Nick Vujicic, the Australian Christian minister born with Tetra-amelia syndrome, radiates joy in his family’s Hawaiian holiday, proving his triumph over adversity. Vujicic was clearly feeling like any other hard-working dad taking a break with his family
Vujicic was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder that is characterised by the absence of all four limbs.
His worldwide motivational speeches tell of courage overcoming disability, and the bullying he suffered as a child. His life and his determination serve as an inspiration to countless thousands worldwide.
But the idyllic holiday the Vujicic family is enjoying is more than just the result of the success Nick has found as an adult.
Scroll down for an excerpt from Stand Strong: You Can Overcome Bullying…
Nick struggled with his disability as a child, both physically and emotionally. At the age of ten, after a failed suicide attempt where he tried to drown himself in a bath, he vowed never to give up again.
By the age of 17 he had started his own non-profit charity – Life Without Limbs.
After university, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce, Vujicic embarked on a motivational speaking tour, concentrating on teenage issues, disability, and his faith in God and how it helps his life.
To date, he has visited more than 40 countries on five continents.
In 2008 Vijucic met Kanae Miyahara, and has described it as ‘love at first sight’. He was quoted in a 2013 interview in The Christian Post about the unique way he proposed.
Having the engagement ring in his mouth he casually asked Kanae: ‘Baby, can I kiss your hands?’
Kanae admitted that she thought he was simply biting her finger, but then she saw the ring he had been trying to position in the right spot.
Vujicic is due to release a book – Stand Strong: You Can Overcome Bullying – on April 15.
In it he describes how to turn bullies into motivators: ‘Bullies want to abuse you. Instead of allowing that, you can use them as your personal motivators,’ he writes. ‘Power up and let the bully eat your dust.’
EXCERPT FROM STAND STRONG: YOU CAN OVERCOME BULLYING
Bullies want to abuse you. Instead of allowing that, you can use them as your personal motivators. Power up and let the bully eat your dust. In the pages that follow, I will help you build your antibully antibodies. This is a process that works by building strength from the inside out, from your deepest thoughts and feelings—your heart and soul—to the way you see the world, make decisions, and take actions. You build your bully defense system from the inside out by
1. Figuring out who you are so no bully can tell you
differently or make you feel badly;
2. Taking responsibility for your own behavior and happiness so bullies have no ultimate power over you;
3. Establishing strong values that no bully can shake;
4. Creating a safety zone within yourself where you can go mentally to draw strength and comfort;
5. Building strong and supportive relationships to stand up for you against bullies;
6. Learning to monitor and manage your responses to the emotions triggered by bullying;
7. Developing a spiritual foundation to help you be at peace and be strong against bullying;
8. Taking the opportunity to learn from your bullying experience so that you can become stronger, wiser, more confident, more faith filled, and more prepared to handle any challenges;
9. Creating your bully defense strategy so you are prepared to handle bullies of all kinds; and
10. Mastering empathy so you are aware of the needs of others and serve them whenever possible to help them overcome bullying.
Excerpted from Stand Strong by Nick Vujicic Copyright © 2014 by Nick Vujicic. Excerpted by permission of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
