Focus on the simple things

A couple quick announcements:

1.) Thank you everyone for all the feedback you have been giving me on my recent videos I have been posting on Youtube.  I am going to continue to do this and ultimately what I my channel to become is a mix of motivating, inspiring, and funny videos that will help you live a richer and more fulfilling life.  If you have not checked out my Youtube channel yet, do so by clicking here: and please subscribe while you are there. :)

2.)  I have a photo up on the MSNBC "It's a Snap Travel Photo" section.  It is a photo of Stonehenge, please check it out and if you feel so inclined vote for it:

Last week I posted a video about a guy who was dying of cancer.  The video and his story were very powerful.

   Check out the Video Here

I spoke a bit about his story in last weeks Ustream chat, but it is powerful enough and the message is important enough that spending a few extra minutes on it is certainly warranted.

Eric's story is essentially this:

Several years ago he was diagnosed with cancer and was declared terminal.  But he beat the odds and survived.  He began sharing his story via Youtube.  Life continued on and eventually the cancer came back.  Now at 28 years old, with a wife and family that loves him, Eric is going to die.  He has tried every treatment and fought as hard as he could.

When I first watched this video, what amazed me about it was the simplicity of life.  In the eight minute video life was summed up like this: Live or Die, and this guy clearly wants to live.

We complicate our lives so much.  And in the process of complicating them we lose focus on the most important point of life, to live.

During Eric's final goodbye video, I did not hear him once mention some of the things that society has deemed to be so important:  there was no mention of the car he drove, the style of the clothes he wore, how much money he made, or the latest he said she said celebrity gossip.

I can only conclude that someone on death's door is not going to miss the above?  How can that be?  We spend so much of life, so much of our precious time and energy worries about, stressed about, and ultimately pursuing these things, why?  Why spend so  much time on that which is ultimately not that important?

What Eric talked about in the end is the same story I have heard from so many others that have been close to or experienced death through a loved one... the things that are most important are friends, family, the people who love you just for you.

Life in its most simple form really boils down to this: live or die.  And each and every day that we are still breathing we have a choice to make:  Live and do something proactive that brings us fulfillment and happiness, or Die a little and wallow, pout, be-moan our circumstances in life.

Trust me I am not in any way trying to make small of some of the most painful experiences in life.  What I am trying to say though is that even when the worst possible things happen in life we still have choice, to either become and ultimately be consumed by the pain, or acknowledge that the pain is a part of life and focus on those little every day things that make us smile that make us laugh.

After watching Eric's video I have been spending a lot of time reflecting on the little joys of life that make me happy: the sun, clean air, taking pictures of flowers, the sunset and sunrise, exercise, looking at the stars at night, rejoicing with friends for their successes etc...

The little things, no matter how small they may seem right now, in the end they really are the biggest things - the things that make up the substance of life.

Enjoy the pics,

Carpe Diem,

Jesse