Meet a Champion Who Gives New Meaning to Never Ever Ever Give Up

There are people in life who amaze you, and then there are people who are so far beyond amazing that there are no words to describe them.

Such a one is 17-year-old Kobey Pritchard from Indianola, Iowa who is a state-level competitive wrestler. Hes eying a future NCAA championshipand doing so with only one leg. Yes, you read that correctly, Kobey trains like a fiend to achieve with one leg what many athletes dream of with two. And thats without the benefit of a prosthetic.

Kobeys leg was amputated when he was six due to cancer. When he found the prosthesis uncomfortable, he switched to crutches. Which means he trains--sprints, lifts weights and works out--on crutches.

Why did I choose to introduce you to Kobey? Because he gives new meaning to never ever ever give up! I dont care which goal you have in mind, most of us fall down, not on dreaming our dreams, but on keeping-on keeping-on when the going gets tough. Can you imagine the number of challenges, not just physical, but mental and emotional that Kobey has faced as hes worked his way ever closer to his wrestling championship dreams? Yet none of them have deterred him from keeping-on.

So whats the secret? How can you develop a Kobey-like never give up attitude?

1. Dont listen to other peoples nay-saying.

Whenever you go for a significant goal, there are bound to be people who will say You cant do that, youre too young/old/short/tall/lazy/etc. (fill in the blank) or What makes you think you can do it? or Youve never managed anything like that before or any number of other You cants. The one thing you cant do is listen to them!

2. Hitch your wagon to a star.

Whatever you dream of doing/being, someone else either has done it, possibly in another field, or has come darn close. Someone you can admire, be inspired by, and in a sense, pulled forward by. Look for such people alive or long gone to help you remember that whatever it is, you can do it!

3. Theres more than one way of doing things.

Kobey has had to develop techniques and skills that are different from the more traditional wrestling holds in order to win despite his missing leg. This is not a one size fits all world. There are as many ways of doing things as there are individuals on the planet. Have the courage to go outside the usual ways of approaching your goals whenever you feel stymied by the ways most people have adopted.

You truly can achieve whatever goal it is you have in mind, as long as your passion for that goal fuels you, and your absolute faith in your ability to somehow, some way, accomplish it is unwavering.