I always try to find motivating songs for my Spinning class. I discovered this song in itunes on Lance Armstrongs playlist. I can see why Lance Armstrong likes this song. An inspiration himself, he has self-determination to defeat cancer and then ride in the Tour De France. Amazing!

The more I listen to this, the more I feel inspired. Just as I saw on TV Obama's appearance at the MTV's "Be the Change" Youth Inaugural Ball, there is such energy for getting involved in community and volunteering, this song reminds me that our gift is to fight and participate in life.

Fight for what you believe in and fight for a better way! As my first step I'm going to check out this website I found: http://www.bethechangeinc.org/servicenation

A Better Way

Written by: Ben Harper



One, two, one, two, three

I'm a living sunset
Lightning in my bones
Push me to the edge
But my will is stone
'Cause I believe in a better way!

Fools will be fools
And wise will be wise
But i will look this world
Straight in the eyes

I believe in a better way!
I believe in a better way!


What good is a man
Who won't take a stand
What good is a cynic
With no better plan


I believe in a better way!
I believe in a better way!


Reality is sharp
It cuts at me like a knife
Everyone i know
Is in the fight of their life
I believe in a better way!


Take your face out of your hands
And clear your eyes
You have a right to your dreams
And don't be denied

I believe in a better way!
I believe in a better way!
I believe in a better way!

The Special Place

Have you ever had that special place? The place where you go to get away and think? I think Adam Sandler called it the "happy place" in Happy Gilmore. For me, the first time I realized how special a place or should I say "a moment" in one particular place could be was in the middle of the Negev in Israel. After I graduated from college, I decided to spend my savings on a trip of a life time. I went on an outdoor adventure trip to Israel. I've always loved the outdoors so this trip was the adventure I was looking for including that one memorable hike in the desert. We had a long hike up a mountain side and literally we walked along the side of a mountain that was probably only two to three foot steps wide. While I love the outdoors, growing up in the suburbs of Chicago I had never really experiencing hiking like this. On this trip I realized that I was scared of heights. We got to the top of the mountain and there was a flat space where the Guide let us rest and enjoy the scenery. Since I was so scared of the height, I sat in the middle of the mountain top. Everyone else was standing on the edge and I was sitting in the middle. I sat, I breathed, and I took in the moment. I was 21 at the time and that moment, it was the most peaceful moment of my life.

Since then, every trip in the outdoors I've taken I've made it a point to store one picture in my head. I stop, breath and take in the moment and let my mind go silent. I remember a moment in the Arches Park in Utah looking over the red rock. But I try not to just leave this opportunity to vacations. I've lived in the city for nine years and I found my favorite spot. It start on my walks with my dog to Lake Michigan. We'd walk South of Waveland Golf Coarse where there's a bird nature preserve, a walking path under a canopy of trees, a view of the city and the Belmont Marina. I've often sat under those trees or watching the view of the city just to take a moment for myself.

Looking back I've always had that special place. My first place was a hidden creek in Buffalo Grove where my neighbors and I would ride my bike to and create a fantasy land. Back then it was a nature wonderland of running water and pebbles that I thought were the biggest rocks. What was probably "just a creek" was a "hidden find" to me. A special place doesn't have to be somewhere fancy, expensive or even impressive. A special place just has to be "special" to you. Like the picture I took in my mind at my wedding, it was just me, my husband, and the photographer outside taking picktures in the Fall leaves.

Have you found that special place that creates peace for you? If not, I challenge you to find those moments and lock them in your memory. You can pull up those memories anytime you need that moment of peace.

Why I'm Starting This Blog

There’s times in my life when I look around and need just to take a deep breath of fresh air and take a moment. The moment is for me and not anyone else. It is that moment when I thought to myself that there has to be something more! Life can be bigger, better, richer (and I don’t mean about money). Often I’ve felt that my life was meant for big meaning and my hope is that one day I’ll find out what that big thing, the reason for my life is all about. I’m not sure if that sounds weird but I just feel like I’m here for a purpose. And some might say, “But aren’t we all?” Well, yes, and I guess that’s just part of my belief system. But deep down in my gut I believe that my job is to inspire.

So a few years ago I sat at my favorite coffee shop in Chicago, Dallop, and I listened to music as I started to think about the new year by using a worksheet from Tony Robbins. This worksheet was to give me “momentum” for the upcoming year. Momentum is a huge word I learned from Tony Robbins, a Coach and Internationally known motivational speaker. Still to this day when I hear Momentum I feel the push to move forward.

So tonight, after a long frustrating day teaching, I thought in my head about Momentum. It’s January 2009 and I feel like I need that next thing, that next push, that goal in mind. Yes, I want to work on the Momentum worksheet which last time, it really helped me write out my goals. Actually, I wrote down and still reflect on those 1, 2-3, 5, 10, and 20 year goal. I have to say one of the most amazing things to me is that I wrote of my desire to marry my best friend/soul mate and to start a family with an amazing man that would become a father to my children.. I am so blessed to say that I did finally meet my best friend. And I feel even more blessed that we got pregnant so easily and are expecting in June. I know that my husband will be an amazing father. So then why am I in this place in my life where I desire inspiration? Momentum? Motivation?

Again, it comes down to wanting to do something more! To do better, to be better, to live better! When I made the decision change careers from Ad sales to teaching, I didn’t want the glory of standing in front of 28 students every 90 minutes telling stories and teaching vocab. I wanted to inspire. I wanted to touch lives and to make a difference. That might sound cliché. Tonight, I feel like I needed to go back and look at those momentum goals from a few years ago and the goal of inspiring others came to mind. For my 10 year goal I also wrote that I wanted to tell the story of people that inspire. After this past semester at school, I had the fortunate opportunity to be mentored by Ryan Bretag, our Technology Coordinator and a Blogger himself. He inspired me that I could bring blogging into my classroom. After I incorporated it into my Business Law class I saw given students choice on their topics empowered and engaged them to further think and reflect. And then tonight I got the “ping”…no blogging pun intended.

Blogging is going to be a great way for me to inspire others…for anyone that will be willing to read my blog on the Internet. And I admit it, I’m not a writer. In fact I still to this day turn to my best friend from high school, Tracey to proof my papers for grad school and such. So I apologize upfront for any errors and flaws in my writing skills but I do promise great stories, hope, joy, inspiration and maybe a few tears.

Because I feel like inspiration just doesn’t come from the things you see or hear,

it could be the most little thing that makes you feel grateful,

it could be that thing that makes you feel blessed,

or it is that one person that saw the “light” in you.

So I hope to share those things that inspire and the people behind it.

Enjoy and Live Bigger.
Mindy