At the moment my life is a swirl of plans, teaching and viewing the limited winter sun from a classroom window.

However during this creatively encroaching time I've come across a superb video made by the sports company Asics.

It's a beautiful piece epitomising the dedication needed to be a success in sports. The monologue that accompanies the visual will give you a taste of what i'm talking about...

I'm made of belief not barriers
I'm made of sweat not swagger
I'm made of many not one
I'm made of the next point not the last
I'm made of blazing trails not following paths
I'm made of every hurdle I've cleared not just the ones on the track
I am made of all the days you don't see not just the one you do
I am made of everything to come not just what has been
I am made of sport

The line that stands out for me is 'I am made of all the days you don't see not just the one you do.' I think all of the statements are transferrable to all walks of life but I found this one struck a chord with me the most.

Anyway enjoy the video!

I for some reason am going to search for a pair of Asics trainers lol ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le8En3oKY_c&list=PLFCC83A28AED27C56&index=1&feature=plpp_video

So, 2011 is almost done. As I look forward to another year in which only one thing is certain - I will be in Benicassim in July - I take a moment to remember the past year.

Okay i'm done see you in 2012 a year in which I hope to finally finish something that is aching my soul, something that is so dear to me and at the moment so distant, something... you get the point.

See you in 2012 my hollow hoards of readers

I shall leave you with this image, why? I don't know but nothing bad can come from something so gorgeous right?

Busy, busy, busy, beyond belief...

I won't blog for a while, because the time just isn't going to be there. Life is really getting in the way of my writing and everything that I truly enjoy :(

Alas, remember me as I was my invisible friends... An Arctic Monkey craving, clever prose loving, procrastinator :P

Until next time!

The talent vs hard work debate that I flagged up in my last post is still waging in my mind.

I thought i'd share a video of a man who I believe fits the 'hard work' label - Arnold Schwarznegger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0PrTkE5jG4

The video is of a speech given by Arnold where he outlines his six most important steps to success. Give it a listen, there are some frequently heard steps but it's interesting that he calls the most important step "working hard!" He even goes as far as saying none of his steps work without hard work...

Anyway I'm going to get back to working hard :P

Enjoy

Recently I've been dealing a lot with the concept of success and is it down to hard work or talent. A few weeks ago at dance I came across a young man who pitched the idea to me that there is no such thing as talent. He believed that the word talent has been created by man to make us understand when someone is so much better. This notion interested me, because I have always wondered what makes Brian Lara or Cristiano Ronaldo such better practitioners of their crafts. Is it talent? Were they born that way? Or is it just that they have worked harder than everyone else? Or maybe it's a combination of both? (a point my Dad threw into the cauldron that is my mind)

After all the thinking I came to the conclusion that firstly to reach exceptional heights hard work is required. I believe talent is real, some people are quicker at learning things and see the word from a different perspective that allows them to do unique things. I don't believe talent is required to be a success though. Success can be achieved through hard work.

In my pursuit of an answer I came across a motivational speaker called Eric Thomas. He gave a brilliant analogy to what hard work really means. I'm going to leave you with a link to a video of his talking about hard work and success, it really is thought evoking - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoL0XNfSViA -

Until next time!