Finding Motivation in Unexpected Places – Juliet Strauss

(I have) never followed anybody’s lead.  I lived my own life.  If I wished to ride a horse, or play a game of cards, or go wading in the creek with the children, I always did it.  I never ruined my eyesight or racked my nerves to arrive at small perfections.  I avoided rivalries and emulations.  In short, I lived. – Juliet Strauss

As I sit here on my comfy couch, in my pjs at 6:00pm, after having skipped crossfit and eating leftover pad thai, two pieces of pizza with Sugarfire’s white BBQ sauce, and a soda; I’ve decided it’s time to talk about things that inspire and motivate me.  Clearly, I need some motivation today!

Growing up there’s always been four things I really like to do:  read, watch movies, listen to VERY LOUD music, and play sports.  Most of the time the reading and movie watching were done during my down time from sports.  But what I realized was that a lot of things that I read or watched motivated me to work harder on my sports or try new things.

Looking back, I still recall several movies I would watch the night before a big game:  G.I. Jane (every girl wants to shave her head and become a Navy Seal, right?), Love and Basketball (what “ballher” doesn’t love this), and Remember the Titans (need I say more…) among others.  It was probably pretty stupid of me to watch these movies because it would always give me an adrenaline rush so much so that I couldn’t sleep!  While coaching, during a radio interview before we played a huge Sectional game, I was asked what I did the night before to get myself ready for the game.  My response was, “I watched ‘Miracle!’”  The radio host got quite a chuckle out of my answer, but I told him that that movie really spoke to me because I knew we were up against an extremely tough opponent that night so it seemed appropriate.  (In case you’re wondering…we lost 🙁  but we weren’t even supposed to be that far into the playoffs.  So it was still a successful season.)

A movie inspired me to take hiking more seriously…Wild! Thankfully, I have not had to go through some of life’s obstacles that Cheryl Strayed has gone through, but while watching her hike through the mountains, experiencing both trials and awesome tribulations, I found myself saying during the movie, “I want to do that,” over and over.  I went and bought the book immediately afterwards to read and the book still holds a prominent spot on my mantle.

Books!  What can I say about books that many of you probably don’t already know.  I mean they have been the lifeblood of my world for most of my life!  I’ve always read a lot of biographies and autobiographies written about/by some of my favorite coaches and players.  And of course, quotable books like the Art of War.   I don’t get to read as much as I used to, but because of all of the reading I’ve done, I notice words.  Full quotes or single words often catch my attention.  My Pinterest “Quotes” folder has several hundred pins, not including the quotes I have scattered in my Tattoo, Travel, Education, Administration, Basketball, and many other folders!  It’s hard to describe the feeling I get when I read something that just makes me stop and think “yea, that’s right!”

So I’ve been rambling on about books and movies and I bet you’re wondering who the hell is Juliet Strauss!  Well, while Caroline and I were hiking in Turkey Run S.P. in Indiana we came across the Juliet Strauss Memorial.  Juliet Strauss, born in 1863, was a writer for the Rockville Tribune and the Ladies Home Journal along with many other publications.  She often wrote about her love for the outdoors and the living off the land and the depression she felt when she had to go into the city.  When the land that is now Turkey Run State Park was sold to lumber harvesters, Strauss used her popularity as a speaker and writer for the Rockville Tribune to inform the public about the danger the land would be facing.  She even wrote to Indiana’s state representatives, pleading for their help.  Due to her efforts, money was raised to buy the park, which the state did in 1916, making Turkey Run the second state park of Indiana.  In 1921, a memorial was erected in Juliet’s honor.

When I first saw the memorial, all I could do was smile.  It’s beautiful. Then when I started reading the information posted near the memorial, a quote caught my eye:  “(I have) never followed anybody’s lead.  I lived my own life.  If I wished to ride a horse, or play a game of cards, or go wading in the creek with the children, I always did it.  I never ruined my eyesight or racked my nerves to arrive at small perfections.  I avoided rivalries and emulations.  In short, I lived.”

As soon as I read the quote, I got that warm, fuzzy feeling…”Yes!  This is why Caroline and I are here!”  From that moment the Juliet Strauss Memorial became my motivation to continue to explore the rest of the trails and walk 10 more miles that day and one of my inspirations for future adventures.  She became my Statue of Liberty.

So do you have any special sources of inspiration or motivators you would like to share?  What are some of your favorite quotes?  We’d love to hear from you.

And in regards to the music…I mean you’ve always got to have some beats!!  Stand outside the school (my place of work) in the mornings and you can probably hear my bass bumpin’ long before my vehicle ever comes in sight!