If you are not aware of who Stephen Hawking is, here is a quick introduction. Stephen Hawking is a leader in cosmology and universal law, performing pivotal work regarding the Big Bang Theory, Black Holes, and the unification of the Theory of Relativity with Quantum Theory. Now if all of this is just scientific mumbo jumbo to you, that is fine. The main take away is that Stephen Hawking has performed integral work shedding light on the basic laws that govern our universe.

To most people that is impressive in and of itself, which it really is. But, what is even more impressive is that he accomplished all of this after being diagnosed, at age 21 while he was still at university studying, with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), aka Lou Gehrig’s disease, which is an incurable disease that attacks the motor neurons in the brain that control voluntary muscular function, rendering the muscles useless over time.

In light of this happening, Professor Hawking has gone on to live a fully functional life, not only having three kids and a grandchild, he has also become one of the greatest contributors to the scientific community in the twentieth century. Although, currently, he is confined to his wheelchair and cannot speak without the aid of vocalization software or move any of his arms or legs, Professor Hawking continues to contribute as one of the brightest minds of our time and does not let anything stop him from enjoying life.

The next time life gets tough for you, just remember Professor Hawking’s story and the mindset altering moment he had when he was in the hospital sharing a room with a little boy dying of Leukemia. Professor Hawking made a choice, that choice was to stop feeling sorry for himself and to make the best of life, not to let life get the best of him.

Below is a video of Professor Hawking experiencing a zero gravity flight.

A wheelchair bound teenager does an awesome backflip at a skate park. His smooth landing makes this trick look it was just meant to be.