Stuart Mangan Should be an Inspiration to Us All

by Niamh Fitzpatrick, Sport Psychologist, Olympic Council of Ireland

So many of us lie in our warm cosy beds each morning and moan about having to get up for work or college, or to do whatever it is that we do on a daily basis. We burrow beneath the covers, we hit the snooze button and roll over for ‘just five more minutes’; sometimes we decide that being late or ‘pulling a sickie’ is ok and we just stay put. Worst of all, we even whinge about it to others saying that ‘I just cannot get out of bed in the morning!’

Yes we can. Most of us can move our arms, our legs, our back, and we can swing ourselves up and out of bed each and every morning and start the day with a big dollop of gratitude for being able to do that one simple thing. Do we do that though?  Usually we don’t. Instead we start the day with a negative emotion, feeling hard done by for not being able to lie in bed for longer, feeling wistful for some snooze time instead of relishing the fact that we can get up and dress ourselves and head out into the world to enjoy the day. It is such a simple thing, but for most of us, the wonder of being able to get out of bed just passes us by. If this seems like a crazy thought, then ask yourself what life would be like if you really could not get out of bed.

Seeing the documentary about Stuart Mangan, and hearing his thoughts on how the injury that he received affected all facets of his life, greatly affected me. Most poignant for me was the fact that this young man, who had such an extraordinary zest for life, was now unable to get himself out of bed in the morning. That touched me more than anything, particularly because right from childhood, Stuart was a person who loved life, who lived it to the full, whose life was full of movement and flavour and colour and love. Looking at the pictures of him on yachts, on horses, on the rugby pitch, having fun with family and friends, and talking to his family about how Stuart lived his life, it is clear to see that this was a man who lived, really lived. He appreciated the life that he had and he did not waste it.

So why, oh why, would any of us waste one solitary second whinging about having to get up out of bed and go and live our life? Even in these tough times, there is a life worth living for each of us, however hard things may be. For me, I now never moan about the fact that my two strong legs can swing me out of bed in the morning and every day without fail, I hop out of bed with gratitude, and a little smile to Stuart.