Five Things That Have Recently Inspired Me
Author of this post: Justin Ahrens | About Blog Authors »
I hope you enjoy my list of five wonderful things that have recently brought me inspiration. They are in no particular order….
iPhone: I know this is overused. But, my iPhone is so crazy-easy to use! I really tried to not include it, but the truth is that I have been
completely inspired since the minute I bought it and still am months later. On a recent trip, I researched a destination, called for reservations, and mapped it in a few minutes and four screen touches. It is brilliantly designed to be easy, and yet it functions better than any other comparable device. I really think it may be one of the best items I’ve ever owned.
The Big Moo: I need to hug Seth Godin. Every time I pick up one of his books, it inspires me. I admire his ability to take complex subjects and really lay them out simply. His latest book takes 33 kernels of inspiring simplicity and encourages the reader to become remarkable. I loved it. I’m now digging into something I picked up for my next flight, The Dip - by Seth Godin, of course.
The TED Conference: Ideas Worth Spreading. This is a guaranteed inspiration. Like me, you’ll quickly become addicted to the 20-minute videos of wonderfulness. If you don’t know about Ted, learn now.
Pedal Power: I’m a novice cyclist and while recently looking at the latest bike gear, I found something truly inspiring. It’s called Innovate or Die, a program sponsored by one of my favorite companies and Google, and it presented this challenge: make something that fulfills a new and useful purpose through the use of pedal power.
The winning entry is an amazing inspiration. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all used our God-given talents to help others? Check this out.
Vacation: This seems obvious and simple, but ask yourself this: Do you do it enough, and when you do, do you let yourself thoroughly enjoy it? I’m a Dad of four and when we recently returned from a family vacation one of my sons mentioned how much he loved playing all the make-believe adventures and games on our trip. It took his comment to make me realize that some of my favorite moments involved playing just like that. Too bad I needed a vacation to realize it. I also slept, read and didn’t think about work on my vacation. So now that’s inspiring.
So, what inspires you?
April 12th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
I always admire Seth Godin too
April 16th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
The iPhone is easily the best item I’ve ever owned as well. It is also the first time I have been genuinely impressed with consumer grade technology in my lifetime. It has inspired me to get the SDK and learn coding/programing. I am currently employed as a full time graphic designer with a BFA and am slowly turning into a software engineer by night.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:50 am
The iPhone is an amzing invention. Apple have really gone to town with this.
Vacation. I need to do this more often, I haven’t been any for 3 years. A change of scenery is always a good thing.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:18 am
WDL…vacations are the best. 3 years is way to long.
June 4th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Of course I was curious when I came upon this to see the list and was encouraged to see family (vacation) on the list. Your experience is very revealing as, with our kids, it really is the little things that make the biggest impact. This kind of begs the questions, “Should I buy we kid a Wii or should I just play with him?”