First, I’d like to thank all of the FranklinCovey associates who have built the On Leadership series to our 100th episode. This weekly podcast, of which I am a small part, has grown to become the world’s most subscribed and distributed weekly podcast in the leadership space, because of their vision, hard work, and continuous innovation.
Thank you to Todd Musig, Amber Rackham, Drew Young, Brandon Stone, Jennifer Coons, Matt Murdoch, Emma DeClue, Megan Dotson, Bryan Holbrook, Philip Volmar, and Jon Lofgren. And to our first 100 guests, thank you all for your time as well.
We selected the 100th episode guest thoughtfully and are delighted that Nick Vujicic agreed to join us. I was texting with Nick recently in preparation for a phone call and asked him how he texted. I just assumed he used voice to text. Nope. Because of his Australian/American accent, it doesn’t work as well as he’d like so…get this…he texts with his big toe.
In case you’re reading this blog before you watch or listen to our interview, you should know Nick was born with no limbs. No arms. No legs. Beyond his torso, Nick has a small appendage and foot with two toes that he uses for limited mobility, and apparently, texting.
Can you imagine? I can’t. It’s hard enough for me to even comprehend, let alone relate to.
From all of the many books he’s written, speeches delivered and our many conversations on the phone, what stands out to me the most is when he shares there was a time in his life where he said to himself, “If only I had an arm, imagine what I could do with just one arm.” He was dreaming of possibilities. Of what would be.
“If only I had an arm, imagine what I could do with just one arm.”
Since reading this line, my life has come into perspective. The persistent ache in my lower back. My occasional recurring bout with plantar fasciitis in my feet. My left ring finger that is sore in the cold weather due to a small injury in college. Good grief. I have two fully functioning arms and two fully functioning legs. I have four times as much mobility as Nick Vujicic and look, not just at what he’s accomplished, but also his contagiously positive attitude.
Nick’s legacy and mission in life remind me of an On Leadership interview I hosted with our co-founder, Hyrum Smith who recently passed after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Hyrum was fond of saying, “Live your life with the attitude of not “I have to,” and not “I ought to,” but rather “I get to.”
I get to take out the garbage. I get to brush my teeth. I get to clean the dinner dishes. I get to mow the lawn. I get to go to work. I get to walk.
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