7 inspiring Days in the Life or where I find inspiration sometimes

At the desk, 8:10 a.m.

Let's face it. I work a lot.

I work a lot because I love what I do. I also work a lot because there's just a lot of details to keep track of for everything that I do. I work a lot because that's kind of how I'm put together.

But I live in an entertainment world. Every where I look, I'm encouraged to work to make money so I can spend it on entertaining myself. In just sheer numbers, there are more people entertaining themselves right this minute than people busting their butts to achieve their dreams.

Now, I know this this to be true:

In order to stay working on my path, I must surround myself with people who are achieving like I am.

But these folks are tough to find. After all, if they are busting their butts to achieve their dreams, they don't have time to hang out.  Sometimes, I listen to motivational CDs such as the Success CD from Success Magazine, any Jim Rohn CD, or Lee Milteer.

Recently, I've been watching a series on Hulu called a Day in the Life. I like these because they give you a glimpse into people's lives one day at a time. They are also short - 25 minutes long - which is easily broken up into 5 minute segments. One of the things I love about these is sense of dropping in to the middle of someone's life. In that way, it's fascinating.

Here are my favorites:

Misty Copeland - I liked seeing how talented she is, and still so very kind. To me, it proves that it's possible to be kind, talented, and successful.

Joel Hale - I liked his attitude that this is what he's always wanted to do so why complain? A lot of actors complain about the success they begged, borrowed, and stole for. He works hard and, even though it's a lot, he loves it. That's nice to see.

Will.I.Am - In this video, Will.I.Am speaks about something almost no one talks about - that not everyone wants to see you happy and successful. He's also funny (bit about his mother) and interesting. I don't know that much about him, but enjoyed seeing a day in his life.

John Fetterman - I'd never heard of John Fetterman or the city he is mayor of. I liked that he decided to make a difference, and a life, where he stands. I think for Americans, and maybe all people, it's so much easier to donate to educate girls in Afghanistan than to support education of girls in Alabama. The need is the same. Somehow, it's more romantic to save girls in the Congo than in Alabama.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller - Ok, I don't care at all about UFC fighting. What I liked about this video and Jason was the sense that this man is willing to go to great lengths to accomplish his dream. We all have a distance we must go to make our dreams possible. It's nice to see someone else making the sacrifice.

Mario Batali - I don't really get our fixation with the "celebrity chef", mostly because I like simple, whole food. But, I have liked how individual Mario Batali seems to be. While this is not the most interesting video (we just follow him from job site to job site), I like how he inspires and encourages his staff. I like some of his ideas on keeping himself fresh.

QuestLove - I'd never heard of ?uestLove (pronounced QuestLove) or Amir Thompson and still I found this video inspiring and fascinating. Moreover, I liked the way he talked about his life, his family, and work. I liked how real he was and his sense that he didn't have the answers; he was just trying to live his life.

I will tell you that some of these are duds. I was surprised at how boring I found Tim Ferriss's life to be. I don't know why I expected more from him. Maybe I just think authors are boring because I think I'm fairly boring.

Anyway, enjoy the videos. Feel free to bookmarket this and come back to watch. In the meantime, I'd love to know what you think.

Comments

[Kara Ayers]

Your last paragraph made me laugh. I find you anything but boring! It's always so interesting how our own perception of self differs so widely from others. Boring can be good I suppose though.....it seems closer to peacefulness than not being boring!

[OGClaudia]

Hmm... maybe you should watch Tim Ferriss and see how boring his life is! ;) If it was my life, they'd tape me walking from the kitchen to my office and sitting here staring at the screen for hours at a time! ;) At least that's what Rose the dog says. ;)

[Vincent Palmisano]

Glad to hear your dogs talk too.

I work hard, because it's the way i'm wired, because i'm unemployed at present, because finding a job is one of the hardest jobs, and mostly because when i'm busy the voices in my head aren't quite so distracting...

[Claudia Hall Christian]

I think losing a job is toughest on people who like to work. Of course, I always think it's better to work for yourself. Any chance you could do that Vince? I've worked for myself for most of the last 20 years. For someone who likes work, it's awesome

[TWM]

I like inspiration found. Of course I'm lazier than yu so i just reach underneath the desk and pull some old gum from it and see what the shape of it brings to mind. Not that I recommend that type of inspiration for everyone because some desks you just don't know what it is you're going to find under there.

Seriously though OG, early morning while it's still called late at night, a cigarette, a few stars and a mind not quite ready to be insane for the day yet. What is this strange thing you call work?

[Claudia Hall Christian]

Well... there is that...