盲人运动员亚伦·戈卢布激励学生

Adversity can be a pathway to success rather than a roadblock, motivational speaker Aaron Golub told students during a special presentation to the community Oct. 5. 

 

Golub became the first legally blind athlete to play football in a Division 1 game when he was at Tulane University. He was a captain in his senior year, and went on to also become an NFL free agent. 

 

He never let his limited vision get in the way of his success and in fact, it was because of his adversity that he succeeded in achieving his goal. 

 

“I am a strong believer that things don’t happen to you, they happen 为 Golub告诉社区. 通过他的勇气, 决心和努力, 他在杜兰队赢得了一个长捕手的位置, a player who snaps the ball on a punt or field goal kick. 

 

He began playing football in seventh grade and his hard-won success underscores that it doesn’t matter what obstacles you face, 或者别人怎么说你的机会, your goal is achievable with hard work and tuning out the judgment of others. 

 

“What are the greatest adversities, challenges and obstacles you face on a daily basis?他问学生们. 

 

“它们对你们每个人来说都是不同的. Each of us have challenges and they aren’t easier or harder than mine; they are just different and unique to you,他说.

 

Growing up Golub tried every sport under the sun and failed at most. Eventually he found football and he badly wanted to play. 

 

“当时，我也不擅长这个. But what I realized in the moment was how can I create an environment of belonging. 我怎么能加入这个队, 我怎样才能帮助别人, 我怎样才能学习呢?, 我怎样才能每天都变得更好.”

 

He was a third-string junior varsity player in high school. 他意识到如果他在游戏中有一个利基位置, then there might be an opportunity 为 him and soon after he set a goal of playing Division 1 football.

 

Because of his limitations, he had to work twice as hard to be as good as everyone else on the team. 他痴迷于达到他的最终目标. “People thought I was nuts because I openly said I wanted to play Division 1 sports,他说.

 

“但这就是努力工作和决心发挥作用的地方. 当你真正愿意找到那个目标的时候, 并坚持不懈地追求这一愿景, 你可以实现任何你想要的,他说. 

 

“When you think about my adversity and my story the common factor is gratitude and perspective. 你现在面临的挑战, 他们的存在是有原因的——让你成长, 供你学习, 随着时间的推移，你也会变得更好. It is OK if they are to be hard now because they won’t always be, 如果你从感恩的角度来看待他们, 生活会变得更轻松.”

 

“I am so thankful and so grateful that I was born legally blind; it has allowed me to do incredible things, meet amazing people and to build the life and business I have today. If you take that perspective of gratitude about the challenges you are facing, 当你可以改变你的观点, 然后不可能变成可能.”