Nick Vujicic is an Australian man who was born with a rare condition that caused him to be born without any limbs. He moved to California in 2006 with the hopes of spreading his mindset of overcoming hopelessness. In this TEDx talk, Nick speaks on his experiences as a child and through out his young life. Suicide was something that he thought about and even attempted many times, but he realized just how important his life truly was. His entire life mission is to spread the power to overcome hopelessness for anyone that is facing struggles in their life.

Many people associate a person in a wheel chair with being inspirational, but in this comical edition of TED Talks Stella Young sets out to destroy that thought. Stella is a comedian and journalist who is confined to a wheel chair from a disability she was born with, but she makes it very clear that it by no means makes her more special than anyone else. In a humorous way, she aims to break down the mainstream thoughts of society that people with disabilities are only here to inspire or motivate people to do things, when that is in fact not the case.

Lizzie Velasquez was once labeled as the “world’s ugliest woman”. She decided to take this title and use it to create her own definition of what beauty truly is. She was born with a very rare condition that caused her to be unable to gain any weight whatsoever. In this inspiring TEDx Talk in Austin, Texas, she talks about all of the struggles that she faced, especially in school and among her peers. Bullying shaped the way she lives her life largely, but certainly not in a negative way. Lizzie is certainly a testimony of living life to the fullest and not letting anything hold you back.

Nati Amos de Huerta was born with a severe disability that affected her entire life. She discusses what shaped her outlook on life, and the way that she handled issues she faced. The biggest factor in this was her father, who gave her these words to live by: “You are not missing any parts, it’s just that other people cannot see them.” She has gained much attention in the medical world by giving lectures about her conditions and her experiences. Despite all of her obstacles she went on to attend Roosevelt University and become a biochemistry graduate and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Molecular Biology.

Piper Otterbein is a young girl with dyslexia. She learned of her learning disability at a very young age and continued to struggle with it through out her entire life. Her experiences helped to shape the way she viewed her future. She struggled with school, reading, and especially her SAT tests. After trying for years to over come her dyslexia, she finally learned to embrace it, focusing on what her strengths where instead of her downfalls. She developed a passion for art, which she is till pursuing today. Piper remains an inspiration for anyone who is struggling, or knows someone struggling with, dyslexia.