‘Secretariat’ and American Optimism

Published on by GMHLeave a comment

Great column by Cal Thomas that I read online in the Examiner — Cal Thomas: ‘Secretariat’ triumphs in American optimism.

I’m definitely putting the movie on my “to-do” list, and taking the whole family. I was commenting back and forth on Facebook with former colleague Rick Snider, also of the Examiner, who told me when he saw the movie at an advance screening that he thought it was definitely worth seeing. He said, “Saw advance screening of Secretariat movie out Oct. 8. Very good. If you liked Seabiscuit, you’ll like Secretariat.” Rick should know. He has been covering horse racing for decades — all the Triple Crown races and others, particularly in his home state of Maryland. Here’s his brief review of it on his blog: Go see Secretariat the movie (and please be sure to follow the link on his blog to go to his full review in the Examiner).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftFMenGAd2A&feature=player_profilepage]

We’ll be starting some lists shortly here at InspiredON — for most inspirational movies, books, songs, etc. — and it sounds like this one will go right to the top of that list.

If you see it, come back and post your opinions on it, and also feel free to post some names of movies you would nominate to be on InspiredON’s most inspirational movies list. I’ll bet you could come up with a handful right off the top of your head: ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ ‘Field of Dreams,’ ‘SeaBiscuit,’ ‘Rocky,’ ‘Pay it Forward,’ ‘The Pursuit of Happyness,’ ‘Remember the Titans,’ and so on. Let’s see what kind of a list we can build.

Faith, Focus and Follow-Through

Published on by GMHLeave a comment

Faith and fear. What’s the difference between the two? Faith is the polar opposite of fear. That’s easy.

Faith = Finding Answers In The Heart.
Fear = False Evidence Appearing Real.

What’s knocked you down in life? Have you been able to get back up, and continue on? Or have you struggled as a result? Have you gotten back up, shrugged off the blows and carried on with perseverance, stronger faith and determination? Or has fear gripped you and held you back? Made you tenuous in your walk through life?

Which has a hold of you right now?

The three “F”s of success are:

  • Faith
  • Focus
  • Follow-through

Let’s have Faith in those three “F”s. Let’s focus on that and follow through on setting and accomplishing goals. Great quote by Henry Ford: “If you think you can do a thing, or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”

It’s all about you and your approach. Keep going, don’t falter, have faith.

The Path to Walk

Published on by GMHLeave a comment

Proverbs 2 (New International Version):

6 – For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7 – He holds victory in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

8 – for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.

9 – Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.

Maximum Fitness

Published on by GMHLeave a comment

Talk about inspiring … check out Dr. Wayne ‘The Mango Man’ Pickering, who at age 63 looks like this, and can do what you see him doing on the beach in the video below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRG6bmoSW60]
Simply amazing, isn’t it? Dr. Wayne has been in the profession of helping people achieve their maximum potential in life through fitness, nutrition and more for three decades. He’s a life coach, doctor of Naturopathy with a Master’s degree in nutrition and his stated goal is to teach you to be the “healthiest person on the planet and not the wealthiest person in the grave.” To learn more about him and his programs, go to MangoManBlog.com.

A Tale of Three Brothers

Published on by GMHLeave a comment

Great piece by Rich Cimini, of ESPNNewYork.com: The Source of Matt Slauson’s Strength. It’s a story about current New York Jets left guard Matt Slauson, and the inspiration he draws from his brothers. One is an Air Force captain who has a degree in astronautical engineering and flies jets; the other brother was born after suffering a prenatal brain injury. Nick and Chris are identical twins. To read all the details of this great story, go to: The Source of Matt Slauson’s Strength and find out about the surprising stories of all three brothers.

Operation Showers of Appreciation

Published on by GMHLeave a comment

InspiredON by Giving — Kimberly Felshaw was featured in the most recent People magazine (Aug. 16, 2010 – cover photo of Chelsea Clinton’s wedding) for throwing baby showers for expecting military families. Her Operation Showers of Appreciation was born out of one of the most inspiring times of her life and one of the most tragic.

Kimberly is an ex-active duty Marine, and her husband, Josh, is a sergeant in the Corps. Their church threw them a baby shower when they were expecting their baby, Allysa. However, Allysa was born with a terminal condition and died at just three weeks. Kimberly’s thoughts drifted back to the shower that their church had organized for them; she says she didn’t know many of those who contributed gifts for the shower. That helped inspire Kimberly to create what is now Operation Showers of Appreciation (OSOA), which has been able to provide $250,000 of baby-related items to some 500 military families, according to the People magazine story. Continue reading “Operation Showers of Appreciation” →

Inspired by the Divine

Published on by GMHLeave a comment

From PR Urgent, a free press release service: “Barbara Bernard Miller, author of Mighty Inspiration, offers hope to child victims of Haitian earthquakes. … While many in Haiti suffered terribly, no one has suffered more than the children of Haiti.

“Poverty, poor development, unemployment affecting over 2/3 of the population and one of the highest percentage HIV rates in the world make the situation for Haiti’s children even more distressing. The latest figures from 10 years ago show that there were only 200 orphanages registered in Haiti. One might well ask what God intends in a situation so desperate it seems overwhelming. Barbara Miller, author of Mighty Inspiration, offers words of hope not only to the people of Haiti, but to those who suffer everywhere. She is intimately familiar with the challenges children in orphanages face, as she spent time in an orphanage as a child.

” ‘I wrote this book,’ ” stated Ms. Miller, ” ‘as a way to capture my personal experience and divine inspiration. God has a message that He wishes all people to hear. They are Continue reading “Inspired by the Divine” →

A Teacher’s Inspiration

Published on by GMHLeave a comment

InspiredON by Teachers — Linda Muhl, a retired English teacher from Dr. John Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas, is the summer recipient of the Texas A&M University Inspiration Award for Exceptional Secondary Education.

Teachers selected to receive this award – believed to be the first of its type sponsored by any university in Texas – are nominated by one of their former students who are set to graduate from Texas A&M.

Ms. Muhl was nominated for the award by one of her former students, Emily Southerland, who will receive her business degree Friday, Aug. 13, during commencement ceremonies.

Read more of the story behind Ms. Muhl’s nomination for the Texas A&M inspiration award at: Texas A&M Information Services.