Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Inspiration

After watching our inspirational video, Inspired Bikes, please answer the following: (Make sure you are being true to your response-
1. What lessons can we take away that involve struggle, potential, expectations, work ethic etc.? (Hence, what do these videos have to teach us regarding these issues?)
2. How might these ideals apply to your future or present day life?
4. What inspires YOU?

30 comments:

  1. 1. Two lessons that we can take away from Inspired Bikes is to never give up and that practice makes perfect. In this video, it mostly shows Dani Macaskill doing these perfect jumps that are stunning to all watchers and just flat out amazing. But Dani didn't just randomly hop on his bike one day and start doing this, he had to practice to get there. I can't even imagine how many times he fell and got hurt but Macaskill kept doing it and became an amazing biker.He never gave up and kept working at it.

    2. These can apply to my future and daily life because through anything you do, school, sports, instruments, you can't just pick something up and be great at it. You have to work hard at it and keep working at it.

    3.(4.?) What inspires me....there's so many things in the world that inspire me. This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Belize and work with some of the kids down there. Those beautiful kids inspire me so much. They have gone to H*** back and they still have amazing attitudes towards life and love people, love school, they just love living. I am so spoiled compared to them yet I find myself complaining more than them. So they inspire me to become grateful,to love live and to live to the fullest.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well in accordance with his obvious skill, Danny Macaskill clearly put in month after month of practice. He Worked with what he had and refined it, making himself more or less famous and presented him with a Red Bull sponsorship. He took his massive potential for biking and continually worked to reach it. A work ethic like that is one to be emulated. Having a work ethic is one of the most important skills to have, necessary for reaching any goal. Every person on Earth could use a bit of hard work, it makes the goal, when completed, so much more satisfying. For me personally I'm inspired by rivalry, i do better with better people. I also am inspired by others success, and strive to give myself a goal alongside theirs.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. After watching the inspirational video, Inspired Bikes, it showed me that struggles, hard work ethnic, and practice are the steps to mastering an awesome skill. Mr. Makaskill, it showed at the beginning, kept on falling off the platforms and hurting himself. He also has the danger of death when he practiced to get better because one of the stands that he jumped on had a sign that said "danger of death". These ideals apply to my present and future life because I know I will have struggles and I must have good work ethnics and practice to achieve things that are not easy to learn, yet alone master. There will always be a boulder we must crush through if we really want to learn a move/trick/skill that sets us above everyone else. What inspires me is the feeling of accomplishment. When you accomplish something and you set out to show people that you crossed the finish, it is a great feeling.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Inspired Bikes started with clips of failed attempts and of how dangerous what he was doing is. He fell and crashed off the fence, but he persevered and overcame and then the video moved on to show all of his amazing tricks throughout the town. As the video went on, I expected him to be landing his tricks because of what I had already seen. Expectations are always being elevated, always assuming things can and will get better. To me, that is no where more apparent than on the soccer field. My dad and my peers always expect me to continue to get better and never make mistakes. Those expectations add more and more pressure, however, when I'm playing, I feel more at ease than anywhere else. That is my motivation to continue to get better, that I don't care what others think of my play, only the fact that I'm out there playing matters to me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 1) it is very important to take situations where you might not succeed the first time and turn themm into a positive learning situation. I have learned that if you can't get something the first time, it's never a bad thing to try again and accepting the fact that you might not succeed the first time is crucial to every aspect of life. This video showed us that even though Dani didn't succeed his first time trying to do insane things on his bike, he persereverd and achieved so many cool things.
    2) this applies to all areas in my life. I know that in my relationships, my school and education, my personal life and in my extrra curricular activities, i can never just try something once and give up if I don't achieve my goal right away. I am a very devoted martial artist and this idea of never giving up I'd extremely prevalent in my training.
    3) there aree so many things that have touched my life and shaped me into the person I am today. The things that inspire me most are music, musicians, God and Martial Arts. All of these things have a huge role in my life and push me to be a better person. I have so many role models that i look up to and inspire to be like who are involved in one of the things that i mentioned above. The drive that inspires me in my life the most is just to be a good, kindhearted person who others Can look up to. I want to change lives and impact the world in whatever positive manner I can.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1. One lesson I got from this video is to never give up. I highly doubt he did all those tricks on the first try. It must have taken a ton of perseverance; I know I would have given up after only a couple tries. He proved that if you work hard enough- you can accomplish anything you want. The video also shows that you have to struggle to be successful. Truly amazing things like his bike stunts don’t happen without falling on your face a few times. This reminds me that in life we can’t be truly successful without making mistakes and struggling. Dani shows that potential can exceed expectations if you work hard at it. I bet no one expected him to be that amazing; but he worked hard enough at it so that he blew everyone’s minds.
    2. These ideas apply to my life because it reminds me that you have to struggle to accomplish anything. I often get really worried and stressed out about school, soccer, family and my friends. This video reminds me that the struggles are all part of the journey. Dani makes me never want to give up no mater how hard things get. This video makes me want to work really hard at everything but not be overly stressed about it because I need to enjoy the journey.
    3. (4..?) People inspire me. I always get inspired when people give little pep talks or tell a story about a time they struggled. For example, Mr. Brandberg always gives “life moments” in his class and they always inspire me to let go of my problems and love my life. He always opens my eyes to a way I can improve myself that has nothing to do with Spanish. Its everyday little things like this that inspire me and make me who I am. Even a friend telling me about their life and things they have realized always inspires me. I thrive off other people; which may not be the best at times because whenever I am alone I tend to get in bad moods. However, I love to just sit and connect with people. I feel like the more friends and connections I make with people, the better person I am and the happier I am

    ReplyDelete
  8. After watching the Inspired Bikes video, I didn't realize right away how difficult the tricks were. It took several moments for the sheer awe-struck wonder to leave my mind before it hit me that the shots that were shown were probably not the only shots taken. In fact, they could be a small fraction of the amount that were actually attempted. Failure was almost eminent, but no one wants to watch a video of some guy on a bike falling on his face, so
    Dani Macaskill persisted untill he obtained shots that were YouTube worthy. Sometimes after a lot of failures, it can be difficult to carry on, but that is one of the main values that is taught by this video. Persevering through these difficulties is what makes the video inspiring. In a world were we are constantly building on "better" and improving, it is important to understand that failure is a part of the process. Without error, we could never strive to know what perfection is.
    As for myself, Dani obviously has a strong passion for this and never seems to give up and I need to learn to be able to apply that to my own passions and goals. Even when the end seems far away, it is important to perservere and push through.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 1) Some of the lessons that we can take away from Inspired Bikes are practice, and practice, and practice. Just kidding, I'm not going to be like that :). Although this is true, the lessons that we can take away from this are much deeper. Basically, a way to restate this is: Through large amounts of failing, redoing, and perfecting, we are able to get better at things. Yes, Danny MacAskill did practice, but I’m sure that’s a huge understatement, or incredibly general term for what he did. As seen in the video, he struggled for a long time to perform that one trick. (aka. eating it multiple times) What we saw was a great example of what the road is like when we choose to travel it. Yes, at times our car will run out of gas, we’ll have to WORK to fix a mechanical problem, and we should expect these things to happen! But, work will always pay off, and when we arrive at our destination we’ll be happy, but at the same time, there’s always more road to travel.

    2) These ideas are for sure present now, and will for sure be present in the future. For example, right now I’m typing on a blog… (and what point are you trying to make?) These words just didn’t appear here instantly, there had to be work and effort put into it! And I expect the same thing for myself in the future, and this stuff will never change! Everything we do, everything we see, everything we even come in contact with in our lives, had to be done by work, effort, struggle, hours (or days or months, or years) of time, and I’m sure mistakes happened along the way!

    3) Or 4?... Haha. Hmmm… What inspires me? I guess, anyone who does something cool that I want to learn how to do. But, I think it’s a little more complicated than that. It’s something that appeals to me, and that I know I would go through the practice and hard times to get where I want to be. Now, the Inspired bikes dude was pretty awesome, but there’s no way in (youknowwhat) I’m ever going to be willing to take the painful route to get there, because… that’s not what I’m eager to spend my time on, and it’s something that I’m not exactly super fanatical about. Being passionate about something, in my opinion, is what really drives a person to keep on doing what they love to do. Take Mrs. Comp for example. She loves English! And obviously, she’s so passionate about it, that she came to educate us about it, and has practically been in school her whole life to give us the information she will this year. Having love for, being dedicated for, being passionate about, are all keys of success when it comes to what you life will be about.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The lessons we take away from these videos are to never give up and to not be afraid of failing. These videos teach us that never giving up will help you achieve. Also, we need to set high expectations for ourselves so that we can reach them and be successful.
    This helps me in the future and present because if I never give up, I will achieve many of my goals. Also, it's not about failing or how bad it was, it's about getting back up, recovering, and getting back anything you lost.
    Things that inspire me are others and success. Other people inspire me because of how they react to certain things amazes me or how they recover from failing. Success drives a lot of what I do because all I want is to succeed in life and that makes me never want to give up. Success also helps me realize how important some things are to me, which helps if I fail, by convincing me to get back up and try again.

    ReplyDelete
  11. 1. Struggle was defiantly present in the video Inspired Bikes. When wiped-out of the fence railing he showed disappointment and sadness through his body language and facial expressions. But when he came back to the fence railing and completed his trick successfully. From viewing this segment there was a defiant message that came across; one must preserve and overcome anything that sets them back. This message also relates to the work ethic that Dani Macaskill exemplified. I gauge work ethic by how much people preserve and how long they will try to complete something without giving up. Macaskill defiantly showed his work ethic through the challenges he overcame.
    2. Struggle and the necessity of work ethic present themselves in everyday life. Watching this inspiration videos that ex-amplify these two ideas will help build up what I need to overcome struggle and improve my work ethic. Each day we can be inspired to do both of these things and they do become much needed to the working world. I just learned in history some of the most important traits to succeed in being hired are. Overcoming struggles and have a good work ethic can fit in well of that list. But these two items are also present in my everyday life. Struggle comes up in sports, school, and social life through the people you meet and activities you encounter. Work ethic also appears in these same areas and many people will notice one’s degree of work ethic.

    4. People inspire me. The passion people feel towards something and how they express that passion makes me feel as if I should go out and do something filled with so much passion. Mission trips also inspire me. The stories people tell when they return are filled with fun and a new sense of humbleness. This digs deep to me, people who have such a big heart to give their kindness and compassion to others is incredible.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The guy in Incredible Bikes was pretty amazing and didn't have very many struggles throughout. I'm betting that he didn't lay on his couch and nap in preparation for his biking stunts, he probably got out and put in hours upon hours of practice to perfect his stunts. I think that this can be applied to this English class, especially with writing. Procrastinating and churning out sub par products won't cut it when trying to get better. Time and work is required to really improve. Dani clearly had a bunch of potential with his biking but instead of letting it waste he went and showed his potential and eventually got over 26 million views on YouTube. I feel like I have an alright amount of potential in writing that could burst forth, so if I stay confident then maybe even I could get 26 million readers.
    People like Dani are my inspiration because they clearly had to put in a ton of hard work to get to the point where they are at now. My mantra is to work as hard as I can and then harder so I feel like these are the people that inspire me. Wayne Gretzky, Roger Federer, and Michael Jordan put in the work and as a result became the best at what they did and still do. Hard work really does pay off and the people who inspire me really show it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 1) The lessons that I took away from the Inspired Bikes video taught be how to succeed in my own life, oddly enough. In the very beginning of the video, Dani Macaskill was trying to ride on the very skinny fence and fell a couple of times, which shows how he struggled. It’s most likely that the very first time he got on a bike he did not just start doing all those tricks. He had to practice and get better. I know that when I fail something, it almost wants me to try even harder to prove that failure to be a fluke. It fires me up to succeed. Dani Macaskill must have been curious about how to manipulate his bike to create this parkour on two wheels. My question is how did he figure out how to do it? Did he do it when he was little or just picked up his bike one day and say, “I think I will go just over some fences today”? Also, after one of his tricks, he picked up his playground pole and put it back where it belonged. I felt that was an integral move from him. He could have just kept riding and never thought about it again, but he did not, which I feel shows a good work ethic.

    2) These ideals apply to everything I do and plan to do. I may not always know my potential until something dawns on me that I would like to try and I succeed. So if I want to reach my potential in something, I will have to keep practicing and struggling and cannot stop if I fail. Also I should clean up after myself. Of course I will not be picking up poles and riding on them, but after I change something for my own benefit, and I no longer need it to be that way, I should try to put it back the way I found it. This also allows people to make of it what they will, not what I did. Not everything will be taught or handed to me either, some talents will have to be self learned and practiced, which means that I alone and responsible for giving up of failing. I could not place the blame on others. I will have to find the motivation within myself and hold myself accountable for whatever it is that I want to succeed in.

    3/4) Right now, I do not have some cause or talent that drives me every day. I enjoy fashion, listening music and softball, but I do not get up in the morning just for those parts of my life. Last year, I was researching teen obesity for a school project and learned that as a country, America is really out of shape. After I finished the project, some aspect of this growing problem stuck with me and I always think back to how simple it would be to cut this problem down significantly, whether schools, parents, coaches or the government implements these ideals. I have not acted on this unshakeable feeling that we are only talking about the problems and not the simple solutions. I would have to say that this possibility of a healthier world is what inspires me.

    ReplyDelete
  14. 1) A few very important lessons can be taken away from Inspired Bikes. The first lesson involves potential. In the video, Dani Macaskill performs impressive tricks on his bike. From my point of view his tricks increase in difficulty as the video progresses. To me this means that everyone has potential in the world, they just have to realize it and act on it to reach their full potential. Along with that, in order to reach ones full potential, you have to expect more out of yourself and challenge yourself to go for it.

    2) Potential and expectations apply to my life in many ways. I think that sometimes I am so caught up in what is happening right now, that I don’t think about how what I do will shape who I am and what I do in the future. I feel like in many ways I have realized a lot of my potential in school, sports, and in my relationships with friends and family. However, I think that in order for me to reach my full potential in all of those aspects I need to stop worrying about the expectations others have for me. I have always worried about being compared to my older siblings and their achievements. I think that I have to start making expectations for myself and meeting those expectations because I want to not because I have to.

    3/4) To be honest I have never thought through what inspires me. When I think about it, it’s the little things that inspire me. For instance, my little cousins, Keely and Peachy inspire me. Recently, they have asked me to help them learn how to play volleyball. When I watch them play and think about how bad I was when I started playing, it inspires me to continue to get better. Another thing that inspires me is nature. If you think about the complexity and awesomeness of nature, it amazes me. The peace nature brings me allows me to think and clear my head. The list of things that inspire goes on and on the more I think about it. I don’t
    think I will ever be able to pinpoint exactly what inspire me but I don’t think I want to know
    what exactly it is because I don’t want to ruin it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. 1) Some lessons that we can take away from the video are to just keep going and always think positively. Danny MacAskill didn’t get all of these tricks the first time. He probably got frustrated at some points but he kept at it and was most likely encouraging himself along the way. Good things are going to happen a lot of the time when you think positively rather than negatively. Every time MacAskill fell he got right back up and kept trying because he knew that in the end he would accomplish his task.
    2) These lessons apply to both my future and present day life. I know that no matter how many times I fail, I have to keep going because something good will come. I know that I will fail, so when I do I need to make sure to learn from my mistakes and go forward. I have to keep encouraging myself and just keep going.
    3) Anything can inspire me. Most of my inspiration comes from people though. Whenever I do something I think about all the people it’s affecting which pushes me to do it better. Music also inspires me. Whenever I listen to those pick-me-up songs I feel like I can do anything and I can. I don’t care what other people think of me, all I care about is what I think of myself.

    ReplyDelete
  16. 1) There are many lessons you can take away from this video. It shows that if you work hard against the things that you struggle in you can achieve your full potential. It shows that if your mind to it you can do anything. You just have to have faith in yourself in order to overcome your obstacles.
    2) I think that these lessons apply in many ways in my life now. I have been struggling with the fact my dad is moving away and with all the recent changes in my life. I have found that the more you approach the situation with a good attitude the better the outcome will be. It’s really hard to remember this during the time but the more you can the easier it gets.
    3) I am inspired by many things in my life. I’m inspired by my family, friends, environment, music, theater, and concerts. But above all I am inspired by photography and art. If you dropped me off in the middle of the country with just cameras and art supplies I would be in heaven. I love to express myself in artsy ways such as paintings, sculptures, word scramble pictures, and many other mediums. My notebooks are always covered in doodles and sketches that show what I have been thinking at the time. You know how people say “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” well I think a drawing a day keeps sorrow away. Art and photography free me and let me be myself, they truly inspire me.

    ReplyDelete
  17. 1) A few lessons we can take away from the bike video are to never give up and to take risks. If everyone in the world gave up when a project or a task didn't end up successful, where would we be? Life is about pushing forward and never stopping when something doesn't go perfectly. It is important to keep trying even when the odds are against you because you never know how situations will turn out. In the video, Danny kept trying to perfect his skills even though they weren't perfect every time. Due to his persistence, he was able to complete a skill that many people can't even dream of. He also took risks. LIfe is about trying new things because if we don't, we will never be able to progress. Danny showed us that it is important to take risks because you can bring your message to other people and show the world what is possible.
    2) These lessons apply to my everyday and future life. I participate in cheerleading which includes both persistence and risks. I put my trust in my teammates when they throw me in the air. This is a risk I know will help the team and myself in the future. Sometimes not all of my stunts or tumbling is perfect, but if I keep trying, I know they will keep getting better. I can also apply these lessons to my school life. If I don't get a good grade or understand the topic perfectly, I keep trying until it makes sense and I score well. This is important if I ever want to learn and keep getting better.
    3) Everything inspires me. When I see someone perform and trick or skill that I can't do, I am inspired to try it and see where it takes me. When I meet people who are unique, they inspire me to be myself and inspire others. Even music inspires me. Music has its own story which makes me think about my story and how it affects others. I would almost say that I inspire myself to be a better person and help others. It is important to think about your influence in the world and how everything you do is unique. We are each have our own personalities, but it is what we do with them that makes the difference.

    ReplyDelete
  18. 1. I think that watching this video can teach about the importance of hard work and not selling yourself short. It shows that if you want to do something bad enough you can do it. In the begining of the video he was having a hard time getting a certain trick down. However, he eventually got it down and was able to get up on the fence and ride across it. Also on this idea, if you think you have the ability to do something, try for it because if you haven't tried you don't know if you can do it at all.
    2. I think that these ideas apply to me in the way that I have to remember to not give up easily if I get stuck. If I keep trying to accomplish things it will be harder for me to fail in both sports and school. And, I also need to remember that even if I have never done anything before that doesn't mean I can't be good at something.
    3. Watching other people do things insires me. If I see someone doing something that makes me say to myself, that would be really cool, I will be more likely to try something. If I see something cool I will be more motivatied to go and try something.

    ReplyDelete
  19. The video Inspired Bikes showed me that one of the greatest strengths that carry you through life is perseverance. Without it most people would simply try something once and if that one single attempt didn't pan out exactly as they had hoped, no one would ever try anything twice. By expecting more of yourself and the others around you, everyone is able to achieve what to them, may have been the unthinkable. The cyclist, Dani Macaskill proved that by working through struggles and holding himself to higher expectations so he could reach his full potential. These videos show us that no matter how hard this year may be we will all need to hold each other to higher expectations to persevere through the tough points, because giving up once we hit a wall will not help any of us grow and develop into better writers or students. I feel as though these ideals not only apply to me now, but also will apply to me my entire life. We will all face challenges that many would think of as impossible but with these lessons it becomes easier to overcome. A few people that inspire me are definitely my family. My parents and brother have always been huge advocates for seeing something through to the end and it has always driven me to try even harder when I think that I can't do something.

    ReplyDelete
  20. After watching Inspired Bikes I realize that nothing of great value can come without sacrifices. In the beginning of the video the bicyclist was falling and crashing over and over again, but he never gave up. He persevered even though signs told him how dangerous what he was doing was, but he took a risk and sacrificed his safety to achieve his goals. Overall this video showed me that if you want to accomplish great things you will have to keep going no matter how hard it is. This ideal applies to my life because it is easy to become overwhelmed with school and activities, but if I don't give up, then great things will come. This principle also applies to my future in all aspects of my life. No matter what situation I find myself in, I know that as long as I keep pushing through, I will be rewarded. As for what inspires me... watching people achieve great tasks and complete their goals is what inspires me to do the same.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Inspired Bikes is a truly magnificent piece. It portrays a classical struggle between toil and reward. The only way to harness one’s potential is to work at it diligently. Like this man, we as students have to be able and willing to strive at being better, more knowledgeable people in order to reach our goals. Struggle only makes us better people. If we do not struggle though life, we will never be able to learn from our mistakes. The man in this video was not really shown to have expectations placed upon him by other people, but he may have placed them upon himself. Having expectations for oneself makes one want to perform better. In that way, expectations can be both good and bad. It can drive the subject mad while forcing him to be more successful.
    In the future, I need to be willing to work at being good in order to be good. I am anticipating a year full of hard work and expectations. I just need to learn to deal with them and be better because of it.
    I am inspired by ambition. I want to do well in life. I want to be successful. I am also inspired by the things that I see wrong in the world that need to be fixed. One can only change the world once they’ve worked through it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. When watching the video, Inspired Bikes, I think that we can all learn that achieving our goals or doing something great takes a lot of dedication and hard work. This video teaches us that although some things may be a struggle, it's worth it knowing you've worked your absolute hardest on what you wish to achieve. It also teaches us that our goals and dreams will not just come to us-we have to work hard to live up to the high expectations we give ourselves. These ideals apply to present day with our school work and after school sports: if we want to be good at something, we have to work hard at it. We cannot just go home from school and lazily do our homework or expect to be the best athlete on the team. We need to put a good amount of effort into our work in order to get the results we want. For me personally, I am inspired by seeing others achieve their goals and live out their dreams. Seeing the amazing things people have accomplished in their lives makes me push myself to work harder to accomplish the goals I set for myself.

    ReplyDelete
  23. 1. I think we can learn from this video. He teaches that practice does make perfect (well not perfect). For instance, at the beginning of the video, he rides up a tree, and then jumps off it. But then near the end of the video, he does a back flip while riding up the tree. It also encourages risk taking which I think can be a good thing. This kind of relates to making mistakes. You can’t achieve greater goals if you’re not willing to make mistakes or take chances.
    2. These can easily apply to everyday life as they encourage me to take chances, and practice, practice, practice. These ideas illustrate that if I take chances, sure I may mess up, but my results will eventually make up for these mistakes.
    3. I would say people who rebel, and go against the norm, yet for a good cause inspire me (I am not going to stoop to a low level and say people who challenge the system). For instance, I thought the Egyptian Revolution was really inspiring as people who felt the need to rebel against a cruel system did so. And these people, the nation, succeeded and threw down the government. Stories like those inspire me.

    ReplyDelete
  24. 1.I would have to put the cliche out there that you can do anything you put your mind to. (Except for slamming revolving doors.) People who refuse to believe that they can't put themselves out there or do something fantastic are wrong. The trick is to be optimistic even in times of trial. Everyone should be expected to believe in themselves.
    2.At the moment, I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life. What I have to realize is that when I find that something (not if, when), I will be able to do it because I believed that I could.
    4.I think sometimes my friends inspire me. Lot's of them just went off to college and are doing what they love whether it be writing, playing music, or just living. They make me want to work harder and get off my butt and do something with myself. The desire to want to be good drives me.

    ReplyDelete
  25. 1) Potential and work ethic are very different. Many people have the potential to ride a bike as well as Danny did. He wasn’t born with anything that made him more physically capable than many other people. But no one else had the drive, time, patience, and stamina to do what he did.

    2) We all have the same potential to do anything. Our situation, willpower, luck, and perseverance. are what separate us from everyone else. No matter what I am able to do, I won’t be able to achieve it if I don’t push myself.

    3) My sister inspires me. She had open heart surgery on her trachea and pulmonary artery when she was eleven, and she has to go through the rest of her life with a foot long scar from her collarbone to her stomach. Most teenage girls would complain constantly about having to go through highschool with a scar that huge, but she has never once said anything about it. She will not let it ruin her potential of being a happy, successful high schooler.

    ReplyDelete
  26. 1. There are many lessons to take away from this video. One that comes to mind is the importance of living comfortably with uncertainty. Danny showed an incredible willingness to take risks over and over despite the uncertainty that came with these daring leaps of faith. Although we saw hardly any failure in the video, I would imagine that he struggled through many injuries and failures that came from his passion of stunt riding. His resilience is very inspiring and teaches us all a wonderful life lesson about perseverance.

    2. Many of my take-aways from this video apply to my every day life. As I mentioned before, it teaches us what kind of reward and satisfaction can result from taking risks. Although I don't have interest in taking the same risks that Danny took, there are things in my life that I would like to accomplish that take the kind of courage that Danny possessed.

    3. A lot of things inspire me. However, something in particular really stuck with me. One of my golf competitors in high school golf from Creek, recently began her recovery from a rare form of bone cancer that almost cost her her life. Despite finishing he chemotherapy treatments in August 2010, she was able to compete in the 2011 spring girl’s high school golf season. This is really an incredible feat considering she received an artificial femur and knee as part of her treatment. She can barely put weight on one of her legs but managed to help lead her team to the 2011 state title. This inspires me because of the obvious reasons, but it also helps put things in perspective. Her ability to push herself to limits some might consider impossible, inspires me to push myself to reach for things I think are out of my realm.

    ReplyDelete
  27. From Inspired Bikes, Danny Macaskill proved that you should never give up. Since an extreme sport like biking has a high risk of injury you can’t quit if you wipe out. You need to come out every day with the intention to succeed. That’s why Danny is so successful; he showed you can’t give in, especially since you are not going to land a trick the first time you try. I noticed one trick where Danny rode up a tree and did a backflip off the trunk. An expert and dangerous trick like that requires full concentration and practice so you have to get the fear and hesitation out of your system. In any sport or skill there is going to be ups and downs, but if you keep practicing there will always be more ups.

    This is applied to life because every obstacle we face on a daily basis required practice at one point or another. When we were born we didn’t have the knowledge to read, write, or even walk. It took a lot of time for us to develop these skills, and they still aren’t fully developed. Simply riding a bike takes a while to learn, but Danny showed that it may take lengthy periods of time for us to do something special with the skills we attain.

    What inspires me? I am inspired by soccer and the moments that go with it. I have watched World Cup finals, European Championship finals, but the one that inspired me most was the 2008 Champions League Final.

    On Wednesday May 21, 2008, I came home from school and rushed to the TV. I turned on the Champions League Final to see my favorite team Manchester United play their bitter English rival Chelsea. When I pushed the power button to my TV I expected to see Cristiano Ronaldo giving an interview about his man of the match performance, but I was surprised to see both teams huddled up for the dreaded penalty-kick shootout. The shootout was full of drama, and my favorite player Ronaldo missed his penalty. It felt like the world stopped, since he was United’s best penalty kick taker. A couple kicks later it seemed to be over when John Terry the Chelsea and England captain stepped up to take the fifth decisive shot that would “Put the European Cup in his hands.” As I had one eye buried in a pillow and the other slightly fixed on the TV, to my amazement Terry slipped and scuffed the ball off the post. I went ballistic even though the game wasn’t over. Then Manchester United scored a couple penalties and were in control, but needed their keeper Edwin Van Der Sar (The Flying Dutchman) to make a save. Sure enough he got into the Chelsea shooter’s head and he dove to his right to parry the shot that would win Manchester United the Champions League.

    This inspired me to win a soccer tournament, although it didn’t happen overnight or anytime soon. At the end of the summer I came close, losing in the final of a tournament in Colorado Springs, but my first tournament win didn’t come till a year and half later. I was playing in a tournament in Pueblo and we won in similar fashion to Manchester United, in a penalty-kick shootout. Even though the tournament victory and trophy was nothing compared to the massive silverware of the European Cup, it was still a joy holding one up for the first time.

    Inspiration comes in many forms, but for me nothing beats the feeling of shooting the ball into the goal. No matter what you are inspired by Danny Macaskill shows that my success and your success travel along the same path.

    ReplyDelete
  28. 1. The biggest lesson that I took from the video was that 'impossible' things are always attainable with the right mindset and work ethic. When someone is really passionate about something and believes in their abilities, they can make anything happen. I think many times we let our minds limit us but if we don't question the limits or consider the normal boundaries, we can make amazing things happen. While watching the video, I kept thinking about how much time on the bike and practice that would have taken to perfect. One must word diligently and put their mind to a task to succeed.
    2. I know that in my sports the number one way for me to improve is to practice, practice, practice. Also, many times I only run as fast or as hard as one of my teammates but individually, I know I could run even harder. Its about separating yourself from the pack and going above and beyond to achieve the best result. Passion is another vital element in succeeding and I want to immerse myself in sports that I feel passionate about so I can be the most effective competitor.
    3. I am inspired by many things but mostly by the people around me. My family and friends are so important to me. They make me the person I am and push me to be a better version of myself. This summer I went to Nicaragua on a mission trip and had an eye-opening experience that made me realize how fortunate I am.

    ReplyDelete
  29. 1. One of the lessons that I took away from the video was to never give up. At the beginning of the video, Danny was having a little trouble doing the things he wanted to. But he practiced and practiced and could finally do what he set his mind to. Practice makes perfect! If you work hard enough, things you consider "impossible" just might become reachable.
    2. These lessons play a huge part in my life. The idea of never giving up is constantly there; at practice running sprints, finishing my math homework, and mastering a new sport. Achieving impossible things also shows up a lot. Things that I think I will never do are in my reach after practice and hard work.
    3. I could write a whole list of what inspires me, but people are right at the top of the list. If you really take the time to think about it, people are truly amazing. They struggle to survive cancer, climb the tallest mountains, fulfill their dreams, and so much more. Most importantly is seeing people do what they love. It inspires me to achieve my goals.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Life isn’t easy, and neither are the struggles that accompany it. Danny must have had plenty of bruises, cuts, and people telling him that his dream of having awe-inspiring skills with the bike wasn’t worth it. However, he persevered through all of the struggles to achieve his goal. It’s hard when a coach tells you that you have so much potential, but that it is going to take work. It is going to take mental and physical strength to persevere through the struggles in order to exceed everyone’s expectations.
    The only expectation that has every truly mattered to me was my own and my drive to exceed it. Playing three sports isn’t always fun; it requires an amazing amount of work to keep my grades, athletics and (psh) social life in balance. However, when pure will is depleted towards the end of a difficult workout or after hours of studying for an important test, work ethic kicks in. For me, a devoted work ethic is the most important character a person could have because the ability to commit yourself to hard work enables that person to get through things that sheer will cannot always accomplish.

    ReplyDelete