Yes! you read it right. From NOTHING to MUCH more than AWESOME. A real life story of Perseverance, Self-Belief and Achievement - my friend Aamir
In literary terms the word “Aamir” means Royal. But this man – my friend, inspiration and a real-life hero – Aamir Nasim, beautified the meaning of the word “Aamir” when he not only came back from death bed, but also set an unbelievable example by achieving one the world’s best titles in physical fitness – CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist), and showed everyone that impossible is nothing.
Read ahead about a real-life transformation and I bet you would forget about all the digital transformations that the industries are buzzing with…
It was the year 2012 - A normal day, 2nd year engineering students playing cricket. No one would have imagined that a cricket ball would hit Aamir in the head so bad that would upturn his life forever. He fainted, was rushed to hospital, and went into a Coma. Doctors gave up hope and said that only a miracle could save him. Blessed are the people who prayed for this soul, that he came out of the coma after 2 months, but a lot has been taken away from him – he suffered a full body paralysis.
I cannot imagine the huge burden of pain and sorrow upon his family. Many people lost hope, but this guy did not. Medical treatments and physiotherapy were the initial steps. But had it not been his own willpower, willingness to live, fight back for himself, his family and everyone around him, I don’t feel he would be where he is now.
He had an easy choice of doing nothing and trusting everything on to Destiny.
But that was not his mettle.
11 long years of sheer Perseverance, Grit, Self-belief, 1000% Dedication, Patience, Focus, Hope…. words would fell short to describe.. while enduring pain and hopelessness, he took one step at a time. As soon as he was just able to walk with support he went back to college and completed his engineering course. Although walking 10 metres would take him forever, he did not give up. His next focus was to bring back himself to life – and that is when began the study and research on everything related to physiology and training techniques – which he would read, connect with experts, understand and apply on himself. He started with whatever he can – books, wall, bed, heavy utensils, water-filled buckets and slowly setup a home gym. Everyone used to watch with awe, and it was not too late that a newspaper covered his story for inspiration to others. We talk about experiential learning! He is a living example of practical application and experiential learning!
2017 was the year when he first stepped inside a gym. People around murmured expressing surprise, sympathy and at times humiliation that what would a guy like him do in a gym who cannot even walk properly. But nothing deterred Aamir who challenged all norms. Aamir says “In 2017 I first step into a gym and slowly it became my life”. Now you know the passion, like one would have for his/her partner who becomes their “life”. Soon a time came when other fitness enthusiasts started learning training techniques from him. With each passing day he improved, gaining and sharing knowledge.
What started as a recovery for Aamir became his lifeline and vision. When he came to know about CSCS certification, he was determined to achieve it. It was truly an uphill task – both workwise and financially – as it costs USD 450. In the year 2022, he finally achieved it in a second attempt. He has a vision to contribute to the betterment of humans by providing training to athletes and brain injury victims. He always says that “Mental toughness is more important than Physical capabilities”. It may not be technically right, but looking at him, I am speechless. We have been in touch, actually now I meet him every weekend in my city Bangalore, and I have never sensed negativity from him. Yes, he still has issues in walking, but does it matter? You decide for yourself when you see this below:
Knowing him since the year 2006, I feel extremely lucky to have such a gem of a person as a dear friend with whom I talk about anything and everything. We talk, laugh, argue, criticize each other and yet find the silver lining every time. I hope that people benefit from such a wonderful person. If interested, connect with him on his FB page - Aamir Strong.
I would say that he did not yearn for hope, but became a Hope for others
Truly inspiring