Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Motivation.
Sun God: A Short Story
A young boy sits under his favourite tree, it gives him apples and stands the tallest on the family farm. The boy watches the sunflower crops and wonders how such delicate beings can grow so high. He himself was only 6 years old and three foot three, for the first time the boy felt jealous. Jealous of the sunflowers and resented how in only a year they have undeservedly grown to twice his height. Life wasn’t fair, not to the boy. He shot up and dusted off his work pants before running straight through the overgrown sunflower crop. Finding the largest, strongest one, ‘it’s taunting me’ the boy thought. Without hesitation the young lad of only three foot three accessed the thick, woody stem using the branching leaves like stepping stones. His young arms began to hurt, feeling the strain of pulling their host up a giant twice his own height. But the boy was nothing if not determined, through the intense ache, he pulled and climbed up until he sat atop the giant flower. Looking out over the large expanse of stretch of crops, the small boy finally understood what it was like to be big. Power flooded his senses and all the boy wanted from that moment on, was to feel the sun close on his face. “Why should sunflowers and grownups be the only ones to touch the sun?’ the boy thought, he could only imagine how warm and bright the sun's face must feel on his fingertips. Oh how he longed to reach out and caress its face. Already closer than ever to his beloved sun, the boy wanted more. Never high enough, never close enough. He sat on that tall, prized sunflower for weeks and weeks, sleeping and eating on this pseudo vehicle to the sky. The boy's mother was skeptical, a tall woman herself, not seeing why her little son would want to sit atop a sunflower for days on end only to touch the sun. “the sun is big enough to touch you down here on the ground! Besides one day you'll be big and tall just like your father someday, be patient, my dear” her boy ignored her, insisting on remaining seated on the highest flower at all times. The woman sighed, her poor son was blinded by desire, unable to see the gifts laying right in front of him. She sulked back into her little farm house, knowing the only way she would see her son again would be above her, looking down from his hill of desires. Weeks turned into months and as the flower grew closer and closer to the sun, the boy grew more and more excited. He could feel the warmth on his face stronger than ever before and only longed to feel it hotter. The boy's spirit seemed to feed this mighty sunflower as it rose up above all the rest, turning the other flowers to tiny specks in it’s wake. The sun, as beautiful as it was, proved to be a cruel mistress. Heat penetrated the boy's flesh and burns arose on his once supple baby face. Not that he minded, all that mattered was the simple closeness of his burning mistress. Flower petals began to burn away and all the boy had to sit upon was the stiff, woody stem. A small pedestal to hold such a spirited young Icarus. Though this boy achieved what icarus could not, this boy stood on his toes and grazed the blazing star with his tiny fingertips. His wings did not melt away, though his balance had. A soft smile spread across the child’s burnt, contented face. Feeling the wind zip past his body, rapidly cooling his hot flesh as he fell towards the earth on which he belonged. He was no flighted fool, nor any angel worthy of cavorting with sun gods. And so, as only a young mortal boy, he touched the earth with a blood curdling crunch. But he did not feel a thing, everything was alright to the young Icarus, he had achieved what gods could not, he had touched the sun and the sun had given him the gift of satisfaction. Unhappy as he may be, he was satisfied. Unhappy with his bones shattered to dust, unhappy with his mother's constant preaching of “I told you so” he now could only hope for the satisfaction to last a lifetime.
By Paige Osaroth6 years ago in Motivation
What the World Needs Now is Love..
Martin Luther King Jr. once said “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” Especially in times like now with the global pandemic, police brutality and civilian hate crimes based on race, sex, sexual orientation and identification. It is a dark and scary time especially when media can be twisted to give viewers the wrong messages, but I have found that - there are online creators and artists that make multitudes of media that help brighten our days with motivating messages that spread love when the world needs it the most and here are a few examples.
By Maelisha Kahlbaum6 years ago in Motivation
The Pagaent.
September 2016, the month that changed it all. I had been working as a hairdresser in a little village just outside Galway city, called clarinbridge. It was a really tiny rural village with a strong sense of community. For years every September they had held a festival named The Clarinbridge Oyster Festival. Galway city itself also hosted one a month later but it held no comparison. There were a series of things involved in this which made it the extravaganza it was and pulled every sort of folk from the village to get involved . There were radio and magazine interviews, Market days, promotional nights /days and of course the queens selection night! Each year the festival committee would hold some short interviews with local girls who hoped to be crowned that years Oyster Queen. In 2016 I was crowned that said lucky winner. I had been put forward by my boss in the hair salon. Tracy and I had worked together for four years at this stage and had become the best of friends, I had been having a rough time in my personal life and my confidence was low so she believed by entering me for this title it would boost my confidence, put me back out into the world and help me make new friends and connections whilst also boosting our salon from a buissness point! Once the queen is chosen the committee would pick a beauty salon and a hair salon to style her for the year pro bono! In return the salons would be promoted and given inside access to the festival activities, so to be crowned the queen and work inside the salon that was chosen was a double victory really!
By Jade Cunniffe 6 years ago in Motivation
The Eighth Stand
“Don’t forget to keep your legs straight on that front-tuck step out Bell!” coach Jenn yelled from across the blue spring floor. It was a brisk winter, back in 2015. I belonged to Champions United Gymnastics Academy where I was a JOGA Level 4. Our first competition of the season at TNT Gymnastics. I was warming up my second tumbling pass. A front-tuck step out, cartwheel, round-off back handspring step out. I hear Jenn’s voice in the back of my head, reminding me of what I must correct as I ran and hurdled into the tumbling pass. “Keep those legs straight Bella, keep them straight.” I punch into the front-tuck preparing for the step out, my first leg coming down as straight as ever, almost too straight. Gravity pulled me back down to the hard blue floor, my first leg coming down completely locked, and POP. Before my right leg had the chance to come down, it was already too late. One minute I was rotating through the air trying to perfect my pass, and the next I find myself lying down in the middle of the mat in the fetal position, holding my left knee to my chest. I didn’t know it then, but this was just the very beginning of my 5-year fight.
By Bella Cinelli6 years ago in Motivation
Musician with a Mission
This is a long video (28 minutes and change) of an interview I did back in 2018 on Princeton TV30. The TV station is a local network that goes out to those living in Mercer and southern Somerset counties. It was an honor to be considered as an interviewee for this network, because it came at a time when I just branched out on my own to start running a business on a full-time basis. It was a side project, if you will, for years, but 1 month prior to this interview, it became the main project. The interviewer, Natasha Sherman, made me feel very comfortable during our conversation, as you may be able to tell when watching. Shot from multiple angles, the interview flowed quite nicely from a production standpoint as well as a content standpoint.
By Jim Gaven6 years ago in Motivation
Artists Inspiring Artists During a Global Pandemic
In the midst of a global pandemic that has the majority of the world stuck at home and isolated from their friends and loved ones, it’s been hard to find simple joys that make me laugh, smile, or keep me entertained. As a performing artist, it’s been exciting to watch the artistic community explode with optimism and perseverance. Every day countless artists offer free or by-donation classes and concerts and share their work on social media to keep themselves and others in shape, entertained, and creatively stimulated. Some of my favorite pieces or artists I’ve come across, or gotten to know better, are featured below, and I hope that they expose you to something or someone and bring some joy and entertainment to your home during a chaotic time.
By Abby Hazlett6 years ago in Motivation
But what if you fly?
Do you have a dream? Do you have something that fires you up, that kicks you out of bed in the morning? So many of us, especially us women, believe that we do not have a dream. For long I believed that about myself. I thought dreams and goals where stuff for other people – I get bored too easily, I give up too easily, it is too overwhelming. Whatever my excuse was, I now realise how foolish and weak they were.
By Esrida Brits6 years ago in Motivation
"Girl, wash your face"
I've always been a reader especially while growing up, I remember being just a little one reading "Big Kid books" like a professional. During that time Books that some would see as daunting I would excitedly take on for a weekend reading adventure in my bedroom!
By Jamika6 years ago in Motivation
The Science Behind "Good Vibes" and 5 Ways to Draw More of Them Into Your Life
Good vibes: It’s the Woodstock generation's mantra that has been passed down to the festival junkies of the 21st century. It may seem like a bunch of hippie hullabaloo, but what if the concept of "good vibes" could actually change your life?
By Sierra Vandervort 6 years ago in Motivation
