I love hearing the stories of others, especially when they immediately inspire. So, when olympian hopeful Michael Hubbs recently reached out me to tell me his story, I instantly fell in love with his determination and will along his journey. It didn’t take much digging to find motivation through his message. He began skating from ages 10 to 17, didn’t skate for 10 years and then came back to long track skating at age 27. Michael came back to the sport at an age that most would consider late in his career and now he is training to hopefully make the 2014 Winter Olympic team. A difficult feat, but that isn’t where the story ends.
Here is my favorite excerpt from my interview with Michael, which details his life and explains where he chose to overcome some huge obstacles in his life:
“I was born deaf and raised in Dallas, TX. I admit, my father was a homeless. My mom was never part of my life. I wasn’t raised by either of them, but I was raised by my grandmother. It wasn’t that great of a situation, but I had to make a choice– Be lazy or fight hard for my biggest dream of becoming an olympic athlete. I had to fight so hard to get to where I am now with my dream and now I hope to make the team.”
As he shared his life story with me, I began to see he embodied what this blog is all about. He has incredible focus, realized he had to make great life choices, has great leadership skills, has been forced to pick up excellent communication skills, had to use some creativity along the way, created lasting relationships and is now sharing his story with the world.
Most of us would have probably given up at the first sign of adversity that Michael experienced, but he didn’t give up. He is an example for all of us to follow for our own life journeys.
Don’t give up. Make an impact. Inspire others.
Follow along with Michael’s journey at michaelwhubbs.com and help Michael reach his goal.