In this episode, our guest is Robert Paylor, a public speaker, and motivational leader, with the story of defining the odds and overcoming challenges. Robert shares his passion and purpose with others, which has allowed him to battle paralysis and achieve goals, no matter how daunting they may seem. 

Robert broke his neck in the 2017 Collegiate Rugby National Championship, and that accident instantly changed his life. He was told he would never walk or move his hands again. However, by shifting his mindset, he could walk again, do more, and be more. 

Robert took a leap of faith by turning down an offer from Intel to go into public speaking. He has embarked on a career as an inspirational speaker and has begun writing a book with the working title, “Paralyzed and Powerful.”

Episode Quotes:

On competing for Cal's rugby team

"It was a tremendous opportunity to compete for the rugby program and go to school at a place like Cal. But it was also a significant challenge. I really had a hard time wrapping my head around not being a starter or being a mediocre or a subpar student amongst all these very bright people from all across the world. But I knew that the challenge was going to be significant. And really, in rugby, I'm not the fastest person out there on the field, by any means. And in the classroom, I'm not the brightest person. But I thought I had a good work ethic that would help me to be able to balance those scales and hopefully give me an edge."

On making one of the biggest decisions in his life

"In my mind, I was thinking that the answer was made. I couldn't believe that this had happened to me, but it did happen. And I've got one life. And I'm not going to spend the rest of my life with a victim's mindset, always thinking about what was and not what is, and what could have been, but what can I do? I couldn't stay in that mindset. I just needed to know that I was going to give absolutely everything I had to get absolutely everything I could get. I could live the rest of my life in a wheelchair or completely paralyzed, and I'll be okay with that as long as I give it everything I have. So, I decided to go into the surgery, and I said my prayers. I said goodbye to my family. I got rolled into the operating room. I closed my eyes. And that concluded May 6th, 2017."

Being optimistic despite the challenges

"Sometimes we can just have a mountain of a task in front of us, or we can just have this cataclysmic failure or drop in our lives that we just experience. And it can seem like we're just helpless, that there's nothing that we can do. We always have the ability to keep moving forward. We always have the ability to react in a positive way, with optimism."

Robert's word of wisdom

“My go-to for this is to be grateful for every day and moment. It's the advice I would give myself if I could go back and talk to myself on May 6th, 2017. This injury has shown me that life is fragile and life is a gift, and we ought to treat our life like a gift, embrace it, be grateful for it, to have the joy of receiving that gift every day. There are going to be challenges that impact us in our lives. And we don't have any control over that. But regardless, we ought to always focus on the positive things we have in our lives. There's always somebody who has it worse, and that's important for us to realize as well, to maintain that perspective, both looking through our experiences and the experiences of others, and to help us have that gratitude, just to realize the immense great things we have in our lives and just to never forget it. And when we start feeling down, to try to control our mindsets and remember that."

Show Links:

• Robert on LinkedIn
• Robert's website

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