People with great willpower. Willpower and its development

Everyone in life has moments when difficulties are overcome, and hands seem to be about to drop ... The stories of these amazingly strong-willed people will help many of us understand that you can cope with any situation and under any life circumstances, the main thing is to believe in yourself and to your strength!

1. Nick Vuychich: a man without arms and legs, was able to stand up himself and teaches others

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Nick was born with a rare condition: he was missing both arms to shoulder level and had a tiny, two-toed foot sticking straight out of his left thigh. Despite the lack of limbs, he surfs and swims, plays golf and football. Nick graduated from college with a double degree in accounting and financial planning. Today, anyone can come to his lectures, where Nick motivates people (especially teenagers) to never give up and believe in themselves, proving by example that even the impossible is possible.

2. Nando Parrado: Survived after a plane crash, 72 days waiting for help

Nando and other passengers suffered 72 days of cold captivity, miraculously surviving a terrible plane crash. Before flying over the mountains (which, ironically, fell on Friday the 13th), the young people who boarded the charter plane joked about the unlucky date, but they did not expect that on this day they would really be in trouble.

It so happened that the wing of the plane caught on the side of the mountain and, having lost balance, fell down like a stone. Upon impact with the ground, 13 passengers immediately crashed to death, but 32 people survived, having received severe injuries. The survivors found themselves in conditions of extremely low temperatures, lack of water and food. They drank the melted snow and slept side by side to keep warm. There was so little food that everyone did everything to find at least some living creatures for a common dinner.

After 9 days of such survival in conditions of severe cold and hunger, the victims of the disaster decided on extreme measures: in order to survive, they began to use the corpses of their comrades as food. So the group held out for another 2 weeks, at the end of which the hope of being rescued completely melted, and the radio transistor (sending signals for help) turned out to be faulty.

On the 60th day after the accident, Nando and two of his friends decided to go through the icy desert for help. By the time they left, the crash site looked terrible - piss-soaked and smelling of death, littered with human bones and cartilage. Putting on 3 pairs of pants and jackets, he and a couple of friends overcame huge distances. Their little rescue team knew they were the last hope for everyone who was still alive. The men steadfastly survived the exhaustion and cold that followed them on their heels. On the 10th day of wandering, they still found their way to the foot of the mountain. There they finally met a Chilean farmer, the first person in all this time who immediately called the police for help. Parrado led the rescue team by helicopter and found the crash site. As a result, on December 22, 1972 (after 72 days of a brutal struggle with death), only 8 passengers survived.

After the plane crash, Nando lost half of his family, and during the crash he lost more than 40 kg of weight. Now he, like the previous hero of this article, is lecturing on the power of motivation in life to achieve goals.

3. Jessica Cox: the first pilot without arms

Jessica Cox suffers from a rare birth defect and was born without arms. None of the tests (which her mother took during pregnancy) showed that something was wrong with the girl. Despite her rare disease, the girl has tremendous willpower. Today, as a young woman, Jessica can write, drive, comb her hair and talk on the phone. She does all this with her feet. She also graduated from the Faculty of Psychology, studied dancing and is the owner of a double black belt in taekwondo. In addition to all this, Jessica has a driver's license, she flies a plane and can type 25 words per minute.

The plane that the girl flies is called "Ercoupe". This is one of the few models not equipped with pedals. Instead of the usual six-month course, Jessica took a three-year course in aircraft driving, during which she was taught by three highly qualified instructors. Now Jessica has more than 89 hours of flight experience and became the first pilot in world history without arms.

4. Sean Schwarner: Overcame lung cancer and climbed the 7 highest peaks on 7 continents

Mount Everest, the highest mountain on earth, is known for its dangerous conditions for climbers, among which are: strong gusts of wind, lack of oxygen, snowstorms and deadly avalanches. Anyone who decides to conquer Everest faces incredible dangers along the way. But for Sean Schwarner, as practice shows, there are simply no obstacles.

Sean at one time was not only healed of cancer, his case is truly considered a medical miracle. He is the only person in the world who survived after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and Askin's tumor. He was diagnosed with cancer of the fourth and last stage at the age of thirteen, and according to the forecasts of doctors, he was not supposed to live even three months. However, Sean miraculously overcame his illness, which soon returned when doctors re-discovered a golf ball-sized tumor in his right lung. After the second operation to remove the tumor, the doctors decided that the patient would last no more than two weeks ... However, ten years later, Sean (whose lungs are only partially functioning) became known to the whole world as the first cancer survivor to climb Mount Everest.

After conquering the highest point on the planet, Sean is full of desire and strength to move on and inspire people all over the world to fight the disease with his example. You can learn about this and his other climbs in the mountains, personal experience and ways to overcome the disease in his book "Continuing to grow: How I beat cancer and conquered all the peaks of the world."

5. Randy Pausch and his last lecture

Frederick Randolph or Randy Pausch (October 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008) was an American professor in the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In September 2006, Pausch learned that he had pancreatic cancer and that his illness was incurable. On September 18, 2007, he prepared and gave a very optimistic (for his condition) lecture called "The Last Lecture: Achieving your childhood dreams" at his native university, which soon became very popular on YouTube, and many well-known media invited the professors to their broadcasts .

In that famous speech, he talked about the desires of his childhood and explained how he achieved each of them. Among his desires were: to experience weightlessness; participate in a National Football League game; write an article for the Book World encyclopedia; become one of those guys "who wins the biggest plush toy in the amusement park"; work as a designer-ideologist for the Disney company. He even managed to co-author a book called "The Last Lecture" (on the same topic), which soon became a bestseller. Although after a terrible diagnosis he was prophesied only three months, he lived for another 3 years. Pausch died on July 25, 2008 after complications from cancer.

6 Ben Underwood: The Boy Who "Saw" With His Ears

Ben Underwood was an ordinary mobile teenager from California, just like his peers, he loved to ride a skateboard and bike, play football and basketball. For the most part, the 14-year-old boy was the same as all children of his age. What makes Underwood's story unique is that the boy, leading a normal life for his age, was completely blind. At the age of two, Underwood was diagnosed with retinal cancer and had both eyes removed. To the surprise of most people who knew the teenager, he had absolutely no worries about his blindness, contrary to popular stereotypes of blindness as the "end of life."

So, how did he manage to move like the sighted guys? The answer is simple: it's all about echolocation, a technique commonly used by bats, dolphins, and some other mammals and birds. When moving, Underwood usually made clicking sounds with his tongue, and these sounds were reflected from surfaces, "showing" him the nearest objects. He could make out a fire hydrant and a trash can, and literally "saw" the difference between parked cars and trucks. Coming into the house (where he had never been before), Ben could tell which corner was the kitchen and which was the staircase. An unwavering believer in God, the boy and his mother fought to the last for his life, but the cancer soon spread to Ben's brain and spine, and he died in January 2009 at the age of 16.

7. Liz Murray: From the slums to Harvard

Elizabeth Murray was born September 23, 1980 in the Bronx, in a family of HIV-infected parents, in a New York area inhabited only by the poor and drug addicts. She became homeless when she was only 15, after her mother's death and after her father was taken to a beggar's shelter. Whatever the girl had to go through during this time, but one day Murray's life changed dramatically, namely after she began attending a humanitarian course at the Preparatory Academy in Chelsea, in Manhattan. And although the girl went to high school later than her peers (without a permanent home and taking care of herself and her sister), Murray graduated from them in just two years ( note: in the US, the high school program is designed for 4 years). She was then awarded a scholarship for needy students by the New York Times and admitted to Harvard University in the fall of 2000. Liz was forced to interrupt her studies at the university in order to care for her sick father. Continuing her studies at Columbia University, where she was closer to him and stayed with him until the end, until he died of AIDS. In May 2008, she returned to Harvard and graduated in psychology.

Subsequently, her biography, full of tragedy and faith, became the basis for the film, which was released in 2003. Today, Liz works as a professional speaker representing Washington Speakers. During each lecture for students and groups of business audiences, she tries to instill in the audience her strength of mind and will, which pulled her out of the slums as a teenager and set her on the right path.

Source 8Patrick Henry Hughes

Patrick is a unique young man, born without eyes and unable to fully straighten his arms and legs, making it impossible for him to move. In addition, two steel rods were surgically attached to his spine to correct his scoliosis. Despite all these circumstances, he overcame his many physical problems and excelled as a student and musician. Patrick learned to play the piano and trumpet, and also began to sing. With the help of his father, he took part in the marching band concerts at the University of Louisville School of Music.

A virtuoso piano player, vocalist and trumpeter, Patrick won numerous competitions and received awards for his strength of will and spirit, because what did it cost a young man to achieve all this. Many publications and television channels wrote and spoke about him, because such a huge willpower cannot go unnoticed.

Source 9Mat Frazier

The Englishman Mat was born with a serious illness - phocomelia of both hands (underdevelopment or absence of limbs). The reason for this was the side effects of the drug "Thalidomide", prescribed by his mother during pregnancy. Unfortunately, this is far from the only case when the imperfection of medicine and professional mistakes of doctors can break life.

Although Matt's hands grow directly from the torso, and the shoulders and forearms are absent, the physical handicap did not prevent him from becoming a completely successful person. Fraser is not at all shy about his appearance, moreover, he often shocks the audience by performing naked. Mat is not only a rock musician, but also a fairly well-known actor, whose fame was brought by the role of Seal in the sensational TV series American Horror Story: Freak Circus. By the way, Fraser is far from the only actor in the series whose unusual appearance is not created using makeup or computer graphics. Probably, it was phocomelia that helped Matt Fraser to play a character suffering from the injustice of nature so believably.

Fraser proved to many that for success in show business it is not at all necessary to run to plastic surgeons, shredding your body for the sake of fashion trends. The main thing: to have willpower, diligence and talent!


10. Andrea Bocelli: the blind singer who won the hearts of millions with his voice

Andrea Bocelli is a world famous singer from Italy. The rarest musical abilities woke up in Andrea at an early age, when he learned to play keyboards, saxophone and flute. Unfortunately, the boy developed glaucoma and almost three dozen operations did not give the desired result. As you know, the Italians are one of the nations that love football. It was this hobby that forever deprived the boy of his sight when (during the game) a soccer ball hit him in the head.

Blindness did not prevent Andrea from studying: having received a law degree, he continued his musical education with Franco Corelli, one of the best opera singers in Italy. A talented young man attracted attention and he was invited to various performances. Soon the career of the young singer rapidly went up the hill. Andrea became a popularizer of opera music, successfully combining it with modern pop style. An angelic voice helped him achieve success and world fame.

11 Gillian Mercado

Few people can boast of meeting the strictest requirements of the fashion world. In an effort to get into the ranks of models, girls exhaust themselves with diets and exercise. However, Gillian Mercado proved that you can love your body even when it is far from modern ideals of beauty. In early childhood, Mercado was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, a terrible disease that left Gillian confined to a wheelchair. It would seem that the dreams of the world of high fashion were not destined to come true. Nevertheless, our heroine managed to attract the attention of the founders of the Diesel brand. In 2015, she was offered a lucrative contract and often began to invite her to various photo shoots. In 2016, she was invited to participate in a campaign for Beyoncé's official website.

Of course, no one will envy the fate of Gillian, because she is forced to overcome every second of pain. However, the popularity of Mercado helps girls accept themselves as nature created them. Thanks to such strong-willed personalities, you begin to thank life for the gifts that we so often take for granted.

12. Esther Werger: multiple champion with paralyzed legs

Esther was born in the Netherlands in 1981. Since childhood, she was fond of sports, actively going in for swimming. However, during physical exertion, the girl often became ill. Despite numerous tests, doctors for a long time could not make an accurate diagnosis for Esther. After several brain hemorrhages, doctors finally identified Esther's problem - vascular myelopathy. At the age of 9, the girl underwent a complex operation that lasted about 10 hours. Unfortunately, the surgery further worsened the condition of the baby, who was paralyzed in both legs.

The wheelchair did not stop Esther from continuing to play sports. She quite successfully played basketball and volleyball, but tennis brought her worldwide fame. Verger has won 42 Grand Slam titles. Esther's hundreds of victories have become a source of inspiration for people with disabilities who dream of a sports career.

Although in 2013 the girl finally left professional sports, she continues to achieve success. Trained in sports management, Verger is now Director of the International Wheelchair Tennis Tournament, consultant and lecturer for the Dutch Paralympic Team. In addition, she founded a charitable foundation to help sick children play their favorite sport.

13. Peter Dinklage: Became a screen star despite his unorthodox appearance

Peter is a prime example of people who can succeed against all odds in life. Dinklage was born with achondroplasia, a rare hereditary disorder that interferes with the development of long bones. According to doctors, the cause of achondroplasia lies in mutations in the growth gene, which leads to dwarfism. The income of the boy's family was rather meager: his mother taught music, and his father (once an insurance agent) became unemployed. Far from being the most rosy childhood, performances in front of the public with his older brother, a talented violinist, brightened up.

Usually fame comes to actors quite early, but a lucky star lit up for Peter only in 2003 (when Peter was already 34 years old) after the release of the film The Station Agent. Not too rich track record in the early years of his career is due to the reluctance of the actor to act in roles that usually involve dwarfs. Peter flatly refused to play gnomes or leprechauns. From 2011 to this day, Dinklage plays the role of Tyrion Lannister, one of the key characters in the most successful TV series of our time. Actor's talent brought Peter many honorary awards, and not so long ago, a wax figure of Dinklage appeared in Madame Tussauds in San Francisco.

14. Michael J Fox

Canadian by birth, Michael from a young age gained fame in Hollywood. He was remembered by the audience thanks to the role of Marty McFly in the cult series of films about time travel. The worldwide love of fans, an impressive fortune (which totals several tens of millions of dollars) - many will envy this. That's just the life of Mackle only seems cloudless. The actor was no more than 30 years old when he began to develop symptoms of Parkinson's disease, although this disease usually occurs in old age. For a long time, Michael did not want to put up with the diagnosis: the furious denial of the disease almost became the cause of a new problem - alcoholism. Fortunately, the support of loved ones helped Fox come to his senses in time.

Fox (despite all the physical difficulties generated by the tremor) continues to act in films to this day, striking us with acting talent. It is worth noting his participation in the TV series Boston Lawyers, where Michael played Daniel Post, a rich man who broke the law in an effort to maintain his health. Now Michael (in addition to his career in film and writing) is actively involved in supporting people suffering from Parkinson's disease. In the late 90s, he founded a public organization to study aspects of the disease and how to deal with it.

15. Stephen Hawking: the paralyzed genius who inspires millions to study science

Speaking of people who have done the impossible, one cannot fail to mention the luminary of modern science - Stephen Hawking. Stephen was born in 1942 in Oxford, a British city known throughout the world for one of the oldest universities. It is there that our genius will later learn. The craving for science was probably inherited from his parents, who worked in the medical center.

During training (when Stephen was no more than 20 years old), he began to show serious health problems due to the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This disease causes damage to the central nervous system and leads to muscle atrophy, and subsequently can cause complete paralysis. Unfortunately, existing medications only slow down the disease, but do not cure it. Hawking, despite the attempts of doctors, slowly lost the ability to control his own body and now he is barely able to move only one finger of his right hand. Luckily for Stephen, meeting talented scientists has paid off: thanks to the achievements of friends, Hawking can move around and communicate using an advanced wheelchair and a speech synthesizer.

For many people, a wheelchair becomes a curse that completely destroys the personality and the desire to do what they love. However, Hawking clearly demonstrates to us that even a completely paralyzed person is able to earn impressive amounts, flicker in the media headlines and build successful relationships on the personal front. Stephen's main achievement was his colossal contribution to modern physics and the advancement of science to the masses. Serious health problems have not deprived Stephen Hawking of a sense of humor: he loves to make comic scientific bets and even appeared in the comedy series The Big Bang Theory, playing the role of himself.

These amazing personalities proved by their example that unlimited power lies in people. Man is able to survive in the most severe conditions. Will and perseverance help to fight the disease and achieve success. Science, sports, cinema, music, the world of fashion - any field of activity remains accessible under any circumstances. Do not curse fate for all the hardships. Find an incentive to win and don't give up. And maybe one day your path to success will motivate others!

Julia Varsegova

Young people with great willpower told how they managed to change themselves

Every year sport in Kirov becomes more and more popular, and there are more and more people who go in for gyms and run in parks, which cannot but rejoice. We have prepared a selection that will inspire our readers to a healthy lifestyle, perhaps someone will be motivated to finally take care of themselves.

Sports fans generously share their achievements and experience, proving that nothing is impossible.

Maxim Botev:
— 2.5 years difference between photos. Specifically, he began to work out in the gym (roughly speaking, to swing). I wanted to quit smoking, well, and at least somehow change my life, so I went to the gym. Visible changes in the figure appeared after about six months of hard training. There was more attention from the female side, much more. I believe that this whole form is temporary, now people are more engaged in their bodies under the influence of fashion, and not for health.

Maxim Shevchenko:
— I started playing sports after the army, I have been training for the 4th year. The results became noticeable after I quit smoking, I also completely excluded alcohol. I began to eat hard, sleep soundly and go to the gym regularly, a healthy lifestyle influenced the results, eating right is very important to achieve the goal. Training for me is a simple hobby, to be in good shape, to feel comfortable. For good results, you need to develop and engage in those areas that you like best.

Vladimir Kolpashchikov:
— Sport has always been one way or another in my life, but life is constantly changing and making its own changes, as a result, I started working purposefully on the figure in the gym a couple of years ago, in Spartak, after 6 months, the results appeared, then I got a “German” puppy, and in order not to spoil his scent, he quit smoking, he smoked from the age of 13, as he quit, the results improved significantly.

Maksim:
— For 8 years he was engaged in skating, his legs stood out strongly against the background of the body, then he began to work out in the gym, for aesthetics. Changes in the figure appeared for about 3 months of classes.

Artem Karavaev:
—​ I started training about 2 years ago, I went to the gym with my brother, I didn’t think about any muscle volume, I just wanted to clean my stomach a little and get in shape. After some time, I began to notice that my body responds well to muscle growth and power loads. Progress, in principle, was not long in coming, I added 14 kg in 2 years of training, the percentage of fat remained approximately at the same level.

Alexander Kononov:
— Started in 2008. I did it amateurishly, just walked and did the exercises that I knew, after the sport dragged me in and learned to be a gym instructor. He opened his gym and began to study the sports industry in depth. Visible results began to appear after gaining knowledge, after about 6 months. I do not stop working on myself to this day, I also help my students, some of them are bikini fitness athletes and mens physicists.

Roman Kovtun, Senior Gym Instructor of FC Spartak:
— I am glad that every year there are more and more people involved in sports. But, I want to remind you once again that everything needs a reasonable approach, and training must be combined with proper nutrition and a reasonable increase in intensity. And if some go to the gym, following the fashion, then I think it's better to be in fashion for health than for alcohol, drugs and cigarettes.

A man can accept his fate, and he can reject it.

Sri Aurobindo - Indian philosopher, poet, revolutionary

Willpower is the ability to do what we want to achieve. Willpower is the power that gives us the ability to get out of lethargy, overcome weakness and temptations. It is impossible even to imagine what willpower is capable of; it can reveal our weaknesses and help us realize the life path we are striving for.

There are people who have great willpower, while others believe that they have no power over it. However, there is no reason why anyone who wants to can not develop willpower. Check out some tips to help you develop willpower:

Notpostpone

Procrastination is a powerful way to weaken our willpower. When we are enthusiastic and focused on achieving results, we must act according to our intuitive and intrinsic motivation. If we begin to hesitate, we allow doubt to creep in; if we wait for more favorable external circumstances in order to achieve something, we will never succeed. Willpower does not depend on favorable external circumstances. When we have inspiration to purposefully do something, we must follow that inspiration and develop willpower. The best time to act is the present moment.

Never give up

Willpower does not guarantee that you will be able to realize your aspirations on the first try. It is closely related to . This is a desire and, allowing not to succumb to difficulties and failures. If we can persevere, even admitting failure, we can increase the power of our willpower. Adverse situations are a strong motivation for maintaining a higher level of willpower. An easy life is not conducive to her growth; conversely, the willingness to face change is the starting point for developing true willpower.

I don't give up, I never give up - for there is nothing in the whole world that is absolutely unchanging.

Sri Chinmoy - religious and public figure

Be clear about what you are trying to achieve

Obstacles are those frightening things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.

Henry Ford - Entrepreneur, car manufacturer

If we doubt and are not sure what we really want, it becomes impossible to use the full power of willpower. If we have a clear idea and goal, it becomes easier to concentrate energy on achieving them. If we are clearly aware of our desires, we subconsciously focus our energy and abilities to achieve them. For example, if you are trying to get rid of, make sure that you are really 100 percent convinced of your desire for change; if any part of you still subconsciously follows this bad habit, your concentration will be broken, and you will not be ready to manifest willpower to the required level.

Get rid of bad habits

Bad habits weaken our willpower. If we feel like slaves to our bad habits, we lose our self-respect; often one bad habit leads to another. However, if we get rid of a bad habit, we will feel great confidence in our willpower and this will inspire us to acquire other good habits.

Develop like a muscle

If we start running, we don't expect ourselves to be able to run a marathon right away. If we learn to play the piano, we don't expect to become great players overnight. However, if we practice regularly, we slowly but surely develop our ability to run and play the piano. The same is true with willpower: if we actively strive to cultivate it, we will begin to make incremental improvements. Make a list of areas where you would like to have more will power and make a conscious effort to develop more determination in those areas.

Remember the benefit

If you're aiming to achieve a difficult goal, it's always important to keep the win in mind. We often need willpower to overcome bad habits, and at first it seems that we need to make sacrifices, and we retreat, allowing small weaknesses. However, if we clearly target the benefits, we can improve our willpower. If we don't appreciate the benefits of great willpower, we won't be able to achieve it.

Willpower comes from within us

Willpower is not just some psychological stance on using the power of our mind. Real willpower develops from inner sources; if we can still the mind, we can access the sources of great will. Often, when we are overly focused on thinking, we weaken our willpower because thinking leads to doubt and hesitation. In order to access our inner willpower, we need to trust more and be willing to follow its voice.

Willpower in relation to the mind, like a strong but blind man who carries on his shoulders a lame but sighted man.

Arthur Schopenhauer - German philosopher

Don't be fatalists

The biggest obstacle to developing willpower is a negative attitude. When we expect things to go wrong, we weaken our will. Eliminating the negative worldview is perhaps the best help in its development. By its very nature, willpower is a positive force applied in the right direction. You do not need to immediately turn into a cheerful optimist, but at least you will have to give up mistrust and fatalism for a while. Our thoughts have a strong influence on our desires, so make sure they are positive.

Willpower is something that everyone can cultivate and develop. Of course, it is important that we use willpower for the right purposes. If we use this quality simply to increase income and our own power, it is unlikely to fill our lives. However, if we want to work on self-development and self-improvement, it is necessary to develop our will. It's not enough to just say emphatically that you want to get better. It is also necessary to have an inner desire to make change a reality.