Scott Burrows

Standing Up to Any Challenge: A Story of Personal Triumph

You hear all kinds of horror stories when you set out to pursue your dreams. Haunting accounts of pain and hardship, of people who’ve loved and lost, who’ve failed and faded.

It’s enough to drive one to the brink of insanity or turn to dust the dreams of a youthful, ambitious spirit, plagued with crippling fears.

Nine out of 10 people who aim for the top inevitably stumble and fall. And in a growing population of 7 billion restless souls, only a handful are able to climb all the way to the top of the ladder of success.

The Logic of Miracles

So, why do we bother to chase after our dreams anyway?

Why do we tell ourselves we can do it, especially when the odds are against us?

Where’s the logic and reason behind attempting the impossible?

Why try at all?

I was 19 years old when I played college football at Florida State University. As a top-ranked, kickboxing Black-Belt champion, my last fight was broadcast by ESPN, and I was excited about my future as a professional athlete, ready to conquer the world.

One fateful day, I got into my friend’s car and my life changed forever.

A devastating accident left me in a state of absolute defeat, rendering me paralyzed from the chest down.

Needless to say, I was told I could never walk again.

In a span of one day, I went from being an All-Star athlete with a promising future in sports to an utterly dependent quadriplegic who was told he could never feel his legs again.

But you know what hurt most? Temporarily accepting that that was, in fact, my fate.

Cultivating a Vision-Mindset-Grit Philosophy

Martial arts teaches us to always be a student of life, to ask questions and be curious, to grow and evolve unto our dying days.

My first step to recovery was developing an attitude of curiosity, to ask the right questions and gain as much knowledge and wisdom as I could from my setback.

By doing this, I inculcated the values of grit and perseverance, visualizing a desired reality and working tirelessly each day to achieve it.

Despite suffering from a second automobile accident, with sustained effort, I performed a so-called miracle with the power of my mind—disproving the words of my doctor and leaving my wheelchair behind.

Today, I travel far and wide sharing my story through inspirational motivational seminars—reminding everyone that a mental handicap can be far more damaging than a physical one.

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