Into my mid 30’s, I’m able to reflect on a deeper level of understanding growing up with a disability with more 3 decades behind me with Cerebral Palsy.
The battles to prove to yourself that you can find ways or use something to ‘normalise’ the external surrounding, my ‘stubbornness’ of over 7 years of not learning to drive because I wouldn’t accept the help for adaptions or an automatic were put aside for embracing a world that tried to help me and level the playing field.
Winning over that mindset changed so much for me.
Embracing that help & assistance to forge a path to complete my driving test has t enabled me more freedom, travel, ability to get to competitions meets & connect with more people.
Sometimes I needed to take a movement back and realise the path wasn’t being made easier for me, rather it pushing barriers aside to realise a dream to drive.
It’s a cool taking point too, I drive one handed with steering ball and a pulley level in an automatic – it’s pretty neat, and to think I gave up that potential freedom because I didn’t want an automatic in my late teens.
I try to develop the most creative paths I can in life now, I have had to live through those stubborn experiences to get here, but that acceptance and movement from there creates those new paths.
This helps in the gym too, training in a unique way builds confidence, boosts creativity and helps me help others in finding those paths.
I always hope these stories can help not just with understanding my own experiences, but build more solutions. I’ve picked up so many creative tips through social media connections and that has helped so much and I’m grateful to all of you for being part of that journey.
DisabilityBodybuilding.com 