“The art of liking yourself”

Mr. Frei, as a multiple world champion and Paralympic winner, you‘ve been among the absolute world elite for 40 years. Your world record in the racing chair marathon persisted for 25 years and was only recently beaten using Formula 1 technology. How did you manage to motivate yourself over such a long period of time and keep delivering top performances?

First and foremost, because of my great joy at regaining mobility! After my sports accident – I was 20 years old at that time – it was extremely questionable. If this shock has any effect, it is that every new day in the here and now is a good day. This generates a great deal of gratitude and even a sense of humility when I am pleased to see what my life has been able to give me for the past 46 years.

In view of the current challenges (wars, environmental destruction, technological change), more and more people are afraid of the future. What can you do to avoid falling into a personal negative spiral?

Even if it sounds selfish, it‘s about the “art” of liking yourself. I was only able to approach people again after I was at peace with myself and my fate. Of course, I had a lot of fears at first, even panic fears. But fears paralyze us. So, let‘s not allow too much fear, but replace it with respect. I am convinced that a task can be solved with respect; that a respectful approach to my working environment leads to a better result at the end of the day; that respect in the family provokes fewer crises; that a certain amount of respect sharpens my focus and strengthens me mentally. It certainly helps to surround yourself with people who have a certain positive aura. But first, it‘s about taking personal responsibility.

How can companies help their employees remain confident and innovative even in economically turbulent times?

There are leaders in a company who know the virtues described above, live them out and represent them with conviction. This generates trust and confidence. If these role models back up their efforts with good results, they will have a contagious effect on the employees. And if you then trigger something like pride in the employees, you have won. An organization structured in this way can also cope with difficult times.

Your sporting successes were never an end in themselves, but rather your way of raising awareness for socially relevant issues. How important is it for people and companies to think beyond personal success?

Despite my successes, I never imagined that I was better than anyone else. I was allowed to win, but I didn‘t HAVE to! When I looked more closely, I realized that sport only serves as a bridge to me to advance completely different things – integration, inclusion, removing obstacles, showing willingness to perform despite a handicap and much more. Perhaps the end in itself is the beginning – and if we are strong enough, we have what it takes to pass on some of this strength.