Episode 123 Interview Jeff Soelberg: Losing a Hand – Giving a Hand

Episode 123 Interview Jeff Soelberg: Losing a Hand – Giving a Hand Welcome to the Love Your Story podcast where I get to interview people with STORIES! Getting down to the nitty-gritty of real life. What we really experience, what we struggle with, how we overcome, and the journey of the hero along that path – falling down and getting up. Today I bring Jeff Soelberg to the table.  He’s just your average middle age guy whose life changed for the better on July 6, 2016, when he lost 3 of his fingers in a work accident and severely damaged his wrist. Over 8 months and 6 surgeries, hundreds of stitches and 1000s of hours of PT, he returned to work a different man. Jeff, instead of staying in the dark space created by the loss of the use of his hand decided to look for the news doors this could open for him. He now has a mechanical addition to his hand and he’s embraced the CrossFit competitions where he’s excelled and met inspiring individuals.  Stay tuned to hear about his story. The night of Jeff’s accident his surgeon told him that he wouldn’t be able to lift weights again. He didn’t accept that and today he takes pride in proving his surgeon wrong.  He’s a 55 year old who is competing against 20 and 30-year-olds in adaptive CrossFit competitions. He’s a big proponent of sharing the idea that we can overcome any challenge, climb any mountain we set our minds to and that we can do it no matter our age or ability. Tune into the audio program for my interview with Jeff. Since the interview Jeff has continued to create new and exciting things: In September he set the Indoor Rowing World Record for the 1/2 marathon 21097 meters in the Physically Disabled over 50 division. 1 hour 34 min 28 sec. He participated in the first ever Para Spartan Elite Race in Laughlin, Nevada. He has been peaking to groups about overcoming challenges. He started to do testing with his prosthetic manufacturer. Test the limits and abilities of my hands. To follow his new foundation that is in the works: Website: www.jeffgivingahand.org   Michelle Obama said, “You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages.” I believe Jeff exemplifies this. He’s a great example of taking a challenging situation and finding the silver-lining; making the best of it; taking it a step further to try and encourage others. Your challenge for this week is to think about what your largest challenge is right now at this moment in time. Can you find 5 things to be grateful for regarding this challenge? What are you learning from it? What people has it brought into your life? What opportunities has it created? Give it a little thought and you’ll find that there is always a silver lining and finding it not only broadens your perspective, it’s also the key that starts to change the energy and anxiety that surrounds the challenge. Have a great week out there creating your best life stories. Share this episode with someone you feel it might inspire and we’ll see you next week on the Love Your Story podcast.