Welcome Dear Child

“A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on.” ― Carl Sandburg

The world is waking this morning to another child, another chance of beauty and the wonders that life has to offer.

The world can be a cruel and ugly place if one wishes to view it that way. One can argue and believe their country or values are worse today then yesterday.

We can choose to believe that.

Or we can choose to believe otherwise.

We can choose to believe life is full of goodness and greater possibility each and every day. A budding flower in spring, fruit growing upon the vine, a child being born all offer proof that life continually offers hope and goodness.

I see hope and greatness in all of my children.

I see hope and greatness in all of my grandchildren.

I see as well that the world should go on.

And for our newest granddaughter Madilyn Rose, a rose from the south. May you dance and laugh and sing and love as your great grandmother Rose Marie did. As we all should.


Stay inspired my friends.

Dancing Shoes

"Your big opportunity may be right where you are now." ~ Napoleon Hill

Some time ago I had an opportunity, huge in fact. It was one of those things that stare you right in the face and you fail to recognize it. So big that you look back at it and wonder how you did not seize it right then and there.

My very young grand daughter was dressed up in order to get her picture taken. I told her she looked so pretty that I wanted to be the first one to take her dancing. I had this thought of when she was older I would teach her to dance. She even asked me when we would go dancing together. But off she went with her mother to the picture studio and I had lost that moment of opportunity.

I thought quite a bit about that.

It reminded me of a story my own mother told me years ago. When she was quite young, her own grandfather C.V. Boden would let her dance with him on his feet. In her final days, this was one of her fond memories flashing back, making her smile.

Think about how huge that moment was in her life of dancing upon the shoes of her grandfather. That dance would be one of her enduring memories of him. It was the opportunity he took in order to leave a lasting impact on her life.

A simple dance between a grandfather and his granddaughter.

The next opportunity that comes around, I plan on dancing with this little girl. I will not miss the opportunity to leave a lasting memory of happiness. And I will work to be more cognizant of the many other opportunities that stand in front of me.

These are the same opportunities that stand in front of you. The people in your life, the ones you do and the ones you do not know. The opportunity exists to leave a lasting memory in their life. It is greater then all of the money in the world. Money eventually loses its value in our life. But a happy and lasting memory will last a lifetime. Those memories will be passed on from generation to generation.

Do not lose that opportunity in your life.

And stay inspired.

Willingness to Succeed

I have brought you to the ring, now see if you can dance.
I have brought you to the ring. Dance if ye can.
I have brought you to the Revel, Now dance if you can.
- Sir William Wallace

I have an acquaintance, a friend is how I like to describe him by the name of David Baker. He is an independent filmmaker, actor and motivator of others. Not only does he have a great passion for the film business but also in teaching others his craft.

Now I will admit we met each other through the social media tool called Twitter. It was a chance connection that caused us to learn of each other. I believe we have now known each other for four years and supported each others endeavors over that time. I do boldly call him a friend even though we have never stood in the same room.

One day our travel schedules will give us the opportunity to drink a Scotch together, in person. But until that happens, I will continue to support his efforts. I admire his commitment to success, doing what he has to do in the pursuit of his goals.

Never letting go of his pursuit, taking that road less traveled.

His drive for success reminds me of a quote by Albert E. N. Gray, that reads “The common denominator of success --- the secret of success of every man who has ever been successful --- lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don't like to do.”

You see, each of us get to determine our own level of success by what we are willing to do. I'm not talking about the moral or ethical choices because I believe you should always take the high road on those two subjects. What I am talking about is the hard work that is required. The hard choices one must make to travel their chosen path.

It could mean taking a job sweeping a McDonald's car park in order to support yourself. It could mean giving up certain comforts such as a nice car or expensive living arrangements.

It means finding a pet donkey at the local park that you can talk to in order to unload your frustrations. It also means giving that donkey a carrot or two and letting go of those frustrations and moving on.

As the quote reads, it is in doing those things necessary that failures would rather not do. We build ourselves and what may seem like two steps back is actually going to push us ahead even further.

You brought yourself to this point...now see if you can dance.

There is no way I can predict David's success nor can I know what level of success you will have. I can only encourage and wish you great success. I feel David will achieve what he is moving towards as you will also. But it takes hard work, hard choices and sustained belief in yourself that will actually propel you to greatness.

Be willing to do what others will not. It is there you will find yourself on the path to success.

To learn more about David and to support his efforts, check out his current project.

Stay inspired my friends!

Dance, Love and Sing

“Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.” - Emory Austin

There are days we simply do not wish to sing, struggling to engage in the dance of life or to love all that we have.

Those days will come and those days go.

How you choose to live those days is yours to make. You can take choose to be in a state of despair letting the day pass like a floating soap bubble being popped. This will ultimately leave you lost and with nothing to show for the time spent. It will be a day lost in the short span of our lives. It will become a lost opportunity to experience the greatness that life has to offer.

The other choice is to grab hold of each and every day.

It is an opportunity to dance through our problems with a joyous step. It provides us with a chance to love all that happens to and around our lives. It urges us to sing of the joys that do exist in our life.

Live your life full of wonder and expectation for what this day, the next, and everyone one beyond will bring. Stay inspired my friends!

Sing Away

“Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.” -Emory Austin

There are days we simply do not wish to sing, struggling to engage in the dance of life or to love all that we have. Those days come and those days go.

How you choose to live those days is yours to make. You can take the path of despair letting the day pass like a floating soap bubble being popped. Lost and nothing to show for the time spent. A day lost in the short span of our lives. A lost opportunity to experience the greatness that life has to offer.

The other choice is to grab hold of each and every day. To dance through our problems with a joyous step. To love all that happens and all around you. To sing of the joys that do exist in your life. To live a life full of wonder and expectation for what this day and the next will bring.

Stay inspired my friends!

Where is Matt?

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

I have always liked this video because it simply makes you feel good after seeing it. The guy in this, Matt Harding started out with seemingly little ambition. But soon he learned that there had to be more, so he caused movement in his life. He got up and decided to do something different.

The video came about innocently enough in that while traveling with a friend, they got a bit silly and taped Matt's impressive dancing ability. They posted it on the internet and a large company saw; liked it; made Matt an "offer he couldn't refuse".

So there you have it, something to make you smile a bit more today but also something to encourage you to create change in your life. Dance away friends.
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