Jessica Cox quotes: inspiration from the armless achiever.
“Believe that you can do anything.”
“Desire is 80% of success. Persistence means never give up. Never allow your fear to stand in the way of your opportunity.”
“Every challenge can be overcome with the power of the mind.”
“Handicaps are mindsets. Whatever it is that stands in the way of achieving something, that’s when it’s a handicap. I prefer to see them as obstacles or challenges. This is how I’ve been my whole life. I don’t know any different. I just live my life through my feet.”
“Let’s be honest, everybody’s life has its own ration of adversity. None of us escapes the human experience without our share of challenges to overcome. It’s not the adversity that’s important. It’s our approach to managing adversity that determines the life we ultimately have.”
“We all have hidden assets of determination, courage and willpower. They are there under the surface all along. To achieve the impossible, we need to uncover those assets and apply them to our impossible goals. Determination is an unshakeable persistence that doesn’t give up ever for any reason—far beyond the expectations of others. Courage is the ability to rise above fears to snatch the impossible into possibility. Willpower is an unwavering yet flexible application of our own will to a problem. It’s flexibility that adds steel to the will.”
“How many times do we go through our days making excuses, seeing the negative, or stopping at hurdles rather than challenging ourselves to jump over them?”
“We all have times in our lives when fear and excuses overpower us and get in our way. Excuses can be so easy to use and ‘get away with.’ We seldom have anyone who holds us accountable to our dreams. What works to defeat fear and excuses then? Commitment does. Commitment clears a path to achieving the impossible. You need to develop the level of commitment where—when you commit to a goal—you can’t back out, you won’t back out.”
“The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory.”
“The human being must live some difficult moments in life to have emotional moments.”
“Don’t let fear stand in the way. Never allow your fear to stand in the way of opportunity.”
“Sometimes fear is rooted in a lack of knowledge and the unknown. When I first started flying, I realized my fear was because I did not know much about it.”
“A universal fear people have is a fear of inadequacy and lack of faith in ourselves.”
“It’s only human to have low moments in life because if you don’t, then you won’t feel the high, exciting times.”
“When you surround yourself with like-minded athletes who are all going through the same thing as you, it gives you more drive and strength to get through those moments when you don’t want to do it any more, when you think it’s hard.”
“Be kind, always!”
“As a child, there was no way to understand why I did not have arms like everyone else. It was difficult being different. By the time I was three, I was enrolled in gymnastics classes. By the time I was six I was swimming in the backyard pool and tapping out rhythms in dance class.”
“From tap dance lessons to taekwondo classes to swim lessons to modeling to Girl Scouts, every day after school I had some activity to do. I wanted so much to be normal, and I was told too often that I couldn’t do something or that I was handicapped.”
“My parents tried to use prosthetics to cover the missing limbs during my early years, but by the time I was in seventh grade, I refused to wear them. In a sense, they were dehumanizing to me. I was basically prevented from doing what comes naturally to me. On my first day of eighth grade, I finally decided to take off the prosthetics before boarding the school bus. As the bus door closed behind me, I felt freer and independent. Since that day, I never wore the prosthetics again.”
“I’ve been forced to live my entire life using just my feet for everyday things, from text messaging and playing the piano to putting in my contact lenses.”
“The greater challenge of being born without arms is the constant stares rather than the physical adversity. I used to get very irritated when people stared, especially when I’m walking down the street or eating with my feet. But I’ve learnt to turn that into something positive and use that opportunity to channel positive vibes and be an example of optimism.”
“I used to feel shy about being different. I remember the first time I was on stage. It was my very first at our dance studio presentation. I was so scared that I asked my dance teacher to put me in the back row. She told me there was no back row. Fortunately, after the show, the audience clapped and cheered. I couldn’t wait to go out for a second time and perform. I danced for 12 years after that.”
“This is just to show that there’s always more than one way to accomplish a task.”
“If you would’ve asked me about getting a pilot’s license before 2005, I’d say you were crazy. After I graduated college, a fighter pilot asked me if I wanted to go up on a flight in a single-engine plane. I always had a fear about being in an airplane, but I took this opportunity to go up on my first flight in a single-engine rather than a big commercial plane I was accustomed to. I was hooked and made a commitment to become a pilot. I wanted to motivate others to not let fear stand in the way of their opportunities.”
“I earned a US Federal Aviation Administration sport pilot license. I am now training to become an instructor—so I can help other disabled people learn to fly. When I fly, I have the greatest feeling of freedom, independence and power.”
“When I first took over the airplane without the instructor it was the most incredible moment—the greatest feeling of freedom, empowerment and independence in my life. I looked down and saw that playground where I sat imagining all those years ago. I had accomplished my childhood dream.”
“Takeoff isn’t scary at all—just the landing. Once you’re in the air, you feel that sense of freedom of no limits.”
“I’m now an inspirational speaker. I talk almost daily to schools, businesses and public crowds literally across the nation. Whether it is about overcoming the fear of flying, learning how to walk, or doing well in school, I help thousands each and every day. Defying the standards of what I call a ‘two-handed’ world, I can share in my speeches humorous stories of struggles and success.”
“I’ve set myself as a role model in front of the whole world and my journey is learning for every single person who is perfectly normal and still struggling with negativity in their life.”
“I also believe every person has visible and invisible challenges that can be your obstacle or opportunity; it’s up to you how you take it. Everyone had to face the fear of rejection at some point in their life. Everyone has done something to hide a part of who they are. It’s time to think outside the shoe and see how can you fly.”
“I try to motivate the people with my story and encourage the people to be creative and innovative with the slogan ‘Think outside the shoe.'”
“I’ve been to Canada, Italy, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Ghana and the Philippines… and the message of persistence is universal. It is always tempting and easy to give up. Everyone struggles. Everyone has disappointments. Persisting through difficulties and learning from them makes us stronger.”
“I quote this prayer before going on stage when I tell my story, ‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.'”
“My message is that disabilities are not limited to physical. They shouldn’t stand in the way of success, there’s no handicap to success.”
“I credit my parents for being my role models and pillar of support. My mum is my role model and always tells me I can do anything I’ve set my mind to. My dad never once shed a tear when I was born because he did not see me as a victim. It is hard being a parent to a disabled child. He was my rock during the difficult times and that has shaped me into the person I am today.”
“I believe that by combining creativity, persistence and fearlessness, nothing is impossible. My indomitable spirit overrides what I might lack physically.”
“I may not have arms but that does not determine who I am or who I can become.”
“Life is good.”
Related: Nick Vujicic quotes.
