I was psyched at the prospect of learning to surf in the historic place where Hawaiian kings and queens first rode atop waves. I also was more than a little nervous. As Bethany waxed a longboard for me， she introduced me to surfing stars Tony Moniz and Lance Hookano， who would be joining us in the water.
As I‘ve mentioned， when you find yourself wondering whether you will be able to accomplish your goals in life， trust in people who are willing to lend you a hand and who can serve as your guide. That’s exactly what I did in approaching this goal. I could not have asked for better surfing buddies. They started me practicing by balancing on my board in the grass.
They took turns riding with me， giving me instructions and cheering me on. As we were wading into the ocean waves， I was struck by the scary thought that the two of us had only three limbs between us—and they were all Bethany‘s！ I loved the idea of being a surfer dude， and as a strong swimmer， I have no fear of the water， but I wasn’t sure I could stay on a board atop the waves even with all the expert help. On one trip I did a 360-degree turn with one of my instructors on board. On another I hopped off my board and onto Bethany‘s board while surfing！
Eventually I wanted to try it by myself. I can’t help it—I‘m a ham. Finally everyone agreed I was ready to surf solo. To help me get up on my own once I caught a wave， they created a small platform by duct-taping a few folded towels to the front of my surfboard， which I felt confident would help me bring myself up. Then， once I built up some speed on a wave， I could leverage my shoulders against the towels and inch up into a standing position. Where there is a will and a wave， there is a way！
A surfing competition was being held that day at Waikiki， and a crowd began to gather， watching us. Though it made me nervous， I was getting plenty of advice from the experts.
“Are you really going to try this on the water， dude？”
“Dude， I don’t know how you can stay balanced without arms and legs！”
“Can you swim， dude？ Can you swim faster than a shark， dude？”
Once we were out on the water， I actually felt better. I am very buoyant， so floating and swimming is not a problem. I also tend to drift， so I never know where I might end up. I had visions of floating back to Australia and washing up in my parents‘ backyard！
It was a gorgeous day. Bethany was in the water alongside me， encouraging me， but whenever I tried to catch a wave and stand up， I’d fall off my board. Six times I tried. Six times I wiped out.
I couldn‘t give up. Too many people were watching. Too many cameras were rolling. I was not about to be featured on YouTube as the disabled dude who couldn’t hang two. As a kid I‘d spent a lot of time skateboarding， so I was getting a good feel for it. Finally on my seventh attempt I caught a big wave and brought myself up. It was such a thrill， I don’t mind telling you that I screamed like a schoolgirl as I stood atop that board coming into the beach.
Everyone watching along the beach cheered and whistled as I surfed in. I was stoked！ I know that because everyone told me， “Dude， you are a stoked dude！”
For the next two hours we caught wave after wave， making nearly twenty rides. There were several photographers on the beach because of the competition， so I became the first rookie surfer ever to be featured on the cover of Surfer magazine. I toweled off from a great day on the water.
Later in an interview Lance Hookano made an interesting observation. “I‘ve been on this beach my whole life，” he said， “and I’ve never been a part of something like this. Nick is one of the most stoked people I have ever seen. He loves it. He‘s got salt water running through his veins. It makes me think anything’s possible.”
Hold that thought： Anything is possible. When you feel wiped out and blown away by a huge challenge， trust that anything is possible. You may not see a way out at the moment. You may feel that the whole world is lined up against you. But believe that circumstances can change， solutions can appear， and help can arrive from unexpected places. Then anything is possible！
If a bloke with no arms and no legs can learn to surf on one of the world‘s greatest beaches， anything and everything is possible for you！
FAITH TAKES ROOT
One of the most familiar stories from the Bible is the Parable of the Sower. A farmer sows seeds all over the place. Some fall on the road， where birds eat them. Some fall on rock， so they never take root. Others fall into thorny weeds that choke off their growth. Only the seeds thrown on good soil are able to grow and produce a crop and create many more seeds than were originally sown.
We not only receive seeds in our lifetime， we also hold them in the “good soil” of our hearts. When challenges get us down， we can look to our dreams of a better life. These dreams act as seeds for the realities that will come. Our faith is the rich soil that brings those seeds to life.
Those who loved me always encouraged me. They planted seeds in my heart. They assured me that I had blessings that could benefit others. Some days I believed them. Some days I didn’t. But they never gave up on me. They knew that at times they were planting on pavement， or in the weeds. Yet they trusted that their seeds would take root.
My family planted seeds every morning as I went off to school： “Have a good day， Nicholas！ Do your best and God will do the rest！”
There were days when I‘d think， Yeah， yeah， God has a mean sense of humor because I know I’ll be teased today on the playground.
Sure enough， as soon as I rolled onto the school grounds in my wheelchair， some jerk would be telling me I had a flat tire or that they wanted to use me as a doorstop in the library. Very funny.
On those days of discouragement， the supportive words from my parents fell on hard ground. There was nothing to nurture them. I was too bitter at the circumstances I‘d been born into.
But in the months and years following my bad trip to the bathtub， more and more of their encouragement fell on fertile ground. Part of it was that I won over my classmates with my determination and outgoing personality. I still had my down days， but I had fewer of them.