking to the side.
Talk about a challenge during COVID trying to be on Zoom calls when you could barely keep your head up or look at a computer screen!
After the injury, I was hopeful that I would ski again, an activity that my family and I enjoy and is a big part of our winter months. I had a lot of anxiety about getting back out there, but I purchased an Ikon ski season pass in the fall, so whether I liked it or not, I would be skiing again this season.
I am happy to say I conquered my fears and just wrapped up my second skiing trip this year. I’m not as fast as I used to be, and am extremely cautious, but I am proud of myself for getting back out there.
I share this story because we all have things that happen to us that derail us a bit. For me, this accident (in the middle of a pandemic) led to a career change and some time out of the office.
I took a couple of months off work to focus on healing myself. I knew that without my health I would be no good to anyone.
This gave me time to evaluate what I wanted to do with my career, focus on time with my kids through the summer, and get back out there refreshed and ready to do what I love.
I still have some residual pain from my accident, but I am doing well overall.
I am grateful that I got through a tough time and was able to get into the working world again, refreshed, and with a good mindset, and… as a business owner.
If you’re going through any kind of derailment, keep persevering, keep a good attitude and take care of yourself. Face your fears. It’s not comfortable but the more you can get comfortable with being uncomfortable the more you grow.
