Nick Vujicic

Nick Vujicic Profile

Few speakers have a better claim to be regarded as inspirational than Nicholas Vujicic. Born without arms or legs, he has overcome his disability in the most astonishing ways, setting a true example of inspiring success to any who have ever doubted their ability to achieve their goals.

During his childhood in Melbourne, Australia, Nick had to cope with feelings of loneliness and depression as he questioned just what purpose a limbless individual could have in life. He experimented with electronic arms in the hope of becoming more like his peers, but they became more of a hindrance than help. Forging his own path, Nick found ways to accomplish tasks many of us take for granted, such as typing, swimming, even just cleaning our teeth, in the most inventive manner.

Nick’s success in adapting techniques for everyday life was reflected in his election as captain of his school in grade seven and his work with the student council to raise funds for local charities and disability campaigns. On leaving school he continued to study and was awarded a double bachelor degree, majoring in accounting and financial planning. It was at this time that Nick began his career in motivational speaking, driven by a desire to inspire others to overcome the struggles that they face in life through his example. His story thus gained wider coverage, and in 2005 he was nominated for the “Young Australian of the Year” award, an honor only ever given to the most inspirational of young people.

Eight years from beginning his career as a motivational speaker, Nick has recently moved to California where he acts as president of an international non-profit organization as well as running his own motivational speaking company, Attitude is Altitude. Millions of people around the world have heard Nick’s incredible story of fortitude and determination, either in person or through television and other media. His travels (this year alone he is scheduled to speak in more than twenty countries) have allowed him to meet with many of the world’s most influential figures.

As a speaker, Nick encourages his audiences to dream big. He uses his own story to demonstrate that obstacles need not be problems but can be growth opportunities. In his life he has shown that persistence and embracing the lessons of failure can achieve almost anything. With his humor, faith and a deep and sincere empathy with other human beings, Nick Vujicic has truly earned the title of of being one of the most inspirational and motivational speakers in the world today.

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  Meet Nick Vujicic… He was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1982. With no medical explanation or forewarning, Nicholas Vujicic (pronounced Voy-a-chich) was born without arms or legs. After an uneventful pregnancy and having no family history that would predict this condition, imagine his parents’ reaction when they first saw their baby boy, their first child, only to find out that he would be considered imperfect and abnormal by the world at large.

  A son without limbs was not what his mother, Dushka Vujicic (a nurse), and her husband, Pastor Borris Vujicic, had been anticipating. How would their son be able to live a normal and happy life? What could he do and what could he become, living with such a massive disability? Little did they suspect that this beautiful, limbless baby would grow up one day to become an inspiration and motivation for people from every walk of life, touching people’s lives throughout the world.

  Imagine being born with no arms. No arms to hug someone with, no hands to touch with or to hold someone else’s hand. How about being born with no legs? Not being able to dance or walk, to run or even stand on your own two feet. Now combine both of those scenarios: no arms or legs. What would you do? How would that affect your everyday life?

  Growing up, Nick not only dealt with the typical challenges that kids face at school and during adolescence, such as being bullied and having self-esteem issues. Nick also grappled with depression and loneliness while he questioned the difference between himself and all the kids surrounding him. How come he was the one born with no arms or legs? He wondered about his life’s purpose, or whether he even had one. After experiencing a lot of frustration and always feeling like he didn’t belong in school, Nick experimented with some specially devised electronic arms and hands when he was seven years old, in the hopes of being more like the rest of the kids. In the course of the brief trial with the electronic arms, he realized that even with the arms, he still wouldn’t be like his peers at school. They ended up being too heavy for Nick and significantly affected his general mobility.

  As Nick grew up he learned to deal with his disability and started to be able to do more and more things on his own. He adapted to his situation and found ways to accomplish tasks that most people could only do by using their limbs, such as cleaning teeth, brushing hair, typing on a computer, swimming, playing sports, and much more. As time went by Nick began to embrace his situation and achieve greater things. In grade seven Nick was elected captain of his school and worked with the student council on various fund-raising events for local charities and disability campaigns.

  According to Nick, the victory over his struggles throughout his journey, as well as his passion for life can be credited to his faith, his family, his friends and the many people he′s encountered during his life who have encouraged him along the way.

  After school Nick went on with further study and obtained a double bachelor degree majoring in accounting and financial planning. By the age of 19, Nick had started to fulfill his dream of encouraging others by sharing his story through motivational speaking. He found the purpose of his existence, and also the purpose in his circumstance. Nick wholeheartedly believes that there is a purpose in each of the struggles we encounter in our lives and that our attitude towards those struggles that can be the single most effective factor in overcoming them.

  In 2005, Nick was nominated for the “Young Australian of the Year” Award, which is a large honor in Australia. The award honors a young person for their excellence and service to their local community and the nation, as well as their own personal accomplishments. Nominations for this award are only given to truly inspirational people.

  Now at 27 years old, this limbless young man has accomplished more than most people even twice his age. Nick recently made the massive move from Brisbane, Australia to California, USA, where he is the president of an international non-profit organization, and also has his own motivational speaking company; Attitude Is Altitude. Since his first motivational speaking engagement back when he was 19, Nick has traveled around the world, sharing his story with millions of people, speaking to a range of different groups such as students, teachers, youth, business men and women, entrepreneurs, and church congregations of all sizes. He has also told his story and been interviewed on various televised programs worldwide. However, Nick′s speaking engagements have gone beyond purely motivational speaking, he has had the opportunity to speak with several leaders, including the vice president of Kenya. This year alone Nick is set to speak in over 20 countries.

  People ask Nick, “How can you smile?” Then they realize there′s got to be something more to life than meets the eye if a guy without arms and legs is living a fuller life.

  Nick shares with his audiences the importance of vision and dreaming big. Using his own experiences in worldwide outreach as examples, he challenges others to examine their perspective and look beyond their circumstances. He shares his view of ceasing to see obstacles as problems, but instead begin to see them as opportunities to grow and reach out to others. He stresses the importance of how attitude can be the most powerful tool we have at our disposal and illustrates how the choices we make can have a profound effect on our lives and the lives of those around us. Nick shows through his own life that the major keys in fulfilling our biggest dreams are persistence and choosing to embrace failure as a learning experience, rather than allowing the guilt and fear of failure to paralyze us.

  How does Nick Vujicic feel about his disability now? He accepts it, embraces it and oftentimes pokes fun at his own circumstance as he shows off his many tricks. He meets challenges with his special blend of humor, perseverance and faith always encouraging those around him to examine their perspective as they develop and define their vision. Using those new definitions he challenges each person he meets to make changes in their lives so that they can begin the path to fulfilling their biggest dreams. Through his amazing ability to connect with people from all walks of life and his incredible sense of humor he captivates children, teens and adults alike, Nick is a true inspirational and motivational speaker.