There are so many successful people in life, who refused to let circumstances, their upbringing, education, money, disability or, indeed, anything prevent them from achieving their dreams because they knew what they wanted to do with their lives. They set their goals and did whatever it took to succeed. No excuses, no moaning and groaning, just sheer courage and determination to be the best that they could be. 

Once an interviewer during a television show asked Muhammad Ali, “What would you have done if you hadn’t become the heavyweight champion of the world?”

“It doesn’t matter what I may have done, I would have been the best in the world. Even if I was a trash man, I would be the best trash man in the world.” 

You must try to be the best you can in everything you do. It is irrelevant whether you work as a janitor or a managing director. The world needs janitors just as much as managing directors. Forget any limitations you think you have and strive to be the best. Give 100% to everything, work hard and enjoy every moment. 

Oprah Winfrey is a prime example of a woman who decided that her humble beginnings within the slums of Brooklyn were not going to hinder her progress. As she says, “I don’t think of myself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who, from an early age, knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good.”

Helen Keller was also a woman who decided that she would pursue her dream of getting an education, despite the fact that she was deaf and blind. Helen Keller would go on to be the first deaf and blind person to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree. She would become a prolific author and an inspiration all over the world to others.

Professor Stephen Hawking is a world-wide phenomenon and without doubt one of the greatest minds of his generation. He has written many books and is well-known throughout the world, not just for his academic achievements and his ground-breaking scientific theories, but also because of his limited physical ability caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Despite this disability, Professor Stephen Hawking continues to combine family life (he has three children and three grandchildren) with his research into theoretical physics and lecturing.

Other famous people who had past or current disabilities are; Jack Nicklaus (polio), Ludvig Van Beethoven (deafness), Heather Mills (amputee), Stevie Wonder (blindness), Sir Richard Branson (dyslexia), Bruce Willis (speech stuttering). 

It really doesn’t matter what your situation is, it is your ability to overcome and utilise your uniqueness that counts.