The Right Stuff

After my posts, At Least It Wasn't Worse!, You Can! and The Game is Still Wide Open!, you might now be picking up what I see as most important for TBI recovery - attitude. Conversations with Jason, the author of this TBI and spinal core injury blog, have led me to focus here on my view about attitude. In Tom Wolfe's book, The Right Stuff, test pilots and astronauts need it to succeed and survive. To recover well from TBI, I think people also need "the Right Stuff" and I define it here as being about attitude.

Being stubborn is a big part of the Right Stuff! Never accept any constraint from your TBI. Always believe you can and will recover well! Constantly look for doors to kick down!

Acceptance is another key part. Accept that you've had your injury and now things may be different. Know that you cannot kick down every door and be comfortable coping with constraints whenever you do come across them. I've written more about the concept of acceptance in another post, The Hardest Thing of Mike's TBI Recovery? Acceptance!

Over the top of that stubbornness and acceptance, the Right Stuff is about being positive: always look on the bright side of things. Don't bother worrying about the past, focus on the future.

Don't worry if you don't think you have one or more of these things. I don't think I developed complete acceptance of my TBI until over a year after my accident. I've written more about how I did so here. In this post, I'll say that I don't think it's ever too late to find the Right Stuff.

Some recoverers have great trouble accepting their injuries. The Right Stuff is extremely difficult for them to find. I've written this post not for them, but for people still thinking about their approach to their TBI. If this is you, please think about having the Right Stuff. Work on being positive and accepting while being as stubborn as all hell!

Cheers,
Mike