Inspired By Purpose: Unrelentless in Every Circumstance

Circumstances. Emotions. Decisions. Opportunity. 

Many people change their direction based upon circumstance. This can be good. This can also be bad. Take for instance our economy. People who were once very successful now are homeless, addicts and among the lowest of the low. While others who had nothing changed their direction because they saw opportunity in the darkness. They had the will to not just survive, but also to prosper. So what's the difference? These people live in the same country, the same basic surroundings and all grew up believing in the "American Dream" (or at least being taught it). Can proper decisions be made due to circumstances, or does it all depend on the circumstance?

My answer is this - We cannot waiver in our faith due to our circumstances. Circumstantial evidence is only what we see, not necessarily what we feel or believe. If we only go by what we see, how can we truly be successful if it goes against what we feel or believe? If we only go by what we see and feel, that can also be deceiving because our emotions can often deceive us. We then, must always trust in what we beleive at our core regardless of the circumstances. You know the saying "Only believe half of what you see" ? I have found that to be a personal truth that I live by.

Desire. Passion. Excitement. Belief. 

All of these emotions and innate characteristics fuel us when there is no fuel left in the fire. When others see an empty coal pit, we still see that spark and believe it will combust at any moment! And even if it didn't we can surely find 2 sticks to rub together! Where others see no way, we see some way. We are the unrelentless ones. The ones that do "crazy" things. That is us. We are crazy. We are entrepreneurs.

In every circumstance we remain faithful because we know without a doubt what the end result will be even when everything visible shows us otherwise. We do not waver with the change of the seasons, but keep focused because of our reasons. When we lose our friends, our money, or material possessions, and even sometimes feel like we have lost ourself, we hang on and persevere.

Desire is the ambition and drive we have been gifted with. Our desires often cannot be explained, though we try. The human mind wants a reason for everything that we do. Except for a few, we know that we do not need a physical reason and the point at which the desire was created is irrelevant if not nurtured.

Faith is not easy. Passion is dangerous without a focused direction. And belief? It means nothing without purpose. Afterall, what is belief without purpose? It is nothing.

I am Inspired By Purpose by my God given purpose. 

Are you?

Dandelion Children Grow up to be Hustlers

Against all odds.

By any means necessary.

We've all heard these phrases. So simple yet so complex. Why? Because we've heard these things from people who's lives have been truly defined by these statements. They didn't just say words that sounded good, they actually felt what they said. You know, the people who grew up in poverty, abuse or homelessness that end up being independent business owners, and those of great financial success? The people who seem to have a passion beyond measure, and when they speak, sing or write about their struggles, you are enthralled  because you can almost feel that there is a deeper purpose behind them sharing their story? These are the DANDELION CHILDREN .

These are the people who have a mental, emotional and often physical connection to their passion. They are fueled by something that was wrongly done to or against them, and they take it on as their responsibility to impact others also victimized. This can be done by means of inspiration, motivation, or by physical means. These people feel it necessary to take back power from the wrong-doers and keep it for themselves and others as determined as they are. They do not give it freely, they fight to take it and inspire others to do the same. They use their lives to lead, and choose their words carefully.

Entrepreneurs.

Hustlers.

Go-Getters.

People you want on your team.

With my personal background, I often have people shocked at the level of success I have achieved despite past circumstances. Maybe I should be flattered, but mostly I continue to look at the present and future, and less at the past. It's as if the struggles of the past no longer matter because I am a new person. When you experience much struggle, you appreciate the littlest amount of success. Some psychologists call this the "dandelion" affect. A dandelion can grow and flourish even in conditions where other plants cannot. Dandelions can sustain and grow themselves without much need for nourishment. 

Are you a dandelion? Can you regrow into a new form even when you got blown around? Listed are the 7 Key Skills to Resiliency as noted in  the bookThe Resilient Self by Steven and Sybil Wolin (paraphrased).

7 Key Skills to Resiliency 

1) Insight: The ability to ask tough questions of yourself & be honest with your answers.

2) Independent: Counts only on themselves to bounce back into life.

3) Tied to Others: The more people you are responsible to, the

4) Initiative : Take charge of the problem. Do whatever is necessary to get out of it.

5) Creative: Being able to look at the situation and creatively determine the best way out.

6) Sense of Humor: They may cry until they start laughing. You have to be able to laugh at yourself.

7) Morality: Whatever you do to bounce back, you need to make sure it's moral. Your success needs to be at the service of others; not the expense.

"A resilient person won't give up" - Jim Rohn

Food or Plastic?

As I walked around the beautiful Sparks marina on an off day from the gym, I decided to sit a few minutes and watch all of the swimmers and sand volleyball players. I was in a long, striped, flowy, colorful dress that seemed to catch the attention of many. However, someone also caught my attention. As I approached the grass hill to sit down, I noticed a woman sitting alone. She was obese and wearing shorts and a tee shirt. She had the largest McDonald's soda you can buy sitting next to her. She was also eating something.

I saw her looking at me, and looked over to smile. She was feeding a couple of ducks that seemed to just be hanging out with her. Just then, her son and daughter probably no older then 7 and 9 came running over. They were also overweight. I sat back to observe the situation. The kids ran back into the water, and then I heard the lady talking. She wasn't talking to herself, she was talking to the ducks.

Suddenly, I heard "That's not food buddy! That's plastic!" 

What an interesting thing to say coming from someone eating and drinking McDonald's and the other "food-like substances" she had with her. Isn't that the way most Americans eat? Food that's no better for us then plastic? In fact, we store our food in plastics that researchers are finding to be potentially harmful because of ingredients like bisphenol A (BPA) So why then are people so concerned about what animals are eating, and calling them "stupid" , but yet with all the information available to us we continue to eat "food-like susbtances" with little to no nutritional value?

Let's start using the information available to us. If we KNOW that things are not good for us, why do we still do them? This is a hypothetical question, but I hope to really get people thinking about this. Look around you, listen, observe, and let's try to not only spread knowledge but INSPIRE PEOPLE TO IMPLEMENT THEIR KNOWLEDGE.

Information is the world's #1 largest commodity.