Amputation—the last thing J.C. Ryan wanted. To his great dismay and distress, his frostbitten hands could not be salvaged. He had been caught in a terrible Dakota blizzard for far too long. Underdressed and unprepared, his hands were lifeless now, and that fateful blizzard left him with two nubs at the end of his short, pudgy arms.

It’s the late 1800s. Ryan is 22 years old, and he wonders, What now? How would he get dressed? How would he bathe? How would he eat, brush his teeth, or comb his hair? How would he ever write again?

The amazing truth is that Ryan went on to achieve what would arguably be the last thing a man with no hands would choose to do. He would write again. He would draw again. In fact, he would make a living—as much as $30 a day (more than $1,000 in our money today)—writing and signing postcards. He would become the first handless penman.

He first tried writing with his feet, but this, he felt, wasn’t convenient. After meeting Warner C. Brownfield, a master penman who taught him the movements he would need for roundhand writing, (precise directional slants, sweeping curves and heavier strokes achieved by sensitive changes of pressure), he began progressing toward his grand goals.

The improvements were slight and slow, but Ryan stuck with it. Between his two nubs would sit the ink-filled pens. Brownfield observed: “The movement he uses is mainly body motion flowing out through both arms, though his left arm does most of the propelling. The resting of his arms and rolling on the muscles with precision gives him much the same control gotten by the best professional penmen through aid of the fingers.” In fact, master penman know that skilled flourishing is more a matter of arm movement than finger movement.

With full-body motion, Ryan would pen some of the most elegant writing of his day. Traveling frequently with a circus, his postcard business boomed. In 1917 he wrote Browning, saying, “I am doing the biggest business in my life .… I am getting 35 cents per dozen cards, 50 cents with address, so that is a good price.” Browning went on to describe Ryan as an optimist, a prodigious worker, and a quick worker. “He has patience, a world of it, but not a lazy patience.” Ryan could have written himself off as a useless handicapped man with no real future. And yet he refused to settle.

As Charles R. Swindoll put it, “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it.” This certainly doesn’t mean we shouldn’t put forth the effort to “happen” to life! James Allen, author of the book As a Man Thinketh, reminds his readers, “You will be what you will to be.” We must realize that, while God has set a direction for us to go and a destination for us to reach, much of how we get there—or whether or not we get there—will be by our choosing.

The Business Educator said this about Ryan, “Think of a man without hands, tying his shoes, buttoning his shirt and collar, putting on his tie and taking care of himself in every way without aid from others, to say nothing of mastering penmanship, going on the road as an enthusiastic card writer, doing well, taking care of his money, and best of all being happy and enjoying life—that is J. C. Ryan.” Brownfield adds, “His life is an example of courage and should be an inspiration to those who have hands and don’t train them.”

That is a terrific point to ponder from Ryan’s life. Most of us have both hands, both feet, both eyes and full capacity to become effective individuals for God’s Work and Family. Yet some protest that their penmanship has sailed and sunk. Is this the way you think? If you asked for J. C. Ryan’s opinion, he’d likely tell you it hasn’t. Maybe it’s been wrecked early on in its voyage, but it can improve if we get to work on it. If you want to be a better writer, go for it. Practice, improve, and don’t stop working at growing.

J. C. Ryan’s story can remind each of us that making excuses isn’t worthy of success. Sometimes the hand we’re dealt doesn’t seem fair. Granted, it can take time to overcome some real setbacks in life. Some handicaps are very challenging to conquer. But they can be conquered! It’s easier to complain than to conquer, so most people do that. But consider the obstacle as an opportunity to do something remarkable—something almost impossible. J.C. Ryan achieved what might be considered a “good” life as a man of this world in the early 1900s. He developed his artistic ability without having a close relationship with God. How much more can you and I accomplish with God in our lives?

There is a lesson Mr. Armstrong shares in an article entitled, “Is Specialized Talent God-given?” that is relatable to this topic. “I have come to know a few who have obtained world fame in the performing arts,” he writes. “Arthur Rubinstein, the famous pianist. Isaac Stern and Yehudi Menuhin, violinists, for example. Were they specially talented above other people? Undoubtedly, yet everyone began while quite young — and stuck to it with determination day after day, year after year. They didn’t quit. They worked at it. They continued improving. They were not content with mediocrity. They became real ‘pros’!”

Mr. Armstrong then asks, “Are the ‘great artists’ specially endowed with talent above others?” This is a big question for God’s youth! There are, Mr. Armstrong notes, certain advantages some have in certain areas of life by way of heredity. He writes, “By natural heredity some are talented in one direction, some in others, while still others have at least not discovered any special aptitudes at all.” Have you not yet discovered your special aptitudes? Perhaps you will—you just have to start searching for it! It’s there! You have something spectacular to offer no matter who you are or your situation in life at this moment! Get active! Try new things! Be curious about hobbies and skills you can develop into real, effective, useful talents.

“Heredity does play a certain part in one’s success or failure in this life. So does environment — by which I mean whatever external influences are exerted” (ibid.). Yes, the blizzard took away Ryan’s hands! That was quite literally the environment doing that one (though this second variable refers to all external influences and forces in life). But note what Mr. Armstrong says next: “Yet the biggest factors in determining success or failure in life are motivation, determination, drive, perseverance.”

In other words, there is no reason to be a low achiever. Turn apparent failures into your greatest talents! Set your mind to become a pro at something. Most of all, we here to become professionals at God’s way of real, abundant living! But in every endeavor, seek to do it well. Don’t worry about the obstacles. Remember people like J.C. Ryan who had obstacles perhaps far greater than you or me! Buckle down and push yourself. Specialized talent is not God-given, but for you, it most certainly can be God-aided. You have the greatest advantage of all young people on the planet!

So take initiative and build your skills. Strengthen your aptitudes. Further your talents! But above all, remember to give credit to God. He’ll take you further than all the talented musicians, writers, vocalists, dancers, athletes and artists combined! He wants to make you a talented, useful individual in His hands, and there is no obstacle too big for Him to make you just that. Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever limitations you have, make no excuses. Find your talent and get busy doing great things for God’s Work and Family.