Showing Up Imperfectly: It’s Done or Nothing

How I’m taking dictation from the Muse and beating Resistance amid health challenges.

These past few months, I’ve found myself facing a string of health complications — sciatica, a tendon injury, and a worrying tingling in my left hand that might be indicative of a second tendon issue coming on. To say that these challenges have hampered my ability to show up in the world and create impactful work is an understatement.

They’ve practically rendered me incapacitated.

The Mental Health Toll of Physical Challenges

Naturally, these physical health issues have taken a significant mental toll. How could they not? For about six weeks, I was unable to work at all. And even now, my work capacity is but a fraction of what it used to be. It’s been a struggle, a seemingly insurmountable challenge, but it has also forced me to explore new methods of working — ways to add some semblance of meaning to this otherwise bleak chapter of my life.

Discovering New Ways of Working

In the face of adversity, I’ve had to open my mind to discovering new working methods. Using technology to work differently and capture my words has been vital to keeping a sense of forward momentum going.