Last weekend a quadruple amputee swam the English Channel. 42 year-old Philippe Croizon, who lost his arms and legs after suffering an electrical shock in 1992, used special prosthetics (legs ending in flippers) during the swim and finished the crossing in 13.5 hours.
Not only did Croizon complete the swim, he did it fast (Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the channel, took 14 hours and 39 minutes to complete the task, and her time broke the then-existing mens’ record by over two hours.) His time isn’t record-breaking … but only if you compare him with swimmers who still have all of their arms and legs.
As I said in the title, your arguments are invalid. No matter what reason(s) you put forth for not following your dreams, I call shenanigans today. Croizon’s dedication and perseverance proves that if you have enough determination, you can surmount pretty much any obstacle life throws at you, and you can succeed. Perhaps not the way you originally planned, but you never know – what you end up doing might be even greater than you originally hoped.
I doubt Philippe Croizon grew up dreaming of swimming the English Channel without the use of his arms and legs. I’m fairly certain he didn’t want to lose them. But in the end he accomplished something spectacular by using what he had and refusing to give up, even when most of us would have called his dream an impossibility.
You may fall on your face this morning, and tomorrow, and the next day. The process may hurt and you may have to do things that look silly to others’ eyes. Don’t give up. Philippe Croizon probably didn’t set out to become a hero, but he managed it nonetheless. I wish I spoke enough French to thank him for his example, but since I can’t I’m passing the news to the rest of you, and hoping his inspiring story gives someone else the strength to stay in the race.
A quadruple amputee just swam the English Channel. Now it’s your turn.
Your excuses are invalid.