Disability is not an Inability

Whenever a person has an accident which leads to him or her being disabled in some way the question which is most frequently asked is Why did it happen to me? At that point and time you will probably not have an answer for it and will be feeling like it is the end of the world for you. You are wrong.

When I was first diagnosed with having Friedrich’s Ataxia and was told that I will not be able to walk again, it was very heartbreaking and seeing a wheelchair for the first time was not a welcoming sight for me. At that point it felt like my life was coming to an end. All my dreams and ambitions were shattered and the question why did it happen to me kept being repeated in my mind. Being the only child of my parents was also very tough for my parents to accept in the beginning.

Advantage of being Positive in Life

Over the years the wheelchair has proved to be a source of strength for me. It is very important to have a positive frame of mind when you are faced with an obstacle in life. In the Quran it is repeated time and again that the ability to struggle in life for something is of utmost importance even though you may not achieve your desired goal. I always have tried to follow the simple philosophy in life which I have taken from a motivational speaker and one of my inspirations W. Mitchell. “It is not what happens to you It is what you do about It”. Life is unpredictable and lot of things happen over which you have no control. At the end of the day you get to choose as to how to live your life, as it is you who knows what you capable of doing. The choice is whether to live life with a positive attitude, get out of your comfort zone, make things happen or to accept life as it is, feeling frustrated and doing nothing about it.

I have chosen to be positive in life, never to give up and have the will power to succeed which has been the result of my being physically challenged. I have never let my disability come in the way of what I have wanted to achieve. My being able to swim without discomfort is the result of being positive in life. Similarly my giving motivational talks is due to the belief in my abilities of achieving something for the underprivileged people. It gives me immense satisfaction to be able to inspire and motivate people to make Pakistan more wheelchair friendly.

Disabled people having greater Will Power

So the point is that disability is not a inability. People who are disabled are ab led in many other things. I can give you the example of a couple of my inspirations such as Stephen Hawking and W. Mitchell. Hawking despite of his being paralyzed is one of the leading professors of Physics and what he has achieved is truly great. It is for people to understand and acknowledge what a disabled person is capable of doing. W. Mitchell is another example who also despite of being in a wheelchair never gave up in life and is the President of the International Association of Speakers in the United States. He had a fiery motorcycle accident which burnt 65% of his body and had an airplane crash which took away his ability to walk. Mitchell now soars above the rest with grace, good humor and gumption. Mitchell speaks with passion about the human spirit.As you can see these points strengthen my case about disabled people having that extra will power to do well and being able to never give up in life.

Equal opportunities must be provided to Disabled People

All of us are blessed with inner strengths. It’s just through circumstance, some of us have to use them more than others. That is what makes disabled people special. I am sure there are countless stories of disabled people being able to achieve immeasurable success.
I have always learnt never to let failures prevent me from what goals I have wanted to achieve no matter how insurmountable the challenge is. It would be my advise to everyone in Pakistan never to think of disabled people as someone who are incapable of achieving anything in life. They must be given equal opportunities like other individuals to test what they are capable of accomplishing. I will conclude on a beautiful saying:
“ In the midst of winter, I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer”.

Disability is not an Inability

Whenever a person has an accident which leads to him or her being disabled in some way the question which is most frequently asked is Why did it happen to me? At that point and time you will probably not have an answer for it and will be feeling like it is the end of the world for you. You are wrong.

When I was first diagnosed with having Friedrich’s Ataxia and was told that I will not be able to walk again, it was very heartbreaking and seeing a wheelchair for the first time was not a welcoming sight for me. At that point it felt like my life was coming to an end. All my dreams and ambitions were shattered and the question why did it happen to me kept being repeated in my mind. Being the only child of my parents was also very tough for my parents to accept in the beginning.

Advantage of being Positive in Life

Over the years the wheelchair has proved to be a source of strength for me. It is very important to have a positive frame of mind when you are faced with an obstacle in life. In the Quran it is repeated time and again that the ability to struggle in life for something is of utmost importance even though you may not achieve your desired goal. I always have tried to follow the simple philosophy in life which I have taken from a motivational speaker and one of my inspirations W. Mitchell. “It is not what happens to you It is what you do about It”. Life is unpredictable and lot of things happen over which you have no control. At the end of the day you get to choose as to how to live your life, as it is you who knows what you capable of doing. The choice is whether to live life with a positive attitude, get out of your comfort zone, make things happen or to accept life as it is, feeling frustrated and doing nothing about it.

I have chosen to be positive in life, never to give up and have the will power to succeed which has been the result of my being physically challenged. I have never let my disability come in the way of what I have wanted to achieve. My being able to swim without discomfort is the result of being positive in life. Similarly my giving motivational talks is due to the belief in my abilities of achieving something for the underprivileged people. It gives me immense satisfaction to be able to inspire and motivate people to make Pakistan more wheelchair friendly.

Disabled people having greater Will Power

So the point is that disability is not a inability. People who are disabled are ab led in many other things. I can give you the example of a couple of my inspirations such as Stephen Hawking and W. Mitchell. Hawking despite of his being paralyzed is one of the leading professors of Physics and what he has achieved is truly great. It is for people to understand and acknowledge what a disabled person is capable of doing. W. Mitchell is another example who also despite of being in a wheelchair never gave up in life and is the President of the International Association of Speakers in the United States. He had a fiery motorcycle accident which burnt 65% of his body and had an airplane crash which took away his ability to walk. Mitchell now soars above the rest with grace, good humor and gumption. Mitchell speaks with passion about the human spirit.As you can see these points strengthen my case about disabled people having that extra will power to do well and being able to never give up in life.

Equal opportunities must be provided to Disabled People

All of us are blessed with inner strengths. It’s just through circumstance, some of us have to use them more than others. That is what makes disabled people special. I am sure there are countless stories of disabled people being able to achieve immeasurable success.
I have always learnt never to let failures prevent me from what goals I have wanted to achieve no matter how insurmountable the challenge is. It would be my advise to everyone in Pakistan never to think of disabled people as someone who are incapable of achieving anything in life. They must be given equal opportunities like other individuals to test what they are capable of accomplishing. I will conclude on a beautiful saying:
“ In the midst of winter, I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer”.

Disability is not an Inability

Whenever a person has an accident which leads to him or her being disabled in some way the question which is most frequently asked is Why did it happen to me? At that point and time you will probably not have an answer for it and will be feeling like it is the end of the world for you. You are wrong.

When I was first diagnosed with having Friedrich’s Ataxia and was told that I will not be able to walk again, it was very heartbreaking and seeing a wheelchair for the first time was not a welcoming sight for me. At that point it felt like my life was coming to an end. All my dreams and ambitions were shattered and the question why did it happen to me kept being repeated in my mind. Being the only child of my parents was also very tough for my parents to accept in the beginning.

Advantage of being Positive in Life

Over the years the wheelchair has proved to be a source of strength for me. It is very important to have a positive frame of mind when you are faced with an obstacle in life. In the Quran it is repeated time and again that the ability to struggle in life for something is of utmost importance even though you may not achieve your desired goal. I always have tried to follow the simple philosophy in life which I have taken from a motivational speaker and one of my inspirations W. Mitchell. “It is not what happens to you It is what you do about It”. Life is unpredictable and lot of things happen over which you have no control. At the end of the day you get to choose as to how to live your life, as it is you who knows what you capable of doing. The choice is whether to live life with a positive attitude, get out of your comfort zone, make things happen or to accept life as it is, feeling frustrated and doing nothing about it.

I have chosen to be positive in life, never to give up and have the will power to succeed which has been the result of my being physically challenged. I have never let my disability come in the way of what I have wanted to achieve. My being able to swim without discomfort is the result of being positive in life. Similarly my giving motivational talks is due to the belief in my abilities of achieving something for the underprivileged people. It gives me immense satisfaction to be able to inspire and motivate people to make Pakistan more wheelchair friendly.

Disabled people having greater Will Power

So the point is that disability is not a inability. People who are disabled are ab led in many other things. I can give you the example of a couple of my inspirations such as Stephen Hawking and W. Mitchell. Hawking despite of his being paralyzed is one of the leading professors of Physics and what he has achieved is truly great. It is for people to understand and acknowledge what a disabled person is capable of doing. W. Mitchell is another example who also despite of being in a wheelchair never gave up in life and is the President of the International Association of Speakers in the United States. He had a fiery motorcycle accident which burnt 65% of his body and had an airplane crash which took away his ability to walk. Mitchell now soars above the rest with grace, good humor and gumption. Mitchell speaks with passion about the human spirit.As you can see these points strengthen my case about disabled people having that extra will power to do well and being able to never give up in life.

Equal opportunities must be provided to Disabled People

All of us are blessed with inner strengths. It’s just through circumstance, some of us have to use them more than others. That is what makes disabled people special. I am sure there are countless stories of disabled people being able to achieve immeasurable success.
I have always learnt never to let failures prevent me from what goals I have wanted to achieve no matter how insurmountable the challenge is. It would be my advise to everyone in Pakistan never to think of disabled people as someone who are incapable of achieving anything in life. They must be given equal opportunities like other individuals to test what they are capable of accomplishing. I will conclude on a beautiful saying:
“ In the midst of winter, I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer”.

How I get my Motivation

One question which I am frequently asked after giving my talk is where do I get my motivation from? It is quite an intriguing and thought provoking question and it does get me into deep thought. Being a motivational speaker I guess it should not be too difficult for me to answer it. Let me analyze motivation.

Motivation means to move people. If you ask any successful person what motivates him and the answer will be “goals”. Goal setting is vital for motivation and success. It would apply to me as well as to what are my goals in giving motivational talks? The basics of my talks have been to change the mindsets of people in making Pakistan a wheel chair friendly place. I would consider that as my main goal and the main ingredient in my motivation. W. Mitchell said “If you leave our audience the same way they were before you came to speak then why did you turn up”.

I will come back to that point. Interest is an important motivator for a student. So is a desire to learn. When you link these two things together, you create success. Often success in an endeavor leads to more interest and a greater desire to learn, creating an upward spiral of motivation toward a goal you have established. Goals can vary in different situations for example during swimming I set a goal of doing 50 laps which keeps me motivated to achieve that goal. It is my interest in swimming which motivates me to excel in it.

So as you can see having an interest is important for being motivated. You can see sporting idols like Roger Federer and Tiger Woods are the world beaters in their sports because of their motivation of winning and being the best in their sport.

When you are affected by some disability it does tend you to have that extra will power and achieve much more in life. The ability to struggle in life is of extreme importance as also stated in the Quran which leads to motivation. I do walking using parallel bars at home and it is my being interested which enables me to walk. The ability to struggle after having completed walking gives me a sense of achievement and accomplishment.

It is 4 things which lead to my giving motivational talks 1) my faith in God 2) never to give up in life 3) always look at the bright side of life 4) always believe in my abilities. These are the 4 things which have always helped me in achieving my goals. There is a saying which says” An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty, A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity”.

So I have always tried to follow that no matter how difficult the situation is. Helping underprivileged children and people towards achieving their goal is where I get my motivation from. I would like to conclude on a motivational quotation by the following:

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new” - Einstein

How I get my Motivation

One question which I am frequently asked after giving my talk is where do I get my motivation from? It is quite an intriguing and thought provoking question and it does get me into deep thought. Being a motivational speaker I guess it should not be too difficult for me to answer it. Let me analyze motivation.

Motivation means to move people. If you ask any successful person what motivates him and the answer will be “goals”. Goal setting is vital for motivation and success. It would apply to me as well as to what are my goals in giving motivational talks? The basics of my talks have been to change the mindsets of people in making Pakistan a wheel chair friendly place. I would consider that as my main goal and the main ingredient in my motivation. W. Mitchell said “If you leave our audience the same way they were before you came to speak then why did you turn up”.

I will come back to that point. Interest is an important motivator for a student. So is a desire to learn. When you link these two things together, you create success. Often success in an endeavor leads to more interest and a greater desire to learn, creating an upward spiral of motivation toward a goal you have established. Goals can vary in different situations for example during swimming I set a goal of doing 50 laps which keeps me motivated to achieve that goal. It is my interest in swimming which motivates me to excel in it.

So as you can see having an interest is important for being motivated. You can see sporting idols like Roger Federer and Tiger Woods are the world beaters in their sports because of their motivation of winning and being the best in their sport.

When you are affected by some disability it does tend you to have that extra will power and achieve much more in life. The ability to struggle in life is of extreme importance as also stated in the Quran which leads to motivation. I do walking using parallel bars at home and it is my being interested which enables me to walk. The ability to struggle after having completed walking gives me a sense of achievement and accomplishment.

It is 4 things which lead to my giving motivational talks 1) my faith in God 2) never to give up in life 3) always look at the bright side of life 4) always believe in my abilities. These are the 4 things which have always helped me in achieving my goals. There is a saying which says” An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty, A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity”.

So I have always tried to follow that no matter how difficult the situation is. Helping underprivileged children and people towards achieving their goal is where I get my motivation from. I would like to conclude on a motivational quotation by the following:

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new” - Einstein

How I get my Motivation

One question which I am frequently asked after giving my talk is where do I get my motivation from? It is quite an intriguing and thought provoking question and it does get me into deep thought. Being a motivational speaker I guess it should not be too difficult for me to answer it. Let me analyze motivation.

Motivation means to move people. If you ask any successful person what motivates him and the answer will be “goals”. Goal setting is vital for motivation and success. It would apply to me as well as to what are my goals in giving motivational talks? The basics of my talks have been to change the mindsets of people in making Pakistan a wheel chair friendly place. I would consider that as my main goal and the main ingredient in my motivation. W. Mitchell said “If you leave our audience the same way they were before you came to speak then why did you turn up”.

I will come back to that point. Interest is an important motivator for a student. So is a desire to learn. When you link these two things together, you create success. Often success in an endeavor leads to more interest and a greater desire to learn, creating an upward spiral of motivation toward a goal you have established. Goals can vary in different situations for example during swimming I set a goal of doing 50 laps which keeps me motivated to achieve that goal. It is my interest in swimming which motivates me to excel in it.

So as you can see having an interest is important for being motivated. You can see sporting idols like Roger Federer and Tiger Woods are the world beaters in their sports because of their motivation of winning and being the best in their sport.

When you are affected by some disability it does tend you to have that extra will power and achieve much more in life. The ability to struggle in life is of extreme importance as also stated in the Quran which leads to motivation. I do walking using parallel bars at home and it is my being interested which enables me to walk. The ability to struggle after having completed walking gives me a sense of achievement and accomplishment.

It is 4 things which lead to my giving motivational talks 1) my faith in God 2) never to give up in life 3) always look at the bright side of life 4) always believe in my abilities. These are the 4 things which have always helped me in achieving my goals. There is a saying which says” An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty, A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity”.

So I have always tried to follow that no matter how difficult the situation is. Helping underprivileged children and people towards achieving their goal is where I get my motivation from. I would like to conclude on a motivational quotation by the following:

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new” - Einstein

Importance of Having Role Models in your Life

By having role models we can see how others live their lives and learn from their mistakes and successes. Rather than groping in the dark we have a roadmap put in front of us. Here are some reasons as to why role models are important:

How to find a good role model:

Look around at people you admire. Whether a parent, a sport star, activist, public speaker or anyone else you feel is successful, learn all you can about this person. You may be able to talk to them directly or read their biography. How did they get to where they are now? What mistakes did they make along the way? How can you use their advice or actions in your own life?

Gather sources from many places:

Another method is to think of the top three or five people you admire and gather information on them all then combine what you found, creating your own framework for success. Another person you admire maybe very confident and outgoing. By themselves, they may not offer everything you’d want to be as a person, but you can choose their most admirable traits and incorporate them into your own life.

Role Models are real people:

The more you know about a role model, the more you’ll find that they’re real
people just like yourself. They have bad habits and they make mistakes. In other
words they’re human! Many people tend to idolize movie stars and sports stars,
trying to emulate them and then feeling badly about themselves when they don’t
live up to their own preconceived notions of what greatness is.

There are times in our lives when we’re are trying to find ourselves and looking
toward a positive and influential role model is helpful. By emulating the person you
look up to, you’ll bring their positive behaviors into your own life and adopt them
for yourself.

My role model

Being a motivational speaker, it is imperative for me to look for individuals who
inspire me regularly. I have been fortunate enough to have found public speakers, sports stars and movie stars who give me a lot of motivation. The one individual who stands out head and shoulders above everyone is the tennis living legend Roger Federer.

Qualities which make Roger Federer my greatest role model

Roger Federer is my greatest role model without a shadow of doubt. He is the greatest tennis player to have played the game of tennis. The qualities which make Federer my greatest role mtodel are:
1. Watching him in action motivates me to do greater things in life.
2. His ability to come back from impossible situations and win is phenomenal.
3. It is his never say die attitude which makes him no.1 in my book.
4. Watching Federer win tennis tournaments gives me the inspiration to do well in life.
5. Try to emulate Federer by wearing the Nike clothes he wears.
6. Always inspires me to be fit.

In conclusion I would like to emphasize the importance of having a role model in life:
a. Getting the inspiration or motivation to do greater things in life.
b. Having someone to look up to and admire their superior qualities.
c. Watching them perform gives you immense pleasure and happiness.
d. Their greater qualities enable you to live your life in a positive light.

Importance of Having Role Models in your Life

By having role models we can see how others live their lives and learn from their mistakes and successes. Rather than groping in the dark we have a roadmap put in front of us. Here are some reasons as to why role models are important:

How to find a good role model:

Look around at people you admire. Whether a parent, a sport star, activist, public speaker or anyone else you feel is successful, learn all you can about this person. You may be able to talk to them directly or read their biography. How did they get to where they are now? What mistakes did they make along the way? How can you use their advice or actions in your own life?

Gather sources from many places:

Another method is to think of the top three or five people you admire and gather information on them all then combine what you found, creating your own framework for success. Another person you admire maybe very confident and outgoing. By themselves, they may not offer everything you’d want to be as a person, but you can choose their most admirable traits and incorporate them into your own life.

Role Models are real people:

The more you know about a role model, the more you’ll find that they’re real
people just like yourself. They have bad habits and they make mistakes. In other
words they’re human! Many people tend to idolize movie stars and sports stars,
trying to emulate them and then feeling badly about themselves when they don’t
live up to their own preconceived notions of what greatness is.

There are times in our lives when we’re are trying to find ourselves and looking
toward a positive and influential role model is helpful. By emulating the person you
look up to, you’ll bring their positive behaviors into your own life and adopt them
for yourself.

My role model

Being a motivational speaker, it is imperative for me to look for individuals who
inspire me regularly. I have been fortunate enough to have found public speakers, sports stars and movie stars who give me a lot of motivation. The one individual who stands out head and shoulders above everyone is the tennis living legend Roger Federer.

Qualities which make Roger Federer my greatest role model

Roger Federer is my greatest role model without a shadow of doubt. He is the greatest tennis player to have played the game of tennis. The qualities which make Federer my greatest role mtodel are:
1. Watching him in action motivates me to do greater things in life.
2. His ability to come back from impossible situations and win is phenomenal.
3. It is his never say die attitude which makes him no.1 in my book.
4. Watching Federer win tennis tournaments gives me the inspiration to do well in life.
5. Try to emulate Federer by wearing the Nike clothes he wears.
6. Always inspires me to be fit.

In conclusion I would like to emphasize the importance of having a role model in life:
a. Getting the inspiration or motivation to do greater things in life.
b. Having someone to look up to and admire their superior qualities.
c. Watching them perform gives you immense pleasure and happiness.
d. Their greater qualities enable you to live your life in a positive light.

Importance of Having Role Models in your Life

By having role models we can see how others live their lives and learn from their mistakes and successes. Rather than groping in the dark we have a roadmap put in front of us. Here are some reasons as to why role models are important:

How to find a good role model:

Look around at people you admire. Whether a parent, a sport star, activist, public speaker or anyone else you feel is successful, learn all you can about this person. You may be able to talk to them directly or read their biography. How did they get to where they are now? What mistakes did they make along the way? How can you use their advice or actions in your own life?

Gather sources from many places:

Another method is to think of the top three or five people you admire and gather information on them all then combine what you found, creating your own framework for success. Another person you admire maybe very confident and outgoing. By themselves, they may not offer everything you’d want to be as a person, but you can choose their most admirable traits and incorporate them into your own life.

Role Models are real people:

The more you know about a role model, the more you’ll find that they’re real
people just like yourself. They have bad habits and they make mistakes. In other
words they’re human! Many people tend to idolize movie stars and sports stars,
trying to emulate them and then feeling badly about themselves when they don’t
live up to their own preconceived notions of what greatness is.

There are times in our lives when we’re are trying to find ourselves and looking
toward a positive and influential role model is helpful. By emulating the person you
look up to, you’ll bring their positive behaviors into your own life and adopt them
for yourself.

My role model

Being a motivational speaker, it is imperative for me to look for individuals who
inspire me regularly. I have been fortunate enough to have found public speakers, sports stars and movie stars who give me a lot of motivation. The one individual who stands out head and shoulders above everyone is the tennis living legend Roger Federer.

Qualities which make Roger Federer my greatest role model

Roger Federer is my greatest role model without a shadow of doubt. He is the greatest tennis player to have played the game of tennis. The qualities which make Federer my greatest role mtodel are:
1. Watching him in action motivates me to do greater things in life.
2. His ability to come back from impossible situations and win is phenomenal.
3. It is his never say die attitude which makes him no.1 in my book.
4. Watching Federer win tennis tournaments gives me the inspiration to do well in life.
5. Try to emulate Federer by wearing the Nike clothes he wears.
6. Always inspires me to be fit.

In conclusion I would like to emphasize the importance of having a role model in life:
a. Getting the inspiration or motivation to do greater things in life.
b. Having someone to look up to and admire their superior qualities.
c. Watching them perform gives you immense pleasure and happiness.
d. Their greater qualities enable you to live your life in a positive light.