Things I’ve Learned from Traumatic Brain Injury (Productive Flourishing Pulse #471)
Things I’ve Learned from Traumatic Brain Injury (Productive Flourishing Pulse #471)
That might help you with your own challenge, whatever it is
Brain Injury Awareness Month1 begins today. As someone who has experience traumatic brain injury (TBI), I wanted to highlight some of the things I’ve learned on this journey with my own TBI:
How my neural injury and lapses have inspired me (and Charlie, too) to change and adapt, while also teaching me how to ask for and receive help.
I have a healthier relationship with my brain than ever before. And, that healthier relationship with my brain has been a part of me living more authentically from my heart and day by day becoming more comfortable with other parts of myself.
How self-compassion has helped me accept and not be critical of this new, different me.
The thing about these lessons? Most of them apply to anything you might be going through, not just TBI.
Because every one of us is dealing with something.
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. –Ian McLaren
Take care,
Angela
Other News and Features
Read
’s latest, “The 10 Dimensions of Life” — on Aristotle’s theory of what’s needed for human thriving, with added aspects too often left out (spiritual, play, community, and more). Plus, a worksheet to analyze the balance in your life, and how to nourish dimensions that have been undernourished.Should you have missed it, our Monthly Planning Tips are out in the wild, this time around for March on how to harness the energy of spring by leaning into renewal, community, planting seeds (metaphorical or real), and celebration.
Charlie joined Gary Bertwistle’s The Mojo Sessions in a conversation on Why Teams with Better Habits Get Better Results, leaving the listener with this takeaway: “When we make working in teams better, we make work better, which means we make people’s lives better.”
More recent appearances: On The ProGuide podcast to discuss “Human-Centric Team Habits” (watch the conversation on YouTube) and on rudimentary ins and outs of Team Habits, the book, on Quantuvos’ coaching and development podcast.
For paid subscribers, mark your calendars for the next Monthly Community Coaching Call: Wednesday, March 13, 11:00 a.m. PDT.
Reads and Seeds
First seeds from
and the final one by on how to balance tonight’s hours vs. tomorrow’s.Best-selling author, writing coach, and frequent PF podcast guest
offered brilliant thoughts on creative confidence: “Nobody has a swimming pool of confidence. NOBODY. We are ALL afraid when we’re doing what matters to us. No Shangrila is waiting for you, where you never doubt yourself again. ... But if there was a secret [it might be] 1) Begin. Do something. Confidence comes from action. 2) Keep going. Confidence grows with experience. Experience is magic. 3) Be curious and a little defiant. Less focus on getting it right, more of what you want to express.” More in the full post.Activist and Colorado poet Laureate,
, in an interview with , when asked about her experience with chemo: “What my acupuncturist calls poison. She said, ‘You can call it poison. You also have to know that poison has been healing diseases since the beginning of time.’ ... But I also live in the miracle realm. And I mean, the scientific miracle realm. What we call a miracle, I believe, is a lack of understanding of how the universe really works.”“Don’t trade some good creative hours tomorrow for (maybe) a mediocre one tonight.”
— Sent in a text to a friend considering “pushing through” after a long day.
If you’d like more information on Brain Injury Awareness Month and other services supporting those with brain injury and their families, the Brain Injury Association of America’s website is a great place to start.