Wednesday, November 14, 2012

RTW: Our Inspiration

Another Wednesday, another Road Trip! Road Trip Wednesday is a blog hop hosted by YA Highway!

This week we're all sharing our most inspiring and/or motivational video, book, or quote on writing!

When I was 11 I collected motivational quotes. I'm not entirely sure why, I just loved them so much. I had folders and books full of the things. Not all of them stuck with me, but there is one in particular that I've never forgotten. It's not specifically about writing, but in general I think it's a great approach to life.

"Always aim for the Moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

Of course there are a number of variations of this particular quote but I love it so much. I feel it can certainly be applied to writing, and any other aspect of your life. In general I use them as words to live by. 

To me, this quote is saying to aim as high as possible, always believe you can achieve, and never think any dream is too small. To that end I've always never thought of dreams as merely dreams, I think of them more as something that can be obtained if I work hard enough. Of course it's not always easy, not at all, but if you want something bad enough I believe you can get it. 

The other quote I really love, which can be applied to writing or again, life in general, is by the amazing Dr Seuss. 

'Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.'

It's true! Those who matter don't mind!

As for videos... again, they don't necessarily motivate or inspire me in terms of writing, but more in terms of life which consequently motivates and inspires my writing. The best place for inspirational videos is, of course, YouTube. You can find some real gems in there. 

There are heaps that I love, so I can't add them all here so I'm just going to show you one of my favourites.



This boy is such an inspiration. If he can build a windmill, I can ... write a book, climb a mountain, get a new job etc etc. This guy goes to show that if you want something, and you work at it, you can make miracles!

In terms of inspirational books, I talked recently about some non-fiction books that really inspire me.

Elissa Wall's story, document in A Stolen Innocence and Kay Bratt's story from Stolen Tears, inspired me to stand up for those who don't have a voice in this world. It motivated me to get out there and learn about other cultures and to do something worthwhile with my life. They're both brilliant books, I highly recommend them!


So they're mine! What are yours?

24 comments:

  1. My advice to my kids has always been to find that thing you love to do and do best, and then do it. Pursue whatever avenues you have to pursue to make it your life's work, regardless of whether it pays well, or makes you important in the eyes of the world. However you grade "success," you'll never be successful doing something you hate. And you'll never see a successful person who hates his job.

    This goes along with your "aim for the moon" quote. "The moon" is that thing you've always wanted to do. For example, being a writer. If you pour yourself into pursuing that goal, doing everything you can to achieve it, you will never be disappointed. Sure, you might not become a bestselling author, but you'll be writing, and that counts as success. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly. Everything you said in the first paragraph is how I've been raised and how I've lived my life. Both my younger sister and I are pursuing lives that we love and that will make us happy rather than making our bank account happy.

      I love motivational quotes so I love this weeks topic!

      Delete
  2. Ever since I first heard that Dr. Seuss quote, I've loved it. So, so true. That Dr. Seuss, he's so wise and witty. :D

    This summer when I was watching the Olympics I was struck by how many of the athletes had personal stories of overcoming adversity to reach the Olympics—family deaths, massive injuries, you name it. Now that's inspiring. And it's a big reminder of what we can achieve with dogged determination and some heart. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha he really is. I went to Universal Florida earlier this year and the Dr Seuss land was SO cool!

      Oh I agree, I loved their stories and how much they'd over come to get here. Very inspirational

      Delete
  3. William's story is so motivational! If he can accomplish all he did with limited resources and knowledge, and build himself up, learn, and create, then how can I give permission to myself to whine?

    I can't.

    Great motivational material here. I'm off to aim for the moon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, watching stories like his just remind us how lucky we are to be born in countries that are able to provide electricity and clean water to come out of the taps. If he can do that, we can write our stories, we can climb mountains and we can get through our day to day lives without moaning about our first world problem.

      =D

      Delete
  4. Love both your quotes.

    Dr. Suess has the best messages in his stories...Star-bellied Sneetches was always one of my favorites.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah yes! Such a good one. Mine was always Green Eggs and Ham... because of course, I'm Sam I am :D

      Delete
  5. Love your quotes. Dr. Seuss is brilliant. Thanks for sharing. :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love the quotes and so true. Everyone needs to follow their dreams. If it's what they love, go for it. That's the only way they'll be happy. My family were big supporters of supporting dreams and telling me that if I want to write, I write.

    My cousin got pushed into doing A*Levels which she hated and couldn't do. And sneakily she applied for horse college and while her job now is demanding and hard with lots of early mornings and working in bad weather she doesn't mind because she's in the job that she loves and working with horses which she loves as well. She's happy and that's success.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, I so agree. My family were the same. They always said all they wanted was for us to be happy. It's nice. It's good to follow your dreams and do what makes you happy.

      So nice to hear the story about your cousin. Working with horses can be super hard but it sounds like she's exactly where she wants to be, and I agree - that is success.

      Delete
  7. Great quotes. It's funny how many things can apply to both writing and life. I guess that's how dreams and passions work though. Love it. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true right!? Especially, I guess, if writing IS your life :)

      Delete
  8. Oh, those two quotes. LOVE THEM!
    Dr. Seuss has very wise words ...
    Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  9. That video is amazing! Thanks for sharing it. I'm also a fan of that first quote, although it can be hard to cop to, you know? Like, it's taken a lot of work to say "I'm writing a novel; I plan to revise, share with CPs and beta readers, revise again, and then send it out to agents." Because maybe none of that will happen...but I'm finally getting to the point where I'd rather set all of that as the clear, stated goal and risk looking a little foolish than not commit to it at all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, I know exactly what you mean. I'm the same, time to start committing about it. Tell people about my writing... once I do then I'll know I can't fail in my goals!

      Delete
  10. Great post! I love finding out what inspires other people! Thanks for sharing! :-D

    http://wordsareinnermusic.blogspot.com/2012/11/road-trip-wednesday-nanowrimo.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. Awesome quotes! I think I used to have that first quote on my wall when I was younger. I still love that one too. They're definitely both quotes that are good to live by.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What an inspirational video! It's so sad to think that a kid capable of creating a working windmill was missing out on an education, but at the same time encouraging to see his self-motivation in action. His story also stresses how important it is for books to be available to kids. Thanks for sharing this :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree - imagine what somewhat like that could have done in the first world, but the fact that he put his smarts and initiative to something so productive in his situation is amazing. He's such an inspiration.

      Delete