We all need motivation and inspiration to keep staying strong and overcome obstacles in our small businesses. Last week, I had the pleasure to listen to a man named Warren MacDonald. He was hiking and became trapped when a one-ton boulder unexpectedly fell on his legs. When he was rescued, the only option to save his life was to amputate his legs. Through this journey of survival, he has become an amazing example of physical and mental strength. Within a year after the accident, Warren climbed Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain using a modified wheelchair. About 5 years after the accident, he became the first double above-knee amputee to reach the summit of Aprica’s tallest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro. Watching the videos of him climbing mountains by pulling himself up by his arms left us speechless. During his hour-long talk, he had the crowd laughing many times. He has had many people tell him that they could never have survived being pinned under that boulder for two days. His reply? “Sure you would. What would you do, strangle yourself?” Here are a few lessons I took home with me from this inspirational man.
– Every obstacle we go through makes us stronger.
– What you see is not what you get. HOW you see is what you get.
– When you have an obstacle, focus on it until you figure it out.
– When most of you wake up every day, you don’t have “no legs” on your list of problems.
While some of you struggle with illness or death in your family, many of our stresses and struggles pale in comparison to waking up with no legs. Let’s all start our week by solving the issues that are frustrating us most. If you would like to get inspired, check out Warren’s book, A Test of Will: One Man’s Extraordinary Story of Survival or download some cool inspirational posters (or could be used as screen savers).