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| Book cover, as it appeared on allenandunwin.com |
Nick Vujicic was born with no arms or legs. In fact, he has two feet, but only one of them is functional – the foot he calls his “Chicken Drumstick.” This foot, and a very strong neck, have allowed Nick to become almost completely independent – something he has been determined to be from a young age. You’ve probably seen one of his YouTube videos at some point? Amazing guy, really really amazing.
Nick has written a book – “Life Without Limits” – and I have to say, I’ve picked this book up, put it down and picked it up again too many times to count. Why? Because the description on the back of the book talks about his faith in God as the central pillar of his life. I do not have any issue with anyone believing in God or following whatever faith they choose, but rarely do I enjoy reading stuff by people who hand it all over to God. Nick is a very strong believer and his faith is definitely central to all that he does – and with or without God, what he does is incredibly inspiring and amazing.
So I decided to get over my initial hesitations – because all perspectives are welcome in my life after all – and I’m glad I did. Living in a world where people fear imperfection, I still find it hard to imagine how his life has truly been. Just the story of his birth and his parent’s reaction to it was heartbreaking. But one thing for sure is that he has the most amazing attitude of any human being I’ve ever known. While he’s sure to have his bad days, as a general rule, he is one hell of a happy dude and throughout the book, he subtly challenges everyone to live a better, happier life, because if he has been able to find a path to happiness, with all of the limitations his body has thrown at him, then we can all do it. He looks at his lack of appendages as a gift to do God’s work, and I think that’s awesome.
I was blown away by his experiences, how he’s overcome challenges, his determination, his attitude and so much more. Fantastic bloke, really fantastic, and while I don’t buy into his religious message, the book is so much more than that. If you know of anyone who needs a good kick in the arse, this book will certainly do it – and if they don’t read, he does videos. Seriously, when you read about his limitations and how he’s overcome them with his attitude, there really can’t be too many people out there with an excuse to stay miserable for the long term. I mean he swims, loves fishing, plays golf, has surfed with the best surfers in the world and so much more. But his story of how he has also been humbled by people he has met is touching too – people with absolutely nothing have shown him great compassion.
I really liked his chapter on being ridiculous – something he enjoys. And he’s so right, not enough adults are ridiculous these days and being ridiculous does feel good. He’s reminded me of that. Nick challenges everyone to be happy and to live life to the full because it’s the only one we’ve got, so why not? That’s a good challenge and he’s left me positively optimistic. Good on him.
If you want to know more about Nick and his organisation, it’s Life Without Limbs. A great Christmas present if you’re out of ideas.
Yours, without the bollocks
Andrea
