Ain't No Mountain High Enough
I went blind when I was around 26 years old. Today, I am completely blind in one eye. On a good day I can see shadows and lights in the other eye, but it really depends on the angle and sharpness of the light. On most days, I can't see anything.
When someone asks how much I can see, I tell them: “Just enough: beautiful women and money”. That’s a joke, of course. I like humour – I can’t imagine myself being serious all the time.People say that the blind should either be musicians or masseurs. I told myself I’d never be either. Ironically, however, that’s where life took me.
However, I still had a dream. I really wanted a university degree, although I wasn’t sure if this was possible for a man with my condition. Fast forward 3 years, and I got my occupational therapy Bachelor's degree, finished massage therapy in a vocational school and got a Master's in rehabilitation. When you really want something, you need to fight for it. You can find many excuses if there’s no willingness. If you truly desire something, you’ll do it and overcome the biggest obstacles in your way.
Immediately after graduation, I started looking for a massage room to rent as I didn’t want to work for anyone else, I wanted to build my own business. Beginnings are never easy.
Everything can be achieved in life. Nothing comes easy – and if something does, it’s usually shallow and short-lived. What holds value are the tasks we shed our blood, sweat, and tears to accomplish. Now when I go to work, I don’t feel like I’m going to work. It’s like my second home, or maybe even my first home because at times it’s nicer than my place.
You can read the full article in -What do people do? Issue 2 magazine, order at our online shop.
This is a magazine for creatives, founders and freelancers, and it’s focused on mental health.
It’s based on long form conversations diving deep into what usually gets left out in interviews. The bad days. The impostor syndrome. All sorts of fears and an overwhelming anxiety that follow every brave choice a person ever makes.
From essays about the millenial generation working to a point they find themselves too busy to have sex, to vulnerable first person letters talking about changing professions, making bold decisions and looking after one’s mind before looking for funding.
Emotional eating is being addressed alongside helpful tips on how not to eat one's emotions. Also, the reader will find some quirky recipes for emotional snacking, if an emergency deadline happens.
Lastly, the magazine questions what happens to one's career after getting pregnant and welcoming a new life to this planet (and your ‘to do’ list).
It’s funny, sad at times, vulnerable to the backbone, and it aims to start a much needed conversation about mental health at work.
