Comfort zones are all too often familiar to us because of
its sense of security, but this state is DANGEROUS when an individual is a
DREAMER. Picture it, when you are asleep at night, your imagination takes you
to places that resemble an Avatar scene or allows you to see yourself
LIMITLESS. However, reality sets in like
a bad case of morning breath when you wake up the next morning aware of the “I
CAN’Ts” and “DON’T HAVES”. This then paralyzes the individual’s thinking to
believing greater heights are unachievable because of his or her current
circumstances. The result is the person being “stuck” in a place that is
unfulfilling and depressing.
Sometimes, life’s sudden turns, deaths and illnesses push a
person to realize life is too short and precious NOT to obtain the desires of
the heart. While researching TED, a site that offers free viewing to
inspirational keynote speakers, I was immediately drawn to the story of Amy
Purdy “Living Beyond Limits”. Amy had always dreamed about being a professional
snowboarder who traveled the world, but a certain illness when she was 19 put a
halt on that dream. Because of this illness, she lost both legs and became
saddened that her dream may never come true. After realizing that she could
live life limitless with her current circumstance, she reached her dream of
being a two-time World Cup Gold Medalist. She also went to South Africa to
supply 1000 children with shoes for school, and co-founded Adaptive Action
Sports that is dedicated to introducing individuals with physical challenges to
action sports.
This powerful story captivated her audience and inspired
each individual not to make excuses for why he or she cannot accomplish a
dream. Adversity is just a building block that pushes you closer to the dream,
and it prepares you for longevity while you are there. She lost both of her
legs, but she is a GOLD MEDALIST and continues until this day. I believe we all
can learn a valuable lesson from “Living Beyond Limits”. The only limits that
keep us from our dreams are the ones we allow to be powerful in our minds.
