Kyle Maynard's No Excuses

How often do you make excuses to yourself that you can’t do something? Some people say maybe twice a day, but if Kyle Maynard from the book: No Excuses can achieve his goals, then anyone can if they believe and put in as much heart as he did. The book is about a young man who grew up with no limbs. He might have the disability, but he still will achieve anything that is placed in front of him. People need to push their self to receive what they want and not just expect it to happen so easily. When Kyle wanted to do something, his parents wouldn’t stop him. They loved him as much as the world and would do anything for him. You shouldn’t let poor excuses get in the way of your dreams. These excuses stop you from doing what you want to do and

are like brick walls during your path to success. Anyone can achieve their goals, as long as you make it happen.
Kyle mentioned from his book, “It’s natural for people to doubt me because of my appearance, but the limits others place on me often become a burden” (53).

He means that at first people don’t see him as he is in the inside because of the way he looks. On the inside, he is strong and does everything he can to make his dreams happen. One of Kyle’s biggest moments that has shown his “No Excuses” attitude is when he tried out for the middle school football team. He showed up to all of his practices focused and ready to prove to all of his coaches that he is just like the other kids. The coaches started to notice that he was working twice as hard as most kids on the field. Kyle was for sure trying to earn his spot. Everyone was impressed with his hard work and his attitude that he eventually was a starter for his team. If you push yourself hard to reach your goals, then you can do anything you want. You have to put effort in what you are doing. When it comes to wrestling, it is the person who wants it the most who will most likely win the match. That person put in everything they have and never gave up. That’s kind of how life is. You need to work out your own salvation and not depend on others to do everything for

you.
“I know my limits, but never stop trying to break them” (93). Even though he was disabled, he would always try his hardest to achieve things like everything was normal. Another moment in Kyle’s life that really showed the “No Excuses” attitude was when he continued to wrestle even though he was losing pretty much all of his matches. Most people wouldn’t have the patience, strength, or courage like he did. He would stay with the coach to learn some technique that could possibly help his wrestling. On the days that he would want to give up or like he wasn’t good enough, he would continue on with the day and put excuses aside. Eventually, all of the rough practices paid off. He had won his first match during the seventh grade. People don’t realize that our dreams could come true as soon as we forget about all of the excuses that are stopping us from doing what we truly believe. We all have great potential in life; however, you have to want to get there in order to do it.
“In life and in competition, good character is the foundation of everything” (135).

For whatever you want to earn or complete, you have to put away every reason why you can’t do something and put the positive reasons ahead. One more thing that Kyle demonstrated of his “No Excuses” attitude was when he won his match at a score of 10-5. He won against his opponent already and he lost once as well. Kyle knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy match, and he definitely needed to bring his all. Even the people watching could tell it was going to be a rough and tough match! Coach Ramos, one of Kyle’s biggest inspiration, was warming him up before it began. Kyle had fear walking up to the mat. Anyone who doesn’t have fear before doing what they love isn’t human because if you honestly love what you do, then you will be worried to lose it. This match was making them both very tired during the struggling war. Only the one with the most heart and wants it the most will win the match. It was still third period and Kyle had the lead. At the end, he ended up winning and was fill of joy because he had accomplished what he wanted and dominated the other wrestler with endurance and by heart. The whistle was the most heart filling sound he could hear the whole day. It’s alright to be worried or have fear for something because it shows that you care for what you are

doing.
Abraham Lincoln once quoted, “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years”. He meant that it is what you do in your life that matter, not how long you did it. For some odd reason, I like to think of myself like a box of chocolates. I think this is because you never know what you are going to get. It is different each day with me because I like to achieve something different pretty much always. One day I want to do this and the next day it is completely different. However, I push myself to do the things my body is telling me I can’t do, even though I know I can because I feel it in my heart. When I was young I thought it was bad to be nervous, until I realized it is because I am afraid of losing the things that I love. To sum it all up, my life motto is, “As long as you have heart and live life to your full potential, you can defeat anything you set your mind to!”