Ep. 89 Mehdi Akbary: From Constant Curiosity to Discovering Completion
Mehdi Akbary had to overcome countless obstacles from a very young age. He was born in central Afghanistan and was told he was paralyzed from the waist down. He had no access to a doctor, nor could his parents afford one to truly know why he couldn't move his legs. When Mehdi was five years old, everything changed when he accidentally cut his finger. Watching the cut heal on its own gave Mehdi hope for a similar healing of his legs. He never gave up the dream of learning to walk.
While trying to escape the war, Mehdi lost seven family members, including his mother. As a refugee with no money and no documents, Mehdi overcame the odds by teaching himself to walk and set off to conquer his next goal of traveling the world. He took his first overseas trip when he was 16. Mehdi settled in Toronto, Canada in 1994 and started a successful career in business.
Mehdi is the founder of the non-profit Organization for Work and Development of Afghanistan (OWDA). He is working to build schools across Afghanistan to help the most vulnerable and underprivileged get an education. He has also written several books. His latest book, 5 Laws of Inner Change, is the stepping stone in achieving any goal in life.
In this powerful episode of Flip Your Script with Kristi Piehl, Mehdi shares the determination and perseverance it took to overcome the countless challenges he has faced and how he is using his life experiences to help others.
CLOSING QUOTE
“When you face a fierce wind, never fear the fierce wind. It is the wind that takes you to height.”