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Comedian Eric Haines |
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Comedy, juggling, music and variety for short attention spans. |
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Encouraging Links |
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I love my job. I get to entertain people, and I don't take that responsibility lightly. I count myself blessed to live in America, where the opportunity to excel has no limits, except for the lack of will to try. While telling jokes and doing juggling tricks may seem to be an unusual job, it pales in comparison to the unusual jobs people have found a way to turn into a career. Videos 1 and 2 are examples of people who challenge conventional wisdom about what you can do for a living. Inspiring videos 3-8 will remove any excuses that slow you down from achieving your goals. |
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1. Professional jump roper Rene Bibaud holds the worlds record for the fastest jump rope, in addition to working for Cirque du Soleil. |
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2. Professional bubble blower Did you enjoy blowing bubble s as a kid? Tom Noddy , the bubble man has made it his full time job. |
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3. Mark Inglis climbs mount Everest Over 150 people have died attempting to climb Mount Everest. Mark Inglis did it without legs. |
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4. Casey Boemer, professional juggler I had the honor of watching Casey win the juniors division competition at the 1996 International Jugglers Association festival. |
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5. Django Reinhardt, jazz guitarist Despite injuries to his hand, that left him with only two fully functioning fingers on his left hand, Django Reinhardt became the father of Gypsy Jazz guitar. |
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Armless musicians Could you play the violin if you wanted to? Watch these videos before you doubt your ability to learn anything that you really want to. Scroll to the bottom to see the videos. NOTE: THIS LINK WILL TAKE YOU TO AN EXTERNAL SITE. YOU MUST CLICK YOUR BACK BUTTON TO RETURN TO COMEDYROCKET.COM |
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Throughout the years, I have collected stories of people who have overcome the odds, whether it's a disability , a handicap, or a circumstance, and gone on to live a dream that seemed out of reach, even to those without a stumbling block. Are you too young, too old, too poor or too handicapped to do something that you've dreamed of? These people will leave you with no excuses. Each one is disabled in the specific area that conventional wisdom says would make it impossible to do what they do. |
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6. Hee Ah, The four-fingered pianist |
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8. Cello Player |
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What's holding you back? Do you feel like math is too hard to learn? How about learning to play the piano?
In my school assembly programs, I use some of the stories you see here to illustrate that the only thing preventing you from learning ANYTHING is a lack of willingness to try.
The people with apparent "disabilities" on this page were hand-selected by me because each of them is missing the one thing you'd expect someone with their ability to have. A mountain climber with no legs, a juggler with one arm, a piano player with only four fingers- all of these are examples of people who don't really have a disability, but had to find a creative solution in order to do what they wanted to. They are what we should all be, they are people who cope with what they have been given, and go on to greatness, even as it is judged by "non-disabled" standards.
I cope with having a short attention span, and difficulty learning both mathematics and music theory. I have found ways to make myself successful in these areas, despite not being "wired" to do them. A lack of natural talent in these areas meant that I had to be creative, and simply buckle down and do some rote learning to get it. Even with talent, the rule for everything is practice, practice, practice. My experience is modest compared to the extraordinary people on this list. May they serve as an inspiration to you, as they have to me.
Eric
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No Excuses.
My favorite entertainer of all time grew up as a poor black child from a bad neighborhood in the segregated south in the 1920s. He became one of the greatest jazz trumpet players of all time. Louie Armstrong broke down racial barriers that led to civil rights for all. His family was so poor growing up that they couldn't afford medicine or shoes. Are you too poor to learn?
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Reading: Ask the average kid if they could read if they couldn't see, and most will say no. Helen Keller was blind and deaf, yet she learned to read.
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Mozart was only 4 when he composed his first symphony. Are you too young to learn?
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Grandma Moses painted her first painting at age 76- are you too old to learn?
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Every person has things that they learn to cope with in order to function. The people on this page are living proof that anything can be overcome.
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Have you always wanted to learn guitar? Watch a video of a guitarist with no arms or legs, then ask yourself what's holding you back.
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A stand-up comedian only needs to stand and talk. Having cerebral palsy affects both of those abilities, yet I watched Josh Blue win the Las Vegas comedy competition and Last Comic Standing. Here's his web site:
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The default position of someone with a disability is to be a non-conformist. Because they can't do things the way everyone else does, they must be creative, in order to just make it through the day.
The inability to conform is the default pathway to creativity.
Those who don't suffer themselves have a harder time learning compassion, just as a conventional life never challenges anyone to think in a non-conventional way. Sometimes our obstacles become our greatest teacher.
We all have obstacles to overcome. We must simply find ways to cope with what we've been given.
Eric Haines
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Link to a story about a blind marching band:
Link to a story about an armless piano player:
Link to the
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7. Peg Leg Bates, Tap Dancer |
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Leslie Lemke, blind savant musician, appears on ABC's "That's Incredible" TV show in 1981. |
