Overcoming Diversity

It's never easy being different. Most of us are blessed with a perfectly functioning body. We can't even fathom the thought of only having one arm, not being able to use our legs, or not being able to see or hear. Some people have to deal with these disadvantages every day of their lives. Back in the '60s, there was a child born without a right hand. Rather than sitting around feeling sorry for himself, he did what he loved. He played sports. His name was Jim Abbott. Jim was an all-american hurler for the University of Michigan, and went on to play professional baseball for ten years. He was a pitcher, and he even threw a no-hitter in 1993. Today, Jim is a motivational speaker, and a fantastic inspiration to show that anything is possible if you want it badly enough. My favorite quote from Jim Abbott is as follows, "There are millions of people out there ignoring disabilities and accomplishing incredible feats. I learned you can learn to do things differently, but do them just as well. I've learned that it's not the disability that defines you, it's how you deal with the challenges the disability presents you with. And I've learned that we have an obligation to the abilities we DO have, not the disability."

Jim Abbott Biography: http://www.jimabbott.net/biography.html

Justin Lynch