Motivational and inspirational talks have become quite popular in recent times. People from different walks of life come forward to share their life stories and experiences. Many such people have captured the hearts of people and have become overnight sensations due to their inspiring stories. One of the most recognized inspirational speakers in today’s time is Nick Vujicic. He is no ordinary human being, but it born special.
Read on to find more about Nick, his childhood, his struggles, and how he ultimately found the silver lining and used his disability as a tool to empower and inspire people.
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Who is Nick Vujicic?
Nick Vujicic is an Australian motivational speaker. He is also a Christian evangelist and is known to incorporate many of the Christian teachings in his talks. There is one defining feature about him that makes him stand out in a crowd – he was born without limbs. Thus, he is a real-life inspiration and millions of people around the world have connected to him due to his exemplary life story and his inspiring outlook towards life.
Nick Vujicic – Early Life
Nick Vujicic (full name – Nicholas James Vujicic) was born on 4th December 1982 in Melbourne, Australia. His parents Borislav and Dusanka Vujicic were Serbian immigrants from Yugoslavia. Nick was born with a condition called tetra-amelia syndrome, which is characterized by the absence of arms and legs. He has two deformed feet on which he can balance himself and which he uses to carry out most of his activities. He is the eldest child and has two siblings, a brother, and a sister.
When his mother was informed about Nick’s rare condition, she refused to see or hold him. But eventually, she and her husband accepted her son’s condition and took it in their stride. They believed that it was all part of “God’s plan.”
Nick was initially denied admission in a school due to his condition, even though he had no mental impairment. This was due to a Victoria State Law. Eventually, he was enrolled in a mainstream school after the laws were changed and Nick was able to pursue his education in a normal manner despite his physical disability. He was one of the first physically disabled people to be enrolled in a mainstream school.
Nick Vujicic – Education
Nick had to struggle during his school days. He was faced with many physical, emotional and mental challenges which took a toll on him. He was bullied a lot during his childhood due to his disability and as a result, he fell into depression. In his autobiography, he stated that he had also attempted suicide during his childhood by attempting to drown himself in a tub, but his faith in God helped him carry on. He believed that God had a plan for him and his life. Thus, his faith and devotion to God made him resilient and gave him the strength to face life and its challenges.
The turning point
Nick revealed that he constantly prayed to God, asking for arms and legs. He struggled with his faith and questioned his destiny. Nick’s outlook towards life changed when his mother showed him an article about a man living with a severe disability. He realized that there were many other people with disabilities and who were going through the same thing.
Nick resolved to accept the fact that he was disabled and immerse himself in talking about disability and connecting with other people who were struggling. He started giving talks at his prayer group. Through his religious and spiritual beliefs, Nick was able to derive a purpose in his life and he went on to embrace his disability and use it to guide and inspire others. This is how his journey of inspiring people and dedicating himself to his faith began. He started preaching about faith and also talked about various other topics like bullying, disability, and how to achieve growth and satisfaction in life.
Nick was quite active in his school. He was the head boy and was also a part of the humanitarian project in school. In his secondary school, he was part of the student council and helped to raise funds for various charities and disability campaigns. He obtained his Bachelors of Commerce degree from Griffith University at the age of 21. He graduated with a double major in accountancy and financial planning.
Nick Vujicic – Religious Beliefs
Nick Vujicic is a Christian and his religious beliefs have played a huge part in shaping up his young adulthood years. He believes that his faith provided him the will to keep doing the work that he has been doing. Nick formed a religion-based organization when he was 19 years old. He is an evangelist and he includes the aspects of God and faith in many of his talks.
Nick believes in the existence of God and according to him, it is his faith and God’s blessing that has led him to his path of public speaking and discourse. He has redefined the preaching of Christian teachings and has captured the attention of even atheists due to his charismatic personality.
Nick Vujicic – Personal Life
Due to Nick’s condition (also known as phocomelia), he has no arms but has 2 small and deformed feet. The toes in his feet were originally stuck together. They had to be operated so that Nick could use his feet to write, grab things, turn pages, shave, and perform other necessary activities.
Nick can operate his wheelchair using his feet. He can also use a computer and a mobile. In addition to this, he can play football, swim, and paint as well. Nick has trained his feet to accomplish all the basic tasks and has gone above and beyond to learn other skills too.
He has filmed a documentary depicting his personal life where he shows how he carries out his regular activities. Through his documentary, he aims to encourage people living with disabilities to engage in life with a renewed perspective.
Nick got married after he shifted to California in 2002. He met his wife, Kanae Miyahara, in Texas in 2008 and they got married 4 years later. The couple has 4 children and they currently live in Southern California.
Nick Vujicic – Career
Nick has a diverse career with a knack of plenty of things he likes to do. Check them all out below:
1. Organizations
Nick is the founder of two organizations. He founded Life Without Limbs, an international non-profit organization, in 2005. He started this organization to spread awareness about disabilities and talk about how to live your life fully with a disability. One of his aims was also to discuss bullying and talk about how to deal with it. Having experienced it in his childhood, he wanted to start a conversation about bullying and help other people with disabilities.
He founded another organization, Attitude is Altitude, a motivational speaking company. Through these platforms, Nick has reached out to thousands of people around the world and shared his own story, the ordeals he faced and how he managed to rise above his hardships. He talks about personal growth, living life to the fullest, and achieving satisfaction with all that you have.
As part of his motivational speaking, Nick has traveled all over the world and has given hundreds of talks to thousands of audience. He captured the attention of everyone, from teenagers to the elderly. He has been on Ted Talk and has been invited to be a part of various other platforms.
2. Books
Nick has penned down various books describing his life and work. His first book – Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life, was published in 2010.
He has published many more books since, and his books have been translated into many languages. His books cover the entirety of his life starting from his childhood, how his mother had trouble accepting him as a newborn baby, how he managed to survive bullying at school, how he rose to fame, and what keeps him going. He talks about his experiences of living as a disabled man. He also talks about the challenges of relationships and love and has written a book about how he found love when he met his wife.
Following are the list of books written by Nick:
- Life Without Limits: Inspiration of a Ridiculously Good Life (2010)
- Your Life Without Limits (2012)
- Limitless: Devotions for a Ridiculously Good Life (2013)
- Unstoppable: The Incredible Power of Faith in Action (2013)
- The Power of Unstoppable Faith (2014)
- Stand Strong (2015)
- Love Without Limits (2016)
- Be the Hands and Feet: Living Out God’s Love for All His Children, February 13, 2018
3. Movies and TV Shows
Nick has also dabbled into a bit of acting and has appeared as a guest in TV shows.
He has appeared in the following movies and TV shows:
- The Butterfly Circus (2009)
- The Lost Sheep (2011)
- Nick Vujicic: Be the hands and feet
- Better Man Event
He was awarded the Best Actor in a Short Film for his role in The Butterfly Circus at the Method Fest Independent Film Festival in 2010.
Nick is also associated with Life’s Greater Purpose, a short documentary featuring his regular home life. An extension of this documentary was shot at his local church in Brisbane. The documentary is available on DVDs and Nick himself is involved in its marketing. He is also involved in marketing DVD for youth with disabilities, it is called No Arms, No Legs, No Worries!
His organization Attitude is Altitude also released a music video featuring Nick himself. The single was called Something More.
4. Social Recognition
Nick has a tremendous fan following because of his unique and extraordinary approach towards life. He has spoken at the World Economic Forum among other platforms and has met with several influential people during the course of his public speaking. Nick is also quite active on social media and has accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. His vast series of motivational and inspirational talks can be found on YouTube. In addition to this, he has his website alongside the websites for his non-profit organizations. He is also involved in philanthropic work.
Well-known quotes by Nick Vujicic
His talks are immensely popular and have a wide appeal. Many of his statements have become famous and are often quoted and shared by people worldwide. Given below are some of the most striking and memorable statements given by him:
- Failure is not important, how you overcome it is.
- If I can encourage just one person, then my job in this life has been done.
- I love my life because I’ve seen my purpose.
- I never met a bitter person who was thankful. Or a thankful person who was bitter.
- I am gonna try again and again, because the moment I give up, is the moment I fail.
- I may not have hands to hold my wife’s hands, but I don’t need hands to hold her heart. That’s what I’m gonna hold.
- I have the choice to be angry in God for what I don’t have or be thankful for what I do have.
- There’s no point in being complete on the outside when you’re broken on the inside.
- As long as I try, there’s always a chance of getting up and it’s not the end till you give up.
- It’s a lie to think you’re not good enough. It’s a lie to think you’re not worth anything.
Final thoughts
Nick Vujicic’s story is truly inspiring and noteworthy. A 36-year-old man with a height of 3″3’ has managed to redefine what it takes to lead a happy and fulfilling life. From contemplating suicide when he was only 10 years old to now having the time of his life, Nick’s journey is truly incredible and awe-inspiring. He has overcome the challenges caused by his disability and ventured out in the world to experience life to the fullest.
Nick has tried skydiving, skateboarding, painting, football, and many other outstanding feats. He is an example of how shortcomings are only a matter of how you perceive it. Nick has succeeded in helping and guiding millions of people, abled as well as disabled, on how to live life to the fullest.
