Be Inspired!
When your are down...
sometimes its good...
to have someone...
to look up to!
We have it rock bottom is can be a big help to have someone to look up to… someone who inspires you…who can help lift you back up again. We’ve all know of famous inspirational people like Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela ... but what about the ones that don’t quite make the headlines? There are so many inspirational people in the world who maybe we just haven’t met yet! On this page I would like to share with you some amazing people who have inspired me...
Nick Vujicic
Born without any arms and legs, who could blame this man if he was bitter at the world? But
amazingly this man lives life more fully and happily than a lot of people I know! He swims, cooks, plays football,and travels around the world sharing the word of God...what a man! 'Life without limits' is his book about the struggles he endured as he grew up and how he came to terms with his disability -and turned what was negative into a positive! The book gives insight into how Nick was bullied, how he went through deep depression...and how he came through it all to live a fulfilling life without limits! Check out the YouTube clip below or visit his official website to hear more about his amazing story at www.lifewithoutlimbs.org
Katie Piper
Katie was a normal young woman who enjoyed life and was pursuing her dream of modelling and presenting...when she was viciously attacked by her ex boyfriend and had sulfuric acid thrown in her face. As her face was destroyed, it seemed like her life and her dreams were also destroyed forever. Blinded in one eye, having to be fed through a tube in her stomach because the acid had damaged her throat, Katie had to undergo countless operations to rebuild her face and counseling to help her recover both on the inside and outside.
For a girl who built her life around her beauty, this was the most devastating thing that could have happened to an aspiring model and presenter. But instead of hiding away, Katie turned her life around and is now the founder of her own charity which helps burns victims. She campaigns tirelessly to raise awareness of peoples needs and to help stop prejudices. She is now a inspiration to many and has proven that from the ashes of evil, good can still prevail.
You can watch her story on the documentary 'My Beautiful Face' which can be seen on channel 4s catch up service (40d) Katie also have a follow up series called 'My Beautiful Friends' which explores the lives of many people who suffer from a variety of disfigurements and how they turn their lives around... Check out Katie’s website and charity on www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk
You can watch her story on the documentary 'My Beautiful Face' which can be seen on channel 4s catch up service (40d) Katie also have a follow up series called 'My Beautiful Friends' which explores the lives of many people who suffer from a variety of disfigurements and how they turn their lives around... Check out Katie’s website and charity on www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk
Shy Keenan and
Sara Payne
Both these women won the women of the year award in 2008 for their incredible work to bring new laws into the country to protect children from abuse. Sara Payne lost her daughter when she was abducted and murdered by a child abuser. Shy Keenan endured years of abuse as a young child and fought to bring her abusers to justice and to protect other vulnerable children. To this day, both women campaign tirelessly to protect children from abuse and to use their terrible experiences to save others from having to go through the same. You can check out her website on www.shykeenan.com whereby you will find links to support for victims of abuse, her books, TV appearances and more.
Christy Brown
Christy was born with severe cerebral palsy. He couldn’t communicateand many people assumed he 'just a vegetable'. Many even urged his parents to leave him in a care home, as they thought he had no future ahead of himand no use in the world. But his family refused to give upon him and through tremendous effort, patience and love they discovered that Christy was in fact a very intelligent young man who due to cerebral palsy was trapped inside his own body. by using the only part of his body that he had some control over (his left foot) he was able to write books, poems and paint! His autobiography ''My Left Foot' sold thousands of copies and was even later made into a Academy Award winning film.. through sheer determination, courage and persistence Christy proves that no matter what you may be born with, you can still achieve and enjoy so much in life,and that no one is ever 'a write off'' everyone has something unique to bring to the world.
Racheal Baughhan
At first glance you may be forgiven for thinking that Racheal is a beautiful, self confident woman. But although you and I may see that - Racheal cannot. She suffers from a disorder called 'Body Dysmorphic Disorder' (BDD) which distorts sufferer's image of themselves causing them to see themselves as 'ugly'and 'disgusting.' No matter how much people may reassure sufferers of BDD that they are beautiful, they cannot see it for themselves and instead hate themselves deeply. Racheal has suffered from BDD for most of her lifeand during her teenage years the disorder became so severe that she developed a eating disorder, succumbed to self harming, was suicidal and became housebound... fearing to leave the house - too afraid to face the world.
After being controlled by BDD for so many yearsand seeing her family worry so much about her, Racheal knew she couldn’t waste any more of her lifeand tackled her fears and disorder head on. Encouraged by her loved ones, she entered a Miss World competition to face her fear of being seen and judged. This to a BDD sufferer is like facing thier worst fear! But her courage and determination proved to be a turning point and by facing her fears head on, she slowly gained her confidence bit by bit and began the first vital step on her long road to recovery. As she began to learn to control her disorder - instead of letting it control her, Racheal wanted to use her own experiences to help other people. Although recovery is still a ongoing process for Racheal and she battles with her BDD everyday, she refuses to let it hold her back from living her life and achieving her goals. She now runs her own modelling company, called 'True Model Media' whereby she campaigns against size 0 and only uses models who are of healthy sizes. She also raises awareness of BDD and is a inspiration to other people, reminding us all that despite what we may be struggling with, if we have enough courage and determination, we can also achive our goals and not let anything hold us back.
Check out her website on www.thebutterflygirlrachealbaughan.co.uk
Joni Eareckson Tada
Joni's life was changed forever, when at the tender age of just 17, she had a diving accident, broke her neck and was paralysed for life. Since then she has been a quadriplegic confined to a wheelchair, unable to move from the neck down. After years of questioning God and suffering from depression, despair and loneliness, Joni began to rebuild her life by embracing her condition and trusting God's plan for her life. Joni has since learned to draw and write using her mouth and has exhibited several pieces of art as well as published several books, encouraging others who may feel like there is no hope or future in their lives. She has also starred in a film which tells the story of her life and she has since gone on to be now happily married and continually spreading the message of hope to others. www.joniandfriends.org/
Adam Pearson
Adam suffers from a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis, which causes cells to grow uncontrollably. Adam has an extreme form of the condition which have caused tumours to spread across his faceand has caused blindness in one eye and partial deafness. Facial disfigurement can be a taboo issue in society, with people still discriminating against others who look different. Adam has had to endure a life time of bullying and prejudice just because of the way he looks. Isn’t life hard enough for people like Adam who have to suffer a debilitating condition without 'normal' people who don’t have to worry about such things making things so much worse for him and others like him? Adam and other people who have disfigurements and look 'different' are human just like the rest of us they do not deserve to be discriminated against purely for the way they look. What kind of materialistic world do we live in that we judge people so much on their outward appearance? Surely, what is inside counts for so much more! Adam is living proof of this, instead of letting the years of relentless bullying and unkind remarks get him down, Adam lives his life to the full and refuses to let other peoples' narrow mindedness and judgemental attitudes hold him back. Adam has featured in Channel 4s documentary 'Beauty and the beast - the ugly face of prejudice' and is working tirelessly to raise more awareness of disfigurements, fighting for equality and acceptance. Adam also represents support websites for other people suffering from disfigurements and you can see what amazing and life changing work he does on www.iface.org.uk and www.changingfaces.org.uk and show your support!
YOU and ME
I have so many people in my life who inspire me... just simply by being who they are and by the way they live their everyday lives. These people aren’t famous, they aren’t rich, they are not 'successful'... they are just ordinary people who give that 'little but extra'and to me are 'extraordinary' people. I have watched family, friends, colleagues,and strangers battle through so many different challenges and troubles and although they have struggled and some may have even reached rock bottom, they have pulled them selves back up, dusted themselves off and tried againand again and again- never giving up. The human spirit is an amazing thing and we often don’t have to look far to see 'something' in 'someone' that we really admire. We are all so unique and God has blessed each of us with individual gifts - that no one else in the world has. We all have so much to give to others and so much to learn from others too.
Lets make a difference. Lets make our lives count. Live your life in a way that you can be a inspiration to someone else!!!
Quotes to think about...
'We must become the change we wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi"
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Chinese philosopher Laozi
''Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.'' Les Brown'
'Instead of counting your days, make your days count'' ~Author Unknown'
'If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door''. ~Milton Berle
''A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.'' ~Francis Bacon
''Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending'' ~Author Unknown
''The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little bit extra''. ~Jimmy Johnson