Moxie: Whatever It Takes–No Really...

ONE STORY

Jean-Dominique Bauby had it all.

Editor-in-chief of Elle magazine in Paris. Cultural maven. Fashionable. Connected. At 44, he’d mastered the game most of us are still trying to figure out how to play. His first book deal was just the beginning.

Then suddenly, the rules changed: A stroke.

Bauby awoke in a hospital bed—fully conscious but completely paralyzed. Locked-in syndrome trapped his sharp mind and vivid memories inside an unresponsive body. He couldn't speak, move, or even nod. Only his left eyelid remained under his control.

Most stories end here.
But Bauby’s was just getting started.

When the rules changed, he didn’t fold. He reframed. His body had limits, but his purpose didn’t.

There was still a book to finish. And even trapped in silence, he made a decision: The promise would be kept.

How?

A transcriber recited the alphabet, and Bauby blinked when she reached the right letter. One blink per letter. Dozens of blinks per word. Hundreds per sentence. Over two hundred thousand for the entire book.

This wasn’t just persistence.
This was purpose over everything. Whatever it takes.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was published in 1997—just two days before he died.

And the world noticed.

The book became an international bestseller, translated into more than 45 languages and selling over a million copies. A decade later, it became a film that earned four Oscar nominations and a standing ovation at Cannes. (The film is amazing, by the way. Worth a watch.) The man who couldn't lift a finger moved the hearts of millions.

Here’s the part most people miss: The obstacle wasn’t the point.
The purpose was.

Most of us have every advantage Bauby lost—and yet we play small. We’ve been taught that obstacles are to be avoided. That making things look easy is the goal, and that perfection equals success.

But easy doesn’t create work that matters. Doing whatever it takes to stay true to your vision does.

With almost nothing left, Bauby showed us what “staying true” really looks like.

The question isn’t whether you have what Bauby had.
The question is: What will you do with what you’ve been given?

TWO QUOTES

"Most people live, whether physically, intellectually or morally, in a very restricted circle of their potential being. They make use of a very small portion of their possible consciousness, and of their soul's resources in general, much like a man who, out of his whole bodily organism, should get into a habit of using and moving only his little finger."
— William James

“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.”
— Jamie Paolinetti

THREE TAKEAWAYS

1. Excuses are a choice.
It’s easy to say, “I can’t because…” Bauby could’ve said that every day. No one would’ve blamed him. But he chose the harder sentence: “I will, anyway.” Not with a laptop. Not with a pen. With one working eyelid—and relentless focus.

Most of us don’t lack opportunity. We lack the resolve to begin, especially when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable. Excuses are easy. But they cost us everything.

2. Purpose always finds a way.
People spend years waiting for the right conditions—more time, better tools, perfect energy. Bauby didn’t wait. He didn’t have time. His purpose wasn’t postponed by the absence of convenience. When your “why” is real, it doesn’t need comfort. It only needs conviction. And from conviction, even the smallest movement becomes momentum.

3. The only thing more powerful than a circumstance is a strongly held belief.
Circumstances are real. They set the stage, shape the odds, and often steal the spotlight. But the only thing more powerful than a circumstance is a belief you’re willing to carry, even when it’s heavy. Not a vague hope—but a conviction you choose, act on, and return to daily. Belief doesn’t win on its own. It wins because you show up for it. Because you decide, again and again, to live like it’s true.

ONE MORE THING

You may never face the obstacles Bauby did. But you will face moments when everything feels hard, heavy, or hopeless.

In those moments, ask: 

What would the version of me—fully alive, fully present, fully willing—do next?

Then start there.

MOXIE REFLECTIONS

• Where in your life are you playing small out of habit or fear?

• What part of you is waiting to be used—creatively, emotionally, spiritually?

• What story will you write with the tools you already have?