Since receiving the Nintendo Entertainment System as a Christmas gift when I was four, I’ve loved video games but recently I’ve taken to living my life a bit like a game.

I’m not stealing cars, punching demons or jumping on the backs of surprised and terrified turtles.

If anything, this new philosophy on life feels closer to a Role Playing Game. I’m not a hero on a quest to save the world, I’m more of a bard. A travelling poet who roams the land, inspired by all he sees and levels up by gaining experience.

There was a time when I was scared to try anything new. I doubted my own abilities and talked myself out of doing things because I was terrified that something might go wrong, that I’d make a fool of myself or be seen as a failure.

Taking that first step into spoken word helped me develop confidence and gave me a sense of comfort with public speaking, while writing a blog grew my writing skills to the point where I’m now employed to write about the subjects that matter most to me.

My disability, and the mental and physical challenges that come with living with a muscle wasting disease, make me better at that job. Who better to document the challenges of living with a disability than a disabled person?

My Triride breaking down in London the day before a talk about disability and travel gave me a story to tell about how things can go wrong and how to navigate the challenges that follow. That story connected me with my audience in a way that a fully rehearsed speech never could.

My ill-fated trip to Cardiff, where I discovered halfway through the journey that all trains along the east coast had been cancelled, took me on a quest to the other side of the country where many more things went wrong but taught me resourcefulness and resilience.

Lived experience has done more for me than any formal qualification ever has, but the thing about lived experience is that you need to live it. Had I not been willing to embrace uncertainty and look for the good in the bad, I would not be where I am today.

The best thing about living in a world that isn’t rendered in pixels or polygons is that there is almost no limit to how much you can grow.