By: Laura Bennett
The four-time World Champion cyclist, surfer and adventurer lost 95 per cent of his vision at the age of five, and he faces every challenge with one simple question.
Adapting to his abilities was challenging for Matt Formston, but not as challenging as realising the drive to overcome them was misplaced.
“I wanted to prove to the world that I wasn’t blind, that I didn’t have a disability,” said Matt.
“My drive was based on [the idea] that if I can tackle you, I’m not blind; if I can run faster than you, I’m not blind.
“It was all about other people, I was embarrassed [and it] was adolescent boy logic.”
In the years since, Matt’s drive has become less about proving something to people and more about being curious and offering an example of what it looks like to believe in your ability to do things the world says you can’t.
The Power Of “Why Not?”
Matt grew up in a household where one word wasn’t welcomed.
“I grew up in a house where we weren’t allowed to use the word ‘can’t’,” Matt said.
“If we said we couldn’t do something, Dad would say, ‘why not?’.”
That question would eventually inspire Matt’s memoir, Why Not?, as well as the philosophy he now applies to life and business.
“Life is about perspective,” Matt said.
“You know what do you want to do and the version of who you’d like to be, but might think you can’t become that person. Why not?
“Your answer to that question [why not] shows you the next problem that needs solving for you to get there.”
“Take it right back to something that you can do today, do that, and then do something else tomorrow [to solve the problem].”
A Chain Of Priorities
Part of solving problems, Matt says, is being clear about your values and the standards you want to live by.
“My priority chain is my family first, then sports and business. There will be times when one is more demanding than the other, but the order doesn’t change.”
The same principle shapes life at home.
For Matt’s children, values are reinforced through a simple nightly ritual.
“Every night they say, ‘I am brave, I’m inquisitive, I am grateful, I am kind, I am happy’,” Matt said.
“And we ask them stories about [how they’ve been] each of those things, so that it’s not just words.”
Pushing Beyond What We Think Is Possible
In a culture where comfort is often prioritised, Matt wants people to move beyond assumptions about what they can and cannot do.
“The world’s always been telling me I can’t, and I’ve been telling the world I can,” Matt said.
He believes one of Australia’s cultural challenges is the tendency to discourage people from standing out.
“In Australia, we’re world class at tall poppy syndrome: don’t pop your head up or we’ll cut it off.
“[That attitude] is a safety mechanic because if you say to someone else, ‘you can’t do that’, then no one has to do the work and then no one makes anyone feel uncomfortable.
“Doing hard things is hard and there’s pain on that path, but if we don’t follow it we miss out.”
“The world’s always been telling me I can’t, and I’ve been telling the world I can.”
Matt Formston is the author of Why Not?: Breaking Limits in Sport, Business and Life.
Article supplied with thanks to Hope Media.
About the Author: Laura Bennett is a media professional, broadcaster and writer from Sydney, Australia.
Feature image: Supplied
