I’ve been a person with a disability all my life and whenever people say (something is an) obstacle or a barrier or limitation, I see them as a challenge. And I have this motto: “I eat challenges for breakfast”.
– Chris’ outlook on obstacles and barriers to his success
Navigating Success and Self-Confidence: A Conversation with Chris Mitchell
On this episode of the Work from Home Forever podcast, Chris Mitchell, the owner and CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer) of Define Yourself joined us on the show. Chris, a Caucasian male with multiple disabilities, shared his inspiring journey, insights, and tips for success. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the key takeaways from our conversation.
Overcoming Employment Challenges
Chris highlighted the difficulties he faced in traditional employment due to his visual impairment and later, physical disabilities. His experience reflects the challenges many people with disabilities encounter in accessing job opportunities. However, Chris emphasized that while it’s challenging, it’s not impossible. He shared his success story of convincing an Internet service provider in California to hire him, proving that with determination, individuals with disabilities can overcome barriers.
Discrimination in the Workplace
Chris shed light on the discrimination he faced during job interviews. Despite his qualifications, he could sense the discomfort and biases of some interviewers. He advocated for transparency, recommending that individuals with disabilities address their disability upfront during interviews. Chris also emphasized the importance of creating inclusive workplaces where leaders understand and support team members with disabilities.
Transition to Remote Work
Chris started working remotely in 1992 and fully embraced it in 2000. He attributed this shift to a series of life events, including a health crisis and a realization that working from home provided the flexibility he needed. The transition allowed him to better support his wife, who is bravely battling stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.
Building Self-Confidence
As a certified confidence coach, Chris shared his unique approach to building self-confidence using “success balloons.” These metaphorical balloons represent reflections on past successes, certificates, and awards displayed on his wall. By visualizing past achievements, Chris boosts his confidence, providing a powerful lesson for anyone looking to overcome self-doubt.
Advice for Leaders and Employers
Chris emphasized the importance of creating a friendly and accommodating workspace for individuals with disabilities. He encouraged leaders to ask employees how they can provide support and accommodations, fostering an inclusive environment. Additionally, he highlighted the significance of educating entire teams on effective communication with neurodivergent individuals.
Balancing Work and Personal Life
Chris shared his disciplined approach to remote work, emphasizing the importance of boundaries. He keeps a closed office door during work hours and dedicates quality time to his wife and personal life in the evenings. This balance allows him to be fully present in both his professional and personal responsibilities.
Networking and Support Systems
Recognizing the importance of a support system, Chris advised remote workers to engage with communities that align with their interests. For him, connecting with other disabled individuals on social media has been beneficial, fostering friendships and collaborations.
Looking to the Future
Chris discussed his upcoming podcast, “Successful, Self-Employed, and Disabled,” which will feature guests sharing their journeys of overcoming challenges. He also introduced his micro-coaching series, “Success Starts with Self-Confidence,” aimed at providing quick, actionable insights.
Conclusion
Chris Mitchell’s story is one of resilience, empowerment, and the pursuit of success against all odds. As the CEO of Define Yourself, he continues to inspire others to embrace their unique journeys, define their paths, and cultivate self-confidence for a fulfilling life. To learn more about Chris and access his free self-confidence cheat sheet, visit Success Starts with Self-Confidence.
Connect with Chris
- 🔗 LinkedIn: Connect with Chris on LinkedIn
- 🌐 3 Steps to Self Confidence: Download Chris’ free cheat sheet for your first three steps to self-confidence on here
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Q & A with Chris
Why did you want to Work From Home Forever?
- Because traditional employment as a person with a disability is difficult to acquire.
How long have you been Working From Home, Forever?
- Off and on since 1992 and non-stop since 2000.
What trade offs, if any, did you make in order to Work From Home Forever?
- I traded off working with others in-person and the struggles of getting to and from work as a person with a physical disability/mobility issues to gain the ability to create an accessible workspace that accommodates my needs does not require transportation to get to and from work and he opportunity to allow my creativity, which is fueled by my ADHD, guide the building of my business while helping others on my terms, and being able to be at home for my wife who is battling stage IV metastatic breast cancer.
How do you manage work/life balance Working From Home, Forever?
- I have rigid hours when I am in my home office and when I am not, I close the door. My wife respects my hours and only comes in if she needs my help but my cat is not as well trained at respecting my work hours – when he wants attention he does not care if I am working or not.
- In the evenings and weekends I do have my phone with me but I only get email alerts from important people. I have set up my Outlook, by using a forwarding email address and giving that out instead of my real email address, so that all mail goes to a subfolder that is not people who I do have authentic contact with.
- I also use a phone number from Numberbarn that forwards to my cell phone for text messages from business contacts. Those messages go into the Numberbarn app on my phone and I only check that once a day.
- I also remind myself that the phone has no constitutional right to ring and I am not required to take every call that comes in, especially outside of office hours. I also use privacy mode so during off-office hours only friends and family calls will get through, the rest go to voice mail as well as setting my phone to work hours so it does not go off all day with app alerts.
What’s your best advice to others who want to Work From Home Forever?
- The one piece of advice I would give to someone who wants to work form home forever would be to have a lot of self-confidence. There will be a lot of hardships working from home. Friends and family will not always understand you are working from home, you will get a lot of no’s, people who ghost you, etc, in your business, and there is the loneliness and isolation of working from home.
- All of this can damage your self-confidence in your ability to start and run a business. So make sure you are confident and if you feel as if your confidence is fading, do something to boost it.
What are your three must-haves to Work From Home, Forever?
- 1 – Excellent reliable Internet with a possible backup plan.
- 2 – A place in your hem that is quiet and that is used for nothing but work.
- 3 – S good support system of people who understand what you are doing and you can interact with either in-person during nonwork hours, virtually or via social media – again during non-work hours.
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