Motivated by Earl Nightigale

photo

I came across this recording (see video below) of Earl Nightingale recently and I've had a paradigm shift. I discovered are so many great insights and advices in this 30 minute audio that I'm starting to see life in a new light and I feel even more inspired. Everyone should hear this. I had to share. Enjoy.

Ludacris' wise words

source

I recently saw the movie Bling Ring, based on a true story, of some teens in LA who essentially stole various fashion items and cash directly from the homes of celebrities such as Paris Hilton in order to basically live in their shoes. I hadn't heard that story before, but according to Wikipedia, this happened back in 2008-2009.  I was pretty shocked to see this how far people go to live the "American Dream". Or more the "American Illusion". I was trying to wrap my head around how someone could do something like this and think it's okay to do this. Then I saw this quote from Ludacris's twitter earlier today that basically answered my question:

"Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like."

Sad but true. These teens are an extreme case, but they also emulate what a lot of people are doing nowadays (e.g. buying houses, clothing and weddings they can't afford). It's probably one of the reasons many people end up with serious financial problems. A lot of people want all the glitz and glamour but are unwilling to do the work it takes to get there. It's important to remember that none of the celebrities with staying power got to where they are without patience, sacrifices and/or a lot of hard work. 

Alan Watt view on life

I love this little speech by Alan Watts. The first time I heard this, it really got me thinking : Am I really living fully or am I chasing the elusive carrot on a stick? It seems like our culture has created this mundane life journey that all of us must blindly follow even though it's not really what makes all of us happy. And as soon as one of us is brave enough to create our own path, others will start persecuting us for not doing the "right" thing (a.k.a what everybody else is doing). As a result, those of us who decide to follow our own path end up successful and happy and are often hated and criticized the sheep who end up wasting their own lives and not living to their full potential. 

Every so often, when I need a little reminder of how important it is to live life to the fullest, I like to watch and listen to this clip. There's also a great like by Drake Moment for life :  "I’m really tryn'a make it more than what it is, cause everybody dies but not everybody lives". 

source

motivated by chef gordon ramsay

I'm a big fan of Chef Gordon Ramsay. I often find myself watching his shows mainly to learn more about his impressive work ethic and skills, and to pick up some tips here and there about cooking great food. I love his no nonsense approach to things and how he's so knowledgeable about his craft. It's inspiring because I'm planning to be as knowledgeable as him about my own craft, and perhaps even more in the near future. I find that very often, people like him are considered to be the "bad guy" because he says it like it is. I admire that. I wish I was more like that and I wish more people were like that too. It would make life so much easier. Granted you don't necessarily have to yell all the time, but just cut the bullshit. I'm not quite there, but I'm working on it. I think it has to do with wanting to be more honest for myself and realizing (finally) that not everyone has to agree with me and like me, and I'm okay with that. 

I watched many of his shows and one thing he said once, I think it was during and interview really just stucked in my head : 

I have a very assertive way. It's wake up, move your ass or piss off home. I maintain standards and I strive for perfection. That level of pressure is conveyed in a very bullish way and that's what cooking is all about.

I think that's what life is all about. Sometimes, when I don't feel like doing much I find myself remembering this quote, specially : "wake up, move your ass or piss off home!" to shake me up a bit and helps me get back on track because I believe that if I let myself become lazy, life will pass me by and I'll regret it in the future because there's so much opportunities out there, it would be a shame not to test as many as possible. 

Photo : 1