Outside Activity - Nick Vujicic

Nick Vujicic

            Nick Vujicic, a preacher and motivational speaker for his own non-profit Life Without Limbs, spoke at Full Sail University on August 3^rd, 2010.  Nick was born with a rare disorder, Tetra-Amelia, which most people have never heard of until they actually come across someone who has it, in which case its effects are blatantly obvious.  Tetra-Amelia prevented Nick from the commonly overlooked luxury of having arms or legs, a harsh reality that only someone suffering from this disability could truly conceive.  However, much to the contrary of how one would expect a person to react with the severity of the cards life has dealt him, Nick’s message was extremely motivational and focused on “having hope” and “ sharing love”.     

In the first month of my Masters program, I stated that my areas of high efficiency were in Attitude, People, and Vision.  Nick’s attitude is remarkably positive, selfless, and worriless, three attributes that are very unlikely for a person under his circumstances.  His connection with people was amazingly touching, not only described by the stories he told, but from the vibe of the room on that day and at that very moment.  By the end of his presentation, dozens of faculty members and students were wiping tears from their eyes and lining up for a chance to hug a limbless man they had only met two hours earlier.  Nick’s vision was clear from the start.  “Always have and hold on to hope no matter the situation or circumstances, and always love everybody.”  Nick’s goal is not to bring attention to disabilities or solely to preach on his beliefs on God, but rather to fill the hopeless with hope and the world with love.

Nick shared my attributes of high efficiency, and has actually embraced them to a much greater extend than I have accomplished myself up to this point.  However, it was his simultaneous mastery of the attributes I had labeled myself as needing improvement in that opened my eyes and gave me insight to how I may improve on them in my own work.  Problem Solving, Creating Positive Change, and Influence are attributes Nick Vujicic and his non-profit excel in. 

Problem solving is something Nick has had to do his whole life.  Seemingly impossible struggles for him, such as standing his body upright after falling, are things the average person takes for granted daily.  However, it was the message behind this struggle that made it so powerful.  “You don’t know you would fail if you never tried, and if you tried and failed, all that means is that you need to try a new method, not that it’s impossible.”  He used himself physically falling on stage and getting back up by use of his head and hipbones as an example, however his message can be applied to any problem one encounters in life. 

For Nick, creating positive change is achieved every time he steps on a stage to give his presentations.  I imagine the reaction of the audience on August 3^rd is a typical reaction shared by attendees for the majority of his events.  The crowd dispersed to their cars, appearing to continue about their daily lives.  However, on this evening, and whether they openly admit it or not, most drove home with a much heavier, introspective, and reflective heart than usual.  I believe everyone took something personal with them from Nick’s speech.  All those I spoke with that night and the next day in regards to his presentation, agreed that we all felt a heightened sense of obligation to create positive change in ourselves or in someone else’s life.  Therefore, Nick not only creates positive change, but he spreads it exponentially at each event.   

One of Nick’s most obvious attributes, especially seen by the long line of hugs following his presentation, is his influence.  Many people can go on stage and preach hope to the hopeless, love to the unloving, and positivity to the negative.  However, there is usually a large disconnect between speaker and audience because of the difference in personal circumstances.  If an audience feels a speaker has not been through what they have been through or has not experienced worse situations than they have, the speaker automatically and immediately loses his credibility.  When Nick Vujicic is on stage however, a man without limbs, his credibility is instantly recognized and received.  Nick may not nor does not claim to know the difficulties in the lives of his audience.  He does not compare his struggles to theirs to say whose is worse.  Nick’s struggles are obvious to the naked eye; thus he does not need to precede his presentations with disclaimers or credentials.  He simply tells his story and influences his audience as he talks about overcoming struggle.  And if a man with no arms and no legs can do the things Nick has done and help the amount of people he has helped on the values of hope and love, than anyone with arms and legs is usually inspired to overcome their obstacles and tell their stories with the values of hope and love.  Nick’s masterful execution of the attributes in the areas I feel I need improvement was a great example for me to see how I can use his methods to solve problems, create positive changes, and influence others in my own life and line of work.