Inspirations

Some come. Some go. Some are engraved in my mind forever. Others come with a vengeance, only to drift away a few days later. They are sometimes people. Other times it's an idea, a concept. Some are larger than life, while others are humble, yet important. If you haven't figured out what I'm talking about (you could have just looked at the title too), I'm writing about the ideas, people, concepts, objects and just about anything else that can be rolled into an inspiration. What is an inspiration to me? It's who I am and what I want to become. Inspirations are deeply important to me and have become more so as I age. I'm going to discuss what some of my first inspirations were and what some of them are today.



Mitch Albom has always been a big inspiration. For a long time, he has epitomized what I have always dreamed about becoming - a journalist. He used to be strictly a sports guy working for the Detroit Free Press, but now has taken on larger endeavors such as writing top-selling books, hosting his own radio show and even making apperances on ESPN's Sunday morning Sports Reporter Show. I am a big fan of his writing style and of his books. Tuesday's with Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven and For One More Day are his top-selling books and I look at each in the highest regard. Maybe I'm biased because I've enjoyed his writing for so long. The way his books, articles and demeanor affects others makes me want to pattern my career like his. He is a true inspiration to me.



J.K. Rowling is another inspiration. Her inspiration is more recent and is because of her successful Harry Potter series. The reason she's an inspiration to me (aside from the fact that she's a writer and I love her books) is because she really came out of nowhere. She was sitting in a cafe, just writing every day, trying to raise her child on book grants and she became an overnight success. She has done everything so modestly and graciously and this inspires me.



I'd say another general inspiration for me is sports. It's really provided me with a lot of direction even though much of it I didn't see until recently. In high school, sports provided me with a hobby and as I always said in high school, sports was my "anti-drug." I've never, ever, even for a second really lost my love for sports. It's always been there in my life and it's a comfort for me. Without sports and without the knowledge of sports, I'd probably be a lost individual. I can't see a day in the future when I will wake up and want to look at the stocks before the sports page in the newspaper.


Lastly, my parents have had a very large impact on my life - obviously. They are inspirations for me not only because they are my parents, but because they are strong individuals. They are dedicated, honest and fairly hard-working (haha). They have both had some very unique life experiences and many of these are engraved in my mind and have really shaped who I am today. They are model parents and should be credited with the difficult upbringing of yours truely, among other things. They have supported me everyday of my life and have encouraged me to follow my dreams - which I know can't be said about all parents. Their constant care and encouragement helps me everyday and I'm not sure where I would be without them.


There are several other important inspirations that I'd like to mention, but seeing as it's pushing 1 am and I've been up since 6, I'm going to call it a night and possibly continue this another day. In closing, I'd just like to say that as a baseball fan, I actually feel embarrassed because of the steroids report submitted today and hope that baseball gets all this nonsense cleared up so that America's favorite pastime can continue on in a more positive light. Let's leave all this behind when we enter the new year... please.