Personal Best

True inspiration from a true inspiration "…vibrant and instructional ... fresh, original and devoid of the usual sound bites and transatlantic psychobabble of many books of this genre..." —The Independent on Sunday It's not always easy to embrace life, to get up and go, to follow your dreams and make things happen… imagine how much more difficult it must be to achieve your dreams after suffering from cancer as a teenager and losing your leg. But that's exactly what Marc Woods did. Marc overcame his challenges and went on to become a four times Paralympic Gold medalist. It's that determination and dedication that Marc shares with us in this powerful book. His inspiring story is the motivation we all need to start being the best we can be. This fully updated Second Edition includes a new chapter on Resilience. "Personal Best is a truly inspirational book, written with great honesty, compassion and humility. Marc's ability to overcome adversity and triumph in so many diverse areas is an example to us all." —Sarah, The Duchess of York "Marc has a remarkable story and is an absolute inspiration." —Roger Daltrey Personal Best will help you to: Set specific, measurable and achievable goals Learn to forge supportive teams and communicate with those around you Find role models and follow their example Learn to ignore other people's prejudices and not let them hold you back Deal with change—both change that you chose and change that you don't Manage stress both at home and at work Marc Woods is a five-time Paralympian. He has won 12 Paralympic medals as well as 21 other medals from championships around the world. He was a member of the British Olympic Athletes Commission and a founding member of the British Athletes Council. He works extensively with individuals, teams and global businesses, encouraging them to develop best practice within their given areas of interest. Approximately 25,000 people each year watch him deliver his motivational presentations.

Acknowledgements ix Preface to the second edition xi Introduction: What if? 1 1 Living Proactively: Don’t let life happen to you 9 2 Personal Responsibility: The best you can be 31 3 Goal Setting: Ever onwards 61 4 Motivation: What gets you out of bed? 81 5 Teamwork: All or nothing 105 6 Communication: Loud and clear 129 7 Adversity: Going under? 155 8 Role Models: A helping hand 185 9 Prejudice: Challenging misconceptions 207 10 That Little Bit Extra: What does success look like? 229 11 Resilience: Hanging tough 251 Afterword: A call to arms 271 About Marc Woods 275 Contributors 277 Notes 281 Index 285