Joy can be your bully-proof shield {Stand Strong by Nick Vujicic}

Posted by ~Summer~ on July 03, 2014
in ,

This was the first video I watched of Nick Vujicic which tells of his unique, sweet and somewhat surreal love story with his wife, Kanae Miyahara.

I'm Prince Charming with a couple of bits and pieces missing...
How can I ever find my princess?



Go on, watch it now, I'll wait. I promise this will touch your heart and show you what true love is all about.

From that day onwards, this guy has become one of the greatest inspirations in my life and you know, you don't always get the chance to meet your inspiration in real life but I did. And I'm so very thankful for that.

******

Stand Strong - You can overcome bullying

I am a bully's dream, no doubt about it. No arms, no legs, no defense.



Back in Singapore for the eight time, Nick Vujicic held a press conference to promote his latest book, Stand Strong, that strives to help teens and adults fend off bullies and end the global bullying epidemic. 

Born without arms and legs, Nick struggled not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as a child. He would hide in the bushes in school so that bullies could not find him, he started swearing and became foulmouthed Nick in an attempt to fit in, he would lie in bed at night tortured by thoughts of what he lacked and wondered why he was created with so many imperfections, and when he was at the age of ten, he finally attempted suicide.

Photo of Nick Vujicic when he was young (Image credit)
Thoughts of his family grieving at his funeral and the pain he would inflict on them made him decide that suicide was not an option. From then on, he slowly but surely worked his way to build his bully defense system and discovered his sense of purpose in life, eventually overcoming all odds and inspiring millions of people around the world.

Parents naturally want their children to do well, but when a mother and father 
give love and support only if their child is successful in their eyes, it is a form of bullying.

Even though I do not share the same religious belief as Nick - who writes passionately about his faith in the book, it was a good read and there were some positive takeaways for a parent like me. In fact, in the first chapter, I was struck by the line "It's sad to say, but parents can be bullies too". It then talks about how suicide is a major problem in Asia where teens are under strong pressure to excel in school and get the best paying jobs. While focusing on improving the faults of our children, we tend to neglect encouragement and praise for their achievements. It's easy for me to say it now, but I hope as my kids grow up, they can find their paths in life based on dreams, passion and happiness - not income and fame.

You can consider your life a do-it-yourself project when it comes to 
creating your own happiness and self-esteem.

Every time Nick speaks, he radiates charm, poise, strength and most importantly - pure joy. That is one thing that draws me to him and likewise, I believe that happiness is a matter of choice, not fate or destiny. Stay Strong tells us that we can keep our emotions in check, that while we can't control how we feel, we can control how we act, that we can be vulnerable yet strong, that we have the ultimate power - the power to choose how we respond and how we live.



The book also talks about cyberbullying and provides a set of tips to prevent it, at the same time it encourages victims of bullying to help other victims and to have compassion for bullies, and last but not least, it reminds us as parents to instill the right values and attitudes in our children so that together, we can put a stop to bullying.

When asked about his son Kiyoshi (yes, Nick and Kanae have a beautiful one-year-old son!), Nick says "I don't care what he does or even if he wants to be a janitor when he grows up. I want him to be thankful for what he has and to do the best with what he has."

"You can't overcome a struggle if you don't face a struggle. So I'm not worried - I just want to do all I can to be the best daddy I can be."

Indeed, I absolutely have no doubt that he will be one totally awesome parent.


I am thankful that my girls and I had the chance to meet this inspiring daddy that morning and to Nick, thank you for motivating me to be a happier mum and for teaching my girls what it means to stand strong and never give up.

******

At the press conference, Nick also shared with us his three big announcements.

A video a day for 1,000 days

In an effort to reach out to more people online, Nick will put up a video every day - each about a minute long - for 1,000 days through 36 YouTube channels in different languages. Here's a look at the first in the Bullying series and you can find the rest of the clips here.

 

Movie in the making

A multi-million dollar film about Nick's life story is in the pipeline. His new production company, Ten Elephants Pictures, targets a 2015 release for the film and has sufficient budget for an A-list actor and director. Nicks shows his classic sense of humour and said “I’m not sure if I will be acting in it, or if they will use my body and CGI the actor’s head on.” 
 
Nick with son Kiyoshi in sling (Image credit)


Love Without Limits

Lastly, he also announced a new book, titled Love Without Limits, which will be released here in December. Co-written by Nick and Kanae, it would give a peek into their romance and for the first time, Kanae's own life story. “If you’re inspired by me, I’m even more inspired by her,” said Nick. “What I’ve gone through is nothing compared to her." Seriously, I just can't wait to get my hands on this book.

Nick and his happy family (Image credit: Left, right)

******

Now, I hope you have been inspired by this post and for those of you who have been touched, here's something more for you. If you are keen to get a copy of Stand Strong, here's a giveaway whereby two lucky readers of A Happy Mum will be receiving this new book by Nick Vujicic.

To participate, comment in this blog post and and leave your name, email address and answer the question "How do you teach your child to stay strong when he/she encounters a bully?" This giveaway is open to all readers with a valid Singapore address for delivery. Indicate in the Rafflecopter widget that you have commented and to increase your chances of winning, follow the rest of the options. Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: We attended the press conference held by Nick Vujicic on his new book, Stand Strong. A big thank you to Pansing for letting me bring the kids along (even though I was the only one) because that makes a huge difference to them, and to me, and I know this will go a long way to inspiring them to stand strong. A complimentary copy of the book was also received for review purpose. All opinions are my own.


21 comments:

  1. When my child faces a bully, I tell him to ignore the bully and think of positive things.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ting, tinkene@gmail.com

    i just taught my boy what he shouldn't do and what others shouldn't do to him.

    but i feel it's best to let lil children handle it themselves , for we can't be like a helicopter mum hawking after everything, we can't be there all the time. the children have to learn to cope on their own.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stand Tall & Be Brave!!!

    Neo Kwang Hui
    annhocktpt@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi,

    I tried to teach my child to be confident, be considerate but at the same time stand for the right...Speak it out. I believe one who have faith on oneself, can cope with such incidences more easily..
    She knows, I am always there for her, share with me, but first stand for yourself. Ask for help when needed..don't be afraid...you should know how to say "No" firmly...
    Sometime just try to ignore it or take it easy, funny way..everything doesn't matter..No one knows you much better then yourself...

    Thanks
    Ashmika Jain
    jainash1083@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. this book is good
    Vincent lee wee ping
    wlee76@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I remind my boy of the story of David and the Goliath. If God is for us, who can stand against us?

    Carol Lim
    Cmeilim@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. When My child faces a bully. I tell him that he should stand his ground and not let the other person walk over him. If that person is unreasonable no point talking /explaining to him. .. pick your battles.
    Dominique
    Email- you know right?

    ReplyDelete
  8. I tell my boy don't be afraid. Inform the teachers and stand firm.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I will tell him that one can be bullied, but one need not be intimidated.

    Robert Sim
    Robert_sim@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I tell my boy to tell the bully not to do 'it' to him and say it firmly. I tell him that he should not be bullied and that he should be strong and stand firm. If the bully still continues, I tell him to inform the teacher. Even teach him to hit the bully if really really it gets too bad and he will not get whacked.

    Felicia
    fur_li@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I teach my kid to approach others for help and return the bully with kindness. I always feel kindness will triumph eventually and i want to raise my kid as a kind child. He has been a victim of 4 bite incidents and although each time it pains me to see the bite marks, i believe it helps in growing his defense system as an individual and how better to cope with the bullying.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I tell my daughter that when you meet a bully, you treat them with compassion. Do not let the anger take over. Just because someone is doing something unkind, it doesn't mean you do a tit-for-tat.
    Ms Sim (ssarone@yahoo.com)

    ReplyDelete
  13. do not fight back and keep a distance. stand firm and say no.

    jingxian
    j_xian@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. jaime chan
    chueimei@gmail.com
    i wil ask my children to stand firm and say no

    ReplyDelete
  15. Shoulders BACK, chin UP and put a SMILE on ur face!!!

    My child might be hurt PHYSICALLY but EMOTONALLY he will be STRONGER!!! When he grows up, he will hopefully realized that he came out to be the BETTER PERSON in LIFE :)

    Jamie chaw
    Jamiechaw@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Do not do the same to others what you do not like. Be confident and seek help from teachers or parents.
    ker min
    magixn@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I tell my child that he should not be afraid but he should not retaliate. He should speak with mom and dad or the schoolteacher about the incident so that all parties could resolve the matter amicably.

    Lorraine Choo
    lorrainechoo@yahoo.com.sg

    ReplyDelete
  18. I tell my child not to ignore the bullies and not believe in what they say. She needs to believe at herself and not let other people's words affect her.

    Kum Ee
    kum_ee@yahoo.com.sg

    ReplyDelete
  19. There are many form of bullying. Currently, I am only concentrating on the physical aspect. I am teaching my child to say "no, don't do that" firmly to bullies. And to move away from the bully if she can't cope with the person. Report to teacher or parent when that happens. I read to her books about bullies and though the books I found does not give a good example of how to cope with bullies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. walk_of_life(at)live(d0t)com

      Delete
  20. My girl is a a crybaby and cries at every little thing which makes me really worried about getting bullied anywhere. I have friends teaching their kids to retaliate first before reporting when being bullied but I'm not so sure I like that teaching. I'm not sure how to teach, but right now I'm just telling her not to just stand there and cry, but to say NO firmly to the bully because doing that is rude and report to teacher at the earliest possible. At home, we let her 'practise' with her sibling as the sibling tends to 'bully' her too.

    Angeline
    adventurewithbabies@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete

Yoohoo, thanks so much for reading my blog and leaving your comment! I am feeling the love! (^.^)