Lewis Hamilton’s brother Nicolas has spoken out on living with cerebral palsy.
The brother of F1 legend Lewis Hamilton has admitted he went through periods of “hating his life” – but says he wouldn’t now change his disability for the world. Nicolas Hamilton lives with a form of cerebral palsy, and his inspirational outlook on life now forms the basis of a new book which is out later this month.
Nicolas is a 32-year-old who achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first disabled driver to compete against able-bodied racers in the British Touring Car Championship. He is also highly in demand as a motivational speaker in the country. When discussing his outlook on life, Nicolas reflected on a time when he harbored negative feelings towards life and his disability.
He struggled to comprehend why he had the condition he did and why he couldn’t be like his able-bodied friends.
However, I wouldn’t alter it now for anything and I appreciate having it.
I make an effort to handle the cards I’ve been dealt with in the most effective way. Every day, I work hard to conquer any obstacles that come my way. Whether they are minor or major obstacles, I approach each of them with the same determination.
Nicolas says his philosophy in life is “the only person that can tell me I can’t do things is me. I would say I’m a very resilient person,” he said. “I never take ‘no’ as an answer and I believe that the only person that can tell me I can’t do things is me.
“So regardless of what people say, I make my own decisions and I thrive off negative criticism. If someone told me I couldn’t do something, I’d do my utmost to prove them wrong.” It’s a philosophy which runs through his new book, ‘Now that I have your attention: 7 Lessons in Leading a Life Bigger Than They Expected’.
It follows his remarkable journey to the top of British motorsports and beyond. He also talks about this journey through his work as a motivational speaker. Nicolas said: “I would say with my condition, I’ve been a great problem solver, over the years; always trying to find ways of getting out of situations or overcoming certain obstacles. It could be the most difficult of obstacles to the simplest of obstacles such as maybe carrying a bowl of cereal to your desk and not spilling it.
“I think I have many qualities. I don’t like talking about myself, believe it or not, even though I am a speaker, and I have to talk about myself. But I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved, and what I’ve overcome
“I’m a very solid human. It’s not always been that easy: I’ve had a lot of ups and downs but I think generally I would say resilience is everything for me and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and hopefully, there’s more to come from me in the future.”
“If you don’t believe in yourself mentally, then I personally believe that you’re never going to achieve your full potential. Now I would say mental health is a trial-and-error situation. It’s all about working out what works for you. Sometimes what people tell you would work, sometimes it doesn’t and what works for others doesn’t necessarily work for you personally.
One way I work on improving my mental strength is by focusing on strategies that have proven effective for me and remaining committed to my goals and aspirations.
I believe that facing and overcoming challenges, including failure, is crucial for developing mental toughness. In my opinion, experiencing failure is essential in order to achieve success. With each failure I experience, I believe my resilience grows even stronger. I have faced numerous setbacks, which I believe have contributed to shaping my identity.
The journey of self-discovery is ongoing, and each day brings new insights into my own character.