“I do believe my life has no limits! I want you to feel the same way about your life, no matter what your challenges may be. As we begin our journey together, please take a moment to think about any limitations you have placed on your life or that you have allowed others to place on it. Now think about what it would be like to be free of those limitations. What would your life be if anything were possible?”
—Nick Vujicic, from Life without Limits
Nick Vujicic wrote his memoir Life without Limits and his main objective is made clear. Vujicic aims to inspire his readers and calls them to action. He weaves passion and purpose through each page, reiterating his theme: to live our lives limitlessly, fearlessly believing “Anything is possible.”
Vujicic immediately captures the reader’s attention, beginning the journey by sharing the disappointment his family felt when he entered the world without limbs. He was born with Tetra Syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs. Though they were saddened by their son’s diagnosis, Nicholas’s parents loved him and welcomed him into the world. A few years later they had two more children, Nicholas’s wonderful brother Aaron and loving sister Michelle. Vujicic was determined to find a way to live a joyous, exuberant life despite his disability.
Vujicic cleverly integrates himself into his illustrations, depicting his life without limits. As one can imagine, Nick had to overcome bouts of physical adversity. His first hurdle arrived as a child in grade school. The kids teased him ferociously, calling him a freak and an alien. At this time in his life, Vujicic contemplated committing suicide. Nicholas shared this intention with his brother. His brother, of course, shared this with their father who entered Nicholas’s room, sat on his bed, and enticed his son to share his thoughts and fears. His dad was patient, kind, and loving. Vujicic’s father listened with an open heart and thereafter, he acknowledged Nicholas’s fears and told him that both he and his mother would always love and support him. They would always be available to him. Dare to do something because “Anything is possible” was the message Nicholas received, and echoes it on every page of the book.
Vujicic yearned to fit in with the other children. He had been told a million times or more that he was cute, charming, personable, and outgoing, and he had started to believe these compliments. Thus, Nicholas courageously approached other children daily, seeking friendships. He had been rejected at the onset, but remembering his father’s words, he persevered. He used the curiosity of the other youngsters to draw them in. He found a convenient spot on the playground and made himself available to his classmates. Soon, Nick had groups of kids gathered around him, questioning how he did things with no arms and legs. The inquisitions continued and the crowds increased in size. It was this time that sparked Nick’s dream of becoming a motivational speaker.
Nick, growing in popularity, left one student angry and jealous, which in turn frightened him. Nick shares that fear always appears; it lies in and along the path. The author encourages us to approach fear fearlessly. He demonstrates this to the readers by recounting the moment he conquered fear for the first time: Nick’s first, last, and only fight. The school bully challenged Nicholas to a fight. Nick says he was terrified and he certainly did not want to fight the person, but his pride was on the line. Actually, Nick tried explaining to the bully that there was nothing to prove or gain by beating up a person in a wheelchair without arms and legs. Nevertheless, the bully did not back down and Nick’s ego manifested. He knew he had to fight the bully, but how? Nicholas’s parents always encouraged him to focus on his abilities and steer away from his disabilities. As he sat pondering how to fight the bully, his parent’s message pushed him. He threw his trunk into the bully’s chest, and eventually knocked him down and then began butting the bully with his head until the bully bled. Nick had won the fight and he never saw the bully again. Nick reminds us that when something is taken away, what we have left grows stronger. Nick encourages his readers to fear not and to use your strength to remove the obstacle blocking your path.
Vujicic prayed many years for a miracle: he prayed that God would grow his limbs. Years passed and the miracle never arrived. Thus, he concluded, and tells us, “If you can’t get a miracle, become one.” He spends his life trying to enrich the lives of others. Vujicic found passion and love for people. Vujicic continually states that purpose produces empowerment. One must ascertain a vision and follow it, believe in oneself because “anything is possible.” He has a non-profit organization that supports people with disabilities. In addition, he evangelizes and speaks to millions of people, spreading his message, “live life without limits,” across the world.
Nicholas told stories of others who overcame obstacles; however, just about every person in his tales had a physical disability. Almost every other adversity people commonly face was excluded, with the exception of the slave women residing in India and an example of poverty in Africa. The book would have been more powerful if he brought greater variety to the stories, such as people struggling with academics or generational curses. The continuous image of disability stories makes them begin to sound alike. The subjects’ bouts of self-pity, despair, and hopelessness begin to sound monotonous, rather than powerful.
Nick does a good job integrating his own story through the larger points, rather than presenting a strict, linear autobiography. Moreover, he includes examples of other people’s stories that have inspired him.
Nicholas is an evangelist and motivational speaker; he also has a double degree in business and accounting. Though Nicholas spoke of God, he does not overwhelm the reader with religion; he inserts scripture so sparingly that it is powerful and effective when the reader sees it.
Vujicic clearly describes his frustrations of being dependent on others. Therefore, he sought a resolution to this dilemma. He announced to his parents he wanted to live independently; they put their heads together and came up with gadgets to help him live without the need of the care of others. The book is helpful because he describes a few gadgets, and he directs the reader to his web site that has a host of options for the physically disabled person to live life liberated.
This book is truly inspiring and motivating. This book moved me to action. If you ever go surfing, scuba diving, or skateboarding and see a smiling face on a body without limbs, it is probably Nicholas, the man born without limbs who lives a life without limits.
