Motivational Monday – “To Scale: The Solar System”

"As we get farther and farther away, the Earth diminished in size. Finally it shrank to the size of a marble, the most beautiful marble you can imagine... seeing this has to change a man."

- James IrwinApollo 15

Friends Alex Gorosh and Wiley Overstreet would need 7 miles of continuous space if they wanted to create a to-scale model of our solar system. Naturally, a bone-dry lake bed in Nevada was the perfect location for their venture. But they wouldn't merely be dragging sticks through the dirt to show the sheer magnitude of what is nearly always represented incorrectly; instead, they would connect light tracks to illustrate the planetary orbits in the night.

"We are on a marble, floating in the middle of nothing.... When you sort of come face-to-face with that, it's staggering." - Wiley Overstreet

It's difficult to watch their experiment and not feel the gravity of it all.

We've all had those times in our lives - whether they be days, months or years - in which we feel the world revolves around us. In contrast, we all have those times of clarity when we see the connections between us and all that is.

To put things into perspective, imagine everything that makes up your life and the way you live it: your house, your country, your continent and all the people in it, and the billions of other people who inhabit this beautiful planet alongside us — and then imagine all of that is a collective speck of dust on a brilliant, blue marble being hurled through space... and that is Earth.

Perhaps Calvin and Hobbes can shed some light on this philosophical prod - if we are specks of dust that can also do powerful things, does everything matter or does nothing matter? We all have to share this world together, and finding that balance is the greatest journey of all!

Motivational Monday -The Leadville Trail 100

Motivational Monday -The Leadville Trail 100

Our ancestors were forced to evolve into ultra-runners, over time and as more travel became necessary to hunt prey that was constantly on the move. Almost 2 million years ago, ancient men would scoff at the proposition of running 100 miles - if scoffing had been a thing back then, of course. Regardless of their opinion on it, the fact remains that it was no physical problem.

But nowadays, ultra-runners are prime specimens and exceptions to the norm. No one actually needs to run that far for that long, but some simply want to...

The Leadville Trail 100 is commonly referred to as the "Race Across the Sky" and began in 1983. This out and back course takes you from it's lowest point of 9,200 feet to it's highest at 12,600 feet up on Hope Pass. Most of the run is done on forest trails and certain sections of mountain road. Lottery drawings for participation in 2017's race open December 1st through the 31st, 2016.

(Video Credit: Salomon Trail Running)

  "It gets to a point during a run like that, no matter how good an athlete you are and no matter how well trained you are, that it’s going to really hurt. And it’s going to transcend the physical and become about the mental..."

As one of the oldest ultamarathons in the world, The Leadville Trail 100 attracts all sorts of ambitious athletes looking to test their limits and break down barriers. In it's first year it had only 45 competitors and was originally organized as a way to bring more people to Leadville - a mining town that struggled when the mine was shut down. Today, the event has huge sponsorship, training camps, and many other events for athletes of all kinds.

Motivational Monday – “Venture Out”

Motivational Monday – “Venture Out”

Adventure.com is a resource for anyone who ventures outside of their comfort zone, and those who want to live a life of adventure - around the world and in their own backyards. Their goal is to inspire people to make their next adventure a reality.

Originally, it was created as a place for people from all walks of life to share their experiences and stories. Through sharing their adventures with a like-minded community, they hope to cultivate an online environment in which individuals can continue to draw inspiration and discover new things they've never tried before!

"Your life can be the greatest adventure you've ever dreamed of..."

Motivational Monday – Chocolate Is A Girl’s Best Friend

"What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate."- Katharine Hepburn

That's right - chocolate! You don't often find people that dislike it, but plenty that love it in varying degrees. Milk, dark, salted, peanut-filled, nibbles or entire bars... Seems most of us crave this treat at least once in a while! But how can chocolate help motivate & inspire aspects of your life other than the sweet tooth?

Check out this fantastic new commercial that DOVE® Chocolate recently released... Then read some of the many benefits to chocolate that we've listed below, and try to convince us chocolate isn't a wonderful thing!

(Video Credit: DOVE® Chocolate)

Regular dark chocolate eaters invite a host of benefits to their bodies. You're not shopping for the sugary stuff on most grocery store shelves - focus in on 75% of higher cocoa content, organic, dark chocolate. Here's the inside scoop...

  • Dark chocolate has a much higher and wider variety of powerful antioxidants than most other foods, which help the body to fight free radicals

  • The flavanols in dark chocolate can stimulate the lining of the arteries to produce Nitric Oxide, which relaxes them, in turn lowering blood pressure

  • It improves several risk factors of heart disease, and even improves insulin sensitivity in the body

  • One study revealed that eating dark chocolate 2 or more times per week lowered the risk of having calcified plaque in the arteries by 32%

  • Studies show that the flavanols from cocoa can improve blood flow to the skin and help protect it against sun-induced damage

  • Cocoa contains stimulant substances like caffeine and theobromine, which improve brain function short term

  • In scientific terms, eating chocolate is significantly associated with superior "visual-spatial, memory and organization, working memory, scanning and tracking, abstract reasoning and mental exams."

  • Plus, chocolate just makes you feel good & inpired!

In short - EAT THAT CHOCOLATE!

Motivational Monday – Rise & Shine!

"Welcome to the grind..."

Today our Monday Motivation comes courtesy of none other than Nike. They are behind some of the most motivational and inspirational videos and print ads, and this short video is no exception!

Whether you're an athlete, mother of three, devoted nurse working double shifts or the young person working towards your bigger dreams, this is a fantastic one to watch. Be ready for a cherry on top if you're craving that sweet dose of tough love; the narrative is  just what you need when you get the urge to hit that snooze button again instead of getting started with your day...

(Video Credit: Nike)

Motivational Monday – Be Extraordinary!

Motivational Monday – Be Extraordinary!

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in..."

John Muir

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Trevor Thomas, aka 'Zero-Zero',  is a self-described 'adrenaline junkie' and the world's only blind professional  long distance hiker. After losing his sight completely at the age of 35, Thomas threw himself into the world of hiking with the hopes of regaining a real sense of independence and self worth. He decided that no matter how he was expected to exist in the world around him as a blind person - he was going to be different.

(Courtesy Trevor Thomas)

"After nearly eight years, nearly 20,000 miles, and numerous thru hikes throughout the United States, what began as a quest has become a career.  I still hike to step outside my comfort zone & push the boundaries of what is possible for a blind person to achieve.  In addition, I now hike to show that blindness is not the life-ending disease or condition that so many feel it is," says Thomas.

(Courtesy Trevor Thomas)

(Courtesy Trevor Thomas)

In 2012, Thomas received Tennille, his first guide dog, from Guide Dogs for the Blind in California. Most recently, Thomas and Tennille returned to Colorado to complete a through hike of the 500-mile Colorado Trail. It was the first self navigated trek on the trail by a blind person & Tennille was the first guide dog to tackle the trail. While in the sunshine state they also climbed to the summit of Mt.Elbert, which is Colorado's tallest mountain at an elevation of 14,400 feet. It was the first solo ascent of the mountain by a blind person and a new altitude record for the daring duo.

(Courtesy Trevor Thomas)

"My hope is that I can provide hope to those who are afflicted with the disability, & inspiration for them to step outside their own comfort zone to achieve greater heights in their own lives."