Solitude Is UNDER VALUED

02.06.14

The value of scheduling some time for yourself each and everyday is truly priceless.

By unplugging learning to enjoy silence and your own company enables you to taking time for the things that are important to you, and just might increase your self-esteem. 

By creating margins, times, and spending time alone you character will be refined and others will develop more respect for you and your time.

One of the simplest ways to add some solitude in your life is by walking, reading at the park, or looking for things in nature to take a picture of.

I'd be honored to hear how you spend your solitude and how it benefits you.

Getting up and building resilience can deeply improve you daily life.

02.05.14

Batman Begins is one of my favorite movies and contains a powerful statement when young Bruce asks, "Why do we fall?" The reply is simple yet profound. "So we can learn to pick ourselves up."

Learning to get up and building resilience can deeply improve you daily life. 

Resilience increases your character and your ability to cope with stress and pressures; as / when they take place. If you only think about stress when it occurs; you will always feel as if your fighting an uphill battle. 

If you take the time to breathe deeply, think, and then implement a possible coping strategies in your life, you greatly reduce your exposure to stress.  

This small step can increase your resilience, add depth to your character, reducing stress, improve your health and increase personal effectiveness in your everyday life.

Here's to getting back up today!

I'd be honored to hear about one step you're going to take to get back up and add resilience into your life.

 

12 Quotes & 1 Picture To Brighten Your Day

As I woke up to the sound of rain, I decided to sit in bed and just be still for a few minutes this morning.  The continuous sounds of the smoothing rain cleared my mind and as my feet touched the floor I decided to come up with some motivational / inspirational quotes to illuminate your day. 

After you read these motivational quotes, 'd be honored to hear which one inspired, encouraged, or caused you to think the most.  

My hope is that you will be energized and be able to take one step today towards turning your ideas into a reality.

"In order to success, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." Bill Cosby

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill

"Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it." Bruce Lee

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." Albert Einstein

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed." Michael Jordan

"Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose." Bill Gates

"Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success." Dale Carnegie

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. Be the change that you want to see in the world." M. Gandhi

"It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership and success." Nelson Mandela

"We're born with success. It is only others who point out our failures, and what they attribute to is as failure." Whoopi Goldberg

"Failures to heroic minds are the stepping stones to success." Thomas Chandler 

“Your destiny doesn’t create you. You create your own destiny.” Unknown

Life just might be found

02.03.14

If one doesn't breathe death will find them quickly. If one lives for money fortune may come yet the cost may be great. If one lives within the moment - taking everything in - life just might be found.

Living each day as an adventure and living to tell tall tales about it!

02.02.14 

After standup paddling past the twin islands, fighting the Pacific Oceans current that violently tried to push is out to sea, pressing against mother natures wind and rain - J and I enjoyed simply hanging and talking story about our most recent adventure - it's struggles, victories, and moments of fear; while, sipping an ice cold root beer and drawing in the sand.

Here's to living each day as an adventure and living to tell tall tales about it!

Anxiety + Fear = ?

01.30.14 I woke up this morning feeling a bit of anxiety mixed with a dash of fear.

Why?

1) Mindful about $$$$ (but who isn't to some degree)

2) Feeling fearful about situations beyond my control (PDST / Work)

It wasn't until I made the decision to pull over, stop, and get out of my truck to watch the sunrise that is was able to calm these seemingly relentless emotions.  As I stood on the cobble stone wall waiting two simple timeless truths came to mind:

1) No matter what, be present right where you are. The tricky part of life (and a secret to great communication) is paying attention - embracing the everyday, imperfect right now, and then making something of it.

 

2) When feeling afraid, press in. Each of us have an instinctive physiological response to uncertain and possibly threatening situations, which causes a chemical reaction or readies one either to resist forcibly or run away (commonly known as "fight or flight") 

Watching the sunrise while experiencing both of these very real emotions due to external circumstance - I decided breathed deeply and decided to once again dig in and forge ahead.

Here's to today and all the possibilities it hold despite my emotions.

 

STOP THE LIP SERVICE! Genuinely Start Adding Value To Others!

01.09.14 Everyday there are people that need to be inspired, encouraged, and value needs to be added to them.  Not to the degree of babying an adult or coddling someone that is not doing their job.  But on the side of genuinely adding value to a few individuals through out the day.

Where can you start?

Start with believing in yourself, your family, and then move to your friends and coworkers.

Be genuine! 

If you can't find anyway to add value to someone it's probably best to keep you mouth shut and simply smile.  

Value that contains BS, feels like BS, and is received as BS.  Truth be told every one of us has experienced the facade or masquerade of un-genuine statements.  

One of my past employers would attempt to encourage and value to individual's during a staff meetings.  It's a great concept or idea; however, it came across as somewhat emotional, sappy, and very un-genuine.  At the end of the day employees feel belittled vs appreciated or valued.

Bottom line: in order to add value to someone you must be genuine!

I for one am tired and sickened by the facade and sappy masquerading dance that is played. 

Where can you start if you honestly struggle with genuinely adding value to others?  (Some people do as they've played the game so long)

Start small but start now!

In other words start by finding value in the moment: a sunset, a nice meal, running water, or a flushing toilet!  As you start to find value in the moment you'll be that much closer to being able to see the potential and value in others.

Thank YOU & Here's to fulfilling our uncharted adventures

Here's to a year behind and a new year ahead!

Most of all here's to You!

You've liked my work, my pictures, my blog, and put up with my egg shaped head.

You've come alongside and followed me,

You're an acquaintance, a soon to be friend, 

We'll follow each other through life's ups and downs.

Learning wrong from right.

While encouraging and guiding each other to reach for the stars.

All this to say, THANKS for the 'like' & 'follow'

Here's to the uncharted adventures with you my old and new friends! 

All to say,

Needing INSPIRATION? 1 Quote & 7 Inspirational Wallpapers

 01.07.2014 Today I found myself needing to be Inspired!  So quickly turned to my archived files and dug up the following: 1 Quote & 7 Inspirational Wallpapers

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs 

Please share the pictures, quotes, etc.. that have inspired you.

trevor.drinen@gmail.com

Do Tell: What inspired you in 2013?

In order for me to ask you, "Who / What inspired you most in 2013?"  I think it only fair that I would reply first.

Who / What inspired me most in 2013?

(1) My wife

Why? Over the past years she has dealt with various severe degrees of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after killing a high school classmate in a car accident.  During 2013 she overcame: med issues, thought patterns, and now is starting to write!  Not only has she become an amazing writer (soulremedies.net) , she developed a island wide recognition for her hand crafted pottery (raineorshinepottery); while, caring for myself or the needs of our three kids!

(2) My kids

Why? Each of them have been one of my greatest teachers over this past year.  They have each reminded me how to play, have fun, and DEEPLY enjoy the moment I am in.  They have also reminded me the need to remain teachable, ask more questions, seek to understand vs to be understood, and to never quit despite the odds. 

(3) My dad

Why? At 73 he is willing to pull up his roots, take a chance, and roll the dice of life by pursuing dreams and relocating. 

(4) My brother

Why? He has transformed himself from a strong round man into a triathlete that is Ironman bound!  How? Through daily mental, emotional, and physical choices / training.  His actions have inspired me to the degree I've often said, "If he can do it so can I " and now find myself saying, "if one man can do it so can I."   

(5) Nelson Mandela

Why? In a society that often define leadership through successes and results Nelson Mandela's words have penetrated the core of who I am as I daily try to live them out. "It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership." - Nelson Mandela  Does leadership have to be one individual or point person?  Can leadership be defined as a team? Is leadership defined by western cultural successes? Questions, questions, questions....  

(6) Fizzle & Corbett Barr

Why? The team at Fizzle and Corbett Barr are down to earth and passionate about creating a place for creative entrepreneurs, writers, makers, coders and artists, to be able to support themselves independently on the Internet - they openly share failures, struggles, and wisdom.

(7) Team Hoyt

Why? Inspiration! Team Hoyt is an inspirational story of Dick Hoyt, and his son, Rick, who compete together in marathons and triathlons across the country.  They strives to help those who are physically disabled become active members of the community. 

(8) Movies: A Warrior's Heart, Anger Managment, Blue Like Jazz, Drift, Freedom Writers, Forever Strong, Into the Wild, King's Speech, The Way, The Hammer, Radio, Rudy, The 5th Quarter, Warrior, 

Why? Inspirational true stories: fighting to survive despite the challenges life tosses at them.

Now it's your turn!  Weather it one or a list, "Who / What inspired me most in 2013?"

Today's clarity and direction for tomarrow

Some would say clarity comes from coming in line with Gods path for your life - but how does one discover that path? What if God remains silent? Others would say a person forges their own path - so then it only matter what one is willing to do to attain that goal. So does clarity come from religion or ones own fate? Clarity comes along the path of life as we travel to some while others wonder in confusion. Some live within a western Christian mindset where God is much like a lucky rabbits foot or a good luck charm, but Jesus himself did not live a life for prosperity or followers but one dedicated to others and the greater good. Some would say Nelson Mandela was a type of Christ or had a heart much like Christ when looking at the legacy he left behind.

Where do you find clarity for tomarrow?