Streets of Inspiration

"One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions." - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

One particular day I was on the freeway driving near where I live in Atlanta. Along side the road was a very large billboard. I'm not sure why it caught my eye but it was for a motivational seminar. The event was soon to be happening here in the Atlanta area.

Seminars can be quite good at motivating you to greater achievement.

What struck me in reading the billboard, you were going to receive a full day of top notch speakers; ten in all. Famous and well known people who are pretty good people to listen to. And just how much do the tickets cost?

That is possibly the most mind-blowing part of the whole deal.

As the billboard cried out; "$19 for EVERYBODY IN YOUR ENTIRE OFFICE! Not per person — $19 for the whole office! If you bring a large office, you could save thousands and thousands by registering prior to the event. That’s a HUGE VALUE!"

I then became slightly skeptical at this point I guess. That many speakers in a one day event can only leave fifteen or twenty minutes for each to speak. Much more of the time is left to sell product, pressure and pitch for the tapes and CDs and additional motivational seminars sign ups. My skepticism can get in the way sometimes I suppose. The billboard screamed to me the point was more about taking your money from your pocket than it was about motivation.

Don't get me wrong, I believe motivational events are great.

The ability of a great speaker to click the right thing in your mind can be powerful. All of the well-dressed and successful speakers can really pull you in and give you incentive to succeed. There something good in do so.

What I wonder though, is it the red ties, nice suites, lights and huge production the motivator or is it the words of the speaker?

Could a simple person such as myself, without the fancy suit and mega stage production inspire?

I believe the answer is yes.

If true motivation or change is needed, then it becomes the words one needs to hear and absorb. The lights and awesome images of the stage will fade over time. The words will sink in and take root in your life. The words will be what motivate you to change your life.

And anyone, on any kind of stage can motivate another person. Motivational seminars are great, those folks are earning a living just as you do and they are very good at what they do. But do not forget that you can inspire others without the big lights and fancy names. You can also gain inspiration from lots of people out there in blue jeans and sneakers.

Sometimes the inspiration comes from the street, from people like you and me. Everyone can inspire and help you change your life.

You too can inspire us, so stay inspired my friends.

Humans of New York from Facebook Stories on Vimeo.

Men and Women in Blue

"If you run, you'll only go to jail tired." - Unknown

There have been quite a few stories in the news about law enforcement. Good stories, bad stories, and quite a bit of inflamed attitudes on both sides. People of concerned with their civil liberties and the actions of various law enforcement folks resulting in death of individual. There have also been stories of law enforcement folks doing their job at a very modest salary being killed in the line of duty.

It is a very saddening conversation with both sides very impassioned. And I would not suggest that I have an answer to all of this. There are going to always be bad guys and a need for law enforcement officers to risk themselves for our protection. There are also going to be innocent people getting caught in the middle of a rogue law enforcement officer. Again, no easy answers.

A friend of mine spent thirty some years on a large metropolitan police force in Gwinnett County, just outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

Not an "Andy Taylor from Mayberry" type of place.

The types of gang, drug and every other manner of crime you could imagine occur within its county lines. There are so many things that go on in the life of a police officer, you might think twice about doing so for the salary these men and women are paid.

The days can run from the boring paperwork of reports one minute to the heart racing moments of trying to stop a drunk driver on a school day afternoon. There are also lighter moments these law enforcement officers get to enjoy which are legendary stories within the walls of each police precinct.

Many of stories are likely unrepeatable outside of those walls.

I remember one amusing story my friend told me regarding early in his career. During those days, the eastern edges of the county were very rural and the next county over (Hall County) was very, very rural. A truck carrying live poultry had tipped over. Law enforcement officers arrived from both county jurisdictions, one of which was my friend. Surveying the situation, it was determined the accident had occurred and was contained within Hall County.

It was asked who would be chasing and gathering up the live poultry. My friend said with a slight grin on his face that it appeared all of the chickens were on the Hall County side of the line. It sure looked like a Hall County jurisdictional problem to him. But knowing my friend, he stuck around and did what he could to assist.

And this friend, David Spell, has hundreds of stories.

The stories range from the funny to the tragic and all stops in-between. He has so many stories, he wrote two books detailing those experiences.

Street Cop

Street Cop II: Reloaded

These are books which tell the tales from his years in law enforcement. A life you thought you may have understood a police officer goes through. But this is more personal and brings you right into the action. And it is because of that action I am thankful for people like David Spell.

Each day we get up and go to work, the store or any of a hundred different things. The visible life of police officers are the ones in which we see them involved in catching speeding cars or showing up at our fender benders. It is a life many criticize as interference in their daily life.

Dig beneath the surface to find the truth.

What we fail to see and maybe choose not to see is the life of a police officer when people do really bad things, ugly things to other people. These bad people are the ones who rob, beat up their wives, sell drugs to our children, shoot and kill in bloody messes. It is these same bad people who are confronted and stopped every day by good folks just like David Spell.

Every day this goes on.

David writes and tells the stories which will make you laugh, gasp and even cry in the pain he saw. And each day, he returned to a wife who supported him prayed he would be safe. "In God we trust, all others we run through NCIC (National Crime Information Center)" is a quote I read by another police officer. Law enforcement folks are trained to expect the unexpected and react on a moment's notice to protect the public.

That means you and me.

Yes us, the law abiding folks who just happen to be driving by that traffic stop with our kids in the car. That very same moment when a drug courier decides to pull a gun in desperation.

"TO PROTECT AND SERVE" is not just a line from a movie, it is real life.

Grab hold of David's books today and see what happens all around you in a typical day. Then go thank a police officer next time you see one. Thank your lucky stars there are men and women in uniform out there chasing down the bad guys and the occasional dog or chicken.

Stay inspired my friends.

It Is So Simple

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” ― Desmond Tutu

There is goodness in speaking kindly of others. There is goodness in simply being kind to others. The older I get, the more important this simple fact becomes. Yet be kind and good to others can be difficult for many.

To do so, one must let go of negative thoughts about a person.
To do so, one must consider the good things about a person.

If we measure the goodness of a person's life - large or small - significant or not - it means that person matters. It means there are things about a person which contribute in a positive way to life around them. It means we are willing to accept whatever little or large amount of goodness they possess.

Each of us have both good and bad aspects to the life we live.
Each of us have many positives to the life we live.

As you go through life, focus on the good things and the negatives will slowly fade away. I have seen many people leave this life. I have known many of them well and many others not so well. But it is the good things I choose to remember.

Yes, there are truly horrible people in this world.
Yes, there are also many good and kind people in this world.

We have to come to terms with the negative in our daily lives. Just do not use up your energy on the negative. Use your energy to build upon the positive ones in your life. Be the one that others will proclaim and a good, kind and decent person who makes life better.

You will one day eventually be measured by your own goodness.
You will one day leave a trail of good memories to be remembered by all.

Stay inspired my friends.

Changing Traditions and Habits

“The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.” ― John Maynard Keynes

Staying the course in life is not always the correct and right thing to do. Tradition can have a powerful and meaningful effect when properly applied. But if tradition is maintained only for the sake of tradition, it then makes no sense to continue on with it.

The same can be said regarding our own lives. Those things we tend to do the same way, over and over again. We repeat the same mistake or try using the same methods which have failed five times before. Maybe it is going into the same job, day after day that does not pay enough and lacks any joy.

Break daily tradition and find a different type of job.

Each day you drive the same route to work. And each day, on that same route, the same traffic aggravates you. The slow movement of cars, the honking of irritation and all those stop lights. The stress simply depresses you well before the day really gets started.

Find a new way by driving a different route to work.

There are many small, medium or big things you could do. Alter your diet which affects your physical state, or a new radio or television station to affect your mental state. Getting up from bed in the morning earlier or going to bed earlier in the evening.

You can do things to shake up the tradition of your life.

Sometimes doing the same thing over and over just isn't very smart. Shaking up your world does not mean you will get it right the first or second time. What it will do is give you a different perspective. And it is this new perspective which will give you opportunity to see how your life can be different.

Try shaking up those traditions in your life that are not working.

Move away from the comfortable chains of doing things the same way. Away from those same habits which are not working for you in life. Take a bold step into a new way of living your life. See how much greater things can be.

Stay inspired my friends!