What is inspiration and where can I find it? If you're anything like me, that is probably a question you've asked yourself a few times recently. To be sure, inspiration is not something that is easily found; certainly not as (most of us) go about the course of our daily lives. But is it healthy to ignore the bigger picture? More over, at what point do we decide to make a change?
With that in mind, I am making an effort to create my own happiness. Now, that sentiment probably seems incredibly cliché, but that's what I am setting out to do. One of the more important lessons I've learned in the last few years is that decisiveness is a vastly underrated trait. I am certainly guilty of letting my indecisiveness get the better of me. If I'm going to be wrong, I might as well commit to my decisions and let the cards fall where they may. Very few things are guaranteed in life - least of which happiness and success. It is my belief, however, that one must truly fail in order to achieve any level of success. Where am I going with this? Well, at the ripe age of 25, maybe now is the time for me to start taking those chances. No, I don't exactly know what that means and what "those chances" might look like, but I can't wait to find out. Over the weekend, my girlfriend and I watched "Jim" - an HBO documentary about conflict journalist, James Foley. In December of 2011, James was a featured speaker at Marquette University, which just so happens to be his alma mater as well. His speech that evening recounted his experience covering the Libyan Revolution some seven months prior, in which he was captured and held as a prisoner for 44 days. If you're so inclined, you can watch his speech in its entirety online (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-f7q3zhGTM). Though his own tribulations had drawn the headlines, James had only ever intended to tell the story of the Libyan people and their tremendous suffering in the midst of a brutally violent uprising. Few journalists and even fewer civilians would have dared risking their lives to share these stories with the world, but James knew his work could make a difference. Fresh off his close call in Libya, James Foley returned to the Middle East to cover the Syrian Civil War in 2012. As the conflict escalated and grew more volatile, James attempted to flee to neighboring Turkey with two of his colleagues. While en route to the Turkish border, James and his group were kidnapped by a group of armed men. After spending nearly two years in captivity, James was executed at the hands of the radical terrorist group ISIL (otherwise referred to as ISIS). He would never again return home to his family. To this day, the war in Syria rages on with no clear end in sight. Hundreds of thousands have been killed with millions more displaced as refugees. Surely, the death of James Foley was but one of the countless tragedies caused as a result of this massive conflict. In death, however, James provides inspiration to many, myself included. His motivation to serve as a conflict journalist had nothing to do with being sensible. It had everything to do with telling a story. Ultimately, James recognized that he needed to bring the atrocities of war to light, even if that meant putting his own life on the line by doing so. James Foley and his steadfast dedication serve as a rather extreme example, but I think you might know where I'm going with all of this. Time is one of life's most precious resources - why waste it? In seeking out the people and ideas that inspire me, I realize a new purpose for living. At present, the conclusion I've reached is this: inspiration creates purpose and purpose creates happiness. Although we cannot enjoy the 'good' in life without experiencing a fair amount of 'bad', there is really no use in kidding ourselves. After all, who knows me better than me? Hmm.. I think I'm on to something here.
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AuthorHey, I'm Ted Sorensen and this is my sports & personal blog. Leave some comments and let me know what you think! Archives
June 2016
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