- The past few blogs have been a little difficult to write. They have been from a place well they have been from my life. Do not get me wrong my life has not always been a difficult road. With those downs there have also been some great ups. Getting to those ups has at times been the hardest part of the journey so far. In this installment I'm going to discuss something near and dear to me Inspiration and where it does and doesn't come from for me. At the end if you don't want to be caught reading it don't comment but if you don't mind please share what inspires you to sometimes just get up....
It is funny this is the topic that I was going to discuss all along today and just before sitting down I had a very inspiring conversation with what I call a young man. After my work out which consisted of a 300m swim followed by 5 miles on the bike and a 5k i decided to sit for a bit in the hot tub. I have been doing that routine since Saturday and increasing my speed a little each day so it has been a little challenging....Next week I will add more distance and do the same thing though pushing the time a little each day.
Well enough of that discussion I am here to talk about inspiration. So I'm sitting in the hot tub and this guy I met earlier and I strike up a conversation and well to avoid the inevitable question I mention the scar it gets it out-of-the-way quick....I tell him how I got it as a stunt man hit in the chest with an axe....the answer is always really....and I say no and give the quick break down. He said it was inspiring to see me in "MY CONDITION" to be working out....I asked him if he wanted to get out the tub and go do 20 miles on the bike and he just backed down laughing.
So the conversation continues and here is the inspirational part. This man CJ is married to a former practicing muslim woman. He joined the National Guard because her family that remained in Northern Iraq was killed by ISIS. So he joined and has all intentions if called upon to go and fight....Now I don't know if its true or just a good story but no matter how you look at it that is inspirational.
You see for something to be inspirational it has to come from the heart it has to be pure and it has to help people be more and it has to be selfless. At least in my humble opinion. Here is the definition of inspiration: the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. And here is what it means to be inspired:
aroused, animated, or imbued with the spirit to do something, by or asif by supernatural or divine influence. I do not personally subscribe to the divine inspiration part because just about anything that moves me can inspire me even pain can be inspirational and sometimes is the most inspirational of all feelings.
It is not just ok to be inspired you have to put it into motion. Inspiration creates an action at least for me. Some of the things that inspire me are as simple as trying to be a better father. Single mothers and fathers inspire me because it shows a level of selflessness that is rarely seen now days. People who overcome obstacles and I am not talking about the average person that just decides to try something challenging (while good for them it's readily achievable) but the person that commits and surpasses something that everyone even themselves think is impossible for them. People who don't live with the worry of what others may think and lead a life of meaning and purpose helping others inspires me. People who stand up for others and don't always toot their own horn inspire me....I have always had issue with people who do things to advertise their good deeds. On this note let me say something there are things that are advertised for pats on the backs and there are deeds that are done out of selflessness that may have to be advertised to help others. Only the person doing the deed and the promotion know the answer to that.
Let me talk a little about people who live without the constraints of security or fear of what may be. This to me is a big one. These are people who take chances these are people who love unconditionally with the knowledge that no matter what it is going to be ok. If you have read the other blog posts you know that I have had issues with fear anger and a multitude of other thoughts and emotions. I have often been afraid of what would happen if I really just lived. Lived for the moment as if it where right now and not had to control or the illusion of control over a single thing.
Funny thing is the people who are sometimes called cool are the ones that only do calculated self-serving actions...ones that never risk.
It was not till I died that a ton of things became clear. The biggest of which is that nothing really matters except for the relationships and legacy of our life. It doesn't matter how much money we have, It doesn't matter who thinks we are cool, It doesn't matter how much our furniture costs. All that matters is did we inspire, did we live and did we spread some hope and love....OMG I almost sounded like a mix of Fight Club and Gandhi.
I met this group of people recently who just like me have had the blessing of a life altering experience. Some had near death experiences and some had life altering health issues. One common thread from them is that right now at this moment they are more full of life then the person who thinks that life is about a bottle of wine once in a while. Don't get me wrong I am not saying you have to die to inspire. Like I said earlier there are many things that don't involve dying and then living that inspire me. But this group IRONHEART and all of its members have inspired me to try to live. We all know what will come one day and we all know no one is exempt....So as my friend Bill has told me Die Living or Live Dying.
I will always be eternally grateful to this group its founder and all of the members for not just telling me but showing me that I have to try I have to be a participant not just a fearful bystander in life. This doesn't mean you have to run a triathlon, go jump out of airplanes or take a cross-country bicycle ride to inspire others. It means you just have to participate, try to most importantly live and do your best to cause no harm. Sometimes inspiring ones self can be all you need to do to show others it can be done....and yes you can inspire yourself just by trying. So what if you fail....big deal someone may say oh look I said they couldn't do it....it only matters if you don't try again because of that fear and you know what those nay sayers will always be talking behind your back because they are behind you for a reason.
This is what I want to pass along to me Life is about motion it is about participating in it. It is about giving of yourself, standing up for those that can't, not worrying what others think and doing your best to accept and forgive what has happened....Now If I can lay to rest those demons dump some anger enjoy my Forrest Gump moment watch out world it is going to be one hell of a ride. The Best is yet to come.
