Song of the Day!

"Gotten" by Slash and Adam Levine

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Part One - First Impressions

There she was. With both little surprise and slight embarrassment she was staring at her own image. An image captured by some ruthless photographer, which was now published for the entire nation to see in the Daily Newspaper. She wasn’t spectacular, nor that interesting by her belief. So really, why would anyone want to read the paper about a woman who simply sparked a relationship with one of the most eligible (or was before he met her) and prominent male figures in the country?...

Like any normal person on planet earth, they met by chance through mutual friends at a small social gathering. It was one of her male colleagues’ dinner parties celebrating his 27^th birthday. She already knew a few of the other guests well from college, where they shared a few of the same classes and on occasion spent lunch together. One of the few others whom she had just met that night also just happened to be HIM. Their introductions were simple, friendly, and courteous. She never got nervous in meeting other people and her starting conversation was casual.

“How was your week? How do you guys know each other?” You know, the typical discussion and questionnaire the goes about meeting someone new. As she and some others gradually got into knowing the basics of one another, she was blindly unaware of WHO the man she had just met really was. Well, anybody who follows sport would know him.

He was one of his of his nation’s top rugby union players. A sporting hero. Centre position, strength, speed, and agility to boot. Regardless of his domineering 6’3 well built figure, he had a very gentle charisma. Upon shaking his hand, she couldn’t help but be intimidated by his incredibly tall stature. Especially for a young woman who had no choice but to literally look up at him with her 5’4 frame. And if her lacking knowledge of his true successful profession weren’t enough, she was clueless to the fact that he’s one of the highest paid. You’d think a highly intelligent woman would’ve known the status of a man wearing a Bvlgari watch when she saw one. He had money. And lots of it.

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Music: That which you hear is not what you see

 

*the video above is in full ownership and credit of Tje Austin and Egot Inc. music

After watching his wonderful rendition of Bruno Mars’ “Just the way you are” on NBC’s The Voice, I had to show my respect by making a new post in ode to his wonderful craft and quirky personality. As promised, coming back to the previous entry I had of Tje Austin, I’ve done as much Google-ing to find as much as I could. Turns out he has quite a high following on the internet…

Vocalist and songwriter Tje Austin (pronounced Tye) hails from Austin Texas (Austin and Austin – a cute coincidence haha). In listening to him sing, you’re immediately pulled in by his smooth, warm, organic neo-soul vocals. That which speaks truth and honesty which is such a rarity in today's generation of mainstream music. He caresses the soul and speaks to the heart.

Tje already has a multitude of performances for major names like Trey Songz and Anthony David. And he even sang the national anthem in 2011 for the Texas Rangers. That, which is just a small addition to his already phenomenal internet presence, his Myspace has surpassed over 3 million hits. His Youtube channel displays much of his own work, along with his own renditions of Alicia Keys, Kings of Leon, and Bob Marley.  

Accolades…

1^st album in 2008 “Love Me Knots”

2^nd album in 2010 “Xperience”

3^rd album already released!! “Dreamin’ Big”, includes the single City of Me.

All of these are available on iTunes and Amazon.

“Who I am, moves me to speak about life through my music. What happens to me is happening to someone else, and it is comforting, whether it is good or bad, to know that you are not alone; and this is what my music is about, comfort.” – Tje Austin

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Tje Austin

"A great voice, is a great voice... Is a great voice" - Adam Levine.

Tje Austin is quite possibly one of the best I've heard. Have a listen... You'll be pleasantly surprised ;)

And here he is again! This time showcasing his talent on The Voice, and rocking the full afro :)

I just found out about him last night when I watched a re-run of The Voice last night. This guy is frickin brilliant. I'll be sure to get back to him on another post. In the meantime, I'm going to have to do some searching to find out more about Tje Austin!

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1001 Rules For My Unborn Daughter

I love this site! Period. Have a peak :)

The Best of Today

Traveling life's road, one should never be afraid to try something new. Remember... Amateurs built the ark; professionals built the titanic.

How to wake up inspired...

By Jonathan Mead

Inspiration is typically viewed as something that comes and goes. Some days you “feel it” more than others.

But what if you could be deeply and unconditionally inspired everyday? I bet it would make a difference in the quality of your life. You would probably wake up excited to start your day. You’d get more done, be more creative and feel more of that elusive “flow.” Being inspired also means enjoying the process more, instead of feeling forced and unnatural.

The best part of persistent inspiration is that action tends to be effortless. There isn’t so much trying, rather you’re more simply being and allowing whatever action is natural to flow out from you.

Most of us just wait for inspiration though. We passively anticipate our muse, instead of actively seeking it out.

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.“ ~Jack London

I’ve been experimenting with something different for a while, purposefully taking responsibility for being inspired. For a while I didn’t know if it would work. Inspiration is kind of an elusive phenomenon after all. And even if you choose to look for inspiration, does that mean it will come?

The answer is yes, and no.

Actively creating an inspired state doesn’t work 100% of the time. Sometimes instead you will feel calm, centered and relaxed instead of being filled with electric motivation. And that’s okay.

Here’s the thing though: deliberately choosing to be inspired tends to create a more consistent inspired state over time. That is, the more you flip the switch, the more it becomes automatic and spontaneous.

So the question is… How can you reinforce inspiration, so that it becomes automatic?

I’ve found a few ways to helps this along:

1. Eat inspiration for breakfast.

Who are some of the people that inspire you or have influenced your work? Who do you want to be like, who are some of your mentors? Take some time in the morning to read something they’ve written, or watch a video they’ve created.

2. Reflect on your reasons why.

We should all have deeply emotional reasons behind the goals we set (if you don’t, they might be the wrong goals). Reviewing the reasons behind our intentions help us to remember why we’re doing what we’re doing. Without that purpose, it can be hard to stay inspired.

3. Discard unwanted commitments.

We often say yes to too much. It’s much harder to deliberately choose our projects than to blindly accept whatever comes our way. Regularly reviewing your commitments to make sure that you’re only working on things that truly excite you is essential to being inspired. You can’t expect to be excited about things you didn’t consciously choose or desire.

4. Create an inspiring physical space.

What is it that you truly love to do? What gets your energy flowing and your blood rushing? Surround your physical space in things that will remind you of and reinforce your passion. If art is your passion, make sure your surroundings reflect that. Put up pictures from your favorite artists. Have an easel nearby with paint ready. If your passion is architecture, surround your space with pictures of your favorite buildings, or structures. Let your space be a constant inspirational reinforcement. It only takes a few hours to setup at the most, and after that it’s constantly working for you on autopilot.

5. Surround yourself with inspiring people.

The people you socialize and engage with will have a big impact on your level of inspiration. Choose to be selective about the people you let into your life, and what type of energy they bring to your circle of influence. You can start by following inspiring people on Twitter or keeping in touch with the work of leaders and innovators you admire.

6. Challenge yourself.

The more you move in the direction of things that challenge and make you a bit nervous, the more likely you will find inspiration. You can’t expect to be inspired by doing the same thing every day, following the same routine, working at the same boring job, watching the same boring television shows. You have to decide to follow your passions, engage in the world and choose paths that might make you feel a bit uncomfortable.

7. Create space.

Probably the most neglected of all ways to find inspiration is the most counterintuitive. Sometimes to be inspired, we have to step away… we have to create space and room for our passions to breathe. Spending time hiking and in nature is my favorite way to do this. It’s in the gaps that beauty is found. It’s the empty space that makes a cup useful.

These are all great ways to cultivate a more inspired life, but I think perhaps the most important thing to focus on is the feeling you want to create.

Feeling first, then action

Most of the time we look for the feeling we want to have from or as a result of the action we’re taking. We seek to feel a certain way through the pursuits we engage in. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this approach, it’s just that it can often lead to misjudgment on what goals are truly right for us.

On the other hand, if we focus on what we want to feel first – enjoyment, creativity, connection, excitement, etc. – then we set ourselves up for naturally engaging in action that supports those feelings. Our actions become a reflection of the way we feel, not the other way around.

Inspiration is a choice

Cultivating a life of sustainable inspiration is something that I’m working toward each day. I’m too impatient to wait around for inspiration to fall on my lap, or into my head.

I don’t think living an inspired life happens by accident.

I think inspiration is a choice.