CNN: How he became a bodybuilder with one arm and no legs

So inspiring!

35 things you can do right now to feel awesome!

I enjoyed this inspirational slideshow on Your Tango.

desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

- Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

Thank you, Lisa Bronkhorst of South Africa! Love, love, love!

#payabay on instagram

Every so often, I like to browse the photos Paya Bay's visitors and guests post on Instagram. Here's a sample of the really cool inspiration and photography.

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

i will rejoice

Brilliant. Inspiring.

making signs

We're currently making thought-provoking signs for the property...

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

determined

- Huffington Post

And this....

Attention, President Obama and President-elect Trump: When it comes to climate change, you have been served—by the nation’s future. Last week a federal judge in Oregon upheld a magistrate judge’s court ruling that a lawsuit against the U.S. government and its fossil fuel policies filed by 21 young people ages nine to 20 can proceed. “This is no ordinary lawsuit,” U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken wrote in a 54-page decision that upheld every argument the plaintiffs put forward, calling it a “landmark case.” The lawsuit challenges federal decisions made on a vast set of topics, Aiken wrote, including carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and vehicles, extraction of fossil fuels on federal land and how much to charge for its use, tax breaks and subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, funding of fossil fuel infrastructure, and construction of marine coal terminal projects.

- Take Part

video: sergei polunin takes us to church

Inspiringly amazing!

inspired action

Be aware of the big difference between inspired action and activity. Activity comes from the brain-mind and is rooted in disbelief and lack of faith - you are taking action to "make" your desire happen. Inspired action is allowing the law to work through you and to move you.

Activity feels hard. Inspired action feels wonderful.

- lessons from The Secret

your better is best

Good, better, best; never let it rest 'til your good is better and your better is best.

- Unknown

a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open… No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.

- Martha Graham

only that you love

Gracias, Lisa!

if you don't, then who will, sweetie?

This life is what you make it. Not matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And babe, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up because if you give up, you'll never find your soul mate. You'll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about.

- Marilyn Monroe

love this guy!

Nineteen Twenty Olympic medals! The most decorated Olympian of all times. Way to go, Michael Phelps!

"I started smiling with about 20 meters to go," Phelps said after the win. "That's the first time I've ever done that."

No doubt Mr. Phelps is maximizing his human experience.

Photo and source: HuffPo

I'm possible

For most people, climbing Africa's tallest mountain is an impossible achievement. But how about doing it without legs? For Spencer West, nothing is impossible. Or as he would put it: everything is possible. Nearly all of the 31-year-old American's life has proven the doctors wrong. When they amputated both of his legs right below the pelvis when he was 5, they warned that he would never be a functioning member of society. But West has led not only led a life that is remarkably normal compared to his doctors' prognosis – he has accomplished feats that, by any measure, are extraordinary.

Photo and source: ABC News

Impossible.   I'm possible.   Bravo, Mr. West!

remembering freddie

Freddie Mercury, the musical genius, would have been 65 today. Thank you for being such a unique and astonishing human being, Mr. Mercury! Your light burned BRIGHT, dude!

Special thanks to my high school/college friend Mario Montoya (a.k.a. "Mario Mercurio") who through his own passion and enthusiasm opened my eyes to the Queen/Freddie Mercury phenomenon. Mario's a talented singer and a HUGE Queen fan. He and two other classmates were Spanish Fly, a high school-era rock-and-roll band. Back in the day whenever he sang Queen's songs Mario would come very, very close to hitting Freddie's out-of-this-world high notes! Gracias por estos recuerdos, cabrónes! Long live Spanish Fly! (And the Fat Bottomed Girls!)

inspired action

Be aware of the big difference between inspired action and activity. Activity comes from the brain-mind and is rooted in disbelief and lack of faith - you are taking action to "make" your desire happen. Inspired action is allowing the law to work through you and to move you.

Activity feels hard. Inspired action feels wonderful.

- lessons from The Secret

see the way to fly

Don't believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you'll see the way to fly.

Beautiful suggestion, isn't it?

quotable quote

Nothing splendid has ever been achieved expect by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance.

- Bruce Barton