Comments on: What Inspires You?

By: Logan & Noah Miller

Logan & Noah Miller — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:21:27 +0000

WOW. Thank you, Amy. Your story inspires us. It will keep us driving in the heavy hours of doubt.

So what inspires us? Let’s think here… How about… COMMITMENT and DEVOTION: to a cause, a vision, a lover.

Onward and upward. Much love,

The Bros

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:01:33 +0000

Kraz, amen to that ! Nature is a huge point of inspiration indeed. Every morning, everyday I revel in that fact as I take my morning walk and it can change a mood or perspective on a dime … if you let it in.

By: Kraz

Kraz — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:14:50 +0000

Nature and how strange, beautiful, and diverse it is never fails to amaze me. To me it inspires creatively, but also on a daily level. An unexpected cool breeze, a colorful sunrise or sunset, clouds, spices, a strange iridescent insect, dolphins jumping, all can redirect a negative day and inspire me to be who I want be.

By: Leslie Wang

Leslie Wang — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:21:41 +0000

For me, inspiration breathes light into’s life’s dark and (seemingly) unforgiving places. It feels hopeful and bright. Lately, what has inspired me the most are examples of triumph through rough and adverse times.

It is the parent who works 2 jobs to provide their children the best possible care they can give. It is the woman who overcame her limitations to be the 1st of her kind. It is the willingness to stay true to one’s values. It is the success of a once failure. It is the beauty that comes when we all rise to the occasion and progress together.

However, at the same time simple things also inspire me. Good friends. Acts of goodwill. Fresh air and a good laugh inspire me.

Here’s to a new year full of hope and inspiration. Thanks Amy for starting the dialogue!

By: Justin Seeley

Justin Seeley — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:55:05 +0000

Great story.

Inspiration for me comes in all forms. Accomplishments against all odds (like the one mentioned in your story), strength & faith in times of adversity (as my Mom recently demonstrated to me), artistic projects shown through a wide range of creativity and imagination (in a way that my Aunt and favorite artists have expressed themselves), Obama inspire me, Whale Wars inspires me, Richard Branson inspires me, MLK, Jr, Joel Osteen, and many others. Inspiration is every where. Just open your eyes and let it in.

It is great to be reminded that when we exchange the word ‘problem’ for the the ‘opportunity’, anything is possible. Cheers to the Miller Brothers for never having to be reminded (…or is it that they are always reminding each other?) Either way, thanks for provoking thought about our own inspirations, Amy.

Make it a great day!

By: Jeromy Zajonc

Jeromy Zajonc — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:23:48 +0000

Thanks for writing about this, Amy.

What inspires me? More than anything when people do something that’s personally difficult for them. Sometimes that’s the man/woman in a wheelchair who completes a marathon and sometimes it’s the person who chooses to take a deep breath rather than spout out there immediate thoughts on a subject. Patience inspires me. Hard work with a smile inspires me.

Bob Dylan said that art at it’s best inspires. So here’s to the Miller Twins for doing just that with their lives and their art. Here’s to an inspirational year for us all…

What inspires you?

By: Amy from IO

Amy from IO — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:37:06 +0000

I am a huge fan of Noah Levine (and meditation for personal and global healing).
Powerful person. Powerful story. Being so close to the edge can be so much closer to salvation than we often know…at least that’s the potential always available to us.

Thanks for sharing, Joslyn.

By: Joslyn Hamilton

Joslyn Hamilton — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:47:41 +0000

I love this story and I also love the story of Noah Levine, who wrote the book Dharma Punx. Noah grew up in Santa Cruz in the surf counterculture of the 80’s and was a rebellious punk, constantly getting into trouble with drugs and the law. Over the years he saw many of his friends die of overdoses or get sent to juvenile hall and prison. Ironically, his dad, Stephen Levine, was a well-know meditation teacher who traveled the country speaking about Buddhism and writing books in spirituality.

At a pivotal point in Noah’s teenage life, he found himself in juvenile detention and called his dad for a bail-out. But his dad refused. Instead, he offered to give him some meditation techniques to help get him through his time “behind bars”. With nowhere left to turn and no more chances, Noah decided to try the Buddhist techniques he’d been ignoring his entire life. He was profoundly impacted by this experience.

Cut to the present: Noah Levine is now a Buddhist teacher, traveling around the country teaching simple real-life meditation techniques to juvenile delinquents and prisoners. He chronicled his story in the inspiring book “Dharma Punx” and has risen above his ghetto youth to become a revolutionary Buddhist teacher to the underprivileged and disenfranchised. I saw him speak at a bookstore once, and was impressed by his super smart yet down-to-earth style. He really struck me as a modern-day Buddha.