An Unbelievable Journey

Today I was looking for some motivation to write.  Sometimes, when writers block occurs it helps to just step back and do something else.  So I turned on the television.   Everyone knows you can’t learn from watching TV anyway right?

My channel changing finger paused on VH1 so I started watching Eddie Griffin:  Going for Broke, a reality series where comedian Eddie Griffin (Malcolm & Eddie, Undercover Brother) realizes that he has to stop living beyond his means and regain control of his finances.  In this particular episiode, Eddie was preparing to pitch the idea of a Las Vegas show complete with a live band.  Known for his raw sense of humor, Eddie was sure that the opportunity to do a Las Vegas show was just the opportunity he needed to get himself on the right track.  While preparing to pitch the show, Eddie was also invited to speak to a group of kids at a local church who were in need of some motivation and inspiration.

While most of his peers, (including his own mother) believed that Eddie would not be able to last 5 minutes without cussing or being obscene, Eddie took the challenge to heart and left the kids with one powerful thought:

“You don’t have to be a product of your environment, you can be a product of your imagination.” –Eddie Griffin

For the man who was born and raised in Kansas City and grew up to be a comedic star, this statement was all too real.

Who knew that watching VH1 could be so inspirational?  Feeling inspired, I sat down to begin writing about my bit of motivation, but I soon found myself distracted by the black hole like pull of the internet.  From channel surfing to surfing the internet, my word of the day was “Cowabunga!”

I ended up on CNN where a headline regarding the rumored death of Maya Angelou caught my attention.  Apparently, it was circulating online that the world renowned author and poet was hospitalized and dying.  After assuring CNN that she only suffered from ‘eighty-one-it is’ she spoke some words of encouragement to our youth saying:

“My encouragement to all young people is you may be changed by events which happen to you but decide not to be reduced.  Don’t be reduced by them.”—Dr. Maya Angelou

For the woman who was born and raised in St. Louis and grew up to become one of the most influential voices of our time, this statement was all too real.

By the time finished surfing the internet, I was fully distracted and decided to turning the TV back on would be a productive use of time.  Interestingly enough, my channel changing finger paused on Oprah.  On this particular show, Oprah’s theme summarized the motivation I had watched and read about all day:  “Don’t Stop Believing.”  Using the rock band Journey’s anthem as her theme of the day, Oprah highlighted the band itself as well as others who have proven that belief in a dream and persistent work towards that dream can lead to the realization of any goal.

The song Don’t Stop Believing debuted in 1981 and has gained renewed popularity as one of the theme songs of Fox’s new series Glee.  Glee is the comedic story of a teacher’s effort to revive the high school glee club to its former popularity and glory.  In the process, both the teacher and the students learn what makes them happy and learn to believe in themselves.  Glee shows just how powerful the arts can be in helping students inside and outside of the classroom.  The show also reminds us that even though we’ve heard a song like Don’t Stop Believing many times before (and I have added it to the D.U.M.B. Music Player), have we really taken the time to listen to the words?

“Don’t stop believin’ ….hold on to the feelin’…streetlight people.”—Journey

Today I was looking for motivation to write.  I found my motivation in the words of a comedian, a poet laureate and a rock band.

Where will you find your motivation?

“An Unbelievable Journey” originally appeared as an article on www.justdumbproductions.com on October 5, 2009.