#320: Discover 3 Heartfelt Stories that Will Transform How You View Inspiration

Yeah, we're going to flip inspiration on its head because today we're not focusing on the big, shiny, out of touch goals, the things of superheroes, the things that are made for the movies.

No, today we're getting real. We're talking about the everyday stuff, the middle of the night stuff, the stuff when nobody's looking.

That's the stuff that determines what is really inspiration, in my opinion.

So if you're up for this, well, then I hope you stay tuned.

This is episode 320, where me and you are exploring the world of inspiration.

Yo, are you ready to flip the script on life? Because those bad days, they're just doors to better days.

And that's exactly what we do here at Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

Your host, Kevin Lowe, he's been flipping the script on his own life, turning over 20 years of being completely blind into straight up inspiration, motivation, and encouragement just for you.

So, kick back, relax, and let me introduce you to your host, Kevin Lowe.

If you've been hanging out with me over the past couple of weeks, you will know that we've been diving into three components that I believe kind of formed this amazing powerhouse trio.

Of course, the first up was grit. Then came grace.

And what's left is today's episode, inspiration. Inspiration.

Now, remember, when we're talking about inspiration, we're not talking about grand achievements.

We're not talking about pie-in-the-sky type dreams.

No, we're talking about the everyday stuff, the stuff that we go through when nobody is looking.

We're talking about the stuff that is us, you, me, choosing to push through the hard times in life, choosing to show up.

It's choosing to get out of bed in the morning to put your shoes on to get dressed to walk out the door with a smile on your face when really all you really wanted to do was to put the covers over your head and go back to sleep.

To help illustrate what I'm talking about in this realm of inspiration, I've chosen three of our past guests, three people, each one who has a story that is a beautiful example of unintentional inspiration.

First up, we have Remy Storak. He is a childhood cancer survivor turned wilderness guide.

My interview with Remy was absolutely incredible.

To hear the contrast in his story, as a child, he had cancer.

And a big part of Remy's story was a kid's cancer camp that he would go to.

I believe it was in Alberta, Canada.

Every year, he would go to this camp, him and other kids all battling some type of cancer.

It was the kind of camp where scars are celebrated, where everybody is just the same.

Nobody's worrying about being picked on because they're different, because everybody at this camp was going through something.

But something profound happened year after year was that these young children, Remy included, had to learn a hard lesson about life because some years their friend didn't show back up.

That friend lost their fight. And it was one summer, one loss of a friend, when Remy and his friends made a pact.

That they were going to live for that friend. They were going to live twice as much, play twice as hard, yell twice as loud.

All because of their friend who didn't get to be there.

Now, as Remy got older and he would end up being too old to attend the camp anymore.

Well, he would keep going because it was such a big part of his life.

But this time as one of the camp counselors.

And then, of course, there came the one summer when Remy set out on a new adventure.

An adventure through the wilderness with his brothers, who were wilderness guides.

He went with them through the heart of the Canadian forest, through the mountains, guiding a pack of horses.

The story was absolutely insane. Insane. A total dream for any adventure seeker.

If that is you, definitely check out the show notes where I will leave a link to each of these guests' past interviews so that you can listen to them.

But what we gain from the story of Remy in regards to inspiration is that oftentimes inspiration, it comes in us deciding to do something more.

To live for something bigger than ourselves.

It's the decision to live fully, no matter what life throws in your way.

So maybe I ask you, what could you start doing more of?

Who could you start living for? What purpose are you living for?

Do you wanna be sure that you're remembered for?

What can you start doing to live a little bit bigger, play a little bit harder, to live a little bit louder?

All from the inspiration of Remy, a kid who taught us some profound lessons for life.

Next on my list is Bart Walsh. One of the most amazing interviews I've ever done on this podcast.

Bart is a guy who lives in the land down under. Yes, down in Australia.

Time zones, they're a beast sometimes when we're trying to do an interview.

But boy, was it worth it. Because I had the most amazing conversation with Bart Walsh, a man who has the most heartfelt, heartwarming story that you'll ever hear.

And yet, that doesn't mean that it was easy.

Matter of fact, Bart Walsh is a man who had it all going for him.

Until one day that he found a lump in his jaw.

And, well, that would set forth a new chapter in his life.

He had built his life on his acting ability, on his looks.

And now he had this massive tumor right there on his jaw.

He had to undergo intense surgery. It was really tough, really hard on him.

But Bart, he kept going.

He found new ways, new paths. He kept realizing that it's not just one path on life that we have to be on.

No, the path can change. The path can curve, twist.

We just have to know when it's time to make the turn.

Now, here's the thing. Bart would go on to become a well-known, amazing man in the fitness industry.

A guy who owns multiple gyms, a guy who built his life on his physique, on getting stronger, building muscle.

But then, of course, there came a point when he realized that something else was wrong.

Long story short, Bart would end up telling us that he has a condition that is incurable.

And slowly over time, it's rendering his limbs useless, losing all the feeling from the tips of his toes up through his legs, from the tips of his fingers up his arms.

But what Bart said in that interview that was so profound, was so amazing, so inspirational, is that he said, I decided to not be the victim of something horrible.

He took control of his life, control over the things that he could control.

And in regards to this theme of inspiration, I believe that what Bart's story shows us is, again, is that inspiration isn't always in these big goals achieved, these big monumental tasks, but rather sometimes it's just about the small everyday tasks that we do in spite of it all, in spite of the pain, in spite of the hurt, in spite of the fear.

I don't know about you, but when I look at Bart and his story, inspiration is one of the first words I think of.

Now, if I took you all the way down to Australia, now I'm going to bring you all the way back up to my own neck of the woods, my own neighborhood here in East Central Florida.

I had featured on the podcast quite a while back was the story of Robert Mudge, a guy who went to the same high school that I did, Seabreeze High School.

He had just graduated. He was headed off to college along with his friends.

And then there came the moment, you know, the moment when everything changes.

For Robert, it was a car accident.

Him and his buddies had been out that night. And while on the way home, they had an accident.

One of his best friends would lose his life.

Robert, he would become a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down.

He would undergo years of rehab, of therapy.

Still to this day, years and years later, he still fights every day.

And for that, my friend, I look at him and I have such admiration for a man who who has not stopped.

He has a beautiful wife. He has a child. He has a career.

And I can guarantee you that if you asked him, Robert Mudge would tell you that he's definitely not inspirational.

But that's the power of it all, is that most of the time, the people who are truly inspirational don't even realize it.

The lesson I want you to take from Robert's story in regards to this topic of inspiration is that sometimes inspiration is never giving up, even when the odds are stacked against you.

Even when you don't got a chance at succeeding, you try it anyways.

Even though the world tells you that you're not going to be able to, you try it anyways.

Even though in your own mind, you tell yourself, wow, I don't think I'm going to be able to do it. you do it anyways.

Sometimes inspiration is just showing up day after day, doing the thing in spite of it all.

For myself, when I look at Robert Mudge, that's what I see in him.

So here's the question to tie it all together. What are these stories?

What do these three individual people have in common?

None of these three set out to be inspirational. They weren't trying to be heroes.

They were just living their lives.

And you could say they've just been trying to do the best they can with what they have.

And yet, here today, we can look at them and see that each one in their own way has become a beacon of inspiration.

This, my friend, is what I consider the unintentional power of inspiration.

Inspiration, it's not something that you aim for. It's something that comes naturally.

So, here at the end of today's episode, I want to turn the table and I want to speak to you. Do you think of yourself as inspirational?

Do you feel like you don't have a story big enough?

You've not had things happen tragic enough to be considered inspirational?

If so, here's what I want you to remember. It is what today was all about.

You don't have to do anything extraordinary.

You don't have to be on a movie screen or on a stage.

You just simply have to refuse to give up. You have to just keep showing up, getting out of bed, doing what you have to do.

You take care of those that you need to take care of. You go to work because, well, you have to put food on the table. You have to pay the bills.

You live every day with courage and authenticity.

You don't think of yourself as anything special. But the truth of the matter is, is that you are. You are special.

You are amazing. You are inspirational in your own unique way.

And that is what I want you to realize at the end of today's episode is that inspiration comes in all different shapes and forms.

And I believe each and every one of us are inspirational in our own unique way.

With that said, my name is Kevin Lowe.

This was another episode of grit grace and inspiration a podcast on a mission to inspire the world and more specifically you to never give up on life even when it may feel like life.

Music.