Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Motivation.
Just Do It
My Mistake Oftentimes, I realize I'm really slow to do the things I want to do. I have waited far too long to act on how I feel, speak up or even change things around me. Well, enough is enough. Life is fast, we all know that so why is it so hard to do take risks and just do what we want to do.
By Emily A6 years ago in Motivation
The Present of Presence
The Present of Presence We just stopped for a quick bite to eat at a roadside gas station/truck stop on the way to the venue. Touring over the years, I have gotten used to the truck stop meals/midnight snacks while the bus fuels up. But we were in a touring van cause it was Europe and this was not your typical truck stop. It was in Bratislava, Slovakia, and it was the kind of truck stop that is a car thief's dream. We were staying in Vienna, Austria, but because Bratislava is so close, the plan was to just drive to the venue and return back to our hotel in Vienna after the show. Before I left my hotel room that day, I had a gut instinct to plug my phone in to back up all the pictures to my laptop that I had taken so far on the tour. It was the Richie Kotzen Europe tour in 2009, and it was my first trip to Europe. For so long I had dreamed of going to Europe. I spent lots of time visualizing and putting it on goal lists and I was finally there! And I was so honored to be there playing/touring with Richie Kotzen and my band mate, and great drummer friend, Demian Arriaga. I was going to take it all in and take tons of pictures along the way. And I had taken some great pictures with my iPhone so far. Ones that I will never be able to replace. Pictures of castles in Estonia that date back to the 13th century. Pictures of us standing by roadside signs in Lithuania and Latvia, and pictures of us boarding a plane in Warsaw, Poland, that I thought was way too small and too packed to be able to fly. Pictures of the Italian Alps from my airplane window on the way to Poland. Good stuff and great times. That day in Slovakia, everyone was gonna go eat a sandwich and get on the way to the venue. I thought about staying in the van and listening to music, but I decided instead to go in and get some lunch, too. The odd thing is that I went outside the store and was standing there and noticed a few guys kinda staring at me a little. Like they were keeping an eye on me. Makes more sense in hindsight. When we returned to the van, we noticed the door was open. There was a problem. We got robbed! Fortunately, they did not take the touring essentials like guitars and stuff like that. They just went through our bags to find stuff like wallets and phones. And my phone was gone. I checked a thousand times, but it was gone. Now, that may not sound like a big deal and it really isn't, but nowadays, losing a phone when it can't be replaced immediately can be a big deal. And it was a big deal cause of all those irreplaceable photos. It was a big deal cause that was my only line of communication. On those long rides through Europe, I would put on my headphones and listen to music as I stared out the window thinking about how I was the luckiest man on earth to be doing what I was doing. I would play games on my phone too, while scenes I had never seen before passed me by. Professionally, it was not good, because I used it to play the songs every night for the set, warming up in the dressing room. All that was gone. My little device that I relied way too much on. Sounds ridiculous, and it is, but I feel like I was missing a limb or something. Violent thoughts went through my mind, like I wish I could have beaten the thieves to a bloody pulp, and I was hoping they were dead in a ditch somewhere for stealing my property. Sounds ridiculous that anyone should die for stealing a phone, but those were my thoughts. Guess it must have been the Sicilian blood in me. I wanted bad things to happen to them. For anyone that has had anything stolen from you in a break-in scenario, it feels like such a violation. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I didn't want to accept it. I walked to a mall in Vienna the very next day to see how much it was to get a new iPhone. But in Europe, iPhones are twice as expensive and it did not make sense. So I sucked it up and accepted it. It was a major inconvenience, but I accepted it. I had to disconnect. Disconnect from technology and the crutch we all are guilty of in this day and age. Some are worse than others, and I am probably one of the worst violators. Nowadays, you can see a table of people and they are not talking, they are all staring at their phones. So there I was, driving through the alps of Austria, staring out the window with no music, games, or devices to distract me. Just me and my thoughts and the beauty that surrounded me. Have you ever seen something or had an experience and you are so busy trying to capture a picture of it that you miss the whole event? Not fully absorbing what is in front of you because you are trying to snap pictures? That happened again to me recently when the space shuttle flew over my house strapped on the back of a 747. Missed being fully present for the whole thing kinda because I was trying to get good pictures. I feel so bogged down sometimes by the pace of information nowadays and the crutch and reliance of technology that I think I am missing out on a lot of things because I am not present in the moment. I still had three weeks in the tour and I had that distraction of technology removed from me. What a relief! It was actually the best part of the tour. No way to communicate, no music to listen to, no thought of being distracted by games and taking pictures. I actually did miss not having music to listen to of all things because music helps define moments so clearly. It is like when you hear a song and you can remember exactly where you were and what you were feeling at a certain time. Music can provide like a little emotional time capsule in your brain, that when reactivated can bring you right back to a certain point or window of time with all the feelings and pictures associated with it. But at the same time, I am glad I did not have it because I would not have been fully present. Allowing my thoughts to surface at will. Silence is a form of meditation and can be one of the most purifying things for the soul. That day we were traveling through the Austrian alps, I let go of my precious phone and was present. A moment came over me where I suddenly felt more alive than I had in a very long time. There were many times after that where I would be walking along century old cobblestone streets and I was able to really take in the gravity of the moment instead of being attached to my digital leash. Times where I was sitting in cafes in Italy with my band mates enjoying good times and conversation, not worried about texts, or calls or games or pictures. It was the best present I could have received and I thank the universe for it happening. I actually, at some point, looked up in the sky and thanked the people who stole my precious phone. It was meant to be. I was present for laughs and conversations with my band mates and crew in the van on the road between locations. I could stare at beautiful things and take a deep breath and take it all in. Phones are like leashes. Especially the way phones are now. Sometimes when I leave my phone at home accidentally, I feel a great sense of relief. I love my iPhone, don't get me wrong. And I'm grateful for it. but I acknowledge that my reliance on that little device robs me of being present in life a lot of the time. The tendency to constantly communicate with people that are not in front of me and pay so much attention to facebook statuses, twitter, and email. I love all those things, but I know that is not being present in any way and I am probably missing a lot. Sometimes I feel like life is passing by at the speed of light and I am moving through it like a drone plugged into a power grid. But it is those few moments where I become reconnected that jolts my spirit awake. And those are the best moments in life to me. I get the irony of talking about being present while sitting in front of a computer typing this blog, but oddly I feel more present recalling that time in my life and the lesson I thought I learned from this. I just have to remind myself and try and make a conscious effort to make those moments happen more often.
By David 6 years ago in Motivation
How to Retire Early
Have you been thinking of retirement? Pondering that one fateful day in the future when you're finally be able to retire? Assuming your parents are still alive today, do they work jobs as well? Have you ever wanted to retire them? You may have been brought up like I was in school. Taught to believe that, when you came out, you'd go to college. After college you would get a good job and work until retirement. Have you ever sat down to think about this? What does your future life looks like years from now?
By The Breatharian Blogger6 years ago in Motivation
No Rain, No Flowers
Today, my friend and I found each other complaining about all the schoolwork we had to do before school got out (even though we still have around 100 days until that happens), and it was not until later that I realized how silly we must have sounded.
By Sidney Hildebrandt6 years ago in Motivation
Things I Wish I Knew
During my senior year in high school, I complied a list of things that I wish I knew. I also asked several of my friends what they wish they knew. This list consists of what I feel were the most important lessons learned by a bunch of 18 year olds during their time as youths.
By Katie Green6 years ago in Motivation
The People Pleaser's Guide to Setting Boundaries
For a big chunk of my life, I struggled with healthy boundaries. Mainly because I had no idea what they looked like. I grew up in an abusive house and was quickly dismissed and punished for asking what I wanted or needed.
By Emily Stroia6 years ago in Motivation
Take a Timely Time Out
It's something I'd done over the years at times when I felt a little down or stressed. Now it's something I do almost every day, sometimes several times a day, so that I feel less stress and experience more joy in my life. For me, it's really a magical, yet simple process. I'd like to share it with you.
By Rick Beneteau6 years ago in Motivation
Change Is Coming!
I see fear in change every single day with my fellow peers. Quite frankly, within myself too; sometimes I’m afraid of change—subconsciously. What I mean by this is, before change can transpire, a major shift has to happen. When that major shift happens, most of the time, it does NOT feel good. It gets real uncomfortable.
By Cocoa K. ✨6 years ago in Motivation
Destination Happiness...
Everywhere you look, you see people looking for this elusive feeling… happiness. Nobody will ever say: “Oh no! I don’t want happiness, forget about that, I want to suffer… ” So even though, everyone wants happiness and is continuously searching for it, the ironic response above is actually more accurate than any of the so-called searches, because it often feels like we like to struggle.
By Lia Tod6 years ago in Motivation
You Are More Than You Think
You are more powerful than you think you are. You are more intuitive than you think you are. You can endure more than you give yourself credit. Why is that, you say? Let me explain. We live in a world where people underestimate themselves. Not only do they underestimate their own potential, but their own inner power.
By The Breatharian Blogger6 years ago in Motivation
