Despite losing her arm to a shark attack at the age of 13, Bethany Hamilton continues to pursue a career as a professional surfer and has participated in numerous competitions throughout the years. Her strong faith drives her not only to be successful on the waves but also to help others with her charitable works. Here are a few lessons we can all learn about faith, determination and giving back from Bethany.
Believe in yourself.
Bethany credits her survival of the shark attack and her strength in continuing her competitive surfing career to her strong faith in Jesus Christ. Bethany's faith also drives her to help and inspire others.
Believing in yourself is another form of faith, no matter what your religious beliefs -- and helps you survive tragedy and move forward.
Be positive.
Bethany believes in always looking her best in any situation. Instead of giving into all the reasons she shouldn't have continued with her dream of surfing professionally, she looked for reasons she should.
Positive attitudes help not only the people who have them but also the people around them. Cultivate a positive attitude, and you'll benefit your friends, family and coworkers.
Be willing to work hard for your dream.
Even though Bethany makes it look easy, a lot of hard work was necessary for her to get to where she is today. Bethany works out regularly to keep her body strong and her stamina high so she can tackle the big waves during competition. She knows that you can't sit around and wait for your dream to come true; you have to work for it.
Physical activity can give you the edge in both body and mind to pursue your goals.
Inspire others.
Bethany enjoys sharing her experiences in hopes of inspiring others to reach for their dreams. She does this through pursuing her sport, sharing her faith and telling her story through her books, movie and motivational speaking engagements. Everyone has something to teach or share with others. Take a page from Bethany's life and commit yourself to inspiring others.
Give back.
Bethany draws great joy from helping others. She is involved with several charities including World Vision and Friends of Bethany. She does more than donate money, however; she helps raise money for her favorite charities through fundraisers, appearances and awareness.
Giving back can be as easy as volunteering in your child's classroom or helping a local charity raise money. Helping others makes your community better and gives you a strong sense of satisfaction.
Bethany Hamilton: My story
Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton talks about her passion, her past and her future.
hi bethany
ok, i know for a fact that you get soooooo much fan mail and i'm sure it can be overwhelming for you. I don't even know what to say, you have been one of my biggest heros (God being my 1st biggest hero). I was born in Belarus Russia, when my birth mom and dad were about 11 years old a nuclear power plant mouth functioned in 1986, it was called Chernobyl. i don't know if you have ever heared of it, but i promise you i am not making this up lol. Well when i was born (my birth parents were 18 and 19) i had been given "2nd Generation Chernobyl Birth Deffects." That ment, that whatever radiation my birth parents were exposed to like breathing, eating, sleeping, in all the radiation, it was passed down to me. Due to Chernobyl, i have been given what people call "birth deffects" i call "God's gifts." I have one right arm and on that right arm i only have two fingers. I am also "dwarf size."
All i can really say is, i hope you are the REAL Bethany and not some fan site that says you are "real." I also wanted to ask you, can you be my friend on facebook? I respect you as a person, and a sister in Christ. When I say i respect you, i respect EVERY aspect of you. That includes your privacy and your personal space. I thought i would send you a message and ASK if you could be my friend on facebook, Instead of being some "crazed" fan who just adds you as a friend without telling more about themselves. I also will respect you if you decline my friend requist. I will understand So there for, i won't requist you until i get an ok from you.
PS: i had a dream a few days after soul surfer the movie came out. In my dream, i was playing YOU in the movie, and we were discussing and praying on how i was to act out the "shark attack scene while walking on the beach. I thought you might think that was cool or funny?
PSS: I know you don't know me, i can only HOPE and PRAY that some way we could be friends (however God intends it). Thank you, for EVERYTHING!
Olga Elise Deckman
Believe in yourself.
Be positive.
Be willing to work hard for your dream.
Inspire others.
Give back.
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