The Power of Love

Welcome to the 128th edition of “In Touch”. As always, I would love to continue the conversation so please hit reply and let me know what you think.

Story of the Week: “The Power of Love”

Last week I was privileged to share a stage with the Cypriot Paralympic athlete, Maria Markou, at a company event where we were both keynote speakers. In the course of her exceptional address, she shared the story of how she had lost her ability to walk when she was just sixteen and described what it subsequently took for her to become a top-level Paralympic powerlifter.

She reminded us of the importance of believing in ourselves and our abilities and showed us what true resilience really means. By the end of her talk, she had many of us in tears.

At one point during Maria’s heartfelt testament, she said something that truly resonated with me: “You have to fall in love with your disability to move forward. Otherwise, you will remain like a turtle inside its shell.”

Her message was clearly not only for athletes or those with a disability. It was a message of acceptance for everyone. We all go through challenging times when something inside holds us back… regret, fear, loss, pressure and disappointment can often prevent us from reversing a negative situation. Instead of “falling in love” with it, we try to fight it or simply hope that it will disappear on its own. In the vast majority of cases, it doesn’t.

Being guided by frustration or anger keeps us frozen. It is like wanting to read a book and refusing to turn the page. But some situations begin to ease when, instead of fighting harder, we accept and learn from them. Only then can we allow ourselves to move forward.

As Maria spoke, I found myself reflecting on my own limitations and how acceptance often opens the door to change.

Maria reminded her audience that “falling in love” with any kind of limitation does not mean celebrating it. It means recognising it, learning from it and allowing it to strengthen our empathy and resilience. Only then can we leave our shell, move forward and let our story develop with clarity – not about what is holding us back but with a strong sense of what we can achieve. That is the power of love.

Words of Wisdom

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” Mahatma Gandhi

A Question to Ponder, dear friend.

Have you been forced to face up to a limitation of some kind? How did you deal with it successfully?