What Inspires?

I gain most inspiration from older people that tell me their personal experiences. So personal that the only reason they tell me is to specifically teach me a life lesson. This way I have the option to learn the easy way or the hard way.  Some stories I heard have ended with a righteous path to success and others, unfortunately, have been cut short with continuous trips to prison or death. The message I receive from all these experiences is to have a focus on what my heart really wants in life, pursue it and achieve it. I also have to clearly realize the road to my success will be a row full of obstacles to overcome. The most inspiring auto biography I heard so far came from an older man, about 35, named Kuma. He shared with me that he had been in and out of incarceration since the age of 11. It took him until the age of 30 to realize it was finally time to straighten out his life. After his last stay in San Quentin Penitentiary, which lasted 5 years, he got his first job working for Goodwill Industries. Kuma expressed to me how blessed he felt to have the chance to start over the right way after everything he has done to himself. The one thing he wanted me to understand was that there was nothing better than freedom and I should do my best not to lose it. I captured that point and noticed the incredible drive Kuma obviously has, to be able to pick himself up when he reached rock bottom. In my life, I try to incorporate consistency and quality for a better outcome, when trying to reach my goals. I feel fortunate when I understand the perspective of a more mature person because it is similar to predicting and controlling the future for my own choices.