(photo, credit of BBC)
I didn't catch the whole show (only looked in between sets) but I'm pretty sure one half of the couple, Stan, had a serious motorbike accident, and was in a very, very bad way. The doctors and family at one stage didn't think he would pull through. One of the doctors did say about a small chance of him waking up, but it didn't look good. Stan then woke up. The doctors said there's a good chance he won't walk again. Stan walked again.
I kept looking at the screen in between sets, not because I was more interested in TV than my session, but because seeing him on screen was very inspirational (I still got a great session in). He had to use a mobility scooter to start with as he didn't have the strength to walk. But he kept pushing with his physiotherapy, kept saying to him and his wife that he will walk again, and then he did! Yes he had to use a stick, but he was walking, But that didn't seem to satisfy Stan, as he wanted more, he wanted to one day walk without the stick and to be able to use his arms as normal and live a good life.
They found their dream home in Australia, and it came with an all important gym and swimming pool, two things that would helps Stan's recovery so much. Was that enough for Stan? nope. He wanted to go back to work as a mechanic, which he did before his accident. But he opted to go into being a mechanic teacher, rather than working as a mechanic himself. Seeing him working on a car, someone who struggles to walk and to use both arms like normal, was nothing but motivational.
This is a guy who, out of nowhere, nearly died, and he kept on fighting every single day, to reach his newly found limited potential. No, he won't ever get back to 'normal', but he wanted to get to the limit that he could. He worked so hard to walk again, and then to walk without a stick. Then even that wasn't enough, he wanted to go back to work and help people become mechanics, a job that he loved doing himself.
I wanted to share this because most people in his situation would feel sorry for themselves, blame the accident for ruining their life, give up trying anything and just 'go through the motions' of life, rather than fighting to improve their life. The mindset that Stan has, is one that can be applied to many different jobs, many different situations, and a heck of a lot of people. Mindset is everything, and I do truly believe that if you believe in yourself, you can have success.
Lee Gregory Fitness
