Sunday, 8 February 2015

MotivateMe January 1st-10th

31 Days of Motivation to Kick Start 2015...

1-10


1. Dick Hoyt


Ever since Dick’s son, Rick, was born, doctors had been telling him to institutionalize his son. His son was born with cerebral palsy, and they tried to explain to Dick that he’d never amount to anything more than a vegetable. Dick refused to give up on his son, and with the help of a computer, he taught him how to communicate. It turned out that Rick was quite intelligent indeed. Inspired by an article on racing he saw in a magazine, Rick later asked his dad to take him running. Dick, now 37 years old, had never been a runner. He gave it a shot and took his son out in his wheelchair and pushed him while he ran. The rest, as they say, is history. Rick told his dad that when they were running, it didn’t feel like he was disabled anymore. Dick became obsessed with giving his son that feeling of normalcy, and ever since has been participating in as many races as he could. As of 2013, they’ve completed over 1,000 races together; Rick being pulled, pushed, or carried by Dick in all of them. Unbelievably, nearly 250 of the races have been triathlons (6 of them Ironmans), 70 of them were marathons (30 of them the Boston Marathon), and over 200 of them 10km runs.

(from http://www.outlawfitnesshq.com/10-jaw-dropping-feats-by-incredibly-inspiring-human-feats/
)


2. Thomas Edison


When he was a young boy, Thomas Edison’s parents pulled him out of school after teachers called him “stupid” and “unteachable.” Edison spent his teenage years working and being fired from various jobs, culminating in his termination from a telegraph company at age 21. Despite these setbacks, Edison never deterred from his true passion, inventing. Throughout hiscareer, Edison obtained 1,093 patents. And while many of these inventions -- such as the light bulb, stock printer, phonograph and alkaline battery -- were groundbreaking, even more of them were unsuccessful. Edison is famous for saying that genius is “1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”

(from http://www.growthink.com/content/7-entrepreneurs-whose-perseverance-will-inspire-you#ixzz3NZbjcUXm
)


3. Jesse Owens


Jesse Owens wasn't "supposed" to win. He was black and he was competing in track and field in 1936 Berlin. Hitler's Germany saw Owens as a lesser athlete because of the color of his skin. Owens would go on to win four gold medals (in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 4x100 relay). He won with conviction and with grace.

(from http://greatist.com/fitness/25-most-inspiring-olympic-moments-all-time
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4. Abebe Bikila


Small, lean, barefooted, in bright red shorts and a green vest sporting the number 11, Bikila was a last-minute replacement in the 1960 Rome Olympic marathon for an injured team-mate. His challenge was taken far from seriously. "Who's this Ethiopian," questioned one commentator. He was not alone.

Bikila's unofficial personal best for the 42.2km – better than the world record – was widely dismissed as impossible. He arrived in Rome with one pair of running shoes but they were ruined in training in the month before the Games. With his new ones causing blisters, his decision to compete barefoot, feet toughened by miles of shoeless training on the high Ethiopian plains, only added to the general derision.

He went on to win the marathon.

(from http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/apr/25/50-olympic-moments-abebe-bikila
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5. An Act of Utter Kindness




“My Buddy Witnessed an Act of Utter Kindness Today…While he was standing on the corner waiting for the crosswalk he saw this woman buy two meals at a street vender and go sit down beside this man and give him one of the meals. She proceeded to introduce herself and talk to him about his life and just shot the [breeze] with him. She wasn’t acting superior, she was his equal, she just wanted to talk to and express inclusion to a fellow human being.”

(from http://kindnessblog.com/2014/11/03/34-examples-of-heart-warming-humanity/

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6. Derek Redmond


Derek Redmond, a British runner specializing in the 400 meters, tore his hamstring halfway through a semi-final race in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. A favorite for the medals podium, Redmond refused to give up and rose to finish the race despite his intense pain. But the most memorable moment came next, when the runner's father leapt over the railing from the stands and helped his son complete the race. Steps from the finish line and with the crowd cheering them on, he let go of Derek, so his son could cross the finish line by himself.


Milton Hershey had a long path to the top of the chocolate industry. Hershey dropped out of school in the 4th grade and took an apprenticeship with a printer, only to be fired. He then became an apprentice to a candy-maker in Lancaster, PA. After studying the business for 4 years, Hershey started three unsuccessful candy companies in Philadelphia, Chicago and New York. 

Hershey was not about to give up, so he moved back to Lancaster and began the Lancaster Caramel Company. His unique caramel recipe, which he had come across during his earlier travels, was a huge success. Hershey, who was always looking ahead, believed that chocolate products had a much greater future than caramel. He sold the Lancaster Caramel Company for $1 million in 1900 (nearly $25 million in 2008 dollars) and started the Hershey Company, which brought milk chocolate -- previously a Swiss delicacy -- to the masses.

Not only did Hershey overcome failure and accomplish his goals, but he also managed to do it close to home. Hershey created hundreds of jobs for Pennsylvanians. He also used some of his money to build houses, churches, and schools, cementing his status as a legend in the Keystone.

(from http://www.growthink.com/content/7-entrepreneurs-whose-perseverance-will-inspire-you#ixzz3NZab6RMI
)


8. Kerri Strug


At 18, weighing 6st 3lb and standing just 4ft 9in, Strug was an unlikely team member of the US gymnasic squad at the 1996 Olympics. Even her ruthless and controversial coach, Bela Karolyi, did not expect her to succeed. Despite the unlikeleness of the US team succeeding against unbeaten Russia, Strug went on to secure team gold but not without tearing two ligaments in her ankle as she landed from the vault and determindely doing it again, injured, to achieve a higher (but unnecessary) score.


On August 18, 2000 in Montreal, Canada, Jean decided he was going to walk. How far you ask? Well, only across the whole world. His trek, designed to promote “peace and non-violence for the profit of the children of the world”, finished in 2011, covering 75554 km. His Journey was also in support of the United Nation proclamation of the decade of 2001-2011, the decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World. You can find out more about his cause here: http://wwwalk.org/en/

Read more about the incredible journey here: http://gadling.com/2012/05/25/meet-the-man-who-spent-11-years-walking-around-the-world-and-the/

10. Michael Jordan


"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life - and that's why I succeed."

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MotivateMe January 11th-20th

31 Days of Motivation to Kick Start 2015...

11-20


 11. Jessica Scorpio

Owner of 'Getaround', the next big thing in America, and soon the world. Zipcar proved there was demand for renting cars by the hour. But it had to buy the cars it rented—a heavy financial obligation that ultimately drove it into the arms of Avis. Now Getaround is proving there's a smarter way to do it, by letting any car owner rent it out by the hour. Where ride-sharing startups have run afoul of the law, Scorpio got the San Francisco-based company's service cleared by California regulators. Now you can even rent a Tesla Model S for $20 an hour.

Getaround launched in Chicago in September, and just introduced a new iPhone app to make rentals easier. But Scorpio has global ambitions. When she spoke at the Women 2.0 conference in San Francisco, Scorpio said her goal is to keep a billion cars off the road, by letting people rent vehicles that already exist.From http://www.businessinsider.com/entrepreneurs-brink-greatness-2013-3?op=1&IR=T 

 12. Teófilo Stevenson

No American had lost a heavyweight fight since Percy Prince Jr 12 years earlier, and Duane Bobick was not considered likely to be the first. He was handsome, a confident and articulate public speaker, and was soon to be a world-beating boxer. A future of fame and glory awaited, as did publication of an already-completed autobiography, to which he needed only to add a chapter describing his glory in Munich.

1972 Olympics Third Round. Bobick v Stevenson

Three brutal rounds and a couple of knockdowns later, Bobick's mother was sobbing in the front row and her son's unbeaten record, by then stretched to 65 fights, was over. "I had a bad day," he said. "Sevenson was in a lot better condition. He was a better fighter. Last time I faced him all he had was a jab."

That's when the big-money offers started, and by the time he arrived in Montreal to defend the title four years later he had turned down at least three of or above a million dollars. In 1974 he made his position perfectly and quite poetically clear: "No, I will not leave my country for one million dollars or for much more than that," he said. "What is a million dollars against eight million Cubans who love me?"

From http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/jul/02/50-stunning-olympic-teofilo-stevenson


13. Jim Carrey



After his father lost his job when Carrey was 14, money became so tight they ended up living in a VW van on a relative's lawn. This served only to spur Carrey on in his quest for fame. 

At 16, he left school to focus on his comedy career. He spoke out on Oprah about how he used #visualisationtechniques to help him achieve his eventual success.

From http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/04/30/famous-people-success-against-all-odds_n_5167530.html

14. Jeanette Winterson


Top literary author, Jeanette Winterson was not exactly encouraged with her writing abilities. Growing up in a home bereft of love and literature, the adopted lesbian daughter of a God-fearing Pentecostal tyrant (who believed sex was evil and all books, apart from the Bible, were sinful), Jeanette could have allowed her dreams to dissipate. 


Instead, she left home and moved into her clapped-out car, where she slept by night, devoting her days to the library. This led to her attaining a place at Oxford to read English Literature - and the rest is history.




15. Don Thompson



Thompson began his sporting career as a runner but hardly even had moderate success. It wasn't until he injured his achilles and found he could no longer straighten his legs Thompson had to reconsider his sport. He took up walking races and quickly found he had stronger stamina than speed, finding huge success in 50km walking races.



However, failure loomed as, in the Melbourne Olympics 1956, Thompson was hit badly by dehydration and had to be hospitalised without finishing his race. This haunted the athlete and so, with the 1960 Olympics in Rome approaching, he found a new way of acclimitising himself to the stifling heat - in his parents' tiny steamy bathroom. As it turned out, the dizziness he experienced from this was not due to exhaustion but carbon monoxide poisoning from the heater. Regardless, he went on to win the 1960 Olympics.



16. Charles Darwin



An average student, the scientist showed no interest in academia - perhaps not helped by the fact he was dyslexic.

After dropping out of medical school Darwin's father once said: "You care for nothing but shooting dogs and catching rats and and you will be nothing but a disgrace to yourself and all of your family."

A naturalist and geologist, Darwin went on to become one of the greatest scientists of all time.

From http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/04/30/famous-people-success-against-all-odds_n_5167530.html

17. Kerry Usher



Super-slimmer law student Kerry Usher has lost an incredible 14 stone in 18 MONTHS.
At school she pushed herself to the limit when it came to sport, competing in hockey, discus and javelin.

But after leaving, the 25-year-old from Allerton in Liverpool turned a blind eye as her weight soared to more than 25 stone.
But now she is back in balance after losing 14st in 18 months.

“And it’s fantastic,” she says.
“There were times when I couldn’t believe what I had done to myself.
“Now I have lost the weight, I have a great career ahead of me and, for first time in a long time, I can say I am happy - and it’s not a facade!”

From http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/super-slimming-law-student-sheds-incredible-4898123

18. Benoit Lecomte



The next time you're finishing up an exhausting round of laps at your local gym, think of Benoit Lecomte. One of the greatest long-distance swimmers to ever live, the Frenchman is credited with being the first person to successfully swim across the Atlantic Ocean without the benefit of a kick board. Doggy paddling for around 73 days, Lecomte covered approximately 3,716 miles of deep-sea to complete this mammoth task in 1998. Beginning in Hyannis, Massachusetts, the athlete swam in two hour sessions for up to eight hours a day until he reached his goal over two months later in Quiberon, Brittany, France. And if you're wondering how Lecomte avoided becoming great white food, he was tailed by a boat with an electromagnetic field that warded off sharks.

19. Akio Morita


You may not have heard of Morita but you've undoubtedly heard of his company, Sony. Sony's first product was a rice cooker that unfortunately didn't cook rice so much as burn it, selling less than 100 units. This first setback didn't stop Morita and his partners as they pushed forward to create a multi-billion dollar company.

20. Emily Blunt


The Devil Wears Prada star started her career in not the most usual of ways...
"I did have a bad stuttering problem as a child. I'd try to push the words out, but it was frustrating. My parents took me to speech coaches and relaxation coaches. It didn't work. Then one of my teachers at school had a brilliant idea and said, 'Why don't you speak in an accent in our school play?'
"I distanced myself from me through this character, and it was so freeing that my stuttering stopped when I was onstage. It was really a miracle."


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