Motivated by 'weakness'

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"If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing.
It's made me all of who I am inside.
And if I could thank God
That I am here and that I am alive,
And every day I wake, I tell myself a little, harmless lie.
The whole, wide world is mine."

-"Rite of Spring" by Angels & Airwaves


For those of you who grew up with me or have been around me long enough, you know I have been deaf in my right ear since birth. You also know that my right arm does not bend straight and have extremely sweaty palms. I try my best not to complain or use these setbacks as excuses, especially when playing sports.

But you may also know that I still do use them as excuses from time to time simply because of my frustration in dealing with my differences.

A mentor of mine provided me with a link to an inspiring video (http://vodpod.com/watch/1165857-walk-on-espn-video). After watching this, I have no right to ever use my faults as excuses for accomplishing something.

His name is DJ Gregory, and he was born with cerebral palsy. Watch the video and see how he turned a problem into a challenge.

Like Gregory, I would not change my challenges. They have become a part of me, and have taught be to find the positives out of any situation. My deaf ear helps me sleep better at night by simply turning over to block out noises. My crooked arm teaches me to work harder to gain my body strength back and pursue a sport career. My sweaty hands, well, at least they are not dried out.

Find your problem and turn it into a challenge to conquer. When you have conquered it, the whole, wide world is yours.

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