I was watching an interview of Bear Gryllis by Anderson Cooper on CNN and was struck that he said the same things I say to people about surviving all sorts of extreme situations, such as physical rehabilitation, unemployment, or an even more serious personal tragedy. He even has the same favorite quote by Winston Churchill who said, "If you are going through hell, keep going."
Most people don't realize that Bear at one time broke his back in three places. His spine! He went through a year of rehabilitation, and then climbed Mt. Everest with his father, who initially taught him how to climb as a child.
And of course everyone knows Lance Armstrong's story.
Thoughts of doom and gloom can be self-fulfilling. If you don't have the will to persevere, to survive, then you wont--whether it's coming back from a terrible injury, an illness, being literally trapped and waiting for rescue, loss of a loved one, the end of a dear relationship, or unemployment. People who are great survivors aren't usually survival experts, they typically have something else that sustains them and makes them more than the sum of their experience. It could be faith, family, or a sense of mission for example.
In my case, I've been though hard times in my life, particularly in the last several years, and I've won every time. So getting hit by a car, going through surgeries, and rehabilitation is comparatively easy. I am determined that this isn't going to end my lifelong love of cycling or active lifestyle, and with that in mind I have already bought my replacement bike: a 2011 Trek Madone 5.2 .
Most people don't realize that Bear at one time broke his back in three places. His spine! He went through a year of rehabilitation, and then climbed Mt. Everest with his father, who initially taught him how to climb as a child.
And of course everyone knows Lance Armstrong's story.
Thoughts of doom and gloom can be self-fulfilling. If you don't have the will to persevere, to survive, then you wont--whether it's coming back from a terrible injury, an illness, being literally trapped and waiting for rescue, loss of a loved one, the end of a dear relationship, or unemployment. People who are great survivors aren't usually survival experts, they typically have something else that sustains them and makes them more than the sum of their experience. It could be faith, family, or a sense of mission for example.
In my case, I've been though hard times in my life, particularly in the last several years, and I've won every time. So getting hit by a car, going through surgeries, and rehabilitation is comparatively easy. I am determined that this isn't going to end my lifelong love of cycling or active lifestyle, and with that in mind I have already bought my replacement bike: a 2011 Trek Madone 5.2 .
Sweet, right?
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