Being tall and strong is often mistaken as a symbol of supreme self-belief and confidence.
But life for the fifth-tallest man hasn’t always been easy.
Fijian man Kali Selei, who measures 7 ft 7, faces the daily challenge of navigating a world designed for people with smaller statures.
Kali said he took particular care walking through doors.
“I know that my height is towering everybody else, so I need to be careful.”
But for Kali, the emotional toll of being so tall far outweighs any physical burden.
Growing up on the island of Yaloku in Fiji's remote west, simply being different had a profound impact on the 35-year old.
“In the Western world, you can’t bully the big people,” he said.
“In the island lifestyle, it’s the fighting of words and mindset that cripples a person’s spirit.”
Kali’s stature has always attracted stares and comments in the street.
“I can’t count how many people have taken pictures of me around the world.
“If I charged a dollar for every picture I’d be a millionaire by now.”
The unwanted attention spiraled Kali into depression which he said turned him to drugs and alcohol.
“Life went into that slope where I felt like I was breaking down,” Kali said.
“I was a mess because I didn’t accept who I was.”
Kali’s life hit rock bottom when his father found him attempting to take his own life.
His father, a preacher on the island, encouraged Kali to find his true purpose.
The advice from his father changed Kali’s life.
“I’ve embraced the Christian value very strongly,” Kali said.
“That motivated me to be able to leave the negativity and go to the positive lifestyle.”
Kali now tours the world giving motivational talks at schools and conventions.
The talks feature strong-man theatrics including bending a frying pan and breaking concrete with his bare hands.
Kaliova Seleiwau talks to children about overcoming difference. Source: Supplied
But Kali said the most important message he could share was that every person is unique and here for a reason.
“People are tall, people are short, people are fat, people are skinny,” he said.
“But you are uniquely created, it was not by mistake.”
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