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People often ask me, “Who inspires you? Who do you look up to?” One immediate answer is Kyle Maynard.
I’ve been blessed to spend time with Kyle, who encourages you — in the most powerful, unspoken of ways — to do more, be more, and help more.
How do you compete in wrestling or MMA without arms or legs? How on earth do you climb Kilimanjaro on, not your hands and knees, your elbows and knees? How do you face the challenges no one thinks you can?
Life can be overwhelming. Hope can be lost. Whether you’re facing a little self-doubt, an extended depression, or the darkest of thoughts, I suggest you watch the above video.
Thank you to BJJ Caveman for reminding me to put this up. Damn, it’s powerful stuff.
Good luck, everyone, with whatever battles you’re fighting inside or outside of you.
You are not alone.
The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.
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Kyle is indeed a really inspiring dude. Meeting him at OTK was one of my fondest memories of the event…
100% agreed. Left me full of piss and vinegar to do bigger and better things.
I am gonna save this in my archives and when people start bitching on
FB about how their life is hard or they can’t do something I’m gonna bitch slap them with this video. Such a great testimony that when you set your intentions and go after your passion anything is possible…Thanks for sharing…
One of mine too.
One of mine too
Thanks for the inspirational post!
Very inspiring and at the same time humbling !I believe that people who lose a part of their body are able to channelize their overall energy much better than those who haven’t because the latter take everything for granted and hence are always worried about small things, thus not being able to focus. It’s all about the chi!
god damnit who is cutting onions in here
Must be the same people cutting onions over my way too!!
Tim, you continuously put out the best stuff for us to watch/read/learn.
Thanks so much for posting this, Tim.
The video was beyond moving, and the humility in Kyle is stunning. What a gift.
“The most frustrated I got the whole day would be when I looked up and saw how far I had to go, instead of looking back and seeing how far I have come. I think I do that a lot in life in general. Just one step at a time.” ~ Kyle Maynard
All good things,
Krishan
Make me wanna know who are the 5 people he spends most time with.
How were his parents from 1 to 7…
6th grade wrestling… always wrestling for frequent reversible failures 😉
TV shows emphasize how extraordinary some people are.
Would be great to dig also the ecosystem around these exceptional men.
Many elements are replicable, and Medias should dig into “making of” these personnalities, not just vibrate and admire them, and then go back procrastinate because “Kyle Maynard is exceptionnal, not me!”.
Short term adrenaline watching video isn’t enough, wanna know their rituals, education, ecosystem…
But anyway… One thing is sure, after this video I feel shameful to complaint about my little problems.
Thanks Tim 😉
P.S. Still hoping Elon Musk as guest of your podcast 😉
I had a headache this morning so I stayed home 🙂 – This guy is a muther f@#$% gangster – we all need to learn to harden up.
No excuses just results! If everyone had Kyle’s perspective the world would be a lot different.
Wow. This makes the tasks we can sometimes see as insurmountable seem like a cakewalk in comparison… The human mind and body are capable of amazing things when we realize that the only limitations there really are, outside of natural laws, are those that we impose upon ourselves.
Hats off, Kyle.
Kyle is, without doubt, an inspirational legend. The title of his book, “No excuses”, could not be more apt. Quite agree Jayson, that meeting him at OTK was a major highlight.
This video is simply fantastic, awe inspiring, worth sharing. Being bombarded with media these days it is really wonderful to watch a video such as this one. Tim you’ve been a huge inspiration to me as well, I have 3 copies of your book and gave each of my kids one! Awesome.
Fyi…cannot get the video to play on android phone, or samsung tablet with android
If you are not moved by Kyle’s will and determination, his vulnerability yet perseverance then you aren’t paying attention. Walk a mile his way and tell me he is not extraordinary.
Thanks for sharing Tim. We all have gifts to share and dharma to fulfill. Namaste!
Thanks for posting this Tim.
one step at a time, thank you Kyle!
Oh my God. I cried.
Wow! What a story. Goes to show you the power of the human spirit and the limitless potential one can have when they decide what they want to accomplish. Total inspiration… my 6 year old daughter watched the video with me. Very powerful.
Thanks so much for sharing this Tim. Kyle is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Very inspiring.
Hey Tim,
“This is an exceptionally short post” might be taken in bad taste by some internet folk as a pun. Just looking out for ya!
Keep doing you.
Wow, I didn’t think of that at all. Someone would really have to want to cause trouble to pick that, but I’ll delete to be on the safe side. Thanks!
Sorry, but F that. If people can’t read into what is meant by the words we use then THEY need to improve their thinking. The PC police (not Shaun, who pointed it out) definitely need to improve their thinking. It’s way past time we stopped adjusting to them. The folks who would be offended by that are exactly who I would never want to be around… online, real life or wherever.
Wow…powerful
Great video! Maybe he can be one of the next guests on Tim Tim Talk Talk (T4)?
This story was awesome!
You’re an inspiration, Kyle!
Kyle, you are pure man.
Thanks, Tim, for sharing. My takeaway – No excuses, take full responsibility for one’s self no matter what the limitations, abuse, lack of resources – Kyle embodies this kismetic conundrum. I promise not to whine today about anything.
Grateful you posted this
I am incredibly touched by this post. As Tim said, it’s left me full of piss, vinegar and vigor to march onward and not let anything stand in my way. I’ve hit a rough patch as of late, and this has made me feel ashamed to even think of giving up.
His realization on the mountain brought me to tears. As a determined individual with high goals, its easy to get lost in the minutia and the mound of work left to accomplish, rather than look back at the achievements. Thanks to Krishan for the transcription.
“The most frustrated I got the whole day would be when I looked up and saw how far I had to go, instead of looking back and seeing how far I have come. I think I do that a lot in life in general. Just one step at a time.” ~ Kyle Maynard
Tim, I am forever grateful for your mentorship and support. I would not have come this far without your guidance, and more importantly, your story. Until I discovered the FHWW, myself (and all of my friends and relatives) thought I was crazy. At least I changed my own mind; that’s good enough for now. 😉
Shōrai no natsukashii
-K
Thanks for sharing Tim. He has a great outlook, seeing how far you’ve come verses how far you have left to go. Love it!
Some powerful stuff!
Tom, thanks a lot! Lovely stuff!
This is an amazing video. I am training for a really tough Quadrathlon here in the UK and just heading out for a hill session. The training session is 4 hours long and I tend to work hard, but don’t really push myself. Maybe its out of fear that i wont complete the full session or that it will hurt too much. After seeing this video, that seems absurd!! Today I am going to beast it and when it gets tough I will remember this video. Thanks to Tim for sharing and Kyle for being a badass!
Thank you Tim for sharing this clip. Kyle is a reminder that no obstacle is too big to stop a person from living an amazing life.
Fantastic post, Tim.
Moral of the story – no excuses, don’t let your resources or situation don’t you back.
Kyle truly is a winner.
I have shared it in one of the most disappointed country of the world. Most people don’t speak any foreign languages here, but I think the video is self-evident.
Usually my dog’ pictures get more likes, than any of my posts, but why to give up inspiration of my friends 🙂
This is just so amazing and inspiring! Made my day! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing this, Tim. Truly amazing story! Proof that everything can be overcome. My main take away: Make no excuses. And as you put it great inspiration to do more, be more and help more.
Tim, this was a Tonic ( http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tonic)…Thanks for posting, Patrick
Such an inspiration, and a great reminder that most obstacles exist purely in the mind. Thanks so much for sharing, Tim.
Wow. This is really powerful. Truly. Can you imagine how different the world would be if these were the stories that were shown on the news every night?
No Excesses! What powerful and inspirational words. Thank you Kyle for being an inspiration not only to me, but to all. You’re a Champion!
This guy is really ASWESOME. Thank you Tim for sharing this video and for reminding me how much I have and that every and I mean every excuse that I made was trully silly things. THANK YOU.
Love this, amazing video and guy. Strength of character is such a charismatic trait.
“When I looked up I was discouraged of how high the mountain was… but it’s when you look down and see what you’ve accomplished that’s important”
That is such a great saying, I’ll print that and put it on my wall. When we go forward and don’t see how far we’ve made it, we tend to get discouraged. But when everything is put into perspective, then you get that extra energy to keep going.
There’s also the similar story (and energy) of Nick Vujicic that is worth listening to (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIuz6fUtfRE)
Thanks for sharing this video
Joel
So inspiring… Thanks for this video
Breathtaking.
We have no idea about the amount of potential we all have.
Amazing. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Very interesting and thought provoking website / blog. Look forward to reading more of your punchy views and opinions.
Speechless…just – wow!
THANK YOU. One of the most inspiring stories I’ve ever seen on the power of the human spirit.
Wow, what a legend!!!
“He MAY look disabled, but he’s not. And that’s inspiring”
This is the first line that really struck my heart. A man [Kyle Maynard] with no arms and legs who has been inspiring people all over the world. But he did not achieve everything overnight. He also had his crisis which made him doubt of himself. As his dad said, “The world will never be tailored for what you need.”, this is not just applicable for Kyle but for all people who are disable and not, for all of us. We all have to work hard for what we need. As per Kyle, “Make no excuses”
Now this is a real life hero if I ever saw one!
Thanks to my spine for organizing my body in shapes.
Thanks to my hands and arms that allow me to manipulate, hang, grab and support.
Thanks to my eyes and the ability see.
Thanks to my legs and feet for locomoting me everywhere.
Thanks to my skin that sends me all this tactile info.
Thanks to my mouth, teeth, jaw for chewing, talking bullshit and also some good shit.
Thanks to the digestive, blood, lymph, vestibular systems, thanks to the skeleton and articulations.
Very glad I watched this. Thanks.
I really needed to see that. Thank you.
Inspiring article. Check out “3 Economic Principle That Will Change Your Life” http://tinyurl.com/nf45m9s
Tim, Thank you for sharing this video. I am the Scoutmaster of a boyscout troop where I live and I showed this to my Scouts this evening as my Scoutmaster Minute. It is hard to get these guys to sit still, but I can say with full confidence tonight that happened. When the video concluded they all applauded wildly! Finding inspiration in this world to complete the things we want to do can be hard. Wether it is climbing Kilimanjaro, or setting your sights on the Eagle Rank there will be challenges, but when you see and hear Kyle’s story it seems that nothing should be impossible. Thank you again for sharing this story.
Thanks for posting this, Tim.
“I get so frustrated looking forward, seeing how much is yet to come… but I forget to look behind and see how far we’ve made it.. I think I do that a lot.”
HUGE!
Tim, thanks for inboxing thins to your mail list! This guy is incredible.
I really appreciate you bringing this to me Tim. It is mind blowing how quickly we can fall into a pattern of bitching about hurdles that are often self-fabricated. This story has really re-invigorated my desire to commit to perseverance. Thank You!
I used to be a rock climber and any and all of my climbs pale in comparison to Kyle’s effort and determination. So cool and inspiring!
Thank you for sharing Tim! What an incredible young man and a heart of perseverance and desire!!
Great piece Tim, I needed this… Thanks!
Is there a way to be so strong without the support of others? If it exists, I would love to find out about it. I’ve been recently released from a psychiatric hospital after extended treatment for depression and unfortunately have to come home to my abusive parents (I’m broke and have no friends so moving out is not an option). How to find the strength to live in a situation like this?