Tomorrow. Mañana. How many times have each of us put off chasing our dreams until tomorrow? A dream is only a dream until we start to chase it. The chase becomes our story. When we begin the chase, we begin to write a story of courage, hope, and resilience. We write the first line of our story . . . “Today, I decided to chase my dream and follow my destiny.” The short animated Vimeo video gives us a chance to become inspired once again and set out chasing our dream, following our destiny.
inspiration
Seeing With New Eyes
When we open ourselves to shed our biases, we see with new eyes. What we once saw disappears and we witness a new creation that was always there but impervious to our sight. Our judgments and our notions of how things should be evaporate. Our eyes and hearts open to new ways of seeing. This short Vimeo video will open your eyes to seeing what is familiar to seeing it differently, perhaps for the first time in your life.
A Child’s Imagination
A child, filled with imagination, dreams big dreams. Maybe one day, the young boy in this YouTube video will play for the Chicago Cubs, but today in his imagination, he is playing for them and it is real. Free the imagination in your little girl or boy. Let it run wild once again. Let it slay dragons, govern a magic kingdom, discover a new solar system. Set your course, let your inner child guide you.
Life Gives Us A Chance
We can’t all be Olympian Michael Phelps. We can use Michael Phelps’ commitment to preparing for the Olympics to make a difference in life. Life gives us a chance. What we do with the chance is up to us. Perhaps fame and fortune will knock at our door. Perhaps we will toil in obscurity. It makes no difference. Bring a firm commitment to making the most of your precious gift of life. Use your wonderful gift to give joy to our world.
The Amazing Potential of a Young Girl
I am the father of 5 amazing women. Like their mother, they grew in wisdom, strength, and courage. Barb and I encouraged them to be strong, self-sufficient, loving women who will make a difference in our world. And, they have and I am proud of them. I know Barb smiles on them from her place in heaven. This YouTube video speaks to the amazing potential in all girls. A must see.
No Days Off – Give It All You’ve Got
We all want to succeed. We all want to achieve our potential. It takes effort. It takes commitment. It takes a deep personal belief that deep inside a voice says, “yes, you can do this.” Of course we can. If we commit to the hard work. If we commit to the effort. If we commit to rising above the stumbles. Commit to giving it everything you’ve got. Don’t hold back. As they say in the video, “No Days Off.”
The Quest Written On Your Heart
It’s never easy to set out on a quest where there is no guarantee of success. I’ve met people who said, “I could have . . . I would have …. but . . .” There is always an excuse. A manufactured reason they didn’t dare go on their quest. Your quest, the quest written on your heart is calling you. It’s begging you to start. Don’t be afraid. Don’t make excuses. Enter the quest and don’t look back. The following YouTube video will motivate you to take action and begin the journey for the quest written on your heart.
Never Quit – Never Quit
Our innate ability to bounce back from tragedy amazes me. It is part of our DNA if we dare tap into it. We’re not taught how to bounce back in school, or become emotionally prepared for great challenges. When we’re knocked down, we can’t stay down. We MUST get up off the floor and continue. Time and again, life asks us to rise and press forward. This four-minute Vimeo video shows the resilience of Filipino young people after a typhoon. Their courage and resilience are my teachers. I hope they are yours as well.
Age Is Only A Number
Age is only a number. Its number does not prevent us from giving the gift of ourselves to others. We are never too young or too old to offer our gift that will brighten someone’s life. Don’t wait until tomorrow, tomorrow may never come. Now is your time. Now is the moment someone is waiting for your gift. The following short Vimeo video shares the gift of a 95-year-old woman and a song she wrote. You can tell by looking at her, she is a woman filled with love.
A Year of Grieving
August 19 – Today is the first anniversary of the death of my best friend, soul mate, and wife, Barb Calabrese. I called her Babe. A remarkable woman who taught me more about love than all the words I’ve read on the subject. She touched a large Twitter following, @Barb_Calabrese, reaching out in simple, love-filled ways.
My year has been a year of learning to dance with grieving. A year of learning how to live without someone whom I shared the most intimate secrets of my soul. A year of grappling with why? And, discovering I’ll never know the answer. A year of discovering I am not alone on this journey. All who have suffered a deep loss understand the grieving experience without speaking. They understand by looking into each other’s eyes. Their messages travel silently from heart to heart.
In my year of grieving, I rediscovered a deep faith in God. For unexplained reasons people I know, and strangers enter my life as messengers of love at unexpected times, times when I am low; times when sadness knocks at my door. They pick me up. Make me smile. And, encourage me. I find the strength to go on another day.
Each day, I grow stronger. Each day, I grow more optimistic. And, each day I find my path forward unfolding before me. How does it happen? I believe it is grace. I have no other explanation for it. I don’t think grieving ever ends. But I choose to dance with it.
To all my brothers and sisters who grieve over the loss of a loved one, together let’s find the strength and courage to go on. Together, let’s smile more often. Together, let’s sing joyful and happy songs. Together, let’s celebrate the gift of the life of the person we loved and love; and, together let’s not waste a moment of the wonderful gift of life you and I still share.
