I came across this article about Bear Grylls, and I was impressed with not only his ability to come back from potentially life changing injuries but to then create a life which is remarkable to say the least. Perhaps his potentially life changing injury helped him realise that he had been given a second chance and this has driven him to such amazing achievements.
Like to many people I have heard of Bear Grylls, but I had no idea how much he has achieved in his life.
Bear Grylls the power of the mind
After leaving school, Bear Grylls briefly considered joining the Indian Army and hiked in the Himalayan mountains of Sikkim and West Bengal. Eventually, he joined the Territorial Army and, after passing selection, served as a reservist with the SAS in 21 SAS Regiment (Artists) (Reserve), for three years until 1997.
In 1996, he suffered a free-fall parachuting accident in Zambia. His canopy ripped at 16,000 ft, partially opening, causing him to fall and land on his parachute pack on his back, which partially crushed three vertebrae.
He later said: “I should have cut the main parachute and gone to the reserve but thought there was time to resolve the problem”. According to his surgeon, he came “within a whisker” of being paralyzed for life and at first it was questionable whether he would ever walk again.
He spent the next 12 months in and out of military rehabilitation.
In a showcase of what pure determination and hard work can do, on 16 May 1998 he achieved his childhood dream and climbed to the summit of Mount Everest, 18 months after breaking three vertebrae in a parachuting accident.
At 23, he was at the time among the youngest people to have achieved this feat. This is the inspirational story of the amazing Bear Grylls. He is known to the world as a television presenter for the Discovery Channel’s Emmy Award-nominated Man vs. Wild TV series, which became one of the most-watched shows on the planet, reaching an estimated 1.2 billion viewers.
A remarkable life fully lived
BEAR GRYLLS OBE, has become known worldwide as one of the most recognized faces of survival and outdoor adventure.
Since then, he has gone on to host more extreme adventure TV shows across more global networks than anyone else in the world, including six seasons of the global hit TV show Running Wild with Bear Grylls.
Running Wild has featured Bear taking some of the world’s best-known stars on incredible adventures. These include President Obama, Julia Roberts, Roger Federer, Will Ferrell, Channing Tatum, and Kate Winslet, to name but a few.
Bear also hosts the Emmy Award-winning interactive Netflix show You Vs Wild, which was one of Netflix’s most watched shows in 2020. Netflix & Bear then forged new ground by making two interactive movie versions of You Vs Wild including the second most watched film on Netflix US, titled: Animals on The Loose.
You Vs Wild spectacularly won him two EMMYs for best show and best host. Bear has also won two BAFTAS for his hit Channel 4 show The Island with Bear Grylls.
3.6 billion impressions
Bear filmed an iconic adventure with Prime Minister Modi of India, which achieved a landmark record as the ‘world’s most trending televised event, with a staggering 3.6 BILLION impressions. This was the start of many episodes with Indian superstars that have broken records and won awards in Asia for their originality.
This includes his Netflix India movie Ranveer Vs Wild where Bear guides the Indian star Ranveer Singh on an epic journey across the mountains. This was the second most trending movie in all of India.
He has written over 90 books
His autobiography, Mud Sweat and Tears, spent 15 weeks at Number 1 in the Sunday Times bestseller list and he has written over 90 books, selling in excess of 20 million copies worldwide.
He is an Honorary Colonel to the Royal Marines Commandos, the youngest ever UK Chief Scout, and the first ever Chief Ambassador to the World Scout Organization, representing a global family of some fifty-five million Scouts.
He is married to Shara, and together they have three sons: Jesse, Marmaduke and Huckleberry. They live on a houseboat on the Thames in London and a private island off the Welsh coast.
Bear’s life motto is simple: courage and kindness . . . and never give up!
That is an unreal list of achievements
Wow I am worn out just reading about all his achievements in such a short period of time. It demonstrates amazing resilience, work ethic and determination. He appears to be one of a kind, but we can all take inspiration from this story of huge courage in overcoming a near life changing accident to live a life fully lived.
We don’t have to be authors or TV stars to be successful, we just need to fulfil our potential whatever that may be. It may be to bring us a family or run a corner shop. It may be to be the best nurse you can be or the kindest teacher you can be. It may be to be the best manager you can be to inspire your staff.
What does matter is that you make the most of the gifts you have been given and fulfil that potential. And when things do go wrong, pick yourself up and go again. Don’t give up when things do go wrong because they will. Expect things to go wrong and when they do be ready to respond well. Don’t be caught off guard but be armed with techniques to help you respond well.
Because ultimately “It’s not what happens to you in life which counts, it’s how you respond which makes all the difference.”
Thoughts for the week.
Well, that’s it for this week, have a wonderful weekend and keep believing.
Warm regards
John
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