As a 13 year old boy, Italo Romano was playing on a train with friends when he fell between carriages and nearly lost his life. The near tragic accident cost Italo both legs. Amazingly, the accident did not thwart his adventure seeking behavior however.

Italo never gave up on life. Instead, he remained active and eventually took up skateboarding. Within a few years, he is rated amongst the best in the business, even surpassing many able-bodied competitors. He recently made it to the finals at the Tampa Pro 2012 competition (story here).

Check out the video below to see Italo in action.

Who would have thought that anyone could become so successful on a skateboard without legs? Probably no one. That’s the point though. It isn’t up to others to decide what we as individuals attempt to achieve. Find out for yourself.

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In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd. – Miguel de Cervantes

Monique Newton may be small in stature but her heart is bigger than most. At age 19, this powerlifter has won 18 or her 19 competitions. Amongst her wins include a second world championship earned last year in Latvia.

Her road to the top has not been easy however. Long before powerlifting, Monique first overcame life threatening cancer. As a youngster, she was diagnosed with stage four ganglioneuroblastoma and wasn’t expected to live. After the debilitating treatment which included chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she later drifted into a state of clinical depression.

Fortunately, Monique refused to give up and eventually found her true calling.

In her own words,

I took up powerlifting because I wanted to do something where I would be the underdog and have to push myself to get to the top.

In the time since, she’s enrolled in college and continues to dominate her weight class. The inspiring video below tells her story…

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You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. – Walt Disney

Bruce Lee is perhaps the most quote worthy martial artist ever. I find myself regularly sharing his words of wisdom throughout this blog. For those interested in more, the three part video series below is filled with classics. Any fans of Bruce Lee will surely enjoy them…

Below is a brief speech that Ray Lewis recently delivered to the Stanford basketball team during the NIT tournament (which Stanford went on to win). It is short and to the point.

In summary, don’t underestimate the significance of effort. As Ray would say, it’s between YOU and YOU. No one else can decide. It is up to you and only you know how much effort you truly put forth. It cannot be calculated by anyone else.

Don’t tell me how bad you want something. Prove it to yourself by giving everything you have. That’s effort.

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Effort is between you and you. – Ray Lewis

Sunday (March 25th) would have been the 91st birthday for bodyweight strength legend Jasper Benincasa. He sadly left this world on January 6th, 2012. Fortunately, Brad Johnson has done his part to help keep Jasper’s memory alive. He created the tribute video below.

The video is well worth a look whether you know of Jasper or not. Not only were his exercise feats tremendous, he achieved such status long before the modern era of supplementation and drug use.

As for how he trained, Jasper addressed the topic in a past interview:

My training was very haphazard. I’d train as often as I could. I was a construction worker and I would chin on the scaffolding after I was already tired from work. I would do alternate one arm chins down the length of the scaffolding and then turn and work my way back.

As you can see, Jasper didn’t rely on any of the fancy plans that you’ll see marketed today. He worked hard and remained consistent. It’s amazing what the human body can achieve when you work hard regularly and never give up. Jasper was even said to have done a one arm chin-up at age 89!

Happy birthday and RIP

I rarely highlight the same person twice within the same month but Joshua Rucker certainly deserves to be seen. I first posted one of his videos a few weeks ago. At the time, I did not know who he was or what led to his paralysis.

In the video below, he explains his story and demonstrates his prowess on the bars. I am sure I speak for others when I say that I am truly inspired by his example.

Hats off to Joshua and best wishes with everything.

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Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

I first blogged about Dewey Bozella after he was honored with the 2011 Arthur Ashe Award for Courage.  If you aren’t familiar with his story, take a moment to familiarize yourself here.  The original video is worth every second of your time.

The abbreviated story is that Dewey served over 25 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit.  Amazingly, he never lost hope throughout the quarter century ordeal.

Following his release, Dewey had a lifelong goal to fulfill. He wanted to fight in one professional boxing match. Unfortunately, he was originally denied a license to fight in the state of California.

In the video below, you’ll see him prepare for his second shot at the licensing test. As you’ll see within, he passed the test and earned the right to fight on October 15th, 2011. Dewey’s hard work and perseverance paid off as he was able to accomplish a lifelong goal.  At age 52, Dewey Bozella fought and won his first (and last) professional boxing match. He earned a unanimous decision over Larry Hopkins.

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I used to lay in my cell and dream about this happening. It was all worth it. It was my dream come true… This was my first and last fight. It’s a young man’s game. I did what I wanted to do, and I’m happy. I appreciate everybody that made this possible. This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. – Dewey Bozella

Below is a powerful video of a man who refuses to lie down and instead chooses to keep moving forward. The clip is well worth a few moments of your time. It certainly serves as a powerful reminder to be fortunate of what we have and to never give up regardless of the obstacles that stand in our way.

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He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else – Benjamin Franklin

Below is a photo that has recently garnered a considerable amount of attention on the web. I first saw the image on Facebook today and decided to share it on my own wall. The reactions were mixed. Many saw the image as extremely inspiring, while others chimed in to call the photo out as a hoax. The Photoshop experts shared reasons why they believed it was fake.

Shortly after, someone responded with the name of the individual.  His name is Joshua Sundquist. I had never heard of him.

It didn’t take long however to find quite a bit about his life. For starters, Joshua Sundquist is a cancer survivor who lost his leg at age nine. He later became a member of the US Paralympic Ski Team and is now a best selling author and motivational speaker.  A bio from earlier in his life can be seen below.

http://vimeo.com/8954595

As for the picture above, it was taken in 2006. In that year, Joshua was a winner in the Body For Life challenge. You can read more about the contest at the following link:

http://bodyforlife.com/challenge/champions/joshua-sundquist

You can also hear directly from Josh regarding the authenticity of the photo. Take a look at his video response:

I particularly enjoyed his commentary around the 3:50 mark. His response at that time can be applied to countless online arguments and debates. Many people are quick to make assumptions that are based solely on speculation. While we are all entitled to an opinion, we should also keep in mind that our opinions aren’t always correct. This becomes particularly true when opinions are formed with little background information regarding a given topic.

In summary, I’m glad I stumbled across this image today as it opened my eyes to Joshua’s inspiring comeback from a rare form of cancer that almost took his life. His positive energy and zest for life despite the difficult hand he’s been dealt is something we could all learn from.

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Most of our assumptions have outlived their uselessness. – Marshall McLuhan

The video below tells the powerful story of MMA fighter Rad Martinez.

After watching it for the first time, I found myself at a loss for words. There simply aren’t words to describe just how much Rad has sacrificed for his family. He is obviously a talented fighter but an even more amazing person.

All that I can do is share the video in hopes that others take the time to watch it from beginning to end. Not only does it show that there are still good, caring people in the world, it also reminds us to appreciate what we have. The next time you find yourself complaining about a rough day at the office, take a moment to think about what Rad and his father endure each day.

Best wishes to Rad, both at home and when he steps into the cage.

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Real living is living for others. – Bruce Lee