Kelly Vohs

This isn't about disabilities. This is about people who don't make excuses.

Ten years ago I was coming out of a grocery store and watched a man in a wheelchair pushing his grocery cart to his car. A full-sized grocery cart. His car was a black Buick. Two-door. I remember vividly. He put the groceries in the trunk and then pushed the empty cart about 50 meters to the cart return. Then he goes back to his car. Slides out of this wheelchair into the driver's seat. Leans the driver's seat forward and with one hand folds the chair and swings it into the back seat. Closes his door and drives away. Not sure there is a person in the world that would have thought badly about him if he didn't put the cart back. But he didn't see it that way. With all of his problems, he finds a way to put the cart back. He was by himself. He didn't see me. He just did the right thing. Incredible. Inspiration.

Then I saw these guys last weekend. The guy on the right is blind. The one on the left isn't. They are doing a half-marathon. Together. Look closely. You can see a tether between them. It's clear the blind man needs someone to help him find his way. My gut tells me they need each other. For 13.1 miles their elbows continued to touch. It really was amazing. I ran with them in awe. For two hours they ran as one.

These guys didn't make excuses. They found a way. Together. Together is always better.

Stop rationalizing your way to easy.

Too busy. Too tired. Too far. Too Hard. Too much pain.

You can do more than you think. You waste more time than you think. When it hurts say “f – you mind, let’s go body.” Hard is hard. Get over it. Just decide that you will do it. Be the inspiration that the world needs. Even if no one sees it.

And remember, there are worse things happening to better people. Usually. Not always. But usually.