Pursue your passions & keep “that enthusiam for trying”
…the driving force behind everything is that enthusiasm for trying.
–Alex Zanardi
Alex Zanardi is one of my heroes. His story is remarkable, and I hope it’ll inspire you to not give up on pursuing your passions.
On September 15, 2001, just days after the terrorist attack on the U.S., two-time CART Champion (an American racing series which later merged with the IRL) and Formula 1 racing car driver lost both of his legs and almost lost his life in a race in Berlin. He had to be resuscitated three times that day.
After being in a coma for a week, Zanardi fought his way back to health, got fitted with prosthetics and found a way to drive again. In his book, My Sweetest Victory, it’s obvious that his love for his career as a race car driver was second only to his love for his family.
My husband and I had been big fans of CART Racing, diligently watching practically every race for well over 10 years. We certainly had a lot of respect for Zanardi as we watched him win two CART championships. But we were absolutely blown away in 2003 when we watched him return to the Berlin track where his tragic accident had occurred and finish the remaining 13 laps of that race from 2001. He broke a record that day for fastest disabled person! He subsequently went on to compete in other car racing series in Europe. The last I heard, he’s been doing some competitive hand-cycling.
In his book he writes:
Would it have made sense for me to spend the rest of my days lying in bed staring at the white ceiling and telling myself that it was all over? I can’t blame those who do not succeed in psychologically overcoming serious obstacles that life at times imposes on us. It’s just that I have been fortunate enough to be able to put those things in the proper perspective from the start. I hope others can do the same.
Don’t know about you but when I have a tough day, inspiring stories like this give me a dose of “proper perspective.” Suddenly, my situation doesn’t seem so tough afterall. I keep pursuing my passions and keep my eye on the prize!