Falling Up: The Art of Finding Fortune in Your Misfortune
How handicap, disease, and injury bettered my life
I’ve had a blessed life, that’s for sure. So many things went right: good parents, a secure childhood, solid genes, excellent education…
But life wasn’t always sunshine and roses. Many things went wrong, some of them quite badly. And weirdly enough, those were the ones that ended up helping me even more.
Apparently, this phenomenon of benefitting from misfortune is fairly common. Shawn Achor calls it “falling up.” When life really hurts, it’s easy to see only dark clouds. But if you keep a keen eye out for silver linings, you may well end up falling upwards to wonderful new heights.
So, without further ado, here are my top three falling-up stories.
1. A Stutterer’s Life
I’ve stuttered for as long as I can remember. At the surface, stuttering looks like a simple speech impediment. At its core, however, stuttering handicaps a central part of the human experience: connection.
For fluent speakers, talking is psychologically rewarding. It helps people depressurize emotionally and organize their complex inner worlds. Well, for us stutterers, it’s often exactly the opposite. Psychological pressure builds…
