My cloud came when I found myself sitting in the waiting room of the eye department at Dunedin Public Hospital on the 27th March, 1997. I couldn't have imagined then the life I am living now. Talk about being blind! In this article I share with you how I went from that day to the celebrations of my 10 years blind party.

• What's one big event that really challenged you?

Going blind in 1997 at the age of 31 when my two sons were three and one.

• How did you overcome this challenge?

There was one thing I was sure of - I didn't want to be pitied. If I didn't want to be pitied what did I want? I wanted to write my own rules and not be limited by the limited imagination of others. What I could and couldn't do was to be determined by me - no one else. Ironically going blind brought my vision back. I knew where I was going and what I had to do. Now that my path had become a lot clearer I knew the steps I had to take and the goals I had to set to be a mother, wife, daughter and friend.
 
What did you learn about yourself?

I learned that even though going blind may have been considered tragic - to have lost my sense of humour would have been catastrophic. My sense of humour has been my biggest ally since I lost my sight. I learned that asking for help was not an act of dependence but the key to my independence and I also learned that being amongst other inspiring blind people allowed me to see the ppossibilities. Otherwise I was being limited by my own stereotype of blindness. As Anthony Robbins says - "Find someone who's achieved the results you want to achieve, copy what they do and achieve the same results." I found blind people I wanted to copy!

• What did it teach you about leadership?

I learned that leadership is personal. It must come from within. Reacting to a situation was unproductive. Creating something out of a situation was productive. When my husband left our family in 2001, I enrolled to learn braille. To do something positive when you are swimming against a negative tide is the smartest form of leadership you can take. Being responsible for everything that happens to you can be both challenging and liberating but it ultimately leaves you becoming resilient and able to cope with what life throws at you. Saying 'why not" rather than "no" has brought many opportunities way. Coupling saying "why not" with setting goals is the way I now lead my life. It's truly amazing where it takes you.

About the author

Julie is now a professional speaker and is a member of the National Speakers Association of New Zealand. As an inspirational speaker, Julie speaks to conferences, AGMs, community groups and schools. In October 2008, she made the top speakers and top topic list at the Coach Mecca conference held for Australasian coaches in Queenstown. Julie has self-published a book called "How to Make a Silver Lining" which details the story of her journey through blindness - from the Hospital Waiting Room to the Celebrations of her 10 years blind party.