The man who sips tea with his legs

When John P. Foppe began to speak, there was pin-drop silence in the room which was filled with excited counselors, professionals and others. And who is John P. Foppe? The man is just like anyone else. He drives a car, cooks food and does everything like the rest of us. But what sets the successful author and motivational speaker apart is the fact that he was born without any arms.

“I remember when I was five, I did not want to go out and play with my friends,” recalls John, who was born in a family with eight children. But the transition from that little child to the person he is today, he says, came from a change not in his ‘attitude’ but his being. He believes that like many, he too ‘Had a choice to change and decide who he wanted to be’. “But,” he assures you, “Change never happens within a day, it takes time and patience.”

He admits that he wasn’t always like this. “As a young boy, I hated my life. I couldn’t understand why I had to be handicapped. I was filled with self-pity, a negative attitude, and low self-esteem. I was dependent on my family for everything,” says John, who went through a life-changing experience at the age of 10. That was when his parents, and his mother in particular, who decided to treat him with some ‘tough love’. 

“My mother would leave me on my own so that I would learn how to fend for myself. It was the push that I needed,” John admits. And ever since, there’s been no stopping him. “I soon learnt how to do things with my legs, from holding a cup and sipping tea to typing and driving a car,” he says.

After completing his education, John got a job and moved out of home just like every other youngster his age. Today, John helps others with adversity.

Motivational tips

• Stop making excuses and start working.
• The real handicaps in life are not physical. They are emotional and mental thoughts that stop you from progressing. Change your thoughts.
• Make the most of what you have.
• Let go of habits that pull you down. Be willing to discover new things.
• Motivation is an internal process. You need to be able to motivate yourself.
• Silence the most negative person in your life – Yourself. Don’t give in to your negative thoughts. 
• The first thing you need to do is usually the last thing you want to do. Start it and get done with it.