Showing posts with label Inspiring People. Show all posts

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

Powerful Inspirational True Story...Don't Give Up!

When you don't give up, you cannot fail.

Thursday, 17 July 2014

5 Unlikely Motivators for Entrepreneurial Success

None of these entrepreneurs' stories started out well. And that's exactly what drove them to exceed all expectations.

Where does success in business really come from?

Many successful entrepreneurs I know seem to be the product of a good education and favorable circumstances.

Others have tenacity, drive, or passion. Or all three.

But some people find success because they're deeply motivated by something else. The people in the stories below certainly have tenacity, drive, and passion, but their real motivation came from unlikely situations. In fact, many others would have failed--and have--when handed the obstacles these people experienced.

Rather than getting bogged down, these five people used negative and sometimes traumatic situations as motivation to succeed in business.

Illness

Marten deVlieger was found at an early age to have cystic fibrosis, a degenerative and incurable disease that affects the entire body, but especially the lungs. "Life with cystic fibrosis is a constant challenge," deVlieger said. "Most of us have been told since birth that we won't live past the age of 2, 10, 21... and yet we hear of those rare ones living past the now average CF life expectancy of 42 and think, That could be me."

For that to be him, though, deVlieger knew he would need technology and remedies greater than those available at the time to help him cope. He told me of his mother's staying home to rub and thump his back for hours each day, to combat the fluid buildup inherent to CF.

DeVlieger dreamed of independence, though. He wanted to fly a helicopter and so, as a teen, began combing through a local garbage dump in search of scrap metal and parts he would use to construct a crude, heavy chest device to mirror the traditional technique of loosening mucus in CF patients. His first iteration was too bulky and left him covered in bruises. However, the ChestMaster5000 had been born.

Over the next several years, deVlieger persevered and worked out his design flaws. He sought advisory and PR support, a huge step that helped him earn funding, and media coverage was critical. Also, he realized he needed to master scale; deVlieger took the device to a contract manufacturing firm that specialized in medical devices, which helped get the device where it needed to be, from a technical and regulatory standpoint.

DeVlieger's invention has been featured on the front page in the Globe and Mail, at MedGadget and QMed, in the U.K.'s Daily Mail, and in assorted national broadcast news features. France2 produced a documentary about his device.

"There is no choice but to persevere, against the odds, and accept that hardships and fear will be constant companions, yet every single day deeply appreciating that you have been given another day to fight the fight, and enjoying (almost) every minute of it. Isn't that what entrepreneurship is all about?"

Disrespect

Dan Nainan wasn't a popular child--in fact, he was bullied primarily because of his mixed Indian and Japanese heritage. "On the first day I moved to a new area and was in a new school," he said, "they started calling me 'chink'...and I'm not even Chinese.

"I foresaw for myself a terrible and lonely future with no girlfriend. Of course, I didn't go to the prom; at that time, it was unthinkable."

As often happens to the unpopular kid, Nainan went on to a successful career--he was a senior engineer with Intel, traveling the world with chairman Andy Grove, doing technical demonstrations at events.

However, the byproduct of years of torment by classmates was this: Nainan was incredibly nervous about speaking in front of people.

So he took a comedy class to help him get over his stage fright. In a bizarre turn of events, "the comedy kind of took off..." he says. That's an understatement.

He has performed at the Democratic National Convention, three presidential inaugural events, a TED Conference, and for celebrities including Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Steve Wozniak. Nainan has been in an Apple commercial and performed with Carrot Top and Penn & Teller. Yes, his comedy career "kind of" took off.

So how does one go from bullied child to tech geek to successful stage presence? Nainan attributes it to all those emotions he felt as a kid. It's "the desire to show people that you are worthy," he says.

Guilt

Andrew Bauer shouldn't feel guilty about the financial burden his family experienced as he was growing up, but he does. That's the funny thing about guilt--it doesn't have to make sense.

However, it can drive people to accomplish great things.

In his early childhood, Bauer, who was born mentally disabled, participated in a health care program to rehabilitate his brain. The bills eventually put his family in an insurmountable situation financially.

This guilt weighed heavily on Bauer's mind; he was determined not to be a burden but also to help his family move past its untenable financial issues. Recently, he created Freedom Wallet, the world's first leather wallet with GPS tracking technology, for Royce Leather, the family's business.

Bauer told me, "I have been very blessed to have the support of my family, no matter how bad things got from being handicapped. I work hard for the company every single day to make up for the times that I was a financial burden."

Fear

Few things are as terrifying as realizing you're about to be a first-time parent. Discovering you have a potentially terminal illness might be one.

Lawrence Polsky learned both of these things in one night.

One January night in 2000, he learned that his wife was pregnant--right after his doctor told Polsky he had a tumor. The doctor recommended surgery. Polsky decided on a different approach. He began researching how others had overcome major life challenges and noticed similarities in how they implemented positive changes in their lives. He decided to do the same.

"Fifty percent of the protocol I used to get well involved creating a positive mind--that was part of it," he says. "But also, spending time every week reflecting on my life choices, my beliefs, my dreams, my attitudes. And spending time every day having fun. This purposeful reflection and focus helped get my mind in shape to succeed."

Polsky told his doctor the night before his scheduled surgery he was canceling it. The doctor, he says, was outraged--yet Polsky felt peaceful. "My extended family were scared. My wife and I were feeling positive.

That choice, which no one other than my wife supported, marked the beginning of a new, more positive life for me. I finally felt brave enough to follow my intuition despite strong opposition," he says.

Polsky won his battle with cancer and decided that with his new perspective, education, and practical experience, he had something valuable to share.

He and a colleague co-founded PeopleNRG, a consulting firm focused on helping organizations successfully implement change. They have since written best-selling books and now travel the world educating leaders from Minnesota to Mumbai, Chicago to China, on how to get their teams unstuck, move past their fears, and implement change.

Defeat

Jake Weatherly, now the founder of a leading ID-verification technology company, had his eye on the World Cup circuit when a crash during a training run terminated his hopes of a professional skiing career.

After a summer spent recovering from the surgery to insert a rod in his shoulder and contemplating his options, Weatherly left college, headed west, and ended up in Oregon's Silicon Forest, in an apartment he'd rented unseen.

An adrenaline junkie from an early age, he soon found another outlet for his energies. Weatherly returned to school and went to work part time at Palo Alto Software, where he was mentored by CEO and veteran entrepreneur Tim Berry.

That was the moment at which he knew things were going to change for the better, Weatherly said. Just a month after arriving in Oregon, "I was off and running, building a career in the world of technology, software, and entrepreneurship at a very young age when the Internet was just taking shape," he said. He founded SheerID and in just three years, he built his brand into a leading provider of verification technology with clients such as Costco, Karen Kane, Spotify, and Foot Locker.

Weatherly said his success today has everything to do with his earlier hopes and defeat. "Characteristics like honesty, competitive drive, enthusiasm, and determination are universal--not contextual," he said. "The same drive that fuels you to turn in the best time on a giant slalom course to bring your team to victory can also be applied to building a company, building a career, and being a fierce competitor in life."

Source: http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/5-powerful-yet-unlikely-motivators-for-entrepreneurial-success.html

Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Pilot With No Arms - The Inspirational Story of Jessica Cox

Jessica Cox: became the first pilot with no arms, proving you don't need 'wings' to fly

Jessica Cox suffered a rare birth defect and was born without any arms. None of the prenatal tests her mother took showed there was anything wrong with her. And yet she was born with this rare congenital disease, but also with a great spirit. The psychology graduate can write, type, drive a car, brush her hair and talk on her phone simply using her feet. Ms Cox, from Tuscon, Arizona, USA, is also a former dancer and double black belt in Tai Kwon-Do. She has a no-restrictions driving license, she flies planes and she can type 25 words a minute.

The plane she is flying is called an Ercoupe and it is one of the few airplanes to be made and certified without pedals. Without rudder pedals Jessica is free to use her feet as hands. She took three years instead of the usual six months to complete her lightweight aircraft licence, had three flying instructors and practiced 89 hours of flying, becoming the first pilot with no arms.

Source: http://www.oddee.com/item_96763.aspx

Saturday, 14 June 2014

Meet Inspirational 13 year old entrepreneur - Maya Penn

Maya Penn is a tiny, vibrant force of nature. She’s an entrepreneur, philanthropist, fashion designer, animator, blogger, writer and illustrator. She runs a budding eco-friendly fashion business and a nonprofit for environmental awareness, and her mind churns constantly with new creative projects. And we should probably mention — Maya is only 13.

Maya’s story began with a humble piece of fabric she found lying around the house. She transformed that little scrap into a zebra-print headband embellished with a butterfly. She called it “Zebra Fly.” That experiment led to more handcrafted accessories, and soon, she was getting stopped on the street by admirers who wanted to know where she bought them. That was when she knew she had stumbled onto something big.

Those passing comments from strangers planted a bold idea in Maya’s head, and at the ripe old age of eight, she decided to launch a fashion company. Five years later, Maya’s Ideas is flourishing, and she has stayed true to her mission: All the items she makes are environmentally friendly. Plus, 10-20% of her profits go to charities and environmental organizations close to her heart, such as the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Source: http://ideas.ted.com/2014/01/27/maya-penn-entrepreneur/

Monday, 9 June 2014

"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" by Randy Pausch (+ Video)

On September 18, 2007, Carnegie Mellon professor and alumnus Randy Pausch delivered a one-of-a-kind last lecture that made the world stop and pay attention.

It became an internet sensation viewed by millions, an international media story, and a best-selling book that has been published in more than 35 languages.

Saturday, 7 June 2014

From DoorMan to Highly Sought Motivational Speaker - The Inspirational Story of Rene Godefroy (+ Video)

History is replete with people whose actions radically changed the world. Some are household names and others are ordinary people from obscure corners around the world. Yet, they all have one thing in common: They pushed beyond the frontier of their limits and went an extra mile to achieve stunning results. Rene Godefroy is one of those rare individuals. - See more at: http://www.eaglestalent.com/Rene-Godefroy#sthash.CydzqMKQ.dpuf

History is replete with people whose actions radically changed the world. Some are household names and others are ordinary people from obscure corners around the world. Yet, they all have one thing in common: They pushed beyond the frontier of their limits and went an extra mile to achieve stunning results. Rene Godefroy is one of those rare individuals.

A recognized authority on performance and change management, Rene has inspired thousands to stretch, push beyond their limits, and go an extra mile. His story of grit, perseverance, courage, and growth through change—one that shatters the ceiling of doubt and fear (of change)—touches the soul and rekindles the spirit.

His journey began in an isolated and impoverished village in Haiti. As a child, he was often tormented and tortured by malnutrition, dysentery, cholera and other deadly diseases. Too weak to withstand the strong tropical winds in his village, Rene often spent his childhood days on a dirt floor fanning flies off of his face.

Read More - Rene Godefroy Living the American Dream: From Impoverished Childhood to CEO http://www.eaglestalent.com/Rene-Godefroy

Tuesday, 3 June 2014

"Comfort is the Enemy of Achievement" - The Inspirational Story of Farrah Gray

Just 30 years old, Farrah Gray is an American entrepreneur, international best-selling author, columnist, motivational speaker and philanthropist. He was named as one of the most influential black men in America by the National Urban League.

Raised on the impoverished Chicago South side, Gray began his entrepreneurial career at the tender age of 6, selling homemade lotion and hand-painted rocks door-to-door. Defying all odds, he became a millionaire at the age of 14!

CNN described him as “the youngest black man of his generation to make a mark on Wall Street and become a millionaire”.

Gray inspires us all to go after our dreams and to succeed inspite of personal or social circumstances.

Read more at http://farrahgray.com/about/

Thursday, 29 May 2014

Heather Dorniden's Inspirational Message - "Never Give Up"

Heather Kampf (née Dorniden; born January 19, 1987) is an American middle-distance runner, who has proven yet again that success and failure are not measured by how you fall, but by how you pick yourself up.

In 2008, Heather was leading the pack during the final heat of the 600-meter race at the Big Ten Indoor Track Championships. There was about 200 meters of the race to go when Dorniden tripped, landing hard on her face. But instead of throwing in the towel, she jumped back onto her feet and began sprinting around the track, rapidly gaining speed. Incredibly, Dorniden managed to zip past her competitors, finally crossing the finish line in first place.

Though the race happened 6 years ago, the athlete's incredible show of perseverance continues to inspire all those who witness it.

Source:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/27/runner-falls-wins-race-heather-dorniden_n_5395232.html?utm_hp_ref=sports&ir=Sports

Tuesday, 27 May 2014

The Amazing and Inspirational Story of Nick Vujicic...(+ Video)

Nick Vujicic speaking in a church in Ehringshausen, Germany - 20110401-02.jpg

32 year old Nick Vujicic is a Christian evangelist and motivational speaker, born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterised by the absence of all four limbs.

Born in Australia without arms or legs, Nick has become a symbol of triumph. After enduring years of torment and attempting suicide at the tender age of 10, Nick says, he had an awakening. Watch the videos below to see how Nick chose to live his life...

Read more about Nick

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