Doug Osborne Does Not Quit tells of your experiences refusing to live behind the label of disabled and your journey to finding a work-from-job and buying your first home. Why was it important to share your story?

There were two related stories I wanted to share, captured by my book’s title and subtitle.

The title is named after the words on my banner, which reminds me to keep fighting no matter how many times I get knocked down and feel like quitting. The title story is about my banner and my ongoing mission of getting a job and going off disability.

I share my banner story to inspire others to keep fighting until they achieve their goals, and to inspire myself to stay true to my banner. Prior to publishing it in a book, I shared it in various forms with everyone I know and thousands of people I don’t know. The most widespread edition is a one-minute video with the caption: “Hi, my name is on my banner, and I want the world to hear me yell NOT TODAY!”  “Not today” is what I say to my banner twice a day: quietly as my morning prayer, and at the end of the day, with authority, because I did not quit today!  

My book begins and ends with my banner. It is the most powerful version of this story yet, accentuated by what goes on in between.

The middle and bulk of my book follow the subtitle plot, The House Behind My Banner, which begins shortly after the start of my mission. This is the first time I’ve publicly shared my account of the battle to buy my first house so I could continue my mission. More importantly, this story is about the fight to overcome my disability, getting past those who blocked my path, and in the process learning that I am actually far from disabled. The House Behind My Banner teaches valuable lessons, and I particularly enjoyed recalling the seminal moments of my life described in “Revenge of the Nerd,” “Redemption,” and “Home.”

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

Disability should not be confused with inability. For some people like me, to be or not to be disabled is a choice and not a diagnosis. For others with autism or related cognitive disorders, being “neurodivergent” instead of “neurotypical” is not a bad thing. For everyone, people should treat other people with respect, regardless of their current occupation or disability status.

What is a common misconception you feel people have about living with a disability?

I honestly don’t know which misconceptions are common, so I’ll just state my opinion that any conception about living with a disability is a misconception. One of the main points of my book is that people should not judge or underestimate anyone because of that d-word.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?

Philip Van Heusen for Readers’ Favorite summed it up as well as I could: “stop saying you can’t and believe that you can.” If you simply believe that you can, you might be surprised at what you can do.

This is the theme of a short chapter of my book, “Can I Walk Through Walls?” While I didn’t really suspect that I could walk through walls, the point is you should not assume you can’t do something until you have tried to do it. So, why not give it a shot?  The worst that can happen is you fail, but even that should not discourage you.

Doug Osborne Does Not Quit is about believing in yourself, while the sequel, Not Today!, will be about trying and failing over and over and over again until you finally succeed.

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/05/24/i-keep-fighting/