CRASHING INTO POTENTIAL

Scott B Harris

Have you crashed into your potential? My name is Scott B Harris and I am the author of the book, CRASGING INTO POTENTIAL: Living with my injured brain. At the ripe old age of 23, I came face to face with adversity, when I crashed my KTM 450 dirtbike into a mate. This left me with lasting injuries including severe brain damage, paralysis, and the use of only one arm. This was the start of my new life. Since that fateful day, I have been clawing my way back into a society that accepts me for who I am and not for who I WAS (and by "Society", I mean myself. I had to learn how to accept MYSELF in my new life with all my imperfections). Come with me and learn how to be resilient in the face of adversity and crash into your own potential.

Subscribe Listen in podnodRSS feed Show website

20 episodes
Updated May 10, 2021

Episodes20

Newest first

May 10, 2021 · 31 min
EP.38 - Chapter 25 - BACK IN TOWN/CONCLUSION
Send us Fan Mail We have come to the end of the line friends. EP.38 is where we stitch it all up, and boy has it been a ride. I have enjoyed making this podcast so much and I so happy you have too. In the episode, I make my way back to Australia for a quick surgery on my broken face and I fly back to the USA, landing in LA. I was in LA for a few days before meeting up with Daniel and Kieran on their return from Mexico. Once we met up, we were all set to drive over to Arizona to see what spring break was all about and no. it did NOT disappoint. A quick stop off in Las Vegas before parting way with the boys and heading back to Vancouver, Canada. Here I would go on a little road trip with my best friend (now FIANCE and mother of my back girl, Giselle) Jasmine. What a great end to 17-months of amazing travels. I don’t regret one thing I did on that trip because every event is a story of its own. Click HERE for images. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
May 3, 2021 · 30 min
EP.37 - Chapter 24 - I DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING
Send us Fan Mail We are edging closer my friends. In episode 37 in a heartbeat, because of a stupid decision, I had to pack my bags and return to Australia. This was that point in my life where I discovered that I obviously have more than 9 lives. I during our road trip in Banff, I was involved in a trip-ending accident that could have quite easily been life-ending knowing my background. German snowboarder – 1 Me – 0 That’s right, I face-planted into someone on Lake Louise and in a split second, my trip was over. Boom. Done. Dusted. Game, set, match! If it wasn’t for my determination to finish what I started, I would forever regret my decision. Click HERE for images. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Apr 25, 2021 · 29 min
EP.36 - Chapter 23 - CANADA, ROUND TWO
Send us Fan Mail In episode 36, come along as I read to you chapter number 23. Chapter 23 is the experiences that I had in Canada throughout my second season there. After having an absolute baller time in Europe, I dragged that high with me around the world. I was under the misconception that my social anxiety was all but gone, taken care of, but no it wasn’t. NO SIR! It was just lurking in the dark corners of my mind ready to come back out as soon as I let my guard down. Well, it didn’t take long for this bad boy to come back out to play, did it? I was now there with a mate from back home and as much as I thought that would be better, it wasn’t! No one’s fault but mine, so I had to accept it for what it was. All in all the winter wasn’t too bad and I can tell you that I did enjoy myself a lot. Halfway through the season, we left on a road trip that had us crossing the USA all the way to the west coast. Click HERE for images. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Apr 19, 2021 · 40 min
EP.35 - Chapter 22 - LEAVING EUROPE
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 35 I finish off my time in Europe on a massive high. After the stress of chapter 21 in Germany, I could really let my hair down andf just go wherever the wind took me. I had certain places to be at certain times but in the middle of all that, I could do what I pleased. I went on to visit and revisit 10 countries. This part of my trip was definitely the biggest growth period I experienced. I am so grateful for all the opportunities I got to experience and all the incredible people that I met. I recommend that you follow my jourmney below while looking at all of the images. Enjoy Click HERE for images. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Apr 12, 2021 · 39 min
EP.34 - Chapter 21 - THE TURNING POINT
Send us Fan Mail In EP.34 - Chapter 34, I make my way from Greece to Berlin, Germany, with a sailing trip around Croatia on the way. This was the turning point of my whole recovery as my mindset and perception of my own abilities did a backflip. With a brain injury, sometimes, the simplest of tasks become challenging and now I was on my way to Germany to get a working holiday visa... ON MY OWN. This was going to be a challenge! Day 1: I was chilled out and all relaxed because it was going to be “easy”. It wasn’t! I spent the day wasting time and paid the consequences. Day 2: No one from the foreign registration office understood what I was trying to get. I didn’t even know so I spent the day running around in circles chasing butterflies in my brain. Day 3: The office was closed so I relaxed... if you could call it that. Day 4: D-day! My last opportunity to get what I came for. After running all around Berlin, here there and everywhere and back, I made it. I walked out of the office a free man. I finally got what I had come for. Literally in the last 30 minutes! The last time I felt this kind of relief was when I finished a 3 minute speech in grade 2 about my pet rabbit minty! From this moment on my perception of my capabilities had changed forever. Click HERE for photos. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Apr 5, 2021 · 35 min
EP.33 - Chapter 20 - JASMINE
Send us Fan Mail Episode 33 is about the connection I made with Jasmine. After meeting Jas, I traveled to the western end of the long island of Crete to a little town called Chania (Pronounced Hania). The most magnificent place I‘ve been to in the world. The sun and the situation made this an absolute dream to be in. After we parted ways I left for the south for a few days before we met back up on another island called Naxos before we traveled to Paros to finish our trip. 3 weeks in total and this put me in the most relaxed state I’d been in for months. Click HERE for photos. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Mar 28, 2021 · 43 min
EP.32 - Chapter 19 - THE GREEK ISLANDS
Send us Fan Mail In EP.32 I make my way to the Greek Islands, better known as paradise. Before I go there, I was lucky enough to have a few days relaxing with Kelly and her family in a suburb of Athens called Irakleio. This was where Kelly and her family lived, and I was welcomed there with both arms wide. It made my time in Athens, amazing. Here’s a photo of Kelly, Mary and myself one night they took me out on the town. I stayed there for a couple of days before I left, which was good because Kelly was able to help me put together a plan of attack. I then managed to miss my ferry to my first Island, Ios, which really made my adventure stressful. With another group that also missed the ferry, I lead the way to the other side of the country to catch another one. That was my start to what was about to be an amazing 5 weeks. I wasn’t aware of how much fun I was about to have! My first stop was Ios where I spent 5 days, having TOO MUCH fun until my world came crashing down. With my lifeline (my iPhone) drowned, it was time to make a move to sort it out. Onto to Santorini then Crete. Both islands were amazing, and I am very grateful that I was able to be there. Click HERE for photos. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Mar 21, 2021 · 18 min
EP.31 – Chapter 18 - ARRIVING IN ATHENS
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we go through the shortest chapter of the book (so far). Chapter 18 is literally one event, for one night… that’s it! I fly from Amsterdam, the Netherlands to Athens, Greece and come up against some trouble. This was the first encounter I have with the European authorities that had me kicked off a bus in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, in a country that is going through a lot of financial turmoil. I sat back and looked at my surroundings and fell in love with the adventure I’d been longing for. When I finally made it to the city of Athens, I then had to find my way to the hostel I’d had booked for me. A few questions and I was on my way. I finally made it to my next checkpoint and was able to relax. The whole time with a grin from ear to ear… THIS IS TRAVELING! Click HERE to see images. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Mar 14, 2021 · 30 min
EP.30 - Chapter 17 - FREEDOM AT LAST
Send us Fan Mail EP.30 is the reading of chapter 17 of my book, Crashing Into Potential: Living with my injured brain. The chapter is called, FREEDOM AT LAST. After getting off a tour around Scandinavia and Russia, I stuck around in Berlin for a week and just hung out. This week is exactly what I imagined traveling around the world would be like. This was the moment I realised that I didn't like to be confined and restricted by a tour and that I liked the freedom while traveling to do what I wasn't when I want. I met up with a girl from the tour I did around Turkey and Egypt and we had arranged to travel to a few places together. One place was Krakow Poland, to visit Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration camp. The most grueling, horrific, haunting concentrating camp of them all. What went on behind those walls has changed the course of history. Even though I knew this and could see it with my own two eyes, the disconnect was still there and I didn't get as much out of it as one would hope. I took some pretty good photos instead to make up for it. Click HERE to see photos. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Mar 7, 2021 · 28 min
EP.29 - Chapter 16 - THIS IS TRAVELLING
Send us Fan Mail In EP.29, I got my first real taste of Europe solo. I spent 5-6 days in Prague, Czech Republic, and this was the first time traveling on my own when I had no plans. This was both a blessing and a curse because my planning skills at this point were still falling behind the 8-ball. I probably spent 2 days more than I needed as these were my “fluffing around” days. Luckily, I had the time or else I would have missed some great opportunities to see some amazing sites. Instead, I got out of the city on 2 occasions to see a cute little town down south called Český Krumlov and a church made of 40,000 human bones. Quite a sight! After my time in Prague, I initiated, planned and executed my journey to my next checkpoint… all on my own. How proud I felt to be able to do this was incredible. Berlin here we come! Click HERE to see my time in Prague. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Feb 28, 2021 · 45 min
EP.28 - Chapter 15 - ANZAC DAY
Send us Fan Mail In EP.28 it’s time to move from the land of winter fun and onto the next leg of my trip around the world. Europe here I come!! I soon realised that I was still living with a brain injury and all the difficulties I have are still there, but now I’m going to have to take these on alone. From the moment I fly into Turkey, I realised I should have done more research into my trip when I nearly had a meltdown regarding visas. Not knowing the ins and outs of the travel game yet, I found out that it was an easy fix. I continued my trip through Turkey, which would take me to Gallipoli to pay my respects to the fallen soldiers of WWI, and to many sites that were thousands of years old. After Turkey, I flew across the Ocean to Africa and straight into the heart of Egypt. After more old structures we sailed down the Nile on a Felucca stopping at places along the way to experience the Egyptian way of life, finishing the tour at Luxor to see The Valley of the Kings and other old Temples I knew nothing about. Just as I started the Turkey trip, I finished it with a stressful situation too. The good news is that I lived to tell the tale. Click HERE for photos of my trip. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Feb 21, 2021 · 34 min
EP.27 - Chapter 14 - END OF SEASON
Send us Fan Mail In EP.27, it’s a wrap. The season is ending and it’s time to move on. Before we do, there was still a bunch of fun to have in the spring. This was Spring skiing at its finest and I was enjoying every second of it. Yes, my social anxiety was playing tricks on me all the time, but I really had nothing to worry about. With the help of ASSP, I was able to beat some demons that were trying to hunt me down. To top off the season, I got invited on a road trip that really put the cherry on top. Through the Canadian Rockies to Jasper, then onto Banff, this trip was amazing. Snap, snap, snap. That was my camera taking photos of the jaw-dropping scenery that surrounded me. As you can see, this place was pretty cool, and I needed to pinch myself just to make sure I wasn’t sound asleep in my hospital bed in Melbourne! What better way to send off Canada than at the Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler. This was the place to be and I was there. I was so grateful that I could be a part of it. Click HERE to see pictures and videos of my final few months in Canada. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Feb 14, 2021 · 39 min
EP.26 - Chapter 13 - JAPAN
Send us Fan Mail In EP.26 I take you on another little side adventure to my main adventure, which turned out to be an unforgettable adventure. Because of reasons I don’t completely understand myself, I needed to get out of Canada by plane and find another location to set up camp. Well, this camp was set up in Japan and boy am I glad I chose that place! Being winter in the Northern Hemisphere, Japan’s north island was covered in snow. If you know anything about anything to do with anything in the snow, you’ll know that Japan is the pinocle of powder. Along with this powder-filled expedition came a few troubles along the way. As you’ll learn, opening your mouth and connecting with people in a kind and friendly manner is always best done on a train on the northern island of Japan. I believe luck is in the eye of the beholder, and you create your OWN luck. After I made a wrong move in a country far, far from home, I managed to be saved by a family that also wanted to see me succeed. I also learnt that opening my mouth to people in the bar, and talking as though I know what's what, can sometimes take me down a rabbit hole I can’t get out of. I found myself following people to a summit that you can only hike to and dropping in on face that scared the living daylights out of me. Not to mention it could have been the end of me. Well, it’s all in a day’s work and I’m still here to talk about it… so was it really that bad? Probably not. Follow me and I’ll show you how it’s done. Click HERE to see pictures of me and from me, in Japan Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Feb 7, 2021 · 22 min
EP.25 - Chapter 12 - SURPRISE
Send us Fan Mail In EP.25 we learn what happens when things don’t go right… we call mum. Mum was my safety net that I so desperately needed to break away from, but when things start to heat up, so do I. This little side trip from Canada to Hawaii didn’t get off to a great start but as you’ll learn, I made it in the end. In this chapter, my relationship with my father came to a boiling point. It was hard to see his son do what he was doing and not be worried, after all, it was only a few years prior that he was, literally, wiping his 23-year-old sons’ ass with a handful of shit tickets. Every event that happens in our lives forms the building blocks for our future and makes us who we as. Some people find change a hard concept to grasp and when you’re tackling your own demons inside your own head, it’s hard to get past that. The good news is that in this chapter, I make it and come out the other side having learnt from it. CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS OF HAWAII Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Jan 31, 2021 · 1 hr 3 min
EP.24 - PART TWO - TAKING ON THE WORLD + Chapter 11 - A WHITE CHRISTMAS
Send us Fan Mail In EP.24 I take you through the process of getting myself over to another country on the other side of the world. This might be a standard drill for a seasoned traveler, but with a fresh set of eyes to this world, a naïve outlook and a brain injury, I was shaking in my boots. Rightly so, I had a whole backpack full of fears! This was it. The beginning of the biggest adventure of my life. I was about to embark on an adventure that would change the course of my life. The first stop was Canada where I met and stayed with friends of friends of friends of people that wanted to see me succeed. I soon found out that this wasn’t the quick fix like I imagined but with the help of people at ASSP, the Hostel family and my friends Carly and Jen, my first white Christmas turned out to be a good one. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Dec 14, 2020 · 27 min
EP.23 – WORKING WITH THE PYGMALION EFFECT
Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode I share with the audience an interesting concept I’ve discovered, which is called The Pygmalion Effect. The research was first conducted in the 1960s and has been proven to lift the standards of the people that we are teaching, or coaching or instructing to do a certain thing. Robert Rosenthal led a team in studying the effects that a teacher has on their disciples. To start they gave 2 groups of students, 2 groups of rats, and had them teach the rats how to get through a maze. They told group A that they were given “MAZE BRIGHT RATS” and group B that they were given “MAZE DULL” rats. Well, it turns out that the rats that performed the best in the maze were the ones that had been selected as the advantaged one. Because the rats were selected at random, it all came down to the faith that the teacher had in them. Robert then rationalized that this would be the same in the classroom. They took this experiment into an elementary school and did the same thing. They tested the students at the start of the year and told the teachers that a select few were predicted to be academic bloomers. When they came back a year later, the students that had been selected (at random) as the “academic bloomers”, had proven to once again be the ones that had bloomed. The reason for this came down to 4 factors: 1. The Climate Factor – The warmth of the teacher towards the academic bloomer 2. The Input Factor – The amount of input the teachers put in with these students 3. The response Factor – The space the teacher gave the bloomers to respond 4. The Feedback Factor – The amount of well-constructed feedback that was given There have been skeptics over the years that have said that there were too many variables to the data, but time and time again this concept has been proven. In 2009 a workplace study of The Pygmalion Effect found that employees responded favorably to their boss’s expectations. This idea can be taken into the classroom, workplace, your team that you’re coaching, or your parenting style if need be. You can use this anytime you are teaching anyone to do anything. Click HERE to see a video interview with Robert Rosenthal Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Dec 7, 2020 · 27 min
EP. 22 - HOW TO BE IN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE
Send us Fan Mail This week is all about where we place the control in our lives. The location of this control is called Locus of Control, and we all fall somewhere between an Internal Locus of Control and an External Locus of Control. People with an Internal Locus of Control feel that they are in control of their own destiny and people with an External Locus of Control feel they aren’t. Neither one of these are right or wrong, they’re just personality traits that are really good to be aware of. They both have pros and cons to them so once you know what they are, you can pick and choose how you want to live your life. Pros for people with an Internal Locus of Control: - They take responsibility for the things that happen in their lives - They are hardworking because they know that THEY have the power to influence the result - They know that they can take action to improve their situation - They learn from their mistakes because they take responsibility for them - They are more successful Cons for people with an Internal Locus of Control: - They are straight to the point and sometimes very hard to work with - They have a strong mindset, either consciously or subconsciously, that it’s their way or the highway - They find it hard to delegate because they generally want control of whatever it is that needs to be done Pros for people with an External Locus of Control: - They are great team players and at praising everyone in the team for doing such a great job - They are great at letting go of things that don’t work out for them Cons for people with an External Locus of Control: - They tend to blame external factors for things that happen to them - They don’t like to take responsibility for things that go right or wrong - They often feel powerless and helpless to change the outcome - They play down their successes and put it all down too luck rather than their hard work - They give up earlier because as soon as something goes wrong, they feel it’s out of their control to change the outcome and fix it - They feel like they are the victim because everything is happening TO them not FOR them As I said, there is no right or wrong way to this personality trait and it is something that you can adapt into your life however you see fit. To change this trait though can take a lot of work and you really need to be consciously aware of how you use your self-talk. This trait has most likely been with you from a very young age. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Nov 30, 2020 · 22 min
EP.21 - WHAT ARE YOU SACRIFICING
Send us Fan Mail In this episode I am sharing with you some of first the things that normally get sacrificed when we’re trying to make it to the top. Unfortunately, in life, making it to the top sometimes comes at a cost and it’s up to us to decide what it is that we are willing to put to the sidelines to make it up there. #1 – The first thing that can be cut is our sleep. This is a bit misleading, I know, but I am not talking about getting less sleep. I’m just talking about honing in on our bedtime and getting up earlier. If you were to go to bed and get up 2 hours earlier each day, you will get an extra 520 hours a year to achieve your goals. This is because, and let’s face it, you probably are not doing anything super productive at 11pm are you? #2 – The second thing that may get introduced to the chopping block is our relationships. If you are away from your family a lot because of the journey that you’re on, make it your mission to make, when you are at home, to be present. It’s sometimes hard to switch off when our lives get so hectic, but this is one thing that is very important to be mindful of. #3 – The next thing to watch out for is our health. We need to be conscious that this is something that can fall by the wayside quite easily when we buried in whatever it is that we’re trying to accomplish. 4 things I mention in this podcast that we should be mindful of to keep our health on point are: 1. Exercise 2. Sleep 3. Health 4. Free Time #4 – The last thing we talk about in this week’s episode, that may have to be cut out, is those sports and those hobbies that we do for fun. When we’re trying to make it to the top, I think it’s fine to sacrifice a bit of short-term enjoyment for some long-term fun. Ultimately, the choice is all yours. Sometimes it can just take a little bit of planning to get to where we want to be. Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Nov 23, 2020 · 28 min
EP.20 – GETTING IN THE ZONE
Send us Fan Mail The scientific term for being ‘in the zone’ is called flow so in this week’s episode we’re talking about getting into this state of flow and what it’s going to mean for our achievement levels. We perform at the ultimate level when we are in this state. To get into this state, we need to be doing something or trying to achieve something that is equal part challenging to equal part doable. Anxiety: We need anxiety in our lives in order to be prepared for the challenges that we may face in life, but too much anxiety leads to stress and when brain releases too much of the stress hormone, this is when we are very prone to panic attacks. Relaxation: Too much relaxation will cause us to become uninterested and lazy. This in itself is ok, but too much of it and it can be a hard hole to climb out of. If you don’t watch out, it can be a very slippery slope. For full show description click HERE Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au
Nov 16, 2020 · 24 min
EP.19 - BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM
Send us Fan Mail This week we’re talking about the things I’ve learned about building my self-esteem. Tip #1: Love yourself Tip #2: Focus on what you can change and except all that you can’t Tip #3: Stop comparing yourself to others Tip #4: Hone your craft For full show description click HERE Let’s connect Facebook - @TheInjuredBrain Instagram - @TheInjuredBrain Twitter - @TheInjuedBrain LinkedIn - @TheInjuredBrain Email – scott@scottbharris.com.au