The Amazing Power of the Human Will

The Amazing Power of the Human Will 
  By Fran Briggs 

"My mother taught me very early to believe I could
achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was
to walk without braces." - Wilma Rudolph 

I can vividly recall reading about Wilma Rudolph when I
was in grade school. Her life epitomized, "breaking
through limitations." Over the last three decades, I
have thought about Wilma when so-called, "limitations"
presented themselves in my own life. I think of Wilma,
and I am passionately reminded of the amazing power of
the human will. 

Wilma Rudolph was born prematurely and weighed only 4.5
pounds. Most of her childhood was spent in St.
Bethlehem, Tennessee. There, she was bedridden as she
battled double pneumonia, scarlet fever and polio. At
six years old, she lost the use of her left leg.
Subsequently, she was fitted with leg braces. Later on
in life, she was often quoted as saying: "I spent most
of my time trying to get them off. (I had an
uncompromising resolve) to be a normal kid." 

At the age of 16, when she was only a sophomore in high
school, the 5' 11" Wilma Rudolph won a bronze medal at
the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. And, in the
1960 Rome Olympics, Rudolph became "the fastest woman
in the world." She also was the first American woman to
win three gold medals in one Olympics. She won the 100
and 200 meter races; and also anchored the U.S. team to
victory in the 4 X 100 meter relay, breaking records
along the way. 

Wilma Rudolph is remembered by family and admirers
alike, for her incredible calm and graceful demeanor
when under pressure. Valiantly and brilliantly, she
removed all of her "struggles" during the course of her
lifetime. 

She once said: "The most important aspect is to be
yourself and have confidence in yourself ... triumph
can't be had without a struggle." 

In 1994, Wilma Rudolph died of brain cancer at the age
of 54. Few would argue that she lived a full,
purposeful, and triumphant life. Rudolph expected
victory when just about everyone else would have
understood if she'd just lay down, sit or even quit.
Thank you, Wilma, for being the contrary.1

1. Fran Briggs is an author, peak performance coach and
motivational speaker. She is also the President of The
Fran Briggs Companies, an organization dedicated to the
personal and professional development of individuals
and groups around the globe. Visit Fran's web site at:
www.franbriggs.com. Sent as a courtesy of: Bob Proctor.
http://www.bobproctor.com.