Indeed, we really have the power to do anything we want if we just believe in ourselves. And, Joshua Carroll is the perfect example of this. Years ago, this Army veteran had no clue what he wanted in life.
He had just gotten back from deployment and had no purpose or direction. However, once he took the leap, he saw how amazing it can be to come that far.
Joshua was in high school when the 9/11 attacks happened and he decided to serve his country.
He got his GED and put his further education on hold. He enlisted in the military and was deployed to Iraq three times.
After coming back home to Virginia, he felt a different person. He was struggling with PTSD and wandered through life, purposeless.
Stephen Hawking Changes Joshua’s Life
Joshua, after coming back home, found a job as a janitor at a local school; however, in the school, he came across a small library which he didn’t know could change everything for him.
The book by Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time, sparked Joshua’s passion and curiosity while flipping through its pages.
Soon enough, Joshua realized he wanted to study and learn more about the stars.
He wanted to become a physicist. However, his mathematical education only reached 10th grade geometry.
But, this didn’t stop him from fulfilling his dreams. He decided to teach himself calculus. How did he do it? –He watched YouTube videos!
Did Joshua Learn Calculus with the Help of YouTube?
Believe it or not, thanks to free YouTube videos, Joshua learned calculus.
He tried to enroll at the physics program at the Radford University; however, he didn’t meet their trigonometry prerequisites.
This was something that Joshua didn’t know existed.
He promised the chair of the department that he would learn the needed skills. The chair agreed to make an exception as long as Joshua passes the entrance exam.
With only 3 weeks to learn a whole mathematics branch, Joshua worked hard. He spent nights watching videos and learning. Believe it or not, he passed the exams and graduated!
A Proud Radford University Student
Joshua tackled every challenge that the university had and he graduated top of the class.
Today, this inspiring man works as a scientist and wants to share his message with the rest of the world.
He believes that it’s all about trying to reach the unreachable and finding out you can actually have it.
This amazing change in Joshua’s life couldn’t have happened if he hadn’t believed in himself.
If we can set our minds on something, we can achieve it. So, we encourage you to pursue your deepest dreams and desires- the Universe is listening.
Need more inspiration? No worries- check out the video below and learn more about the unique story of Joshua Carroll, the scientist who was once a janitor.
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