Stephen Hawkins Lessons For Us All

I don’t know an incredible amount about Stephen Hawking but I do know I’ve always admired him.
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His book, A Brief History Of Time, was in my house growing up although, regretfully, I never read it.
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I’ve also STILL not watched The Theory Of Everything – despite wanting to from the moment I heard about it.
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Now that he has sadly passed on, I will put both of these wrongs right, that’s for sure.
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(There’s nothing like the permanence of death to remind us that we won’t always have time to do the things we want…)
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What I do know about him though is at the age of 21 he was given two years to live after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.
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The fact that he lived to 76 and will be remembered as one of the greatest minds the world has seen is simply incredible.
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How easy could it have been for him to give in to his illness?
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One so brutal that over the decades it rendered him almost completely paralysed.
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(At the time of his death he could only communicate through the use of a single cheek muscle)
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Instead, he recovered from deep depression in the aftermath of his diagnosis, and lived the rest of his life with a fierce determination to realise his astonishing potential.
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Now, I’m not going to use his example as justification for the NO EXCUSES! rhetoric my industry loves to scream at normal, hard-working people.
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(Who juggle a successful career with a family and are probably more accomplished in most realms of life than Mr/Miss ‘Fitspiration’)
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But what I will say is Stephen Hawking’s life story is one of the best examples I can think of, of somebody realising that, whatever your circumstances, there’s always a way to make the best of them – and it’s always worth it.
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Forgive me for the link between his journey and the potential one we can all make with our health and fitness.
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It comes from a genuine place – because improving our health and fitness can improve our lives in ways we often don’t consider…
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To live the longest, healthiest, most vibrant life possible.
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To experience the confidence from positively-influencing something that can often feel beyond control.
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So, when you tell yourself you’re too busy to change. Too tired. That’s it’s too much work.
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Think of how Stephen Hawking rejected a similar narrative surrounding his own, tragic circumstances.
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It will engineer the momentum to start moving.
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One step at a time.
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Only doing what is possible – nothing else.