These words of inspiration and hope come from the 2011 NCAA wrestling champion in the 125 pound weight class. His record of 36 wins – 0 losses is impressive. Add to that feat that he was also the three-time PAC 10 champion and three-time All-American during his time at Arizona State and I think you will agree, he is one impressive wrestler. But what makes his story truly astonishing is to realize that this young man, Anthony Marc Robles, accomplished all this success with only one leg.
Born without his right leg, he refused to have a “pity party” or to think of himself as having a disadvantage. In fact, what others might have perceived as a disadvantage, he thought of as an advantage. And after getting off to a somewhat rough start to his wrestling career in high school – losing nearly every match his freshman year – he began to work on a strategy and style to fit his body type. Soon, he was improving … and winning.
Award winning inspiration
To top off his successes, Anthony Robles was recently awarded two ESPY awards from ESPN in acknowledgement of his excellence in sport performance. One was the Jimmy V. trophy for perseverance. Jimmy V. (legendary basketball coach Jimmy Valvano) was the very first ESPY winner and is famously quoted as saying, “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up,” just eight weeks before he died of cancer. Obviously, Robles never gave up and has now become an inspiration to millions. The other award was for best male athlete with a disability. But the reality is, according to everyone who knows Anthony, he doesn’t have a disability. He just has a different body type.
Even as a child, he refused to wear a prosthetic leg. He would hide it from his mother so she wouldn’t make him wear it when he played sports. However, since the ESPY award ceremony he is giving a prosthetic leg a try. That’s because manufacturer Otto Bock and the Wiggle Your Toes Foundation fitted him with a state-of-the-art prosthetic Helix hip and C-leg to give him the flexibility to do more things. Like other challenges in his life, he is learning to adapt to his new circumstances and says, “Eventually I plan to be running on it.”
Anthony Robles will also do just fine in his new career as an inspirational speaker. After all, anyway you look at it, he has plenty of material he can use to inspire us all.
Those of you who know me, know I’m a sucker for a great inspirational story. I usually wouldn’t watch the ESPY awards, but something drew my attention to Robles’ story. I was captivated by his never-give-up approach to whatever life throws his way. But, maybe the less obvious lesson in his amazing story is his ability to re-frame his circumstances, adapt to the situation and come out a winner.
His story provides great lessons for business and life in general. It’s easy to become overwhelmed or discouraged by our circumstances and to think, “I can’t get through this.” But, the next time a challenge presents itself, large or small, remember Anthony Robles and how he overcame his circumstances so he could be the best.
In business, we must constantly adapt to our circumstances, execute a plan, and measure the results, lest we lose sight of our dreams. And that’s at the heart of why Robles is an inspiration. His story reminds us to never give up on our dreams – even when faced with seemingly impossible obstacles. Think big. Set high goals and be the best person and business leader you can be.
So, the next time you’re “wrestling” with problems or life in general, recall Anthony’s words of hope: “We all have something to wrestle with. It’s about overcoming them.” And that’s the way I see it.
PAUL KINDINGER is president/CEO of the North American Equipment Dealers Association. The association provides educational, legal, legislative, and financial services to approximately 5,500 retail agricultural, construction, large property/rural lifestyle, and outdoor power equipment dealers in the United States and Canada.