I got hit by a truck. It was my fault.

Let me clear: It sucked, I don't recommend it and if I could go back in time I would definitely wake myself up (I fell asleep at the wheel).

That was in 1997. Since then my income has risen 500%, I've traveled (for business) all over the world and people pay to hear me speak (this still blows me away). I can't say I owe my success directly to the accident but it definitely was the impetus that got me into gear. After 2 months in the ICU/Rehab I was finally released but they sent me to one last doctor. She did what I thought of as an IQ test to determine the impact on my brain functioning. A few weeks later she called with the results. She said I had suffered permanent brain damage and would most likely be mildly learning disabled for the rest of my life. I thanked her for her time and hung up. "Fuck you" I said to the phone. Over the next 2 years I studied my ass off and got dozens of certifications. This led to my becoming a network security professional which in turn got me a job working for a fortune 500 company as a consultants.. During those same 2 years constantly felt "off" from reality which various doctors told me was the result of trauma and long exposure to anesthesia (I was in the OR for over 35 hours total). It made me question every single thing I did and made me a little bit paranoid because I always felt disconnected from everything. The studying and test taking helped me to focus in on something concrete.

I can't say getting hit was the "best" thing (that would be marrying the woman of my dreams) but it was definitely the worst that in hindsight while not worth repeating certainly didn't slow me down.