Juuso Taipale
Alex Zanardi never complained about his fate, even if he had every opportunity to do so. We should all follow his example, writes journalist Juuso Taipale.
Alex Zanardi maintained a positive attitude towards life despite being given a harsh fate. PDO
Stop to think about yourself.
Are you a complainer? A person who always only sees the bad side of things? Do you always think things are bad?
If you answered yes, consider Alex Zanard. A formula driver who lost both his legs and almost his life in a terrible accident. Who’s life’s work as a formula driver ended in the blink of an eye.
Think that Zanardi never complained about his fate. No, even if he had all the ingredients to become bitter and sink into depression.
Zanardi told formula editor Will Buxton in an excellent book published in 2019 My Greatest Defeat (Evro Publishing) about the moment he decided never to complain about his fate.
– I remember how I was starting my rehabilitation after the accident. I met a man at the rehabilitation center who wanted to offer me coffee and chat with me. We talked about motor sports, because you know, people often turned the topic to that in my company, Zanardi recalled.
A couple of hours later, Zanardi met the man again in the corridor of the rehabilitation center.
– He held a little girl in his arms and cried. The girl had no legs. When I comforted her, she said she was crying with happiness.
– He said that the girl was born without legs. The doctors had said that the prostheses could not be fitted to him until he was four years old. He said to me “Alex, today is the day”.
Dad’s reaction hit Zanard.
– A moment later I found myself in front of the mirror. I looked at myself and said, “Alex, you will never complain about your fate.”
Zanardi wanted to see the positive side of things.
– What am I missing? Nothing. I have enough money that I don’t have to worry about myself or my family. My only task remains to find a new direction for my life. There are many options. Now my task is to choose the right one, Zanardi said.
Zanardi rose to the world’s elite as a pair athlete. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Zanardi kept the promise he made to himself to the end. He never bemoaned his fate.
– I remember looking at myself after the accident. I couldn’t see my feet. I decided not to think about what I no longer had. Instead, I focused on what I still had, Zanardi described his worldview.
Zanardi chose optimism.
With that power, he got back behind the wheel of the racing car in triumph. Thanks to that, he became one of the most successful athletes in the history of Paralympic sports.
That made him a legend.
