The news that tetraplegic Simon Arnold has just taken his place at the bar got me thinking about how tragedy can become catalyst to thinking and achieving big.
When Simon was involved in a road traffic accident in 2006, his life was changed forever. He is now unable to walk, has very limited use of his hands and he relies on a power chair to get around. However, he has faced tragedy head on and with steely determination and resolve he has beaten the odds and transformed his life. Awarded a pupillage at Exchange Chambers and Hilary Meredith Solicitors, he has become an inspiring role model and a real-life Superman.
We all need to have a purpose in life, and some of us want to leave an enduring legacy. So what is it that drives you on to be the best version of yourself?
Is it sheer talent? Was it clear that you were born to be great? Perhaps you experienced the “Aha!” phenomenon – a light bulb moment when you grasped the meaning of life and your purpose in it. Maybe you just know that we only get one shot, and so you’re going to do everything you can to make your mark? Or did you simply spot an unmet need? You saw a gap in the market and knew that you had the solution that no-on else had ever thought of.
Some of us just happen to be in the right place at the right time. For others, serendipity strikes. Whatever it is that you do, don’t wait for an outside force to spur you on, and definitely don’t wait for tragedy to strike. Grasp the nettle. It’s never too late to become the person you were meant to be…
“It is never too late to be what you might have been” George Eliot