My Story
I was born with a total of 30% vision and am legally blind in my right eye. Throughout my childhood into adolescence, I developed some very negative beliefs about myself because I had a disability. I spent the first 24 years of my life believing I was incapable, not good enough and even felt defective at times.
At the age of 16, I received the devastating news that I would never drive a car or live independently due to my condition. I fell victim to a very negative mindset which kept me housebound. Becoming very isolated and developing severe anxiety, I lost a lot of relationships and eventually hit rock bottom.
After months of self-development and learning about the mind, I discovered that our negative beliefs can be challenged and changed. Pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones will change our negative beliefs about ourselves. And this is how I changed my life.
After turning 24 I decided it was time to take control back over my life. A few weeks later I found myself travelling to New Zealand for a SOLO Ski Season where I would live independently for 3 months. My mindset went from ”I can’t” to “I absolutely bloody can”.
I navigated a new country, went shopping, out to dinner at restaurants, made friends and even taught myself how to snowboard! I was doing everything I thought was impossible for me. I proved my negative beliefs wrong.
It has been over a year since this trip and I have travelled solo on multiple occasions, started a business, created a whole network of friends, and regularly engage in my favourite hobbies of golfing, surfing and camping. My condition remains the same but my mindset has changed.
I now believe I am capable, I am good enough and I am not defective. My negative beliefs have been replaced with positive empowering thoughts. I will continue to face new challenges on my path, but I have new ways of dealing with them. I now understand these barriers do not represent me as a person. It is now my goal to help others realise their true potential. “It is not a flaw within me, it is a flaw within the system”.
It is my mission to help support individuals on their journey with disability or adversity, to realise their potential, reach for their goals and discover their true strength and resilience.
