Replies

Thank you for posting an unnecessarily excerpted article.

SPUE (Society for the Prevention of Unnecessary Excerpting; check the list) to the rescue once again:

At just a little over 2 feet tall, he's more of a giant than many have ever been or will ever be. Born with a rare disorder called congenital amputation, the young man has only three joints and no elbows or knees. One of his mottos is "It's not what I can do; it's what I will do." For 18 years, he has learned to maximize every ability he has. Likely viewed by many as handicapped, just what abilities could he have? Try these on for size - a 35-16 wrestling record in the state of Georgia and a 3.7 grade point average. Now a student at the University of Georgia, he is continuing to live a life defined by determination, a life that refuses to see itself as limited, a life that rejects stereotypical attitudes and pushes forward to even greater accomplishments, a life that teaches others important lessons about overcoming.

For Kyle Maynard, perseverance is not a word. It's a lifestyle.
Imagine for a few moments what you've complained about this week. Too hot? Too cold? Bad day at the office? Pants too tight? Traffic problems? Missed your favorite television show when Aunt Erma called? Your sports team lost? Got a bit of a cold?

Now think about how you handled any of those situations and decide for yourself if you whined a little - or a lot. Chances are if you whined even a little bit, you didn't give yourself an opportunity to persevere through what most of us should see as minor irritations. Instead you may have "majored on the minor" and given in to one of those pity parties that keep you from moving forward and putting life into a broader perspective.

I can imagine that Kyle Maynard doesn't have much empathy for people like that. No arms, no legs? No problem. He types 50 words a minute and has flawless penmanship. Why? Because his life is defined by perseverance.

The ability to persevere has to have its root in attitude. The determination to face unbelievable circumstances, to concentrate on possibilities rather than limitations and to push toward goals that seem unachievable must be grounded in a solid foundation of hope and strength of mind.

Charles Swindoll has addressed the importance of attitude in the following way: "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

"It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...

"I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you."

And so it is with Kyle Maynard, who displays attitudes that make perseverance a way of life. His words again remind us of his mental toughness: "It's not what I can do; it's what I will do."

We can all challenge ourselves this week to think about our attitudes and how they affect our ability to face even the most minor irritations and limitations. And we can all think about Kyle Maynard and others like him who have learned that perseverance is more than a word. It's a lifestyle.