It Won't be a Straight Line - Peers Conf 2017

This was the most difficult and rewarding presentations I've ever given. It provided a more personal look behind-the-scenes of running a small software business while navigating health issues that ultimately led to my left below-knee amputation.

Transcript

1. IT WON’T BE A
   STRAIGHT LINE
   

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2. I’m @garrettdimon
   HELLO
   

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3. View Slide

4. STARTING & SUSTAINING
   

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5. View Slide

6. A new work
   fl
   ow to write,
   review, and ship web
   applications.
   A fast & reliable transactional-only
   email platform for web
   applications
   A complete work
   fl
   ow to write,
   review & deploy code.
   Instantly build and ship code anywhere
   in one consistent process for your entire
   team.
   Com
   ing
   soon
   

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7. 3.92YEARS
   

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8. 9
   SURGERIES 1 AMPUTATION
   +
   28
   TOTAL HOURS IN HYPERBARIC
   15
   SURGEONS CONSULTED
   16
   WOUND VAC CHANGES
   20+
   PROSTHETIST APPOINTMENTS
   30
   TOTAL NIGHTS IN HOSPITALS
   60+
   DOCTOR’S OFFICE VISITS
   100+
   PHYSICAL THERAPY APPOINTMENTS
   PAINKILLERS & ANTIBIOTICS COUNTLESS
   4
   MRI/CT SCANS
   (AND COUNTING)
   

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9. 100DAYS
   
   
   LOST
   

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10. 7.3% OF THE LAST
    
    
    4 YEARS
    

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11. 1.75 HOURS
    PER DAY FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS
    

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13. 🖥
    

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14. ✈
    

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16. SURGERY #1
    Estimated 3 month
    
    
    recovery time.
    
    
    JULY 17TH, 2013
    

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18. ☃
    

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19. 😧 🤔 😎
    

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20. LESSON:
    
    
    Responding beats reacting.
    
    
    Things will go wrong. Focus on
    the aspects you can a
    ff
    ect.
    

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21. 💩
    

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23. Winston Churchill
    When you’re going through
    hell, keep going.
    

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24. SURGERY #2
    Let’s go the ER for some pain
    relief.
    

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25. 💉💉💉
    

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27. LESSON:
    
    
    Maintain perspective.
    
    
    Not “Well. It could be worse.”
    
    
    But rather “I can handle this.”
    

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28. SURGERY #3
    Skin graft.
    

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30. q
    

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31. SURGERIES #4 & #5
    Time to get serious.
    
    
    Let’s do some debridement to
    prepare for a free
    fl
    ap.
    

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34. LESSON:
    
    
    Tiny steps are still steps.
    
    
    The key is that they’re your
    steps. Don’t compare your rate
    of progress to anyone else.
    
    
    (Or to “past you.”)
    

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35. SURGERY #6
    Free
    fl
    ap.
    
    
    Three weeks in the hospital
    starts now.
    

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36. WHAT IS A FREE FLAP?
    🥓 🍖
    

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37. ⚠
    “THAT’S NOT GOOD…”
    

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38. SURGERY #7
    That was fun, let’s do it again!
    
    
    (Another free
    fl
    ap.)
    

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39. 🏥
    

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40. 🔘
    

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41. 💓
    

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42. 🚨
    

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43. “HOW LONG WILL I BE HERE?”
    ⏰
    

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44. “We’ll keep you here a few
    more days and then we’ll
    move you to the
    fl
    oor.”
    

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48. PHYSICAL THERAPY!
    It’s kind of like paying
    someone to torture you
    several days per week.
    

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49. 🏋
    

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50. 👩💼
    👨💻 👩🎨👨🍳👩💻
    👩⚕ 👨🏫
    

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51. LESSON:
    
    
    Pain and discomfort are part
    of the process.
    
    
    Go right up to your limit. Push
    past it. Su
    ff
    er a little. Then do
    it all over again.
    

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52. SURGERY #8
    Liposuction!
    
    
    That makes 8 surgeries in
    about 3 months.
    

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53. 🏃 ⛹
    🚶
    SOMEWHAT TOLERABLE
    🚵
    🏋
    TOLERABLE WITH LIMITATIONS
    🏂
    ONLY WITH PAINKILLERS
    NOPE
    

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54. SURGERY #9
    Fuse or amputate?
    
    
    

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57. ⏳
    REGRET?
    

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58. View Slide

59. ❤
    👪
    SAFE &
    
    
    RESPONSIBLE
    FOLLOW MY
    HEART
    VS.
    

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62. IS FUSION GOOD ENOUGH?
    Settle on getting by with
    moderate chronic pain or take
    risks to gain functionality?
    

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63. 🤔
    

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66. 🏂
    

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68. 👋
    

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69. LESSON:
    
    
    Don’t count on data and logic
    to provide the right answer.
    
    
    Too often we try to be 100%
    con
    fi
    dent about decisions that
    require a leap of faith.
    

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70. SURGERY #10
    Left below knee amputation.
    AUGUST 29, 2016 (3 YEARS AND 12 DAYS LATER)
    THAT WAS 8 MONTHS AGO.
    

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74. LESSON:
    
    
    It’s ok to let go.
    
    
    Just because something is
    holding you back, doesn’t
    mean you have to hold on too.
    

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75. STUMPTASTIC!
    Plenty of challenges.
    
    
    Zero limitations.
    

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77. “Daddy, can you run yet?”
    😊
    

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78. “You can’t beat me!”
    😛
    

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79. “Daddy, you’re cheating!”
    😡
    

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82. LESSON:
    
    
    It’s about progress—
    
    
    not aspirations.
    
    
    Focus on how far you’ve come
    because our journeys never end.
    You’ll never reach a
    fi
    nish line.
    

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83. Bill Gates
    
    
    (Probably)
    Most people overestimate
    what they can do in one year
    and underestimate what they
    can do in ten years.
    

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87. LESSON:
    
    
    Find your people so they can
    nudge you along safely.
    
    
    When you’re in the thick of it, it’s
    di
    ff i
    cult to know if you’re pushing
    yourself too hard or not hard
    enough.
    

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88. 🏃 ⛹
    🚶
    NO PROBLEM
    🚵
    🏋
    SIMPLE FOOT CHANGE
    🏂
    GETTING THERE
    SURE, WHY NOT
    

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94. ⛸
    👡 👢
    👞
    👟
    👠 🎿
    

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95. LESSON:
    
    
    We’re all adaptive.
    
    
    Yes. You too.
    
    
    (And a whole lot stronger than
    we realize until we’re tested.)
    

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96. Sir Edmund Hillary
    
    
    First to summit Mt. Everest
    It is not the mountain we
    conquer, but ourselves.
    

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97. 🏔
    

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98. start_sustain
    
    
    garrettdimon
    
    
    garrettdimon.com
    THANKS
    g
    T
    T
    

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