Lizzie Velasquez is a motivational speaker who ‘walks her talk’. She is a brave person coping up with a rare genetic condition called Marfanoid – progeroid – lipodystrophy syndrome. Apparently, this rare condition prevents her from gaining any weight. Due to her unusual looks, she was once dubbed as the “world’s ugliest woman” by online trolls.
Must See: Highly Inspirational TEDx talk by Lizzie Velasquez!
Yet today, Lizzie Velasquez has not only managed to acquire a great university education but she is also a published author, a highly sought after global level motivational speaker, and an anti-bullying advocate.
If you happen to think that life has been tough and unfair to you, or that you are ugly, here is what you can learn from Lizzie Velasquez’s life and strength:
Use Your Potential
What is highly inspiring about Lizzie is how she refused to let others’ limited and negative perceptions and judgment about her define her reality. Lizzie believes that one’s appearance is only skin deep and it’s the goals, visions and actions that ultimately define one’s personality, success, and accomplishments.
The Takeaway
We all have been born with certain limitations in terms of how we look, what we can do, and where we are coming from. However, what we make of our limitations is up to us. We can choose to be positive or we can choose to be negative about them. We can focus on the lacks only, or we can focus on our strengths. The bottom line is that we, and only, we have the power to define ourselves, our successes.
Ignore the Bullies
Lizzie Velasquez refused to wallow in self-pity or dejection over her condition or how people treated her. She decided to ignore all the bullying and ridicule and work harder than the rest to let her potential shine through. It wasn’t easy, she acknowledges herself. But every insult, every rejection from others made her more determined than ever to prove herself.
The Takeaway
People can be cruel; some more than others! Bullies are everywhere and not just in schools. They try to ridicule us and make us hate our lives, doubt our potential. This is all what they can do! However, how you react to the bullies and naysayers, what you make of what they have to say about you, is up to you! Don’t let them get to you!
Create the Best Perception for Yourself
Lizzie’s secret to her success is not just determination and hard work, but it is also the ability to form a perception of herself that was independent to what others perceived her of. She had a strong belief in her abilities and in her own inner beauty. And that’s all that mattered!
The Takeaway
Perception is the mirror, the lens through which we see ourselves and others. Our perceptions help in the creation of our psychological and emotional landscape.
The perceptions we hold can be others’ and our own. They can be negative, or they can be positive. They can be limiting or liberating. Eventually, they determine our reactions to things, people and events. These perceptions set course for actions, or inaction even. They shape our success or failure, and ultimately, our destiny.
Why Lizzie Velasquez’s Life is Inspiring for Me
Lizzie’s story is a great reminder that we have have to choose ourselves what defines us. As a person going through the rigors and motions of life, I am prone to self-doubt, every now and then. Sometimes, people’s negative and unperceptive comments get to me. They make me question what I have and can do in life.
So, whenever I feel down and rejected, here is what I do: I stand in front of the mirror and look at my own reflection and give myself the pep talk: I tell myself to stop wallowing in self-misery, to stop looking at others’ perfect bodies and holidays and dine-out pictures.
I tell myself that I am perfectly good enough and capable. And that I have potential. If people choose to ignore me or laugh at my shortcomings, it’s their choice. It means that they are missing on a great opportunity to know me, due to their myopic views.
The Bottom Line
Life is not about how you look, your social circle, your material belongings. It’s about how you see yourself actually and how you help others see the essence of you, the inner, beauty, the potential, the hard work, the choice to be positive, courageous and successful. I am ready to make this choice today and everyday! Are you?
