Showing posts with label inspirational. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspirational. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2013
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Inspirational Speech Given By Bike-Riding Kid
The ending is my favorite part:
PS - Sorry for letting this blog languish. I've been very busy lately.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
10 Inspirational Videos on YouTube
10 pivotal and inspirational moments of the last century amidst the millions of videos on YouTube. Enjoy and thanks to Mashable for compiling them.
Here is my favorite:
Related Sublime Goodness Posts:
Ranging from silent footage from the early 1900s to modern digital video capture, these clips vary dramatically from political to sporting to scientific achievements. They all have one thing in common — a strong message of inspiration.> Check out all ten videos
Here is my favorite:
Related Sublime Goodness Posts:
Friday, June 4, 2010
Blind Man Ignores Naysayers & Becomes a Doctor
As soon as I saw the byline for this local story, I knew it was meant for me - "UW's Tim Cordes ignored the naysayers to become one of the few sightless doctors in the country."Ignored the naysayers indeed. Cordes has led one heck of an inspiring life - on top of his achievements in the medical field and his tenacious drive, buried in the article is a mention of black belts in jujitsu and tae kwon do! Unbelievable.
Check it out:
> Read Cordes' full story at the Capital Times
Now I'm sorry I didn't know about his speech at the Madison Civics Club.
Related Sublime Goodness Posts:
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Disability Doesn't Stop This Teen From Dancing
...and defying expectations. What an amazing and inspiring story this is that I came across in this week's Parade magazine:In Challes Reese’s dreams, her face is bathed in a spotlight as she dances freely across a stage.
In Challes Reese’s reality, she is a 15-year-old with cerebral palsy who relies on a wheelchair for mobility.
But she has long refused to let her neurological condition, which permanently impairs muscle control, block her dream of dancing.
That dream started when Challes was a little girl in Chicago, before her family relocated to Dubuque, Iowa. And it persisted when she moved into Hills & Dales, a local residential facility for young people with profound physical and mental disabilities, a few years ago.
So when the Stephen Hempstead High School dance team held tryouts last fall, the freshman, one of nearly 1600 students, steered her motorized wheelchair to the center of the floor. She was ready. A wheelchair in a dance routine? Skeptics were soon won over as Challes moved her arms and spun her chair around, “dancing” in sync with the music. It was an unconventional routine but one she performed to near perfection.
Told she was the newest squad member, Challes, a young woman of few words, unleashed a scream of joy. The dream was on.
Related Sublime Goodness Posts:
Thursday, January 14, 2010
10-Year-Old Raises Money to Help Poor Kids Dance
I know what you are thinking - "Is it youth week at Sublime Goodness?" No, just serendipity that I came across two inspirational stories about two activist kids in the span of a few days. Here is the caption from the AP for the photo above:Drew Buckley, 10, a Patel Conservatory ballet student separates ballet shoes she has collected for students at Metropolitan Ministries Partnership School before a dance class Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 in Tampa, Fla. Buckley collected $1,700, with the help of her mother, to buy new ballet shoes for the kids, some who live in a homeless shelter, others who live in tough urban neighborhoods and take ballet as part of their physical education class.> Read more about Drew here
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Homeless Teen Headed to Harvard
A true "rags to riches" story about the amazing Khadijah Williams:
Around here [her high school], Khadijah is known as "Harvard girl," the "smart girl" and the girl with the contagious smile who landed at Jefferson High School only 18 months ago.There is much more to her story and I encourage you to read it at the LA Times here. She graduate with high honors, including fourth in her class. She also was accepted to more than 20 universities (turning down Brown and Columbia...) and plans on becoming an education attorney.
What students don't know is that she is also a homeless girl.
As long as she can remember, Khadijah has floated from shelters to motels to armories along the West Coast with her mother. She has attended 12 schools in 12 years; lived out of garbage bags among pimps, prostitutes and drug dealers. Every morning, she upheld her dignity, making sure she didn't smell or look disheveled.
On the streets, she learned how to hunt for their next meal, plot the next bus route and help choose a secure place to sleep -- survival skills she applied with passion to her education.
Only a few mentors and Harvard officials know her background. She never wanted other students to know her secret -- not until her plane left for the East Coast hours after her Friday evening graduation.
"I was so proud of being smart I never wanted people to say, 'You got the easy way out because you're homeless,' " she said. "I never saw it as an excuse."
My takeaway - believe in yourself, work hard and know that anything is possible.
Related Sublime Goodness Posts
Monday, May 18, 2009
Amputee Swimmer Doesn't Quit
I love stories like this - someone who doesn't look at their disability as an barrier..but an obstacle to overcome. Here is Dwight's story:
Dwight Montgomery was pulling himself out of the water when he looked up and saw the crowd was clapping and cheering for him.
Three years after a horrific motorcycle accident left him with one leg, the Jamaican-born swimmer finished his first Nike Swim Miami two weeks ago in a little more than two hours.
"They made me feel as if I won the race even though I finished 174th out of 182 swimmers," Montgomery said. "I did the [3.1-mile] race as a challenge. It was one of the most taxing and rewarding things that I ever have done. The pain lasted for two full days."
The next week Montgomery, 48, of Tamarac was right back in the pool training for more challenges.
This is my favorite part:
"I find now that I am doing all of this I am motivating my [10 yr-old] daughter even more," said Montgomery, who hopes to compete in triathlons. "The lesson she learns isn’t just about swimming. The lessons she gets by watching about not quitting and being in pain and getting past that is invaluable. It says that you can do anything."
> Read the full story and more about Dwight Montgomery
Watch the CNN video recap:
Related Sublime Goodness Posts:
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sketchbook Project Enourages Anyone to Create Art
I found out about this too late to participate, but I love it anyway and enjoy looking at the sketchbooks. Here is the deal from Art House Co-op in Georgia:We send you the sketchbook, you make the art. Then Art House is taking all the sketchbooks on a 6 city tour to galleries and museums across the U.S. The goal of the exhibition is to encourage anyone to create artwork and build a collective of sketchbooks made by artists from all over the world.The entry period is over and about 2,800 artists from around the world sent in sketchbooks by mid-February.
The theme of the project is "everyone we know". This is just a guideline. Interpret it however you want.
> Click here to see a list of artists, sketchbook pictures and much more.
I love this idea because it's simple, creative and engaging to almost anyone. Even though it's too late, I'm inspired to spend the rest of the evening on the couch with my moleskin journal...
Check out the CNN Video for a neat recap:
Related Sublime Goodness Posts
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Disabled Iraq Veteran Overcomes Tragedy & Inspires Others
As a veteran, American and well, a human being, this story really touches me. Mr. Smith was speaking this week as part of Disabilities Week in Arkansas:Imagine joining the army and being sent to Iraq to serve your country. Then an explosion caused by a rocket-propelled grenade causes you to lose almost every function of your body.> Read More About Smith's Talk in The Herald.
This is what happened to retired Army Maj. Anthony Smith April 4, 2004.
Pronounced dead after the attack, 17 minutes passed before soldiers discovered Anthony Smith was alive. He was in a coma for 62 days and lost part of his right arm and his entire right hip. After more than thirty surgeries, the retired army Major now uses his survival to help inspire others to never give up.
"No matter what you're going through, use it to your advantage and don't ever give up. You may lose some battles, but the key is to win the war," said Smith.
Now Smith uses his experience to help counsel other injured soldiers. He is working on getting his PhD in counseling so he can counsel others.
> Read More About Smith's Long Journey
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Inspirational Video - The Laws of Attraction & More
I came across these videos today and they are worth checking out. Yes, some of the imagery is a little cheesy, but the combination of choral music and good quotes make for some inspiring imagery. Check it out:
Bonus video: 12 Things to Remember
Related Sublime Goodness Posts:
Bonus video: 12 Things to Remember
Related Sublime Goodness Posts:
Friday, March 6, 2009
Inspirational & Motivational Quotes
Similar to Sublime Goodness, where I collect...um, sublime goodness, I came across another collection of inspiration and motivation - www.worldofinspiration.com. This site just lists uplifting quotes and continually adds them. I can dig that.Here are some of my favorites at the site:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, It is the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret Mead (this is a classic!)
Vernon Howard
Henry Drummond
John Lennon
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Abraham Lincoln
“You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need.”
“You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.”
“Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.”
“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
“The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.”
Friday, February 27, 2009
High School Band Director Spreads Inspirational Messages
Here is a great example of an everyday person doing extraordinary things.It began as a tool to help a student shift negative attitudes.> Read more here at The Herald Mail
Now, Gary Rupert's daily message, called Today's Task, reaches a network of people via e-mail in at least 14 states.
A publisher in Indiana has plans to print a manuscript of a collection of Rupert's motivational writings, titled "Today's Task - A Thought-Provoking Look at Lessons I Learned as a Teacher."
While Rupert, director of bands at Smithsburg High School and director of jazz bands at Hagerstown Community College, finds it rewarding to know so many are interested in his daily message, he also is surprised.
"It happened purely by accident," Rupert said. "I think it's interesting so many people are reading it. I'm just an ordinary guy doing an ordinary job."
Oh and if you want to receive Today's Task via e-mail - contact Rupert at rupergar@wcboe.k12.md.us. How great it is to have extra life lessons from your band teacher!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Free Inspirational Book - "Summer's Path" by Scott Blum
FREE! It's rare that something is really "free," but I downloaded it myself first to check it out...and it's legit. From MSNBC:
After many successful years as a technological innovator, a critically acclaimed multi-media artist, and the co-founder of the hugely successful inspirational website DailyOM, Scott Blum is now sharing magic and wisdom through the written word.
Blum's new books, "Summer's Path" and "Waiting for Autumn," are written as a series of parables, similar in style to "The Alchemist," "Way of the Peaceful Warrior," and "The Celestine Prophecy." Through a semi-fictional sequence of events and an archetypal cast of characters, his stories awaken us to new ideas, invite us to explore powerful spiritual and healing practices, and draw us into a mystical world where nothing happens by mere coincidence.
For a limited time, those eager to embark on Blum's transformative trek can download the first book in the series, "Summer's Path," for free -- either as an e-book or audio book -- from Blum's website (www.scottblum.net).
"Summer's Path" centers around Don Newport, an engineer who, after losing his job and his health insurance, learns he has a terminal disease and only a few months left to live. In order to spare his beloved wife the burden of exorbitant medical fees, Don begins to seek a way to end his life that won't further traumatize his wife or cause her undue pain. His answer comes when he meets Robert, a brazen angel of death who offers him a rare and unexpected option.
"Summer's Path" makes history as the first time a major self-help publisher has used a free e-book to launch a new series of books. Publisher Hay House is even offering a chance to win a free Kindle to anyone who downloads the story.
> Download the Book Here (text or audio)
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Don't Quit Poem Video
Two minutes of uplifting goodness:
...Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit;
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
> Watch a Hi-res Version Here
> Read the Original Poem
...Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit;
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
> Watch a Hi-res Version Here
> Read the Original Poem
Sunday, December 28, 2008
40 Inspirational Speeches in Two Minutes
A humorous and uplifting clip from Funny or Die. What I like about this is the wide range of movies, from silver screen classics to, um, Goonies.
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