"Think outside the shoe" - Jessica Cox

 

Picture worth a thousand words...

"Instead of asking yourself- Can I accomplish it, ask yourself- How can I accomplish it"

- Jessica Cox

Redefining the meaning of the word "ability", Jessica Cox has proven again and again to this world that ability is nothing more than just a vision through obstacles. Its just the willingness to look beyond your roadblocks. Jessica Cox was born in 1983 in Arizona without arms due to a rare birth defect. But she chose to be the master of her destiny and not the slave of her tragedy.

In her own inspiring words,"What everything i have learned about overcoming obstacles is maintaining a positive attitude and to be as creative as possible. Creativity is just crucial because there is only one way to do something but if you are creative enough, you will always figure out a new way of doing something. Whenever I am compelling obstacle in life, I am pretty determined about overcoming it. It starts with acceptance, then you move forward. Its very easy to see ourselves as victim but we can also choose to see ourselves as the empowered ones. Fortunately, my parents brought me up, never letting me see myself as a victim. I believed that i was empowered and I could do anything."

Jessica Cox holds the Guinness World Record for being the first armless person in aviation history to earn a pilot's certificate. She decided to learn how to fly to be able to overcome her fear of flying. She is also the first armless person to earn a black-belt in American Taekwondo Association.( Currently, she has two black-belts in Taekwondo.) She is a psychology graduate and is recognized internationally as an inspirational keynote speaker. She has traveled to 20 countries sharing her inspiring message. She is also a certified SCUBA diver. She drives car without modification, plays piano, types keyboard, uses her phone, writes, put in and removes her contact lenses, surfs, cooks, eat, apply makeup and brush her hair with her feet. "Rightfooted" is the name of the documentary film being made on the life of Jessica Cox.

I think that impossible is a word that Jessica Cox has never learned. There is nothing that this woman can't do. As a motivational speaker she says to the world," Creativity + Persistence + Fearlessness = Nothing is impossible".

In the end I would like to pay my gratitude to this hero for sharing with us her story of courage and triumph and teaching us a beautiful lesson for life that "one's perspective is what makes the difference".

Rythum Verma