Inspiration

When you take action, there is always a reason. The reason is extremely important. Another part of taking action is motivation. You may have many reasons to take a particular action, but if you lack the motivation to take that action, it will not happen. Motivation comes in many forms, internal and external. Most of my motivation comes from my family, especially my wife, Aimee.

Aimee inspires me to be better, to push harder. She shows me that actions matter and do make a difference. Aimee inspires me by her words and actions. Many have inspired me over the years, from parents to friends to people I've never met. Aimee, though, inspires me to push myself on a daily basis. She never backs down from a challenge and understands the rewards of taking action.

Aimee is getting ready to enter her last two weeks of nursing school. She will graduate as the Vice President of her class; at a program that is not easy to get into. Before going back to school, some had thought she/we were crazy. It couldn't/wouldn't happen. She took this as a challenge. She has spent the last 3 years proving any doubters wrong. Every semester posed a new challenge, from balancing schedules and home life to endless hours of studying and powerpoints. She never gave up, she kept pushing through. The last 3 years my wife has been my inspiration every day. She will not be denied.

I have so much respect, love and admiration for anyone who is able to balance going back to school, with family, work, studying. It is not easy, and at times, is not fun or desireable. Aimee has made sacrifices, but when she decided to become a nurse after Katelynn was born, that is exactly what she did. Soon my wife will BE a nurse. That is ACTION. Everytime someone doubted her, it pushed her harder. I am so proud of her.

She has encouraged me to follow my dreams. She knows it will happen, not because she thinks it can happen. She PROVED it can. That is INSPIRATION.

Find your inspiration, take action, and inspire someone else.

GreenPeace

Subject: One Year Later

Hi,


It will take years to fully understand the impacts that the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster of a year ago had on the Gulf. But one thing is clear: our lack of a comprehensive national ocean policy failed us that day.

That can change. Right now, the Obama administration is in the process of developing a new National Ocean Policy. 

Join me and sign on to Greenpeace's letter to the President’s National Ocean Council calling for an end to all new drilling and the establishment of marine reserves. You only have until April 27th to sign, so don't wait. Just click the link below...

Greenpeace's Letter


This is a simple quick way to TAKE ACTION! and not standby while other people making decisions guess about how you feel about things.

Get Busy Livin'

Yesterday was the anniversary of Dylan Meier's death. I never met Dylan, but was still inspired by him. Dylan Meier was a young man who lived life to the fullest. I knew of him because he used to play quarterback for the K-State Wildcats. Each time you saw him in a game or off the field, he was smiling. From stories of others who were around him more, he was a great guy with a passion for life, adventure, and enjoyed traveling.

Dylan Meier at KSU

Dylan died in a tragic way, falling off a cliff while with some family members exploring the Arkansas wilderness. Word spread pretty quickly across the message boards frequented by KSU fans. Stories began to pour out of people about the young man, and at 26 he had lived a life, I hadn't even thought to dream of. His passion for life and positive outlook were a common theme in every story. Another person had posted a letter he and other friends of Dylan had received within the last year of Dylan's life. I don't remember the details of the letter, but as I read it, it changed my outlook on life.

He told his friends about a few of the experiences he had had. He also spoke about taking on challenges and the rewards of trying new experiences. Even after his death, he had managed to show me that I should never again take the easy route and live life to its fullest. For the most part I have kept to this for the last year, and hope to continue this way of life for the rest of mine. I know I am not the only person who Dylan had an impact on; there were plenty he touched while he was alive, from his teammates in Pittsburg, KS and KSU, to his teammates in Germany where he played for a few years.

Dylan's friends and family have even started a foundation in his name, encouraging people to be active and to live full lives. Get Busy Livin' Foundation

I am not asking anyone to give money to this foundation, if you want to, great, but this post is to remember that life is precious, but not meant to be lived in fear. Do not fear the unknown and do not fear failure. Enjoy LIFE.

The Human Experience

I understand this is not a blog about movie reviews, but the inspiration of this post is based on a doc I just watched, so I needed to give credit where credit is due.

The Human Experience is a documentary with live footage (not recreations) of two brothers from a broken home who travel the globe to find out what makes us human. I was excited to find it on Netflix instant watch, as I had remembered hearing about it a few months back. It lived up to my expectations and past them within the first 30 minutes. I posted the trailer, for those like me who gotta have a trailer.

I will not attempt to sum up the events, as I can't. It's one of those movies you have to watch. It will make you think about your life and what you are doing with it. You must cherish life and live it to its fullest. Never take anything for granted and most of all, don't forget that WE ARE ALL HUMANS! Everyone of us. We want to be happy and we want to love and be loved. 

I encourage anyone and everyone to watch this movie. Be inspired and take some kind of action in your life.

The 1st Post

After talking with my wife last night about a few political things, she shut me up and made me think.

I was telling her about the country's financial issues and how the people who are supposed to catch these "white collar" criminals and prevent these disasters haven't been doing their job and there is no evidence to suggest that since the crisis occured that anything has changed or been fixed, other than a bailout.

She asked me what can we do about it. I went into a rant about the media being lazy and spending more time covering Lindsay Lohan, than Bernie Madoff and AIG.

She told me to "Be the change." (This is a shortened quote of one of our favorites - "Be the change you want to see in the world" -Mahatma Gandhi) She told me to do something about it, like start a blog. I know a blog isn't going to change much, but it is one of the few things as a regular guy I can do, without spending any money I don't have. I can't buy a lobbyist, but I can write. And so can all of you.

I decided that in addition to writing on this blog, I will occasionally, when appropriate send letters to our leaders and elected officials. I plan on sharing these letters here on the blog as well.

Please feel free to comment on any posts, whether you agree with me or not. Just please remember to be courteous, as I will remove slanderous or hateful language, otherwise, the 1st Amendment will be protected. I will try to respond to comments and if you are challenging what I say, I will find a way to truthfully prove my view.