Living beyond limits

Just recently, I found the following inspiring TED-story of Amy Purdy. When she was 19, Amy lost both her legs below the knee. And now ... she's a pro snowboarder and even competed in the US in "Dancing with the Stars"! In her TED-talk, she shows us how to draw inspiration from life's obstacles.

Be inspired ==> https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_purdy_living_beyond_limits

Now, losing your legs is dramatic, but actually everyone might feel handicapped the one or the other day in a simple, everyday way.

In my "old" life, I regularly went to the swimming pool and exercised for 1 hour. Since my double breast amputations, my breast area continues to be relatively weak and starts hurting after some 10 minutes of soft exercising. So nowadays in the swimming pool I swim for 10 minutes (or less if it’s a weak day) and then I do not stop exercising because my breast needs a rest but I continue with leg exercises on the pool side. It has been a real AHA! moment for me to realize: just because I am handicapped in one way, does not mean that I have to stop completely.

Many handicapped people tell that their handicap has not turned out to be a limitation but actually opened up new opportunities which they might not have seized otherwise.

So if you feel limited, handicapped in some way, it's best to go into helicopter mode to see the bigger picture and figure out how to over-compensate your handicap. Push yourself out of the self-pity and think creatively how to over-compensate what you think is holding you back. And once you are putting to practice this alternative, you get to a new, different, and not necessarily poorer quality of life.

There are so many different versions of how to live your life, so do not feel stuck!