How I found success

This year I was fortunate to win the Sector Innovation Award at the Developing Australian Communities awards gala. My Business has just celebrated its second birthday and I am pleased with what we have accomplished in this short time given an overnight success is ten years. While we have much to do in becoming set up then established, we are currently writing a short film, 2 musicals and a series of picture books which will also be toured on stage in Auslan. All this while my body is a full-time job. This required the right team of people which I didn’t get until age of 43.

Over the years people have been shocked when I share my dreams and aspirations because they assumed I had already achieved a successful music career despite my struggles: Which couldn’t be further from the truth! But their assumption showed me how I was perceived by other people, which helped fuel me to do everything I could in preparation for the day it would be possible. So, no matter how much my disability affected my body and mental health, tempting me to give up, I had to hope for a future opportunity.

I was not picky. I accepted what came my way. From age 16 I volunteered in the community to learn whatever I could. I said “yes” to any opportunity. And due to this, I had experiences I’d never dreamed of. They did not affect my health adversely, because they were one-off opportunities, and they were exciting.

My disability had not been diagnosed during that time. Neither had my medical condition, ASD, hearing loss or PTSD. This would not happen until I was 38. Lack of information hindered any success attempted. It takes years after diagnosis to work out the best management regime for each condition. This then becomes the principal focus. Lack of support was also a hindrance, meaning it took years to get on my feet.

The saying “If you work hard enough you will succeed” is shared a lot, but how much merit does it hold? Yes, this character trait is desirable and necessary, but no one can achieve goals on their own. Regardless of weather we are poor, disabled, part of any marginalised group, or well off with health, we all need the correct support to succeed alongside grit. That support tends to be sporadic for those in marginalised groups if available it at all. Once I was at peace with this, my mentality began to improve. I felt at peace.

Fast forward to 2020 when the world was united by lockdown and the online access the disabled community had needed for years, but was always deemed too hard and expensive, was now suddenly available to all in the form of Zoom, captions and other inclusive options. The world opened for the first time in my life. Everybody was now on an even playing field and it was thrilling to enter the arena as a participant. Before I was not even able to be a spectator! Would life begin at 41?

This was the time where support started to become available. It was 2 years before the right team cam together. During the past 25 years, I had been taking advantage of all free webinars or local workshops run by my council in preparation. I knew with my necessary but limited lifestyle, only a small portion of that information was appropriate to me, but I trusted it would be enough and it was. I leap into action, sure of myself and grateful for the support.

So, what did it take to be successful?

1. Seeking opportunities and saying yes to whatever is available.

2. Accepting my reality to receive internal peace and happiness even if nothing changed.

3. Finding grit as nothing is achieved without it.

4. Trusting the right support would come at the right time and trusting the process to get there.