No Excuses

Ten Things I Learned from No Excuses by Kyle Maynard

Kyle is a Congenital Amputee that wrestled down the street at Collins Hill High School and made the varsity team his senior season. He now attends the University of Georgia. He has appeared on Larry King, met Governor Arnold, won an ESPY, and has been praised by Troy Aikman, Stephen Covey, John Smoltz, Wayne Gretzky, Andy Roddick, Scott Stevens, and Cody Sanderson. He has a truly inspiring story. Instead of a top 10 list of my thoughts from his thoughts I thought I would instead list my favorite quotes from Kyle, hope you don’t mind:

1. “Even though I was born with much shorter limbs than the average person, I know that I was not born to be an inferior individual. I was born to succeed, not to allow physical limitations to stand in the way of my dreams” (p. 7).
2. “To live with “No Excuses” means to take a robust, rugged individualistic attitude toward life’s problems; it’s about freedom and responsibility; it’s about hard work and hard choices; it’s about self-reliance that is joined naturally with family, friends, community and faith” (p. 205).
3. “I believe God only gives us challenges that He knows we are capable of handling. Whether we handle those challenges or not is up to us. We have the ability to free will and the capability to do anything if we allow ourselves to completely trust Him” (p. 196).
4. “The experience of wrestling is like no other. I know now that there is no challenge large enough to keep me away from where I want to be. I know I can solve any problem through learning and discipline. I know my limits, but never stop trying to break them” (p. 93).
5. “In life and in competition, good character is the foundation of everything. We build our character by taking chances, accepting challenges, and helping others meet their goals. This is not just a good idea – it’s a way of life” (p. 135).
6. “There are few things as powerful as having people in your life who want to see you succeed and thrive. Most good hearted people are willing to help others and make sacrifices – they only ask that other people do the same. And finding people like that in your own life begins with serving others” (p. 153).
7. “When someone accepts responsibility as a coach, they take on a huge task. Coaches have to walk the fine line as friends, teachers, disciplinarians, and mentors. Coaches must gain their athletes trust before asking them to perform at their peak levels. And once that trust is achieved, the bond between a coach and an athlete never breaks” (p. 159).
8. “Whenever I’ve faced adversity, I’ve used that challenge as motivation to win through, no matter the cost. When I meet with failure, I pick myself up, dust off the dirt from the fall and focus on trying again. You can’t let failure beat you or give in to the temptation to take the easy way out” (p. 77).
9. “Regardless of what your dreams may be, you alone know the extent you’ve sacrificed. If you are able to look in the mirror and see that you have gone beyond your own limits – the limits of exhaustion, of dedication, of fear – to get the job done and achieve the goal, then you’re on the right track. If you want something bad enough, you’re going to fight hard for it” (p. 167).
10. “I believe God made me the way I am in order to show people that there is no amount of adversity that a single person cannot overcome if they fully trust themselves and trust in the will of Jesus Christ. And in time, I learned that I had to trust and believe in myself on the mat, and, even more importantly, I learned that I had to trust fully in the Lord my Savior, no matter the circumstances” (p. 92).