The Origins of my Inspiration

There I was, a young man from the Canadian Prairies situated in unfamiliar territory. With the inability to swim, I was submerged under millions of gallons of water trapped in a vessel with seal doors and no way out. Was I scared? Absolutely not. It was a riveting, eye-opening moment that changed me forever.

It was my 25th birthday, and my best friend at the time and I went down to Hawaii. For my birthday, we went on an excursion on a submarine ride off the coast of Kona. We had to take a small passenger boat from the dock to the submarine located a few miles off the coast. The weather was perfect and not a cloud was in sight. The sun beamed down on us and reflected off the surface of the ocean so I was unable to see what was below us. The ocean looked like an endless blue field of nothingness stretching eternally into the horizon.

Getting quickly to the point, after boarding the submarine and receiving quick safety updates and pamphlets, we submerged below the ocean's surface, diving slowly into a world I could never experience back home. Just a few meters down and my reality was shaken. The ocean was not the boring blue I thought it was. It was teaming with life. My only glimpse of the ocean world was from the Discovery Channel and it did not do it justice.

Schools of fish surrounded our windows, some drifted by apathetic to the daily submarine dives. While I tried to capture every moment on film, I realized I could not capture how I felt, so I sat back and just looked. This changed my life! I learned that the world I live in had so much to offer and all I had to do was explore it, experience it, and share it. By simply changing my angle of perception a few meters from above the surface to below, I gained knowledge of what never existed before. It was this moment that inspired me to explore the world more and make adventuring on my birthday an annual thing. It is why I went to California for my 28th birthday and why I spontaneously drove down to Mexico to experience the dangers and craziness of the city, but that is another story for another day.

I learned one valuable lesson that Hawaii trip: inspiration comes from within. When we arrived back to our cabin on the cruise, I was enthused, ecstatic, and full of energy. I remarked how much life existed just a few meters below the surface, but my friend, who had a great time as well, did not see it the same way. I remember being shocked by that. He did not view it as a life-changing event. He just saw it as a fun experience. I was glad that he enjoyed it, but to my dismay, it did not bring out what he needed to move forward. At the time, he was stuck in a rut, not really growing as an individual in any facet of life. It was disappointing.

We draw inspiration from outside forces, such as role models, a great book, or perhaps adversity, but ultimately, what we need to push forward comes from inside us. Find something or someone that helps nurture a culture of ambition, of inspiration, of motivation, so that when you have nothing, you look to yourself for inspiration. Find ways to remind yourself how far you've come. And most importantly, be an inspiration to somebody else. It does wonders to you spiritually and is a catalyst for inspiring yourself, almost self-remedying.

A person can have the best motivational speaker in the world, but that does not guarantee a successful individual. Given the same set of variables and external forces and role models to a million people in identical starting conditions with exactly similar situations, we will find that there are a million possible outcomes. A handful will be great successes, the mass will be drones to these kings, and the remaining will be the slums of society. Don't be a drone, and never be the slum.

This year, I have been blessed to have two people in my life that have pushed me so much that I can not thank them enough. I have set new goals last week to catch up to my friend who is in the pursuit of his dream job. He had a glimpse of it very recently and has that goal in his grasp. My other friend has re-entered my life and has been the crutch I needed when I felt unchallenged, unmotivated, uninspired. She has been a huge factor in my growth and she has given me the opportunity to reciprocate, which is a huge compliment to me. I hope everyone can find something or someone that inspires you to be the best you can be. Nobody lacks the essential ingredients. We all lack the oven that let's us rise to the top.

Shame on America?

The Boston Marathon: an athletic event that has lost all of its meaning because of terrible events that took place. And in the aftermath, the goons of America jumped online to Tweet and share how it was the "sand niggers" and "Gooks" fault. This is why nobody likes America. These people jumped to wild accusations backed by unsubstantiated evidence stemming from a culture of racism, intolerance, and ignorance. This is the only country that would tell you that one plus one equals two dead Arabs.

A viral tmblr post (click here) revealed a mass of Americans hiding, waiting to pounce on the enemy for whatever reason. Their knee-jerk reaction's re-iterate our views of America.

With every destructive event that takes place in America, the hordes of haters come out, but so do those that stand for civility and represent the good side of America. I hope we can all ignore the few Americans, the hypocritical, racist dogs that have destroyed the reputation of America and focus on what is good. Aside from minor differences, we are all brothers and sisters. And in a time of disaster, we must stand together as one to console our neighbours. We are after all, divided only by borders and oceans.

What if the culprit turns out to be a Caucasian male earning $55,000 a year working as a mechanic, driving his two children to school every morning in the suburbs, while his Christian wife prepares a home-cooked meal? What if? The public shaming should put these trolls on the map and hopefully get rid of them too.

The epitome of America is no longer defined so simply. I don't know what it is, but it was once a place where a man could dream and fulfill it. Where a man could try and save the lives of children without being accused of pedophilia. Where a mother showing strength on-camera all the while mourning quietly in the shadows off-camera is not called an actress. Where people had the strength and courage to stand for morality. Americans, you are letting a minority of hateful people re-define your country. America is still a proud nation, often too proud, fired by passion and a desire to succeed. But it is being ruined by the immoral, ill-valued citizens that call America home.

What I saw and focused on in the wake of the aftermath was a large majority of Americans clinging to the foundations of humanity. Strangers carrying strangers to the nearest ambulance. Restaurants opening their doors to the bewildered and exhausted offering comfort, coffee, and Wifi to contact family for free. Amputees from the west coast providing solace to the east. This is what I wish all of us non-Americans remember when we think of their nation. There is no need for us to vilify an entire nation in the same manner as the Tweeters calling for war.

Why am I standing up for America? Because I am Canadian and they are our biggest allies. Because an attack on its citizens by terrorist bombs or by slander is unfair to all that is good. They are like any other country with a diverse range of opinions, some moral and some hateful. 85 per cent of their firefighters are volunteers. There is still a lot of good that exists within America and if we want to stand tall as a global unit against anything, we can not knock anybody down, whether it be Arabs, Koreans, or Americans.