In my experience, “defying the odds” is a phrase that is synonymous with individuals in the special needs and disabled communities. A few months ago, I was made aware of this story via Special Olympics Indiana’s email chain. Lloyd, a young man with Down Syndrome, became the youngest within this community to complete a marathon. Something told me that I should save it for a future purpose, and a recent conversation revealed that purpose.
I met a new friend for coffee this past Friday. He is a young, driven, successful businessperson who inspired me throughout our conversation. We connected on many topics, but the clearest synergy
to me was our desire for personal growth and helping others. We got to talking about my book, Transcending Labels, and I shared with him the many reasons for writing it. He has his own podcast, and if it isn’t painfully obvious, I’m consistently looking for ways to promote the messages in the book to anyone who will listen. My mind immediately went to the idea of us discussing the topic on his podcast.
As he shared the vision for his new talk show, I began to feel more and more confident that this would be a great fit. He spoke about motivation, fixing some of the cultural mindset shifts that have infiltrated our society, and sharing growth strategies with 18-30 year olds; I jumped at the opportunity to point out that, A) I’m equally passionate about these topics, and B) A conversation around the book would be perfect for the podcast.
Then came the genesis of this blog. He asked me simply, how would we connect the “power of connecting with the special needs and disabled communities” to the mission of his podcast? To be clear, he was not asking this in a “why should I have you on the podcast, it doesn’t align” way. No, it was a genuine hope to learn reasons why we could make it work.
I proceeded to go off on all of the personal development opportunities associated with immersing oneself in these communities. I talked about mental toughness, empathy, and a perspective of heightened gratitude for life that I’ve found in my experience. We now have time scheduled to record the podcast.
Yesterday morning, a day after the conversation with my new friend, I fired up the laptop for a reason I already cannot remember. And, there it was. The screenshot of Lloyd’s incredible story staring me in the face. This story is one of many examples of how the personal growth “genre” and the special needs community align.
Lloyd faces significant challenges in his life that the average, typically-functioning person never will. He uses none of these challenges as an excuse. Lloyd ran a marathon. This is no small feat, in and of itself, for any of us to achieve. In doing so, he displayed resilience, perseverance, and determination not just for the 6+ hours of the event, but in all of the grueling work leading up to it, too. His story is one of personal growth, it is inspiring to all people, and it paves the way for anyone with Down syndrome to say: “You know what, I can do that, too.”
How do we change the culture of society from the seemingly widespread softness, entitlement, and victim mindsets, to one of mental toughness, fortitude, and a willingness to take personal responsibility for our lives? I don’t know, exactly. That’s a heavy, layered topic. What I do know, though, is that Lloyd’s example is what we need more of in our world. No excuses, no dwelling on our challenges or perceived disadvantages. Persist, grow, inspire.
Congratulations and thank you, Lloyd! Your example is making a massive impact on the world.
