This story originally appeared on Lewis Howes

With everything going on in the world, I think it’s important now more than ever to spread hope, love, and inspiration. Tennis giant Novak Djokovic is the very definition of all of those things.

Djokovic grew up during two wars in Serbia. As a child, he would be woken up at 2 a.m. to alarms going off and be forced to head to a safe place. He saw the night’s sky turn to light as he heard and felt the rumble of bombs being dropped around him. Through all of this, Djokovic didn’t turn to hate. Instead, he turned to love and passion and became the #1 tennis champion in the world.

Most of us can’t even imagine living in the kind of environment where your school is cancelled, because it’s in a war zone. Most children would feel unstable growing up in that kind of an environment. Djokovic persevered, however. He spent his school-less day training and playing tennis. He focused on his love and passions. Even at the age of six his trainer believed in him and said he could become the best in the world.

More importantly, he believed in himself.

Today, he helps UNICEF, visits refugee families and gives all of his love and everything he can back to the world. This man is a human being full of nothing but love and inspiration. He’s someone I truly look up to, and I feel so lucky that we have him in this world, sharing himself as a beacon of hope to people all over.

Hear his incredible journey, and how you, too, can be a beacon of hope, on Episode 565.

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