How to Be Unstoppable

Anthony Robles is the personification of Unstoppable.

Anthony Robles raises his hands in victory after winning the National Championship

At the recent ESPY Awards, Anthony Robles won the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.  Robles was born without a right leg, but that did not stop him from becoming a NCAA Division 1 Championship Wrestler.  Robles was a three-time NCAA All-American and he just completed his senior season with a perfect 36-0 record and won the 125-pound Championship at the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Tournament in March with a decisive 7-1 victory over defending champ Matt McDonough of the University of Iowa.  Below is the video of Robles’ acceptance speech with the transcript below.

“Thank You…Thank You…Thank You Very Much, it’s an honor to be here.  The reason most of us are here tonight isn’t because of what we’ve accomplished, it’s because of the sacrifices and encouragement that certain people have given us at critical times in our lives.  And you just saw who sacrificed for me, and encouraged me, and that was my Mom, Judy Robles.  When I was born, my birth Dad immediately bailed, I was born with one leg and my Mom could have walked away and just given me up for adoption, but she didn’t.   She taught me to never let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do and she didn’t protect me from pain and failure because she knew it would make me stronger.  Even when my Mom got sick at the beginning of my sophomore year in college, and my Stepdad walked out on the family and we lost our home and I wanted to quit wrestling and get a job to help pay the bills, my Mom refused to let any of us give up.  And here I am today, National Champion.

I must also thank Arizona State University Sun Devils for giving me one of the finest educations in the World and my friend Chris Freije and my High School Coach Bobby Williams who took me under their wrestling wings to push me every step of the way.  And now, as I go forward with so much more to do, this is my message:

Every soul who comes to Earth with a leg or two at birth must wrestle his opponents knowing it’s not what is, it’s what can be that measures worth.  Make it hard, just make it possible and through pain, I’ll not complain. My spirit is unconquerable.  Fearless I will face each foe, for I know I am capable.  I don’t care what’s probable, through blood, sweat and tears, I am UNSTOPPABLE.  Thank You.”

So, what do we notice here?  This is not a story of a one-legged wrestler who beat his two-legged opponents.  This is a case of a person who had multiple opportunities to quit, but he did not. 

His Mom got sick, he did NOT quit.

His Stepdad walked out, he did NOT quit.

His family lost their home, he did NOT quit.

If this was just about a guy with one leg who defied the odds and beat those with a physical advantage, it would have still been a great story.  What makes him UNSTOPPABLE is that he never quits.  What excuses are you making which are holding you back???  Let Anthony Robles be an example to us all, if we never quit and we never give up then, we are truly UNSTOPPABLE!!!

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