2,500 Days: "Love life. Mark your milestones. Make them into magical, motivational memories!"

2,500 days. It's a big milestone. Not that I count or anything.

I found today's motivational message the other day on a tree, in the forest behind my home, while out chasing the sunrise on my morning walk. Walking along, musing in my mind, I suddenly saw an old stump onto which someone had written a small bit of tiny graffiti. The simple phrase, with a fun little smile, brought incalculable joy to my heart.

"Love life."

That brief moment - and the smile it brought to my face - is typical of the mindset I carry around with me today, each and every day. That moment came to me just after I caught a glimpse of the sun rising in splendor, snapping the quick photo that I send to my loving wife each morning as I start my morning walk, shortly after writing the day's post.

All around me, I find powerful motivators that feed my focus on optimism, build my inner strength of determination, and fortify my personal protection against powerlessness. On a day that I don't get out for my morning walk chasing the sunrise, I often will find the same powerful motivation while out for the first tee time of the morning.

On other days it will come from being the first at the ski lift - while others are still shaking the cobwebs from their minds, I am eager to chase the fresh tracks of the morning.

And on those days when I am busy with my odd job, it will come from arriving early for stage check, and chatting with the AV team from the stage while they begin to orchestrate their day.

My inspiration comes from my moments of the morning and the reinforcements that fortify my mind and feed my soul throughout the day. It might be a small bit of graffiti on a tree; the beauty of an awesome sunrise; the perfect flight (or not-so-perfect) of the first tee shot; the hot steam of the first cup of coffee in the morning; or an AV team that is eager to get everything in order and who appreciates a speaker that shows up early; or the deer just beyond the fence staring at me while I type away on today's Daily Inspiration post.

"Love life."

Today is a day in which I am in love with my life. It's been 2,500 days since I discovered the powerful motivation that comes from being a denizen of the dawn; one who arrives in the morning with clarity in their mind, determination in their core, and motivation in their soul.

The joy is incalculable.

It's been 2,500 days since I found a reason to begin my day with a motivational thought that led to this being post #1,753 in my daily?Daily Inspiration?series (I don't post on weekends.) The ability to start the day by thinking through the ideas in my mind and sharing them with an increasing list of tens of thousands is a powerful motivational force. It's my thing. I'll keep doing it.

It's been 2,500 days since I realized that establishing inner peace was the most important skill that one can possess in their day-to-day life.

It's been 2,500 days since I discovered the power that comes from establishing control over the destructive demon of personal powerlessness.

It's been 2,500 days since I returned to being the person I am, not to the person I briefly became.

2,500 days.

My joy is incalculable.

Love life.

Mark your milestones.

Make them into magical memories.

Find your inner peace.

Sometimes, it's right there.

On a tree.

In a forest.

In the morning.

Futurist Jim Carroll is a pretty happy guy!

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