I had the privilege to talk blogging, business and proactive living with Jun Loayza the other day on his blog Viralogy.com.  Enjoy!

By the way, I’ve found Viralogy to be one of the best blogs for young entrepreneurs to learn from those who have ‘been there – done that’.  If you haven’t checked it out yet I would highly recommend it!

Eric

This is a perfect case of backward blogging.  Instead of a post prompting a picture, it was this picture that inspired the post.

Last Friday’s ‘Community Insight’ post brought us an amazing array of ‘colors’ to the “Motivate Thyself” archives.  I was blown away with the detailed dioramas that had bloomed from the soil of a single shade of light (or dark in some cases).  It was quickly evident that we are all blessed with ‘talented’ imaginations as well as unique perspectives on the world around us.  So it is from these findings that I’ve brought to you this next ‘forum’ for you to show your true colors.  But this time, we’re going to get out our paint brushes as we bring texture to our own personal paradise.

The image above represents the ‘Hollywood’ version of paradise.  Palm trees, crashing waves and probably some form of alcoholic beverage with one of those miniature umbrellas hanging off the side.  Now let me be clear; one of the reasons this has become a sort of ‘cookie cutter’ dreamland is because most of us wouldn’t mind spending some time laying on it’s shores.  But I think if we were to individually asses our ideal ‘dream land’, we would find quite differing visions.  Not to say the beautiful photo in question wouldn’t encompass many dreams of those reading these words, but I think it’s only one of many portraits of a perfect paradise.

For this offering of ‘community insight’ I would like us to share what we think of when that passionate ‘P’ word is brought to our attention.  I want you to brush aside the templates that the world sees as ‘fit for fantasy’ and be true to yourself as you dream up your own ‘if only’.  Think about a situation where money is irrelevant and locations, there for the taking.  Dream without boundaries as you piece together your ideal situation.  You can be whatever you wish as you spend your days enjoying the purpose of living in amazement each and every day.  This isn’t about ’causes’ or ‘needs’ to be met, but about creating a land that lives as if the world was right.

Yours may be one of lavishness or simple solitude.  The ground may be lush and green or it might just glisten with the frozen powder of freshly fallen snow.  The mountains may be towering or the hills barely hovering off the surface of the valley.  Water or desert or both, the sky is not even the limit.

Oh, and don’t forget the people that litter our lives with loving hearts and open arms.  Without these ‘beating hearts’, the land is nothing more than a beautiful background.  So be sure to paint them in as you bring together your masterpiece that saturates your senses.

I’ll go first…

Image courtesy of snapdragginphoto

I’m afraid my picture of paradise doesn’t include coconut cups.  Though I love the beach, it’s not the landscape feature that encompasses my ‘dream land’.  Instead it is the mountains that uncover my favorite natural feature.  Whether it’s the rounded tops of the Blue Ridge where I was raised and still reside or the pointed peaks of the Colorado Rockies, I’m always at home well above sea level.  With my mountain bike as my steed and the beautiful views as my third lung, I would ride each day through these fantastic features of continental charisma.

As far as a house and a community to call home, I must admit that it is my town that provides all I could ever propose.  Current enough to give all the 21st’s comforts, but small enough to enjoy them comfortably, I’m gratefully living in my ideal setting.  And within spitting distance of my favorite rolling ‘bike roads’, it’s everything I could ever need to feel content.

But here is where the priceless value enters this delightful desire.  It is with my beautiful wife and our unborn child that I wish to share this sensational scenery.  It is in her absence that the sky would cloud over and the mountains become nothing more than an eyesore.  And it is with the presence of my princess that my paradise becomes perfect.

Now the floor is yours…

About a month ago I published the first ‘community insight’ post called:

10 Signs Of A Healthy Heart | Community Insight

Just like this one, it was published on a Friday so it could resonate with the “Motivate Thyself” readers over the weekend and take in some ‘insightful’ comments.  So here’s another ‘community insight’ post that will hopefully bring even more thought provoking ideas and views.

The basic concept is simple.  I layout the question and/or framework of the post and you guys fill in the blanks.  This is a perfect opportunity for you to put yourselves in the driver’s seat and share your thoughts with the rest of us.  And sure, you can do this on any post, but I want you to comment as if you were publishing your own mini post.  Let us learn a little something new from your words as they bounce off the basement walls.

Visual creatures

Human beings are very visual when it comes to absorbing the world around them.  One of the most powerful parts of these images is the colors that create them.  I find it amazing how many emotions, thoughts and ideas come to mind with a single tone.  And it is this idea that I want to expand on.

What I’m going to do is layout 10 specific colors.  Your job is to do the following:

1. Pick any one color from the list that reminds you of something that you are passionate about.
2. Then, tell us what that particular thing is.
3. Finally, expand on your thoughts as you share this specific passion.

The Colors

1. Red
2. Green
3. Blue
4. Yellow
5. Brown
6. White
7. Black
8. Gray
9. Purple
10. Pink

To give you an example of the idea, I’ll go ahead and share mine:

I picked blue.

Not only is it one of my favorite colors, but the ‘thing’ it represents to me that I’m hopelessly passionate about is the SKY.  To me, the sky represents freedom, flight, and sunlight.  Everything that is absolutely wonderful seems to live in the sky.  The peaceful clouds as they float by, a warm breeze on a summer’s day and the birds as they soar from one thermal to the next.

When I was a kid I used to lay in the grass and stare at the sky for hours.  Now, as an adult, I may not have hours to kill, but I still make sure to get in my sky escape time.

Now the floor is yours…