I just met Nick Vujicic!

From 2010

A friend invited me tonight to a fundraiser event supporting Life Without Limbs and Nick Vujicic.Nick was born with no legs or arms. He has had a life full of challenges few of us could ever imagine and fewer could actually handle. And yet, he is a man full of love for life with a mission to share his story with the world. Nick spoke tonight of his life and how he came to help motivate and empower others. It was so amazing to see Nick in person, I had seen several youtube videos and have one of his dvd's but to see him in person was really a fantastic treat.

I first heard of Nick Vujicic from a youtube video I saw of him speaking to a crowd of people, all sitting on a table. He was vibrant, funny, and joked about having no arms or legs just as I might joke about being short or clumsy. It seemed no more odd to him for him to be the way he is than for me to be the way I am. Just watching him feel so comfortable in his own skin, his own life was inspiring.

Tonight was also filled with a little humor. At one point he mentioned how he wanted to be a speaker when he grew up and at his first speaking engagement he was nervous, even his palms were sweating!

He spoke of a time when he wished he had arms and legs, then he thought he might be happy. But then he saw people WITH arms and legs that were not happy and he realized he could be happy just the way he was. Arms and legs don't make you happy, just like that bigger salary or nicer car or [insert your vice] won't make you happy.

He also spoke about not so funny things like wanting to commit suicide as a young person and even tried 3 times. On his third attempt, he decided he couldn't burden his parents with the guilt and remorse that would happen if he died so, he didn't.

I can't explain the feeling I had sitting there listening to him. It was as if he was speaking directly to me. I felt happiness and joy both for him and for me. For him, for overcoming such overwhelming challenges and for me because if he can overcome not having arms or legs, surely I can overcome any obstacle that comes my way. And this attitude certainly bodes well for me and my upcoming teacher training, I sense I will have a lot to overcome.

If you ever get the chance to see Nick Vujicic in person, I highly recommend you do. He has beaten the odds. He lives life with a smile and in spite of his physical limitations, he has no limits of love for others.