A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.  ~Hugh Downs

Positive attitude can raise you to dizzying heights. Nick Vujicic shows us how. To the shock of his father Borris Vujicic (a pastor) and his mother Dushka Vujicic (a nurse) Nick Vujicic was born without hands or legs.  However, this child who the world would consider imperfect and abnormal grew up to inspire and motivate people from all walks of life, touching lives all over the world.

Nick Vujicic was born in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia. Having been born without hands or feet meant that he could not do most things other people take for granted. He could not hug or hold hands, stand, walk, run or dance. During childhood and adolescence, he struggled with depression and loneliness and wondered what his purpose in life was.

During these years Nick tried out some specially designed electronic arms and hands, in hopes that he would be more like the other kids. However, he realized that even with them, he was still unlike his peers at school, and they turned out to be much too heavy for him to operate, affecting his general mobility quite significantly.

As Nick grew up he learned to deal with his disability and started to be able to do more and more things on his own. He adapted to his situation and found ways to accomplish tasks that most people could only do by using their limbs, such as cleaning teeth, brushing hair, typing on a computer, swimming, playing sports, and much more. As time went by Nick began to embrace his situation and achieve greater things. In grade seven Nick was elected captain of his school and worked with the student council on various fund-raising events for local charities and disability campaigns.

According to Nick, the victory over his struggles throughout his journey, as well as his passion for life can be credited to his faith, his family, his friends and the many people he's encountered during his life who have encouraged him along the way.

After school Nick went on with further study and obtained a double bachelor degree majoring in accounting and financial planning. By the age of 19, Nick had started to fulfill his dream of encouraging others by sharing his story through motivational speaking. He found the purpose of his existence, and also the purpose in his circumstance. Nick wholeheartedly believes that there is a purpose in each of the struggles we encounter in our lives and that our attitude towards those struggles that can be the single most effective factor in overcoming them.

In 2005, Nick was nominated for the "Young Australian of the Year" Award, which is a large honor in Australia. The award honors a young person for their excellence and service to their local community and the nation, as well as their own personal accomplishments. Nominations for this award are only given to truly inspirational people.

Nick even though limbless, has accomplished more than most people. He recently moved from Brisbane, Australia to California, USA, where he is the president of an international non-profit organization, and also has his own motivational speaking company; Attitude Is Altitude. Since his first motivational speaking engagement back when he was 19, Nick has traveled around the world, sharing his story with millions of people, speaking to a range of different groups such as students, teachers, youth, business men and women, entrepreneurs, and church congregations of all sizes. He has also told his story and been interviewed on various televised programs worldwide.

People ask Nick, "How can you smile?" Then they realize there's got to be something more to life than meets the eye if a guy without arms and legs is living a fuller life.  As the saying goes,” Happiness is an attitude.  We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong.  The amount of work is the same. “~Francesca Reigler

Nick shares with his audiences the importance of vision and dreaming big. Using his own experiences in worldwide outreach as examples, he challenges others to examine their perspective and look beyond their circumstances. He shares his view of ceasing to see obstacles as problems, but instead begin to see them as opportunities to grow and reach out to others. He stresses the importance of how attitude can be the most powerful tool we have at our disposal and illustrates how the choices we make can have a profound effect on our lives and the lives of those around us. Nick shows through his own life that the major keys in fulfilling our biggest dreams are persistence and choosing to embrace failure as a learning experience, rather than allowing the guilt and fear of failure to paralyze us.

How does Nick Vujicic feel about his disability now? He accepts it, embraces it and oftentimes pokes fun at his own circumstance as he shows off his many tricks. He meets challenges with his special blend of humor, perseverance and faith always encouraging those around him to examine their perspective as they develop and define their vision. Using those new definitions he challenges each person he meets to make changes in their lives so that they can begin the path to fulfilling their biggest dreams. Through his amazing ability to connect with people from all walks of life and his incredible sense of humor he captivates children, teens and adults alike, Nick is a true inspirational and motivational speaker.

For more about Nick visit www.attitudeisaltitude.com