It’s easy to give up and let life bring you down; excuses start flooding in about why you can’t do it, not how you’re going to try.

Here are ten well-known people who overcame immense obstacles as proof that we can do it too.

1. Ben Carson – Rose from extreme poverty and a violent attitude to become a decorated neurosurgeon. His successes encompass being the first and only person to successfully separate conjoined Siamese twins.
2. Nick Vujicic – Born with virtually no limbs; he taught himself how to type, swim, shave, and many other activities deemed impossible. He made the best of his situation by becoming a life-changing motivational speaker.
3. Ludwig van Beethoven – Composed some of the most iconic classical music including the Ninth Symphony, Für Elise, and many others. He was nearly deaf and wrote his music by feeling the vibrations of the sound.
4. Job – Stripped of everything he had except for his own life, but still had faith in God and was rewarded with more than he had in the first place.
5. Stevie Wonder – Hugely successful artist who plays the piano and sings all while being blind.
6. Albert Einstein – One of the most well-known thinkers known for his theory of Relativity among many others. He did not speak until he turned three and was thought by his elementary teachers to not amount to anything.
7. Corrie ten Boom – Dangerously risked her life to save hundreds of Jews, lived through concentration camps, and survived to inspire millions.
8. Malala Yousafzai – Was shot by the Taliban for strongly believing that girls should be allowed to have an education. She survived only to make a larger impact for women’s education on the world.
9. Franklin D. Roosevelt– Paralyzed by polio yet still served as president of the United States of America. He remains the only president to have served more than two terms (4 total).
10. Jesus – Overcame death so that we might live with Him forever.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4: 12-13 NIV