…inspiration can strike us in the strangest ways (like looking down at a sweetheart, sitting on your desk.).

This one happened to catch my attention, at work, when I was eating some leftover candy from Valentine’s Day. I believe you can never be to busy to search for inspiration.

Your elementary teachers and mom & dad had it right when they told you, “have the right attitude.” Adding to that, I say; have the right attitude about inspiration.

Inspiration can’t be episodic. Find a way to be inspired frequently.
Read books, blogs, listen to speeches, podcasts, TV programs of people that truly motivate you.  Surround yourself with friends that motivate you. That moment of inspiration you get when your neurons “spark” you to do something or take action is what life is all about. Whatever it is that ignites that, do it.

You can never be to busy to search for inspiration. Make sure you are not only inspired, but frequently. It can’t be every other month, strive to make it daily or at least weekly. Make post-it notes, put quotes on your bathroom mirror, send yourself reminders, setup alerts — you must foster the right environment. I personally have a fear of mediocrity and you should too.

Each dose of inspiration fades, but once you figure out how to continual reignite that spark — it’s addictive… in a GREAT way.

So that’s my take… what’s yours? How do you get motivated?
–

I’m a sucker for great quotes. And sometimes it’s the simplest of quotes that resonate the most. The simple things, often overlooked, are the most important.

This photo is in my friend’s room and I really think it’s telling of such an inspirational mindset. To me — this means the following;

Have the passion and patience to dream and dream big. Have the patience to piece together “the ladder” in what it takes to get you there. Have the passion to follow through with doing what it takes to accomplish that dream.

I spent a wonderful evening with a friend — and we talked about life. Pretty specific topic huh? We talked about life and our individual motivation (no wine was involved, it was a completely sober convo).

Personally I’ve made the decision that I want to be the difference in the world [cue sappy Full House music]. I want the most out of life and am looking to spend my time where it makes the most impact. While it’s easy to say — how one actually lives up to that “life motto” takes work.

What’s the key to my own motivation?

Inspiration. Read books, blog posts, listen to speeches, podcasts, TV programs of people that truly inspire you.  Surround yourself with friends that motivate you. That moment of inspiration you get when your neurons “spark” you to do something or take action is what life is all about. Whatever it is that ignites that, do it. You can never be to busy to search for inspiration. Make sure you are not only inspired, but inspired frequently. It can’t be every other month, strive to make it daily or at least weekly. Make post-it notes, put quotes on your bathroom mirror, send yourself reminders, setup alerts — you must foster an enviornment for inspiration. I personally have a fear of mediocrity and you should too.

Inspiration makes all the difference. Each dose of inspiration fades, but once you figure out how to continual reignite that spark — it’s addictive… in a GREAT way.

So that’s my take on motivation… what’s yours? How do YOU get motivated in the morning to live another day?
–

Every morning I wake up anxious to start my day more motivated than the next. Why?

The greatest possession you have is the 24-hours in front of you.

I can’t pinpoint exactly when or what — but at some point of my life a light switched on in my head that gave me perspective, motivation and more importantly the drive to want to be the difference in the world (yes, this is going to be one of those motivational blog posts, so strap in and hang on tight, cue motivational music).

Matt, a fellow consultant I work with, was speaking at our staff meeting about his previous life prior to working at our company. He described how he took an entire year off to travel/backpack the world after essentially “burning out” at his previous workplace (he worked there for 8 years). One quote changed his world perspective (and BLEW my mind). It was the following:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

- Mark Twain

[ca-ching!] The philosophy and motivation that is encapsulated in that quote is truly what it is all about. I want the most out of life and am looking to spend my time where it makes the most impact. Of course life doesn’t just hand things to you — YOU have to get out there and make things happen for yourself.

The keys to fulfill this hunger takes hard work. But it’s the little things in life that make all the difference. For what it’s worth, here’s my advice:

• Embrace what you are passionate about in life. Once you’ve done that — don’t just be good at it, strive to be the best at it. Want to take it a step further?…get paid to do it!

• Surround yourself with people who motivate you. Nobody likes hanging out with “debbie downer”. If your circle of friends don’t fill that void — constantly read the books or blogs of people that do, follow their presence online, subscribe to their podcasts.

• Do what works for you. Learn what works. Try out lots of things. Understand failure comes with the territory and you must persist.

• Get inspired. That moment of inspiration you get when your neurons “spark” you to do something or take action is what life is all about. Whatever it is that ignites that, do it. You can also never be to busy to search for inspiration. Make sure you are not only inspired, but inspired frequently. It can’t be every other month, strive to make it daily or at least weekly. Make post-it notes, put quotes on your bathroom mirror, send yourself reminders, setup alerts — you must foster an enviornment for inspiration. I personally have a fear of mediocricy and you should too.

• Make a “bucket list“. Toss in your bucket things that are personal and professional. Never mind how crazy the notion or idea, make sure you have a list. It’s only then after you’ve committed and identifyed these things, in which you then begin to step through and plan out how they can be achieved. Remind yourself instant gratification in completing your “bucket list” isn’t realistic… “We do what we have to do in order to do what we want to do.” The current tagline of my blog is very fitting to reference, “If at first the idea is not absurd, there is no hope for it”.

I love to write, communicate/interact with people, share and explore. At my roots, I consider myself an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs understand the “now” but live in the future. My own personal view of entrepreneuralism is having an inherent drive and personality to thrive on innovation and achievement. While the city I live in, Kansas City, may not be thought of as a place that breeds successful entrepreneurs in the Internet space (an honor usually left to the coasts) — I’m determined to make my mark.

Every endeavor I’ve embarked upon; web consulting, video blogging, photography, lifecasting on Justin.TV — they all started with single thought and the notion I can do it.

I’m excited to be here.

You should be too. Now you get out there. Explore. Dream. Discover.