Aron Ralston: Dig Deep

In 2003, hiker Aron Ralston went on an impromptu solo walk and got pinned by an 800-pound boulder in the canyon wilds of Utah. He was trapped for 5 days, alone, with little food or drink and scant chance for rescue. The boulder pressed against his hand, arm and shoulder and on the 6th day Ralston acknowledged that he would never free himself. He had a choice: lose his arm, or lose his life. Ralston chose life. He snapped the bones in his arm and sawed through the exposed flesh with the chipped blade of a multitool, freeing his body and leaving his arm behind. He walked 4 miles until he came upon a family hiking. He was rescued, and somehow he lived.

Little more than 1 year later, Ralston and his new prosthetic arm completed the grueling 100 mile Leadville Trail ultramarathon, a race held at high elevation on rock trails in the mountains of Colorado. Race creator Ken Chlouber: “He’s the essence of Leadville. We’ve got a motto here - you’re tougher than you think you are, and you can do more than you think you can. Guy like Aron, he shows the rest of us what we can do if we dig deep.”

Believe in yourself and do whatever it takes. Read Ralston’s incredible story inBetween a Rock and a Hard Place see his story in the new movie 127 Hours. Even during the toughest choices, know that you have an endless capacity for greatness. Dig deep, be great.

From September 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com