I am a firm believe that God has given us all gifts of some kind that makes us valuable to the world, however, some of us have to work harder than others to find those gifts.  Some people are gifted with great physical abilities and are able to capitalize on that gift in professional sports.  Others may be given intellectual prowess and find success in professional business or intellectual pursuits.  What if you were born with neither? 

I would like to share a story with you about a man that was born with what seemed to be neither and went on to become a great success in both sports and professional business.

Imagine that you are a speaker that is in high demand and people are anxiously waiting for the message that you have to deliver.  Some of the things that you will be discussing  are the awards and acclaim that you have achieved as an athlete.  In your sport you now hold records and you are recognized as one of the greatest athletes that has ever lived.

The other things the audience will want to hear about is the business success that you have achieved.

While you are delivering your speech; your international businesses are busy making you money even though you are not there.  You have organized a team that is helping you achieve your dreams.  That would be great and you would have the world by the tail; it almost sounds too good to be true but all this was achieved because of perseverance and a determination to succeed.

The man that I am describing is David Loga.  If you have not heard about him you need to meet him! 

David Loga was born in Sweden in 1973; when he was born his parents were devastated because the doctors determined that the child would be paralyzed and would be like that for life.  The doctors also thought he might be retarded and never be able to communicate with the outside world.  The doctors recommended that the boy be institutionalized, however, his parent were unwilling to give up on him.

With love and hard work; his parents worked with the boy and they were rewarded and by the age of six months; David was able to move his head for the first time.  By the time he was six years old he was finally able to sit up by himself.  In order to sit up he had to rock back and forth until he hit the sitting position.  They also discovered that he was not retarded and he was able to communicate.

Encouraged by being able to sit up by himself; he wanted to begin sports because he felt that by exerting himself physically in a competitive manner he could exceed the benefits of physiotherapy.

He found a place in swimming and his competitive nature drove him to overcome problems but also to be a major competitor.  His never say quit attitude helped make him a winner.  He was always a winner in his own mind but swimming allowed him to show everybody else.

He has been surrounded by love, encouragement and patience; that coupled with his determination helped him succeed in everything he attempted.  Make no mistakes; his success was achieved only by overcoming a lot of failures.  He was constantly practicing and correcting his mistakes.

He is still unable to use his arms or legs but he has been able to achieve amazing things without them.  He has to write by holding the pen in his mouth but this has not hindered his ability to communicate with the written word.  In spite of his physical limitations he has achieved more success and acclaim than most people can ever imagine.

His achievements include:

Sporting distinctions
• Beat 14 world records during
his career.
• Winner of the Whang Youn Dai
Award (Triumph of the Human
Spirit) in Atlanta, 1996.
• Two Gold, five Silver medals
and one Bronze medal at
European Championships.
• Three Gold and two Silver
medals at the World Championships
in New Zealand, 1998.
• Board member of the Swedish
Sports Academy since 2005.

His autobiography is a truly inspiring book and should be read by everybody.  The book is "Handsfree-David Lega's Inspiring Journey".  You should read it if you ever get a chance!

David Lega is a man that has completely eliminated the words "can't and impossible" from his vocabulary.   He is a man that we all should remember anytime we begin to feel sorry for ourselves or think that something is impossible for us to overcome or achieve!