Inspires Me

Emotionally inspiring movies that could change your life

sam — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:42:05 -0700

I am a movie going fanatic. I love movies right down to my bones. The movies that I love the most are ones that can be learned from. Something that you can take back and say wow, "My Life has just been changed". I adore those kinds of movies and I must admit, I have seen quite a few in my 24 years of life. Though, what modernized countries haven't? These movies, I feel have actually made me a better person in some way or another. Listed in alphabetical order.

300 - Based on a true story about the battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas and 300 of his famous Spartans fight to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian Army. This movie is very graphic, but gives us extremely valuable lessons.

One can never try to hard - The Spartans are bread and made for war. They grew up each and everyday training for war and defensible combat. They were the cream of the crop when it came to men of war. The lesson is to keep striving, keep pushing for once you get there. You will be at the top of your totem pole. Don't stop pushing, don't stop changing. Adapt and become a better person. I know every time I see something wrong with me, I try my best to change it and become a better person.
Teams are essential in a Team oriented event - The Spartans were able to push back hundreds of thousands of men with a small niche in the rock carved out for about 10 men. They were a team and every time they got tired, they switched up. They worked in one of the best team environments that were capable at that time.

American Beauty - A middle aged man confronts the reality of his suburban life. He finds the fire in his life when his daughters friend comes into the picture. The story is not about a romance between the friend and the father, but the fathers fire being re-ignited in his life.

Live every day like its your last - The man was able to become stronger and start living for what he wanted in his life. He decided that life was too short for him. He started doing things he wanted to do and was then happy for it. Don't stop pushing for each day. A famous quote goes "You can sleep when your dead". Take that to the heart. Do things you have never done before and always wanted to do.
Love your kids - The man finds out he has a poor life and his daughter hates him. The movie never truly explains why, but it is evident that she does. Don't grow apart from your kids. They are your only link in the future and will be there when your on your death bed.

American History X - This is a racially motivated movie and not for the faint of heart, but if your willing to watch it you will see a neo-Nazi become reformed.

People can always change - This lesson in it self is extremely important. Life can always turn around. If you know a famous quote that starts like "Once a .... Always a ....", you need to rethink what is going through your mind. People can change, but they do have to want it. We are all taught different things in different ways which forces some of us to think harsher than others. If the person wants it enough and they see the mistake they committed, they can change. I know my Girlfriend has caused a lot of change in me for the better. Every time she sees a problem, she points it out to me, I waddle it in my head and take a step backwards then step forward again a changed man. The fact is, I love my girlfriend and if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't commit to changes like I do.
People can be forgiven - "I am dead and I am alive again, I was lost and now I am found". One of my favorite quotes in life. The Neo-Nazi went to jail, he was lost and changed himself inside jail and then he was forgiven by the state which some could call rehabilitation. Forgiveness is one of those cardinal rules that we can all live with. Forgive more and you will love your self more.

Beauty and the Beast - Everyone knows this one, but if you didn't. An enchanted prince takes a maiden to his castle where she falls desperately in love with him. He is willing to die for her.

Love more - This goes without saying that in a perfect world, everyone would love one another, but we are not in a perfect world and we don't live in peace. If everyone in the world though, read this blog post; I know we would love each other more in the world.

Boondock Saints - Two brothers change a city by committing sins that help the citizens live safer at night.

Stand up for what's right - The brothers stand up for the people not able to take action. They see rapists getting free, cocaine dealers getting off on a technicality and men who beat their wives get out and do it again until she dies. I always told my girlfriend that if I was ever on my last leg and I had nothing to live for in this world, I would sign up to what these men did. There are critics out there, but these two brothers truly supported the freedom of others while pushing them selves into hell. They made the world a safer place by standing up for what is right.

Chasing Amy - A man decides to love a bisexual woman and then loses everything, even his best friend.

Find the love of your life and settle down - There are plenty of songs out there about going over the fence to see what's on the other side, but don't do it. Once you step on the other side, you will not be able to return. You will have lost your Amy. This is another movie that sends chills down your back when you listen to silent Bob describe how he lost the love of his life, Amy.

Dead Poets Society - About a teacher who touches the minds of men and makes them enjoy the world. Carpe Diem.

Carpe Diem - "Seize the Day" was the motto of this movie and it rings so true in all of life. I hope every day you make it great. Strive for everything for you only have so long on this planet. People before you are pushing up daisies. Do you want to be on your death bed before you have completed everything you wanted in life?

Freedom Writers - Another teacher movie which teaches both the kids and the teacher to strive for excellence and to love one another.

You can't tell a book by its cover - These kids grow up in a dangerous life right after the L.A. riots. They are the gang bangers and the thugs of the street, but in the end you see that they possess intellect and love. They send chills down your back by the idea's that bad people can come up with.
Everyone can grow and has potential - Everyone in the world can experience personal growth and has the potential to do good. These kids showed that by going to college and experience things that they never dreamed of.
Anyone can make a difference - If you remember the teacher was always told that she could never change the kids. That they just needed to get out and graduate and then move on. She showed us that anyone can inspire and make a difference to such a small group of people, but something that can change the lives of millions.

Saving Private Ryan - A soldiers life in World War 2 that is awe inspiring, but is gruesome at some points.

Make your life worth it - Every soldier that died in wars before died for a reason. They died so their can be freedom in this world. Live your life so you make their lives worth it. Help others at all times. Open the door for some lady. Say please and Thank you. Make your life worth their death. Truly Inspiring.

Scent of a Woman - From the name it might sound risqué, but once you sit down and watch it you find that a boy out of college fights for someone else's life. He helps a person find a reason to live again.

Fight for it - Fight for what you believe in. The kid is prosecuted and destroyed at school, but out of school he still has the morals and character of a great man. It is this man that brings that chills down my back. Fight for it!

The Day the Earth Stood Still - One of the best movies in the world. The idea behind this movie is an alien and his robot come to earth to deliver a message of the other planets that could bring peace to the world.

Bring Peace to all around you - If we had world peace like what is required in the movie. The trillions that are spent on military could be used to officially remove world hunger. It would make it a thing of the past. I would be out of a job, but It would be absolutely amazing feat to see what the world and human beings can think of and invent in a world without conflict. It will never be a reality, but we can dream.

As understood, I am a movie lover. I ask that you post comments on what movies you think are amazing that can be learned from. I am always in the mood for another GREAT movie.

Charity of the Month - Each Month I will sponsor a charity. At the end of each year, I will donate at LEAST 51% of the revenue of this blog equally out to all the charities I sponsored for that year. I hope you look at the charity and decide to donate.
Blue Planet brings people in poorer countries fresh supplied water. I hope each of you look at this site and decide to donate $30.00 at least. I know you probably have an extra $30.00 sitting around. Why not spend it on something that will save a persons life?

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I have a Dream, what are your childhood dreams?

sam — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:07:36 -0700

I went to the local CVS market place a few days ago to pick up some milk for home. I find my self drinking more and more of that stuff as the weeks go by. From what I have researched, there are no true harmful side affects from milk itself. This is definitely a good thing from a family of two who drink around 3 gallons a week. After picking up the milk I met an old college buddy at the register.

We haven’t seen each other for a few years and I said “hi”, he said “hi” back and we traded polite conversation. I asked him if he was happy with his job and he said “it was alright like others”. I then went on to ask him what was his dream? What did he want to become or do in his life that, if he achieved would be truly amazing to him. He said “He never reached his dreams”. We are both young in our lives and so we have plenty of time to reach our dreams. I then began to ask the cashier if he had achieved his dream and what was it. He said “it was to open a store of his own”. I was just amazed at people, because everyone has a dream, but not everyone has achieved their dreams in life. I know I sure haven’t. What are my childhood dreams? What are my adult dreams? I know I have them, so here I wish to post them. Dreams are supposed to be goals in life. Things you wish to aspire and achieve in life. I want to ask that in the comments section, you also post your dreams and aspirations. What have you dreamed about in life?

1. To be President of the United States. Don’t get me wrong, this is a huge dream and I mostly want to become president because of the amount of affect/good change I personally could have on the world.
2. To work overseas in a humanitarian effort for the underprivileged.
3. To go into Space.
4. To push peace throughout the world.
5. To own a business.
6. To achieve financial success where my family no longer needs to “work”. I want my family to live and to help others. It is extremely hard to do that with a 9-5 job.
7. To help others live free in the world.
8. To be a pizza delivery boy. (Completed)
9. To be remembered as a great, honest, loving, peaceful person who helped change the world. (This one won’t be completed until after I pass on.)
10. To have a loving family with my wife and kids.
11. To Die with a smile on my face.

I want to make clear that I will keep coming back to this list to update my dreams. I know I will accomplish them all. Now I ask you to post your dreams. Let everyone know them. Write them down once your done and work on accomplishing them. We only have so long in this world; why not make the best of it?

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A More Perfect Union by Barack Obama

sam — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 02:03:05 -0700

You know when it comes to politics there is not many things that could be thought of as inspirational. You have people that stand out above the crowd but not inspiring. You have people that fight for peoples rights, but not truly inspiring, but when you have a person stand up and take a high road that could have been just brushed off and avoided. I think you might know now what this post is about. Barack Obama could be our next president. He could be the next biggest loser. I am not trying to take sides and will try to never express my political views on this blog.

But when a man is faced with racial prejudice and stands right in its face and decides to take the high road, that is something that is inspiring. For decades upon decades now, there has always been a sense of racial problems in this country. Blacks can think that the white man is keeping him down and the white man thinking the black man is trash. Both sides of the issue have problems. Both sides have discrepancies, but when a black man (the pastor) makes it public. That is lighting a fire. It could start riots. It could ruin peoples careers. It could have ruined a mans presidency, but when Barack Obama took the stand and talked about the problems America still faces with cultural problems. Well he didn't try and low ball it, he didn't sit back and hide under the covers for it to be avoided, he stood up proud, responsive and ready to make a change to how this kind of media controversy was taking it. This to some people could be mirrored like Martin Luther King Jr. It could be mirrored like the Dalai Lama and the current situation in Tibet. I for one am inspired about the kind of road he took. If you also missed it, he didn't even disown his pastor. He said he was like a aunt or mother in law to him. This I tell you is an admiring man and I for one look up to him and say I was inspired by the way you handled the situation.

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A 15 year old girl saves 40 elementary school kids and that's why she is my hero!

sam — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:00:00 -0700

A few days ago, I read and article about a 15 year old girl who saves 40 elementary school kids while riding on a bus and then gets suspended. Here is the article. The high school girl got on the bus in the morning and didn't get off at school because she asked the bus driver to take her back home because she felt sick. The bus driver gave her consent and decided to take her home after dropping off the elementary school kids. While driving to school it says the driver bumped their head and was un-conscious. The 15 year old girl then got up out of her seat and applied the breaks after the bus had already hit two cars. The school deemed that she should be put into Saturday school which lasts over 5 hours on her Saturday. I guess I am saying what kind of messed up school is this? The principal has the authority to to override this detention and they didn't. I wonder if they even gave her a medal or a medallion for saving 40 elementary school kids from a freak accident!

I thought this 15 year old is very much inspiring. In today's world, you don't hear much about hero's. You only hear about violent crimes and criminals, the news doesn't cover the good deeds because they only cover the bad deeds. I think and I imagine every other person that reads this and the families of those 40 kids are extremely thankful for what she did.

I grew up watching Michael Jordan play ball and watching Super Man always believing he was real. I saw plenty of heroes in my day as a kid. Today though, I don't see many heroes in this world as there should be or a person would hope there would. I just hope those 40 elementary school kids still find heroes in today's society. I am a bit older without kids, so I don't know what kind of heroes kids have, I just hope they are out there. As for the 15 year old, I think she will be my hero and inspiration for at least a week.

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8 More things in life you should NEVER forget

sam — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:31:00 -0700

I saw the visits to the site go crazy when I posted 16 rules to live by. I also know I wasn't too detailed when I talked about Randy Pausch and the things I brought away from his video. So here I am doing my interpretive dance of what I feel are 8 more values/rules you should think about.

1. Decide if your a tigger or Eeyore.
This is just about having fun. If your a Tigger, then your just having fun every day. That's it. You have to decide wether your a Tigger or an Eeyore. I would consider my self a Tigger.

2. Never lose the child like wonder.
Never lose your childhood fun and excitement. Always be a kid at heart. Its just too important, this child inside everyone is what drives us to have fun and succeed. Keep up with the kid inside of you and your life will be more joyful every day.

3. Help others.
There would be peace in the world if everyone helped one another. Teach someone by example. Volunteer and do something that excites you in helping people. Go to a homeless shelter. Donate your things to Goodwill. The world would be a better place if everyone just passed it on and helped other people.

4. (For the Ladies) He says this is one of the greatest quotes he has ever heard, "When it comes to men that are romantically interested in you, just stop listening to what they say and watch what they do."
One of those lessons that can be used in every woman situations.

5. Tell the Truth
Just one of those that every man of every faith should do.

6. Be Earnest.
People will take a Earnest person over a hip person any day.

7. Apologize when you screw up.
People will not only respect you more, but will still give you things they can trust you with.

8. Focus on others and not your self.
This will make you more of a humble person.

9. Never Give up.
Don't stop at what your doing. Accomplish your dreams. Finish what you started.

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Are you using the Excuse that your TOO busy?

sam — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:47:00 -0700

Ladies and gents, I must say that the little things in life are what matter most. It is the little things that make life worth every second you have. Do you as a person use the phrase "I'm too busy, maybe later?" Well I am here to tell you that its just an excuse and you only use it to spend less time on something like kids or your family. Life is too short to actually miss the little things in life. Children do not care about a paycheck, your wife or girlfriend does not care how much money you make. They care about the time spent. I know I have slacked off in areas where I said I was just too busy to do something. Everyone has, but how about saying "ya, okay lets go for it" Bottom line, life is too short to always be chasing the dollar so that your family lives comfortably. I know one person in particular who has neglected his kids because he was always chasing the dollar. I say, take a break and relax. Take some time off to rekindle the relationship. Take some time off to just get away or even play with your kids if you have them. Honestly, what will it hurt? Work will always be there and if you don't do it, someone else will. Work gets done by someone else, the job DOES NOT need you. They only want you.

I know what you can do, devote at least an hour every night to do something you want to do or is self fulfilling. Volunteer, go to the park, participate in church activities.

Just get out and relax, stop chasing that dollar!

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Inspiration from the movie "The Visitor"

sam — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:13:00 -0700

Has anyone ever seen a movie that was so inspiring that it has touched or changed your life forever? Well I hope that every single one of you has. I hope that if your able to get access to the Internet, your also able to get access to movies. If you access to movies, well then we are on the right track. Today, I just saw a movie trailer for "The Visitor." Its about a guy who no longer has a life and has done no work for the last couple of years. He just seems like he isn't happy at all. He comes home one day to find a couple living in his apartment and to his surprise, this changes his life forever. It gives him a rejuvenating feeling about him. Its pretty inspiring, because you can see the persons character evolve over just a short period of time. One day he is sad and the next, when he has a new hobby and is again happy with his life. I haven't seen the movie yet because its not out in theaters, but the trailer looks awesome. It could even be inspiring.

I just hope I don't start becoming a film critic. heh.

Here is the trailer for your viewing pleasure.

After you view the trailer, I would like to know if this is the kind of inspiring thoughts you were looking for. Please leave your comments about this post and give your opinions about what you were expecting. Thank You.

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Randy Pausch and his inspiring last lecture

sam — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 13:10:25 -0700

I like to write about inspirational things. In fact, this blog is all about inspirational things I find in my everyday life. I found another and wish to share it with the crowd. I saw a video about two weeks ago. The video took about two hours to get fully through with a few distractions from my girl friend. Let me give you a brief intro before I share it with you. Randy Pausch has accomplished so much in so little time. He was stricken by cancer in the late part of 2007. He was given 3 to 6 months to live, but due to his latest video, he has become an instant celebrity. Let me not say celebrity, but a person that will be remembered for long time to come.

Randy is a professor at Carnegie Mellon in the computer science department. He studied at Brown University and received his PHD at Carnegie Mellon. He taught a course called building Virtual Worlds at CMU which then lead his career into the hands of Disney Imagineers and if you know anything about the Imagineers you would be impressed. It is basically Disney's R&D department. The Imagineers create everything from models to 3D virtual worlds. He has consulted with Google on interface and design and also worked at Electronic Arts. This is where it gets interesting. He has been called one of the smartest persons people know by his colleagues. He has a great attitude and has been destined to change the world ever since his conception. Just from watching this video, I honestly feel I have had an inspiring moment in my life. That is why I bring it to you.

The Last Lecture (video Link here) has been viewed over six million times and gives allot of valuable lessons. I suggest watching it in a quiet environment to actually pull everything in.

1. Decide if your a tigger or Eeyore.
This is one of my favorite lessons, shows wether people can be good and fun or just plain boring.

2. Never lose the child like wonder.
Never lose your childhood fun and excitement. I am always a kid at heart.

3. Help others.
There would be peace in the world if everyone helped one another.

5. Tell the Truth
Just one of those that every man of every faith should do.

6. Be Earnest.

7. Apologize when you screw up.
People will not only respect you more, but will still give you things they can trust you with.

8. Focus on others and not your self.
This will make you more of a humble person.

I sure hope you liked this post as much as I have. Thanks for visiting.

UPDATE: Randy Just came out with this new video about pancreatic cancer. Thought I would put it up for people to see in support for help of pancreatic cancer.

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16 rules to live by

sam — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:39:00 -0700

Ladies and Gents,

I found an article today that like most, I cannot take credit for writing. But like always, the things I tell you on this blog will not be things that I have come up with, but which the human population of the world has come up with. We all want to live and we are always looking for motivational things in our life. We want things that inspire us and make us feel better or work harder as a person. I know everyone believes this and wants this. That why I bring you these self motivating rules from a source that isn't utilized or looked at often by people or at least I think so. The article comes from GoDaddy.com and it was written by the owner Bob Parsons. Bob, is a unique individual with years of experience and talent. He currently owns a major corporation from the ground up. I do not know him personally, but he looks like a man every man would in some way like to aspire to. He came out with these rules for his daily life. After looking over them, I have implemented them in my daily life and strived to achieve what only some people dream of. I hope you will look at them the same way.

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone.
I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up.
Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think.
There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be.
Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen.
Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time.
No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward.
Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide.
Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance.
I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.
If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you’re doing.
When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around.
In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal. If the law is unfair to you and others, you should do everything in your power to see that doesn't happen anymore going along with not allowing anyone to push you around. Imagine if Rosa Parks would have obeyed the laws! [Thanks Katrina]

13. Never expect life to be fair.
Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems.
You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There’s always a reason to smile.
Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: “We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time!”

Looking over these rules, they are more for the entrepreneur than anyone else but due to their over all value, they are very good rules. I would like to hear of any other rules people live by, please speak up.

Sam Stone

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Greetings

sam — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:35:00 -0700

Ladies and Gents,

I am sam stone, I come from Melbourne, FL and I well have decided to start a blog with the intentions of showing you the general population of what inspires me as a person. I hope you enjoy.

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