The Surprise Gift Multiple Sclerosis Gave Me

As the result of an uninspired performance in high school, I had very few exemplary academic achievements. In my sophomore year, I did take a standardized accounting test and scored among the highest in our school district. It was as much a surprise to my teacher as it was to me!

Performing so well on that test was a pivotal moment in my life because it prompted me to study accounting at college. My undergraduate degree led me to my first job where, after meeting my wife, the next chapter of my life began.

However, not long ago, a memory of my senior year of high school popped into my head. It was a surprising moment from government class.

It was for an writing assignments titled, “What does government mean to you?” I can’t say I remember what I wrote, although I do recall having a great time completing it. But it was the reaction of my teacher that shocked me.

He asked to speak with me as class was ending. I still remember the snickers from my classmates who thought I had gotten into trouble (I figured I was, too!)

Instead, my teacher told me he thought my paper was one of the best things he’s read in a really long time and that I should be in his Advanced Placement (AP) class – all just based on what I had written.

Although I was surprised and grateful, I was also just 16 years old, so it mostly went in one ear and out the other. And nothing more came of that moment.

Last summer, a good high school friend of mine asked if he could share my writing about living with multiple sclerosis with his students. He was inspired by my work and wanted to incorporate some of my stories into his lesson plans on how to write with meaning and passion. Flattered, I agreed. A few days later, we spoke in more detail about his class, and during the conversation, he referenced our high school days and told me he was always in awe of my writing.

My friend, who teaches children every day (including a job at the Kahn Academy) and has also spent time on stage as a comedian, is an extremely talented communicator himself. So I was stunned to learn my writing motivated him to become a better writer.

We all have our dream jobs and not many of us get to actually live them. The examples are numerous: An aspiring musician who works an office job because he has a young family and bills to pay or the lawyer who’d rather own a bakery but doesn’t want to risk trading a stable job for a failed business.

Working in an office or arguing before a judge isn’t who they are, but for whatever reason, it’s the road they’ve found themselves on. Choices made when they are barely 18 — the college they study at or what field they major in — sends them in a direction that’s opposite of their passion.  But if a genie came along tomorrow and granted them the opportunity to change paths, they would instantly take it.

Everyone understands these types of scenarios, and perhaps a few of you are currently living one.

But what if I told you there might be something out there for you — a passion or talent — and you don’t even know what it is yet?

I would have never become a writer if I wasn’t diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Even typing that, I have to take a moment to let those words sink in.

This other part of me — that a prior teacher had alluded to or a friend had admired me for — would still be hidden away and lost in the perpetual motion of everyday without MS.

Living with MS isn’t easy for me — there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t encounter blurred vision, shooting pains, tingling sensations, numbness or fatigue. How can something so devastating to my health and personal life also be the inspiration behind what I’ve now become?

And so I wonder — is my situation unique? Or are many of us living our daily lives unaware that we are only scratching the surface of our potential, an undeveloped talent or unknown passion?

I don’t have the answer to these questions but I think it’s worth it to take a few moments to pause and reflect on it. While you’re taking a moment to smell the proverbial roses, close your eyes and remember who you were while dreaming about who you can become.

Let your internal compass lead the way.

Follow this journey on A Life Less Traveled.