Inspired. How often does that happen to us? Not
often enough. I think most of us are just making it through the days and counting
down until Friday at 5 when we aren't chained to a desk for the next 2 days.
Then we are filling our weekends with all of the things we can't do while we being chained said desk. Leaving us little time and energy to focus on ourselves
and the things that make us truly happy or inspire us.
I received a last minute invite to an industry
event at the Four Season in San Francisco yesterday. It's an annual breakfast
event complete with awards ceremony and guest speakers. This was my first invite
to the event and am truly thankful that I could attend because the guest
speaker was absolutely INSPIRING! She spoke for an hour about the work that she
does and all I wanted was for her to keep going. Candy Chang was named a
"Live your best life" local hero by Oprah Magazine and for good
reason. One of the "campaigns" that touched me the most, and resonates with my 30 before 30 post, is the "Before
I die" campaign. She had lost someone she loved and was working through
her stages of grief and came out of it with a clarity about life. She decided to paint the
side of an abandoned building in her neighborhood with chalkboard paint and
stenciled it with "Before I die I want to__________" and left a pack of
colored chalk so that passerby's could fill in their hopes and dreams. Within
24 hours all 80 spaces were filled. The installation has been replicated over
350 times and in more than 60 countries. Here is her website and direct link to
Before I die. And a link to her segment on TedTalks as well. Short and sweet.
Some of you are probably wondering why I was so
inspired. I think that part of it is that what she is doing is fairly simple
and the reward she gets is actually providing an anonymous voice for the people
who grab that piece of chalk and write down their innermost thoughts. Her
reward is that she gave someone a voice even in the smallest of ways. That is
inspiring. It is not a monitary reward (although I'm sure she gets those as well)
but it is a spiritual or karmic reward; at least that is how I see it. She's helping people to live better lives by helping them to look at their own lives and spaces and better them. She's forcing people to really think about the things they want, the things they feel and the people they are. And she
hasn't only done this with "before I die", she's also done a "Confessions"
installation in Las Vegas, which has some very hilarious and touching posts as
well.
One thing Candy said yesterday that rang true inside me was that the second half of our lives is for finding ourselves and finding what makes our souls happy. She even said that many of us, herself included, ask ourselves that famous question of "what am I doing with my life?" The thought that someone like her, who is inspiring others with her work, has these thoughts brings me comfort. I think something for all of us to think about when we complain about where we are or what we are doing is that there is probably someone out there that is wishing that they had what you have; you are an inspiration to someone. While that doesn't mean you should be stuck in a place that you aren't necessarily happy it just means that we should be thankful for what we have and who we are. We should never stop striving to be better than we are today, but be sure to be a better YOU not a version of someone else. Find something that inspires you and promotes that strength inside you.
On a personal note, I was always hesitant about starting this blog, I've always thought about it but then I would question myself and think "what if people don't read it, what if it's boring, what if I run out of thing to write about?" What if______. Well what if I start a blog and people do read it. And more importantly what if I start writing a blog and I love it for myself even if people don't read it. That right there is the beginning of being inspired. I'm on my 9th post (just starting out I know) and I've enjoyed every one I've written so far. So here is to inspiration; may we have it, may we be it and may we live it. Quote me on that.
One thing Candy said yesterday that rang true inside me was that the second half of our lives is for finding ourselves and finding what makes our souls happy. She even said that many of us, herself included, ask ourselves that famous question of "what am I doing with my life?" The thought that someone like her, who is inspiring others with her work, has these thoughts brings me comfort. I think something for all of us to think about when we complain about where we are or what we are doing is that there is probably someone out there that is wishing that they had what you have; you are an inspiration to someone. While that doesn't mean you should be stuck in a place that you aren't necessarily happy it just means that we should be thankful for what we have and who we are. We should never stop striving to be better than we are today, but be sure to be a better YOU not a version of someone else. Find something that inspires you and promotes that strength inside you.
On a personal note, I was always hesitant about starting this blog, I've always thought about it but then I would question myself and think "what if people don't read it, what if it's boring, what if I run out of thing to write about?" What if______. Well what if I start a blog and people do read it. And more importantly what if I start writing a blog and I love it for myself even if people don't read it. That right there is the beginning of being inspired. I'm on my 9th post (just starting out I know) and I've enjoyed every one I've written so far. So here is to inspiration; may we have it, may we be it and may we live it. Quote me on that.
Booses,
Shenine joon
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| This one's for Carla because she believes in me. xoxo :) |
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