U have no idea…The story of Aimee Mullins

You have no idea what you are capable of. Take amputee Aimee Mullins. Being an amputee as a baby (below the knees), she pushed herself to excel and explore many new areas of life. She didn’t allow for her disability to limit her opportunities but used it to open up new possibilities. In college, ignorant and naive, she began to run track and discovered her natural gift for speed. In her competition career, she won a lot and lost a lot, broke records, had failures, and became a national hero for the disabled. After a few short years, she competed in the Para-Olympics and became one of the most famous US Para-Athlete ever.

We could stop here and Mullins story would be enough to inspire us. However, her journey to greatness was far from over. Over the course of the next 10 years, she began to explore other arenas that she could influence and inspire.

“Pamela Anderson has more implants than I do but no-one sees her as disabled!”

Through the help of the arts and science community, she used her disability to create art  and to re-define women’s beauty. From runway fashion shows to photography art exhibitions to magazines, there was seemingly no limitations to what Mullins could accomplish. 

  

Aimee Mullins is an athlete, fashion model, speaker, and role model. But more than that, she is a creative leader that is not afraid to take risks. At the beginning of her journey, she had no idea what she was capable of. Her only responsibility was to remove her self imposed obstacles and to see what would happen. Her weaknesses made her strong. Her story was the fuel that not only kept her going but inspired many others to accomplish their dreams.

Do you have that courage. Are you willing to see ‘what you are capable of’? Embrace your weakness and be open to what God may have for you.

Listen to her two part story as she shares at TED:

My second posting on Aimee Mullins with her new TED talk.

Tagged: aimee mullins, disability

Posted in: Creative Leaders