Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Now Churchill would enjoy the following three stories of average men going through tragic accidents and hard times. The three stories are: “Willing to Pay the Price”, “Yes, You Can”, and “The Cowboy’s Story”. These stories prove that people have come out on top in extraordinary circumstances. They faced the odds and never gave up hope. One man went through two tragic accidents which left him in a wheel chair and his body sixty-five percent burned. Another is a country man who moved to a city and became stuck in a dead end job. The final story is about a man who fights for his freedom.
“Willing to Pay the Price” is a great story that anyone could learn from. Le Van Vu always found a way to prosper. He played important roles in whatever he was doing. He found a way to escape from prison. Le even killed five men to return home after being captured by the North. Le and his wife made it through all of their problems together. After all that has happened to him Le still never gave up.
“Yes, You Can” is a good short story. The man was in a motorcycle accident which burned sixty-five percent of his body. Shortly after he was in a plane accident and was paralyzed from the waist down. After all of that, he still became a well respected citizen. He never let his disabilities put him down. Mitchell still lived his life to the fullest. It seemed nothing could hold him down.
“The Cowboy’s Story” Is a compelling story. The cowboy changed his goals that he made. The cowboy made his biggest dreams into reality. He kept a positive attitude and went far in the business world. The cowboy ended up owning half of the company he worked for. The theme was inspiring. It shows that anyone can do what they set their mind to.
These men lived their whole life finding opportunities in difficult times, just as Churchill said. Many people go through rough times, but try walking a mile in their shoes. These were stories of getting what was wanted; stories of not letting disabilities get the best of you. There are even stories of just not letting people put you down. These are all tales of people who overcome the odds and proved everyone wrong. They didn’t care what people thought, they just did what they believed. Everyone could learn a valuable lesson from these people. That lesson is do not let anything hold you back.