Quotes

Lastly, inspirational quotes by famous and not so famous people seem to constantly get me up and moving. Reading the quotes of those who have succeeded tremendously in life drives me to work harder in school and at volunteering. Those quotes make me hopeful that I can be even a fraction as successful as the person who wrote them. Quotes written by others, perhaps not as known, motivate me just as much as those that are written by famous historical figures. One fairly recognized quote is for example: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” by Henry David Thoreau. In my opinion, sayings about fulfilling your dreams are my favourite and the most moving. They inspire me to keep trying and to never quit on anything in life when it gets rough, to keep working hard, so that someday I might actually reach those dreams.

haha...

La Musique



My Dj friend's logo



Music never ceases to inspire me. On my iPod, I have a collection of almost all the types of music there is out there, from the Beatles to Dj Tiesto. As I am not a morning person, each day I need to wake up to music to get me fuelled for the day. With this great start to a day, I am oddly inspired to be myself, to be carefree, and not to be as shy towards others. The reason for this being perhaps that the inspiring lyrics of the song or maybe just the energizing beat. In addition, music consistently motivates me to be creative and work hard. If ever I feel tired and uninspired, music is there to save me, and replenish my mind, and get back on that homework.  A close friend of mine is a Dj himself, and he likes to say that “music is what feelings sound like”, and I completely agree that music allows me to feel free with my emotions and be me.

This will be perfect to listen to in the mornings of the days when we are in Paris!

 This is currently one of my favourites because it's such a pleasant and light song.

People

A third important inspiration for me is whenever I see elderly or ill patients at the hospital where I volunteer. This motivates and reminds me to be respectful, kind and compassionate towards everyone, especially them. I feel more determined to be considerate of their feelings and whenever we converse I try to be as friendly and thoughtful as possible. I feel inspired to help them out, and simply push the door open for them and be polite. Those are the moments when I am thankful for the life god gave me, and grateful of everything I have and could have asked for. Although this isn’t an inspiration as big as wanting to change the world, instead it inspires me to just be a better person in everyway possible.  In these small moments those small acts of kindness can make a large difference to that one person I am helping. That makes me realize that perhaps the way to make a big difference in the world is, as the cliché says, “by one small act at a time.”

A relevant quote from Mother Teresa is: "Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless."

Here's a link to a news story about students who started making small acts of kindness and look what they ended up creating!

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=6565968 

Airplanes



The perspective I see numerous times each day.

     There’s nothing like when an airplane soars across the sky with its roaring engine and swift movement. I am lucky and also unlucky to have airplanes flying overhead each day (due to the proximity of the airport to my house). I am lucky because airplanes constantly give me a feeling of freedom and motivation that I can go almost whenever and wherever possible with a simple flight. It’s the feeling that everything is nearby, that the Eiffel Tower and the Coliseum is only a plane ticket away. The unlucky side is both the fact that, at least at my age, I am not quite able to travel whenever I please, and simply the loud noise. Nevertheless, whenever I see and hear an airplane it always inspires me to want to see, explore, and travel the whole world. And for the past few months, in addition to these feelings of inspiration, I also keep thinking about the MEI trip!

The sound I so often hear outside my house:

Natura

One of the greatest inspirations of mine is the simple, yet beautiful, nature we see each day. While at a park or just in the car, I often find myself passing by vast landscapes, shimmering rivers, or just endless tress in a forest. Whenever these occasions present themselves, I always wish I had my camera to take a photo of those picture perfect sceneries. The unexplainably, flawless nature on our planet always seems to awe and inspire me. Watching and being in the outdoors gives me time to reflect and clear my mind. It inspires me to ponder about the universe and its creation, to consider how lucky we are, and to simply want to take pictures of the breathtaking nature. How the land has formed into such magnificent landscapes continues to amuse me and inspire me to keep it as it is, and not pollute the earth. Everyday I am motivated to be greener, and to, for example, use less electricity, because I want nature to stay as wonderful as it is today.

Planet Earth DVDs have the best shots of nature, but since I couldn't find their clips on youtube here's one similar: