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Aim High
Book by Thompson, Tanni
- GenresNonfiction
76 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 24, 2019
I am not entirely sure how I ended up reading this. It is a brief (about 60 pages) attempt at an inspirational call to aspire and achieve no matter what your situation and aims. Tanni Grey-Thompson is a Welsh former wheelchair athlete who had a significant impact on the growth and development of the Paralympics in Britain. Grey-Thompson is now a baroness and sits in the House of Lords as a cross bencher. She is also on a number of boards promoting sport, disability rights and transport.
Grey-Thompson has Spina Bifida and has been a wheelchair user since she was about five. She describes it thus:
“I could walk till about the age of five or six (I don't remember exactly). But as I grew, my legs couldn't support the increase in my bodyweight, because of my condition, and I slowly became paralysed. So I didn't, unlike others, have to suffer some dramatic accident, or spend months on end in a spinal unit. For me, becoming a wheelchair user wasn't an awful experience. Although I had stopped walking I didn't feel that something had been taken away. Having said this, the last few months when I was walking were pretty tough – this was the only time in my life that I have felt really disabled. I couldn't do the things that I wanted to do - like run away from my mum!
Having a wheelchair gave me a renewed sense of freedom. Because many people think that the life of a wheelchair user is pretty miserable, they make judgements about it. But the wheelchair allowed me once again to do the things that I wanted to do, such as trying to run away from my mother, chasing after my older sister, and being with my friends.”
This is a run through of Grey-Thompson’s career, the ups and downs and setbacks with commentary on what motivated her and what can be learnt and applied to one’s own life. There are a few simple pointers; work hard, keep your goals in mind and adapt to the unexpected. It is all common sense and obvious and difficult to disagree with.
I do have reservations though; not about hard work and motivation, but more about the many vulnerable members of society whose abilities and capabilities are compromised. Not everyone can achieve in the way that Grey-Thompson did. Not everyone can achieve a dream of becoming a pop idol or a footballer. This leaves a lot of people with unfulfilled ambitions, perhaps feeling like failures. They need inspiration too.
Grey-Thompson has Spina Bifida and has been a wheelchair user since she was about five. She describes it thus:
“I could walk till about the age of five or six (I don't remember exactly). But as I grew, my legs couldn't support the increase in my bodyweight, because of my condition, and I slowly became paralysed. So I didn't, unlike others, have to suffer some dramatic accident, or spend months on end in a spinal unit. For me, becoming a wheelchair user wasn't an awful experience. Although I had stopped walking I didn't feel that something had been taken away. Having said this, the last few months when I was walking were pretty tough – this was the only time in my life that I have felt really disabled. I couldn't do the things that I wanted to do - like run away from my mum!
Having a wheelchair gave me a renewed sense of freedom. Because many people think that the life of a wheelchair user is pretty miserable, they make judgements about it. But the wheelchair allowed me once again to do the things that I wanted to do, such as trying to run away from my mother, chasing after my older sister, and being with my friends.”
This is a run through of Grey-Thompson’s career, the ups and downs and setbacks with commentary on what motivated her and what can be learnt and applied to one’s own life. There are a few simple pointers; work hard, keep your goals in mind and adapt to the unexpected. It is all common sense and obvious and difficult to disagree with.
I do have reservations though; not about hard work and motivation, but more about the many vulnerable members of society whose abilities and capabilities are compromised. Not everyone can achieve in the way that Grey-Thompson did. Not everyone can achieve a dream of becoming a pop idol or a footballer. This leaves a lot of people with unfulfilled ambitions, perhaps feeling like failures. They need inspiration too.
May 7, 2022
Inspirational and motivating read
July 29, 2014
I really enjoyed this. I feel it reminds people to work with what they have.
August 22, 2016
Inspirational and motivating book. About self motivation and hard work and preparation
May 19, 2019
3.5 stars
January 1, 2016
Very good, easy to read and highly inspirational book. Highly recommended!
August 29, 2017
Enjoyed. One of my "Read 50 books in my 50th year" .
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews