As my 50th birthday approached, I paused to reflect on the lessons learned along the way, the forces that shaped me and the people who influenced me. I came up with my ten most influential. Surround yourself with great people. Choose laughter. Be curious. Find your grit. Be kind. Create balance. Ten years on I would not remove any of them, but I would tell you which one to start with.
Twice I have stood at a bend in the road and taken the one less travelled. The first was Black Monday, 1987, which ended a career in stockbroking before it started. The second was a Thursday in March 1996, when I was 29 and three things happened in the same week. I started a business because I thought I was unemployable. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made.
Everybody's journey with MS is different, and that is what makes it such a difficult disease. There is no normal prognosis pathway. There is only your new normal, which you can choose to live with or fight. Thirty years on from my diagnosis, I can say this: for me it began the most inspirational and positive journey of my life. Six things I would tell anyone standing where I stood.
Dear MJ, I am writing to you from 24 years in the future. You are now 49, and while you have had an amazing adventure there is some advice I would share. The purpose of school is to teach you resilience. Your father was right; you are no good till you are 30. At 29 you will be diagnosed with a life-changing illness. Don't panic, for although it will shape you, it will not define you.
