When Nick Vujicic was 10 years old, he attempted suicide by trying to drown himself in the bathtub. “I was overcome with grief, with fear of rejection, with fear of failure, with fear of never being anybody,” Nick said. “I’m thinking I’m never going to get a girlfriend. I’m not going to get married. Even if I got married, I can’t even hold my wife’s hand. Even if I have kids, I can’t hold my kids when they cry. What kind of father is that? If I’m never going to get a job, never going to get married, and I have no limbs, and the world’s just going to tease me for the rest of my life, what’s the point?”
On his third time rolling over in the bathtub, swallowing water and choking himself, a vision inspired him to stop. “Seeing my mom and my dad crying at my grave, wishing they could have done more, I realized I didn’t want to leave that with them,” Nick said, describing his vision. “Why? Because they told me every day, ‘We love you. We believe in you. Don’t give up.’”
Today, Nick finds his source of inspiration from many places. At the top of Nick’s list are his faith and fruitful personal life with his wife, Kanae, and his four children. While it is also clear that striving for happiness and reaching for the stars inspires him daily, he emphasizes that money doesn’t buy happiness, but reaching for a purpose-driven greater goal beyond yourself does.
Here Are Five Things That Inspire Nick:
1) Unwavering Faith
Nick believes his faith in God is integral to his happiness and fulfillment, beyond achieving his personal goals. “For me, without my faith in God, I could reach all my goals and still not be happy,” Nick said. “Faith helps me.”
2) Striving For Achievement
Nick is driven by the continual effort it takes to conquer obstacles and the knowledge that he has reached his full potential today. “Although it’s a continuous struggle, it’s worth the fight to achieve happiness for me, my family and my company in the future.”
3) Family First
Nick’s financial goals are fueled by the desire to provide for his family and spend quality time with them. “I could sacrifice my whole family life to be successful, but I want family, and it’s that pressure. It’s that tightrope. How much do I sacrifice in my time with my family to help give them the opportunities I never had?”
4) His Wife, His Hero
Nick cherishes his relationship with his wife, whom he describes as his hero, warrior and best friend. “We go out on dates because I want to continue to pursue her,” Nick said. “Because my priority is my family and my family’s health depends on me keeping a best-friend status with my wife.”
5) Greater Purpose Beyond Self
Positively impacting the world has long inspired Nick. As a senior in high school, after speaking for the first time, the emotional response from the small audience inspired him to keep speaking. At age 19, he sponsored 10 African orphans. In 2005, Nick founded Life Without Limbs, an international nonprofit ministry whose goal is to reach one billion people by 2028. He and his wife are about to start the paperwork to adopt a child. “There are half-a-million children in America who are waiting for a foster home or adoption,” Nick said. “Eleven million Americans are going hungry tonight. America is the No. 1 human trafficking country in the world. There’s a lot of stuff that goes beyond your bank account, and it’s called making the world a better place while you’re reaching your full potential. It is a purpose-driven greater goal bigger than yourself, and I’m telling you, dream big and believe in your dream.”
Click here to read the highlights from Nick Vujicic’s talk from Boot Camp 2023 that will inspire you to overcome obstacles and dream big.
