Pocket Sized Motivator

21 Sep 2011: Just because someone lacks height, doesn't mean they can't reach for the stars....... I am three feet tall, yet I haven't let that stop me from continuously reaching for my goals.

Today I wanted to share with you, the story of a little guy that I am proud to say, shares my disability. I am talking about Sean Stephenson, who is actually chronologically older than me, but shorter than me (only by about 2 cm, but it all counts doesn't it?).

Sean was born in 1979, in Illinois, with so many badly broken bones, that the doctors prepared his parents for the worst. By age 18, Sean had endured over 200 fractures throughout his entire body, and required the full time assistance of a wheelchair, just to get around.

With a background in psychology and having graduated from college, Sean is now an extremely successful motivational speaker, who has appeared on talk shows, written books, and facilitated inspirational seminars to large groups of people around the world. He attributes his positive attitude to life, to his fantastic parents, and the positivity that they instilled in him, from an early age.

Sean's mum, Gloria, told him something so profound when he was 10, and had just broken his femur, that stuck with him throughout his life. She said, ‘pain is inevitable, it eventually touches us all, but suffering is optional'.

For Sean, he has taken a different road than what would be socially expected of him. Instead of whining about what's ‘wrong' with him and what he can't do, he embraces life, and sees himself as a regular person.

Sean has learnt to use his physical pain to his advantage, he likes to teach others in the world how to love life, and enjoy what they do have, despite what pain they may have to endure.

‘When I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, I don't see a 3ft tall individual, I see a strong, confident, sexy man, a man that has a lot of capabilities to do a lot of amazing things'. This is what Sean said during a documentary that he was featured in for the Discovery Channel.

It has been a few years since Sean has fractured any bones, and he claims it has something to do with all the exercise that he has been doing, to keep his body in the best shape possible. Sean lifts weights, throws a basketball, anything that he can do, that will hopefully strengthen the muscles around his bones, to prevent further breaks in the future.

I've been told that Sean has a great ‘energy' about him, that can't be explained. I can only hope that one day I will get to see and experience that energy for myself. He has inspired so many powerful people, who he idolises, such as former President Bill Clinton, and motivational speaker, Tony Robbins.

Not only is Sean successful, but he is also very popular, with a group of friends who have dotingly nick-named themselves the Sean-tourage. Sean is now engaged to be married, and I'd like to wish him and his fiancée, Mindie, all the best for their future together, which I'm sure, will be full of happiness.

If you'd like to learn more about Sean and his positive messages that he has to share with the world, then visit his website, www.timetostand.com where you can even purchase one of his motivational books! I think I'll begin with reading ‘Get off your but'....

Sean showing off the benefits of weight lifting