Note: Each Thursday I will post a little something to inspire us to finish the week strong. These Thursday Thoughts will be a quote, piece of music, artwork, or inspirational video. Congratulations, you made it over the hump and let’s finish the week together.
The college basketball championship tournament is well under way here in the United States. Today we are down to the so-called “Sweet 16″ ever closer to a champion, for both men and women in a couple of weeks.
Sport fans are typically keen on history. They remember the great moments for their favorite teams and great sport moments in general. In 1983 North Carolina State won the College Championship for men’s basketball. They upset several top teams to dramatically win the championship in last second style.
Their victory may be the biggest upset in college basketball history.
A team above all. A belief they can accomplish anything. And a coach who inspired the absolute best from his players.
That coach, Jim Valvano, died of cancer 10 years later. Just weeks before his death he gave a wonderful speech that celebrated life to its fullest. As we sit here 30 years later from that improbable victory for Jim and his team, let’s remember Jim’s words.
Each day do the following: Laugh, Think, and Cry. That is a full day, a heck of a day.
Jim is also famous for how he ended his speech with simple, powerful words:
Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.
I invite you to watch a few minutes in memory of this terrific coach and leader, Jim Valvano.
The universe speaks to each of us every day. It is up to us to hear her call. Signposts are posted for one who sees. Voices are there for one who listens.
Last week I had one of those moments where I thought I heard the universe speaking to me. To be sure I heard the message, the messenger repeated the message several times. Actually he said the words over and over during the meeting we both attended.
I know the message. I have heard it before. Sometimes though one must hear the message over and over in a short period of time so there is no mistake.
There was no mistake this time. My Muse was speaking to me and wanted no doubt that I would hear the message this day.
Funny though, my Muse was a middle-aged man. Kinda short and jolly sort of fellow. He is a far cry from what I expect from my Muse. You know what I mean – I am talking Greek Goddess stuff here, my guiding spirit and inspiration.
Yet there he was repeating the words - in context of the meeting to be sure – but still I may have heard the words 20 times in 60 minutes. Somewhere near the 20th time I uttered the words under my breath, “I hear you, oh Muse of mine.”
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
Note: Each Thursday I will post a little something to inspire us to finish the week strong. These Thursday Thoughts will be a quote, piece of music, artwork, or inspirational video. Congratulations, you made it over the hump and let’s finish the week together.
My bike is a magical ride. Yet all I do is commute back and forth to work. For some it may appear boring, but those first few moments when you get rolling with just the right balance is magic. Well, if you want true bike riding magic, check out Danny MacAskill. The level of balance or as he says, “Power, Precision and Control” is amazing. He is an example that anything is possible.
Danny has many videos of his bike riding magic, but this one is special for me as he attacks San Francisco. Enjoy!
Note: Each Thursday I will post a little something to inspire us to finish the week strong. These Thursday Thoughts will be a quote, piece of music, artwork, or inspirational video. Congratulations, you made it over the hump and let’s finish the week together.
Sarah Outen is a British Adventurer who is on a quest to use only human power to complete a loop of our planet. She is travelling over 20,000 miles by bicycle, rowboat and kayak. So far she has travelled from London to Japan. As she pushed out into the Pacific Ocean heading toward Canada, storms pushed her back. She will renew her journey in 2013.
She is a great inspiration and someone to follow. Check out her website, London2London.
I love how she named each of her vehicles. I think each is now a friend and even a part of her family. We have Gulliver(ocean rowboat), Nelson(river kayak) and Hercules(cool bicycle).
She has several short videos available chronicling her journey. Here is a good video that shows the various emotions involved while rowing alone across the ocean.
While planning to post on one topic yesterday I heard an amazing speech given by Chuck Pagano to his team after a victory in the NFL (American Professional Football). As such I lost my momentum for one topic and found a new topic to ponder.
I know many people follow sports and many do not. I love sports of all kinds. Over time I realized that sport, for me, is storytelling. There is drama, heroes, and moments that stand alone and change the outcome. All of it leads to a conclusion … and end of our story. As always with a good story, there are lessons for those willing to listen.
So I listen to the story of Chuck Pagano.
So who is Chuck Pagano? He is the first year coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Last year they were the worst team in the league. His job is to turn it around.
Ah, our story unfolds. Coach Pagano was diagnosed before the season with Leukemia and must undergo full-time treatment. No football coaching allowed. Time to focus on health. His coaches take over while he watches from afar. No doubt he remains involved though.
His team is inspired by their coach and his fight. So far this season the team is playing well and they may make the playoffs. Of course many experts thought the team would still struggle and remain at the bottom. The groundwork for a powerful story indeed.
Yesterday was the first day the coach was able to remain at the stadium for the full game (watching from the owner’s box). He spoke briefly to the team before the game and then in more detail after the game. The team won in an inspired fashion.
Below is both the video and the transcript of what coach Pagano said to his team. This will stick with me for a long time just like any great story.
His words, as with a great story, paint a picture and show how a leader can truly move people to reach goals that some think unattainable. As the coach says, “Live in a vision … refuse to live in circumstances.”
This story is not over. I will continue to turn the pages and see how our hero works through the challenges set forth before him. Like any story I want a happy ending – indeed for Coach Pagano, good health and a speedy recovery. The world of sport and society in general need leaders like you.
“I mentioned before the game that you guys were living in a vision and you weren’t living in circumstances. Because you know where they had us in the beginning. Every last one of them. But you refused to live in circumstances and you decided consciously, as a team, and as a family, to live in a vision. And that’s why you bring things home like you brought home today. That’s why you’re already champions, and well on your way. I got circumstances. You guys understand it. I understand it. It’s already beat. It’s already beat. My vision that I’m living, see two more daughters getting married, dancing at their weddings, and then hoisting that Lombardi several times and watch that confetti fall on this fucking group right here. Several times, we’re going to hoist that baby. I’m dancing at two more weddings. And we’re hoisting that trophy together man. Congratulations.”
Note: Each Thursday I will post a little something to inspire us to finish the week strong. These Thursday Thoughts will be a quote, piece of music, artwork, or inspirational video. Congratulations, you made it over the hump and let’s finish the week together.
Thank you to Sandy at Another Lovely Day for nominating me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. I write to inspire myself and it is a blessing to inspire others through my writing. What a great way to support and honor those in our blogging community. It is also a great way to find more wonderful blogs to follow.
Oh, there are rules for this nomination – cool:
Link Back to the person nominating
Post the award image on your blog
Tell seven facts about myself
Nominate 10 other blogs and let them know
Seven facts about me (Michael):
My new car is a bike.
I love to cook and live in the kitchen.
I studied primate behavior in college. Yep, a great training ground for Corporate America.
I started life as a dog person and got recruited to the other side. Meow.
The few, the proud … born and raised in San Francisco.
Love to read. My best way to relax. It is my meditation.
I think Doctor Who really exists. Okay, maybe not, but it would be really cool.
Here are 10 wonderful blogs that inspire me. If you have not checked them out already, please do so.
Lead.Learn.Live - David is the man. The Man. The Man! I love his posts to inspire me daily.
Outside Air - Kari is one of the best writers out there. Wow, read her stuff.
Goal Habits - Nearly daily great quotes to make me think.
Art of Manliness - Deep site with so much history and great writing. This site helps me maintain my man card.
Another Lovely Day - Sandy nominated me and I love her writing too. She inspired me to get serious about my six impossible things. (guess what, nothing is impossible).
Leadership Freak – Dan’s site is a must for anyone focused on leadership. I learn a lot from this site.
About Zen - Where ever you start, do end up with some Zen in your life.
Bucket List Publications - Lesley is great with one adventure after another. I dream to do half of what she does.
Boyonabike - I am a bike commuter now and love the life of riding the bike. Great to read this site and go deeper into the ride.
To everyone reading this post … do something today to inspire someone. We all move together.
Yesterday I read the latest jobs report from the government. It was so-so news, not terribly bad nor a sign of better days ahead. I read also that so many jobs these days are lower paying service jobs. The percentage of higher paying jobs is shrinking. Young people out of school, even with solid college degrees are finding it hard to find worthy jobs.
In this light, my daughter is ready to go back for her third year of college. She is an art student.
Where will she work once she graduates? I had someone at work recently tell me that she needs to stop the art and get going with nursing or similar to assure she gets a job once she graduates. It is simple. My daughter is not a nurse. She is an artist. She creates beautiful pieces of art – either drawing, painting and now writing. I am very proud of her and she is on a good path.
This post is about following your dream. You fight and fight some more for what you want out of life.
Last night my daughter passed along a post containing a hand-written letter from Pete Docter. Who is Pete Docter? Well, he is one of the key guys at Pixar Animation Studio and was the Director of Monsters, Inc. and Up. He later won an Academy Award for Up. He is an animator, storyteller and as you will read here, a cool dude who never gave up.
Pixar’s studio is nearby to my home here in the Bay Area. My daughter is making contacts and is working hard to earn an internship there next summer. It is her dream and focus to be a conceptual artist at Pixar.
Pete’s letter is pure inspiration for my daughter and guess what, me too. I share it with you today with the hope it inspires you a bit as well. The back story is cool. The source of the letter is from a Middle School Teacher, Mr. Kelsey. He writes to celebrities and asks them to write back with advice for his kids. Peter Docter did indeed write back with this wonderful letter of inspiration. Here is a link to the hand-written letter.
Dear Mr. Kelsey,
What would I tell a class of Middle School students?
When I was in Middle School, I liked to make cartoons. I was not the best artist in my class — Chad Prins was way better — but I liked making comic strips and animated films, so after High school it was no surprise that I got into The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), a school that taught animation.
CalArts only accepts 25 students a year, and it attracts some of the best artists in the country. Suddenly I went from being one of the top artists in my class to being one of the absolute worst. Looking at the talented folks around me, I knew there was no way I would make it as a professional. Everyone else drew way better than I did. And I assumed the people who were the best artists would become the top animators.
But I loved animation, so I kept doing it. I made tons of films. I did animation for my friends’ films. I animated scenes just for the fun of it. Most of my stuff was bad, but I had fun, and I tried everything I knew to get better.
Meanwhile, many of the people who could draw really well kind of rested around and didn’t do a whole lot. It made me angry, because if I had their talent, man, the things I would do with it!
Years later, a lot of those guys who probably still draw really well don’t actually work in animation at all. I don’t know what happened to them. As for me, I got hired at Pixar Animation Studios, where I got to work on Toy Story 1 and 2, direct Monsters, Inc., and Up (due out May 29th this year).
So, Middle School Student, whatever you like doing, do it! And keep doing it. Work hard! In the end, passion and hard work beats out natural talent. (And anyway, if you love what you do, it’s not really “work” anyway.)
Note: Each Thursday I will post a little something to inspire us to finish the week strong. These Thursday Thoughts will be a quote, piece of music, artwork, or inspirational video. Congratulations, you made it over the hump and let’s finish the week together.
This short two-minute video is fun. Maybe you have seen it before. So many of my favorite movie heroes teamed together to inspire. Watch it for fun and it is okay if you get a bit inspired too.
Sport fans are typically keen on history. They remember the great moments for their favorite teams and great sport moments in general. In 1983 North Carolina State won the College Championship for men’s basketball. They upset several top teams to dramatically win the championship in last second style.
