Nick Vujicic, famous for his inspirational speeches since the mid 2000s, was born without limbs in his body. His videos went viral before Facebook existed, shown in almost every school and was chain forwarded on Gmail all over the world. Understandably, the man became a motivational speaker and author of the bestsellers “Life Without Limits” and “Unstoppable”. In addition to these accomplishments, he became the founder of the organization “Life Without Limbs.” He has done all this without limbs – with only “his little chicken drumstick,” as he jokingly says. Today he is an evangelist and philanthropist who never let his disability deter his everyday life. But did you know that he was Australian? How did he become a CEO? Let’s dig into some cool facts about the man who took up the biggest challenge in the world and changed millions of lives!
Nick Vujicic ranks 3rd in the list of Best Motivational Speakers published by Dailyhawker.com
Nick Vujicic: 25 Cool Facts About The Motivational Speaker
Becoming an evangelist:
Today, Nick is a devout Christian who firmly believes that God loves everyone equally, and has taken it upon himself to spread the message to everyone around the world.
Nick Vujicic’s full name:
Nick Vujicic was born as Nicholas James Vujicic on December 4, 1982.
He was the eldest in his family:
Nick Vujicic is the eldest son of Dushka and Boris.
The family was based in Melbourne, Australia, and when Nick was an infant, though healthy in all other aspects, was born with autosomal recessive tetra-amelia. This is a rare condition where the child is born without limbs at all, except feet with just two toes.
In 2016, his pastor father, Boris, praised his son for using his disability to motivate others not only to overcome personal challenges, but to dedicate their lives to God as well. In a brief interview that occurred to promote the release of his book, Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child: Facing Challenges with Strength, Courage, and Hope, Boris, who died in 2017, told his son he was so proud “that you have become a leader in some aspects, an internationally influential person; that God has turned your disability to be used as a powerful force to motivate not only those with disabilities, but also the world all over.”
Nick Vujicic wanted to commit suicide at a young age:
Initially, it was quite difficult for Nick as a child and for his family to cope up with the acceptance of the absence of hands and legs. Due to bullying pressure, Nick wasn’t even allowed to study in a normal school, even though there was nothing wrong with his IQ.
Vujicic has also credited his parents for raising him to be strong and fearless: “I decided to use my life to encourage other people…I decided to be thankful for what I do have, not get angry about what I don’t. I looked at myself in the mirror and said: ‘You know what? The world is right – I have no arms or legs. But they’ll never take away the beauty of my eyes.’ I wanted to concentrate on something good that I had.”
When Nick was 10 years old, he began wondering why he was different from others and decided to drown himself since he saw no purpose in his living. However, thinking of his family and reflecting on how much it would hurt them to see him dead, prevented a young Nick from dying. After this, there was no looking back for this young man, who now has founded his own organization, called ‘Life Without Limbs’.
He became head boy in his school:
Nick Vujicic faced a tough childhood, but he gradually learned to use his feet to write, type, play, and shave. He pursued his secondary education from the ‘Runcorn State High School’, Queensland, Australia, where he was also the head boy. He was also on the student council that carried out humanitarian work – this would have raised his self-esteem profoundly.
He started his first business, Life without Limbs, an NGO when he was only 17:
After his schooling, Nick earned a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, specializing in financial planning and accountancy, from the ‘Griffith University’ in Queensland. In 2005, Nick founded an NGO named ‘Life Without Limbs’, which has its headquarters in Agoura Hills, California.
Today, his non-profit foundation, “Life without Limbs,” has taken him to places including Kenya and Korea to meet with presidents of countries, business leaders, religious leaders, and schools. He even filled the L.A. Dodgers Stadium with over 100,000 people to hear his messages of hope and inspiration as they battled with life’s challenges without really thinking about their limbs.
His message, that there is a purpose in each struggle we encounter, is made even more incredible by his circumstances of birth. His inspirational message of overcoming his own struggles, questioning God, and finding his purpose will leave you in awe of this extraordinary man!
At 17, he also started delivering speeches in his church group:
As a speaker, he gained fame after addressing school children, young adults, and working professionals. He has also spoken at various churches, all across the globe, because he believes that Christ loves him as he loves all his children. This would lead Nick Vujicic to travel to more than sixty countries around the world, and has touched the lives of millions of people.
He released a documentary based on his life:
In 2005, Vujicic released the DVD of a documentary movie, titled ‘Life’s Greater Purpose’. The film talks about the motivational speaker’s childhood, how he learned to use whatever was there of his limbs, and his married life.
He was on ’20/20′ :
In March 2008, Nick appeared in the ’20/20′ television series aired in the United States, for an interview, hosted by presenter Bob Cummings.
He is the star of the award-winning short film The Butterfly Circus:
In 2009, Vujicic was featured in a short film titled ‘The Butterfly Circus’, directed by Joshua Weigel. The short film also starred Mexican actor, Eduardo Verástegui, and American Doug Jones.
Nick has even acted in ‘The Butterfly Circus’, garnering the film three awards, and bagging one himself, for his brilliant portrayal of a man very much like himself, who is given a second chance to find and love himself.
The movie won a lot of accolades, including the first prize awarded by the ‘Doorpost Film Project’, and the ‘Best Short Film’ at the ‘Method Fest Independent Film Festival’, as well as the ‘The Feel Good Film Festival’.
He has released motivational like the ‘Biography of a Determined Man of Faith’:
Nick released a DVD titled ‘Biography of a Determined Man of Faith’ in 2013.
Featuring intriguing footage with family, friends, and dignitaries, as well as a sneak peek behind the scenes of his acting debut in “The Butterfly Circus,” BIOGRAPHY OF A DETERMINED MAN chronicles the poignant life story of Nick Vujicic fighting the odds with an uncompromising shield of hope.
This DVD consists of his travels around the world, and it is filmed in a way to be appropriate for public school settings.
He has also written a book titled ‘Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life’:
In 2010, Nick penned down a book, ‘Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life’, under the banner of the publishing company, ‘Random House’. This was his first book and it became popular rather quickly, resulting in his invitations to be interviewed on shows such as 20/20 and 60 Minutes.
‘Life Without Limbs’, is also the name of his organization that hosts events and presents talks on courage and faith in God to overcome any adversity faced in life.
He later wrote more books:
Today, Nick remains as busy as ever. Over the years, he had completed and published more books like:
Your Life Without Limits (2012);
Limitless: Devotions for a Ridiculously Good Life (2013);
Unstoppable: The Incredible Power of Faith in Action (2013);
The Power of Unstoppable Faith (2014);
Stand Strong (2015);
Love Without Limits (2016);
Be the Hands and Feet: Living Out God’s Love for All His Children, February 13, (2018).
Nick was awarded the following accolades:
In 1990, Vujicic’s determination and bravery impressed the world, and he was felicitated with the ‘Australian Young Citizen Award’. He was also one of the contenders for the ‘Young Australian of the Year Award’ in the year 2005. In 2010, he won the ‘Best Actor in Short Film’ award at the ‘Method Fest Independent Film Festival’ for his performance in the role of Will, from the movie ‘The Butterfly Circus’.
Net worth:
Nick, who runs an NGO, ‘Life Without Limbs’, aimed at helping people overcome challenges in their lives, has an estimated net worth of 500,000 dollars.
This motivational speaker is best known for saying:
“If you can’t get a miracle, become one.”
“I never met a bitter person who was thankful. Or a thankful person who was bitter.”
“If I fail, I try again, and again, and again. If YOU fail, are you going to try again? The human spirit can handle much worse than we realize. It matters HOW you are going to FINISH. Are you going to finish strong?”
“It’s a lie to think you’re not good enough. It’s a lie to think you’re not worth anything.”
“If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!”
Nick proposed to his wife, Kanae, on a yacht in Santa Barbara in 2011:
He used his mouth to put the ring on her finger.
Vujicic never thought that he would one day meet a woman who would fall in love with him because of his missing arms and legs.
However, after graduating from university and moving to America to launch his career as a motivational speaker and preacher, he met Kanae.
She was a nursing student when they crossed paths in Dallas, where he gave a motivational talk. According to Kanae, she did not pay much attention to his physical disability and was, instead, attracted to his personality.
Despite facing difficulties, Vujicic remains at ease, knowing he and his wife are going through life as a team. Kanae equally praises her husband as they go through ups and downs together. She shared:
“Nick Vujicic, the husband I couldn’t have dreamed of because my wildest dreams would’ve fallen very short. We have experienced many adventures together, full of rollercoasters but a ride well worth riding.”
He is a father of four:
Nick and Kanae’s first son, Kiyoshi James Vujicic, was born on 13th February 2013. Then, Nick and his wife Kanae excitedly await the arrival of their second son, already named Dejan Levi.
Two twins followed:
“Thank you all for your love and prayers! Babies Olivia and Ellie were born on Mommy’s Birthday, 5 pounds 2 ounces and 5 pounds 14 ounces. Mommy is well and so are the girls. Thank You God!” the author and evangelist posted to his Facebook page.
He later shared this photo of the identical baby girls. Today, the couple and their 4 kids reside in Southern California.
The dad-of-four admitted that fatherhood did not come easy at first. “When I see [them] crying, and I can’t help […] and I can’t do a thing […] it really brought me a level of stress I never imagined,” he shared.
Religion:
Nick Vujicic describes himself as a born-again Christian, despite his parent’s Serbian Orthodox beliefs. His message is seen as being most closely connected to Calvinism, but Vujicic does not identify as part of any specific denomination. He believes that the Bible is without error and is to be taken literally. Vujicic also believes strongly in the immanence of the Second Coming.
Although Nick doesn’t have any limbs, he does have two toes on his left foot (which he calls his chicken drumstick):
He can write, type 45 words per minute, swim, answer the phone and kick tennis balls extremely far. He uses his two toes on his lower torso to move and has a custom-made wheelchair to get to and from places.
Nick can actually hold his breath longer than the average person – two minutes, 13 seconds:
When Nick Vujicic was born, he had neither any arms nor any legs but he trained hard and became a swimmer, skydiver and surfer. He has competed in various parts of the world and even swam with sharks
Having half the blood volume in his body, everything hits Nick twice as hard – sugar, caffeine or alcohol:
That is an interesting fact!
Nick says he keeps a pair of shoes in his closet, because he believes in miracles:
That’s the power of positivity!
In 2006, he founded his very own company, “Attitude Is Altitude,” which is dedicated to public speaking and evangelism:
The Attitude Is Altitude Social and Emotional Learning K-12 Curriculum is a free-standing, step-by-step resource to empower young people to be successful, achieve their goals and make a positive difference in their lives and community. The Attitude Is Altitude curriculum contains comprehensive classroom resources and an exclusive archive of videos from Nick Vujicic for teachers, parents and students.
Nick Vujicic is extraordinary:
To watch an inspiring YouTube video of Nick and read unique quotes from his motivational speaking, makes any tough day just a little bit more positive.
Nick has been featured on BBC, 60 Minutes Australia, CBS Sunday Morning, Oprah’s LifeClass, USA Today, People Magazine, ABC News, The Glenn Beck Program TLC, LA Stories, and many more. He personally connects with his huge social media following through “The Nick Vujicic Podcast”, and engages through webinars and coaching.
Attitude is Altitude, No Limbs, No Limits, and Unstoppable, combined with his infectious personality and passion for life and sharing God’s message of love, have inspired and touched the lives of millions of people around the world.
Nick has also launched a new evangelical campaign called “Plant Seeds,” as well as his “2013 World Outreach Campaign,” all while managing his own business and non-profit organizations and fulfilling public speaking commitments. It is with an overwhelming sense of humbleness, pride, and awe that we celebrate Nick Vujicic as extraordinary. Nick is a true modern-day soldier of perseverance and relentless optimism.
