A professional speaker, John Foppe, has had to breakdown and re-engineer every aspect of day to day life. He learnt that inabilities does not rest on the lack of vision or desire. John had great obstacles living a normal life. Everything such as: driving, cooking, washing, writing, and a lot more he accomplished using his toes. Weathering fast conditions and meeting new challenges is a matter of everyday life for John. He never allowed his situation to influence him. Would you have imagined a man without arms being a master of social science at saint lious University? John had a different perception on life which paved the way for him to become very successful. Though he had a very rough childhood and has been embarrassed many times by his condition, yet he learnt the best way of handling that same old question; feeling good about yourself, staying motivated, dealing with negative people and doing more with less. His good sense of humor kept him focused. In his stories of overcoming adversity, he confidently advised that, we should confront adversity and discover our own dynamic potential. Also, in his book titled, “what’s your excuse?” he stated that every one has a condition which could be a mental or physical disability.The most important thing is being mentally fit. Therefore, as a student that feels low, it’s easy for such to sink into the crowd or tape up destructive behaviors but a good sense of humor will create the right frame of mind for tackling challenges, just as John found out.

Foppe was born without arms, yet, he didn’t consider himself disabled, it’s just his condition. “Everyone has some form of condition, for some it might be being black, or female, or being from a single parent home,” he said. Different conditions bring different challenges, but the bottom line is still the same for everyone. You’ve got to love yourself enough to overcome your own condition and change your life.

Tags:John Foppe, Disabled, University of Louis

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