5 Inspirational Youtube Videos You Shouldn’t Miss
Watch how these giants overcame all odds and became inspirational legends to the world
You have a dream, but despite many attempts, you seem to be nowhere near it. Feel like giving up? If it’s a dream that you believe in strongly, I suggest you keep at it no matter what happened. By all means change your path if you need to, but don’t lose sight of your destination.
See how these five inspirational people overcame great odds and many failures to achieve what they want and do what they love. Internalize the messages in the videos, get a good sleep tonight and try again tomorrow. Good luck!
1. Nick Vujicic (Australia)
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Nick Vujicic was born in Melbourne, Australia with a rare disorder. He has no arms and was born with two small feet that are of little use. But his physical disability didn’t stop him from living a normal and yet extraordinary life. He attended mainstream school, earned a degree in Accounting and Financial Planning, became a motivational speaker, set up his own company and a non-profit organization, and wrote a book: Life Without Limits (releasing in late October 2010). He may have a highly limiting physical body, but it didn’t stop him from achieving what he really wants to do. Can you say the same of yourself?
2. 任吉美 (China)
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Movie in Cantonese and Mandarin but you should have no problem understanding the moving pictures
I saw this video a few years ago but it never fails to stir something up in me whenever I watch it. It’s a real life story of a Chinese woman named 任吉美 (Ren Jimei) who was born without arms in rural China. Initially, her mother had wanted to dump her in the sea, but fortunately, her father decided to keep her ‘like a pet dog’ and gave her a chance to survive.
I saw an update on this incredible woman on TV not so long ago (she was probably in her thirties or forties in the Youtube video above). She’s now over 60 years old and continues to do everything you see in the video. Sporting a much darker tan now, she cooks, farms, washes clothes, cleans herself, writes simple words (she only had a few years of education) and even sews (yes! she does embroidery!) just like any fully-abled person but all without using hands or the help of modern equipment. She may not have accomplished much by today’s standard, but nevertheless each day of her life is an inspiration to many, especially the less fortunate. Ren Jimei is married for over forty years and has three grown-up children.
3. Lena Maria Klingvall (Sweden)
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Movie in Mandarin with English subtitles. This is the first instalment of a 4-part series. You can catch the rest here: Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
Lena Maria was born 1968 without arms and with only one healthy leg, the other one being half developed. Like the other outstanding men and women highlighted in this article, she didn’t let her physical handicap stop her from living the life she wanted of course. When she was a young adult, she showed talent in swimming and was chosen to join her country’s national team. She went on to win two gold medals and set two world records in international disabled sports competitions.
Besides sports, Lena also has a passion for singing. She attended the Royal College of Music and has since released over 50 CDs and movies. Nowadays, she goes on concert tours around the world, performing as well as giving speeches. But, that’s not all. Lena is also an artist and a writer with two books under her belt entitled Footnotes and Happy Days. For her accomplishments which would easily put many to shame, she was awarded an Honorary Citizenship of Taiwan in 2005, and the King’s Medal by Swedish King, H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf, in 2008.
4. Jessica Cox (USA)
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Can you imagine yourself flying a plane? Not in this lifetime you say? Well, look at Jessica Cox. She’s born without arms and yet she can steer a plane like a pro! Is she fearless? No, in fact she’s afraid of flying, but she just face her fear head on and do it. And yes, besides flying a plane, she can also do almost anything, from putting on contact lens, playing piano, texting on the mobile and even breaking wooden boards, all with her bare legs. Jessica earns her living as a motivational speaker.
5. Clay Dyer (USA)
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Clay Dyer has a strong passion for fishing, but the problem is, he was born almost limbless, save a partial right arm that has no forearm and fingers. Not a problem for him though. Clay is a living proof of the inspirational saying: “When there’s a will, there’s way.” He taught himself how to fish using what he’s got — his eyes, his chin, his jaw, his tongue, his teeth, his half arm and his torso — all without the help of any special equipment. In fact, he loves fishing so much that he has made it his profession and has taken part in various tournament fishing. Clay is also a motivational speaker and a national spokesman for a charity dedicated to providing quality outdoor experiences to disabled and disadvantaged children.
Learning Messages
Below are some messages that I’ve gathered from the inspirational women and men you’ve seen:
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The ‘normal’ body that you have is an impossible dream for many disabled people. Treasure it, take good care of it and don’t waste it!
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Accept and come to terms with what you cannot change. Cry if you must, but after licking your wounds, direct your energy and focus in things that you can change.
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If you want to do something really, really, really bad enough, not even physical limitation can stop you. You’ll find a way no matter what. Don’t let your beliefs tell you otherwise.
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Practice, practice, practice. Before legs can become as nimble as hands, you’ve to put in arduous number of hours to train them. Perseverance and an indomitable determination are still one of the time-tested keys to success.
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You define your own success, not others. To someone who is born without arms, success is being able to feed oneself without having to rely on someone else. What is your definition of success?
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Be creative and improvise. There are many ways to skin a cat, so to speak. You don’t have to do things the way others did every time. Don’t get hung-up on your limitation. Use what you’ve got and let your creativity take over.
What other lessons have you learned from the videos? Share them with us!
