Inspiration

“I do my thing, and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, [and get along....cool].”

Frederick E. Perl

These next three videos have really shaped my life over the last few years.  They’ve changed how I deal with others, and how I deal with myself.  They’ve “supported” me when I could not talk to my parents and friends. They’ve expanded my perception.

I’m going to start with Brene Brown’s “The Power of Vulnerability.”  This woman rocked my world in 2011.  While I was in Tokyo preparing to go out with friends, someone posted the video below on Facebook.  I, just as I’m sure most of you, click on random videos to see what people are talking about and honestly had no clue what I was getting ready to receive.  I was hooked immediately and watched the whole 20 minutes. It blew my mind.

Quite frankly, me even having this website is evidence that I have taken Brene’s message to heart.  I rarely disclose personal information and/or put myself out there.  I’m not the guy that posts a new video of choreography on my Facebook every week, I rarely stand front in center while taking dance classes, and I will usually not start a conversation with someone I don’t know.  It’s not a confidence issue, and I’m quite certain most people would agree.  I just don’t really have a desire to put myself out there.  For the record, I’m still not the guy to post videos on Facebook every week, but I will from time to time.  And although I may spend the majority of a class in the back, a goal I set for myself in 2011 was to stand in the front at least once when I take class.   Anyway, check her out!


If you are a close friend of mine, you know I am very fascinated and have the utmost respect for Kelly Cutrone.  She’s the owner of her own PR Company “People’s Rev,” a single mother, and author of  “If You Have to Cry, Go Outside… and All of the Things Your Mother Never Taught You.”  I respect strong women very much–probably because my mom raised me without much support from any man.  Whenever I’m having one of those days or someone tries to strong arm me, I turn to her. Don’t laugh at me!   Check out this interview of her video and one of my favorite quotes by Kelly…. well it’s actually a novel.

“I’m a really big believer that we all have this voice inside of us, and that voice is God talking to us, and we are all magical, and we all have something as specific to do as our fingerprint. And everybody should go out and do that. And I think between the ages of 15 and 32, don’t worry about getting married, don’t worry about settling down, don’t worry about having a baby. Give birth to yourself. Consistency is such a simple thing: if you show up somewhere every day and get the job done right, over and over, then things grow. If you want to succeed, you must banish negativity from your life. And waxing won’t hurt either. Your negative thoughts are weeds strangling the progress of your soul; you must find a way to kill them. Killing the weeds won’t keep them from growing back, but it’s like waxing: eventually if you keep waxing, your hair growth becomes less and less. Remember that you are the brand: normal gets you nowhere. Get rid of anyone that says you can’t do it! Fake it to make it. If you act as if you know what you’re doing, and as if you’re in charge, you’ll be surprised how many people will let you be in charge. But you’d better get your groove on and hit the mark….”

–Kelly Cutrone

Lastly, but certainly not least.  Oprah!!!!  I mean, this woman needs no introduction.  I found her video while ending a relationship and then forgot about the video.  I found it again while I was “expecting” to book my fourth commercial during the summer of 2012.  I ended up not booking it, and I was devastated lol!  This video helped me be ok… it helped me surrender.