Nick Vujicic is an Australian-American world-renowned speaker, New York Times best-selling Author, Coach, and Entrepreneur born without arms or legs. Nick persevered through life’s challenges and discovered fundamental principles that enabled him to find his life’s purpose and turn all obstacles into opportunities. That has made him one of the most sought-after keynote speakers in the world! Millions of people have found hope, purpose and the strength to overcome their challenges through Nick’s inspirational speeches and powerful coaching.
Nick Vujicic was born without limbs and legs, with no medical explanation or prior warning. He was born with Tetra-Amelia Syndrome; a rare disorder called Phocomelia characterized by the absence of arms and legs. Even his mother declined to see or hold him when he was born but accepted him later as a part of God’s plan. Nick said, “It took my mum about four months before she came to terms with [my condition]. My dad took the initiative to hold me first.”
While growing up, Nick’s parents had difficulties even getting him admitted to a good school despite his good IQ; however, they kept trying and finally succeeded. Nick had previously revealed that he had suffered from depression and loneliness in his early life. Being so different from other kids made him question his self-esteem; that soon became the reason why he cut off all conversation with people.
At the age of ten, Nick hit rock bottom where he simply couldn’t envision a future for himself. Nick recalled, “At age 8, I told my mom I wanted to commit suicide. At age 10, I actually tried. I went into a bathtub, and I tried to drown myself. And I turned over 3 times in the bathtub. The first two times I rolled over in the bathtub I thought I was doing a good thing”
After a couple of attempts, he realized he couldn’t leave his loving family, he said, “When I was 10 years old, the 3rd time I rolled over in my bathtub, there was only one thought that saved me. And it was the thought of seeing my mom and my dad crying at my grave.” He didn’t want to leave them with the burden and guilt of his death.
When Nick decided to hold on to life, amazing things started to happen to him. He found himself reading the bible one day and had an epiphany. He recalled the incident, “I gave my life to Jesus Christ at fifteen when I read John chapter 9—the story about a man who was born blind and no one knew why, but Jesus said it happened so that the works of God may be revealed through him.”
He later came across a newspaper article as well that described the achievements of a disabled person. Reading how a fellow disabled man had faced challenges and eventually overcame them gave him the much-needed confidence that completely changed his mindset towards life.
And Nick realized that he can lead an everyday life and can achieve something significant. He eventually came to terms with his disability and worked on adopting a positive attitude.
At the age of thirteen, Nick had a life-changing incident. He recalled, “I played soccer with my little foot. I love my little foot. I can type 43 words a minute on a normal computer. And I’ve done a double degree in accounting and financial planning, so that’s how I did my work. But I sprained my foot one day at 13 years old, and I couldn’t use it for three weeks. Let me ask you. How much do you use your arms and legs? A lot, right? That’s how much I use this. Imagine not using your arms and legs for three weeks. That’s how I felt. I felt disabled for the very first time. And so, you got to understand that you got to be thankful for what you have.” And he lost sight of his disabilities and realized how blessed he was.
Arnold, an old janitor at his school, was the first person who motivated Nick to become a speaker. But Nick opposed this thought as he believed that he wasn’t equipped to be a speaker. But the janitor did not give up and continued to persuade Nick to share his life story relentlessly.
Nick finally gave his first speech when he was 19, and he never turned back. After giving several speeches, he found that his purpose in life is to motivate people and inspire them to reach their full potential. Nick says, “So my goal is to reach as many people as possible, with a message of hope, but at the same time, I really believe that there is a greater cause that we can all do in giving back to society. I think, if we all did our part, this world would be a very different place.”
Sharing an incident that stayed with him, Nick said, “I was giving a speech to 300 sophomore public high school students. And after three minutes of my speech, half of the girls in the hall started crying, and one girl in the room began to weep, and she interrupted my speech and came to me and hugged me. She wept on my shoulder and whispered in my ear that I was beautiful the way I am. And these words transformed my life.”
In 2005, Nick took a step to help specially-abled people like him; he established an international non-profit organization and ministry named Life Without Limbs. And in 2007, he founded a motivational company by name; Attitude is Altitude. Now, Nick is one of the most outstanding motivational speakers of our times. His understanding of life has positively affected the lives of millions of people across the world.
He married Kanae Miyahara on February 12, 2012, and the couple is blessed with four children. They currently reside in Southern California and are happier than ever.
In conclusion, Nick says, “I believe that if God doesn’t give you a miracle, you are a miracle of God.”
