IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The 2024 OFFICIAL MASTER LIST: coming soon

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

I is for Inspiration

What was and has been the inspiration for your A to Z posts?  How did you choose a theme vs going on the spur of the moment?

Here is one of my favorite quotes and it helped inspire me to participate (and co-host) in the challenge: 

Anyway: 
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

*The A to Z challenge may be a pain and not go according to plan.
Participate anyway. 


*(I may have added that last one. . . and trust me, there are many more that I could add).

And OK this isn't really what got me in the challenge at all. . . I have Elizabeth Mueller to thank for that! :)



67 comments:

Texas Yellow Rose said...

I stumbled upon the A-to-Z Challenge courtesy of Donna McNicol's Write Spot. Thanks, Donna, for your unknowing nudge into this! Initially I had a theme, but it just wasn't working for me, so now I have assorted topics. This has proved to be the structure I had been seeking for writing "my story," - something folks have been encouraging me to do for years. The Challenge is proving to be a training ground and I am so very grateful for this project. Thanks to all the co-hosts and to all participating bloggers! What fun!

Tina said...

Good advice! So far all is well in my world, but don't laugh...I have to do my taxes, so I'll be online less this week, until I get them done...I always say I won't let it get this close, and then I always do...
Tina @ Life is Good
Co-Host of the April A to Z Challenge
Twitter: @AprilA2Z #atozchallenge

Pa Ul said...

I am inspired, lovely post

Grammy said...

Hi, this is my third year in the Challenge, and I enjoyed it so much the first and second years, I just couldn't pass up doing it again. This year I am doing a serialized mystery. First time ever to try that kind of thing. Having bunches of fun doing so. Best regards to you,
Ruby

Francene Stanley said...

It's so true: you should strive anyway, no matter what could go wrong. Thanks for these inspiring thoughts.

Lynn Proctor said...

wow so many truths---thanks for the encouragement

Tracy said...

wow, so many truths; I agree with Lynn! love the one about favoring the underdogs and following top dogs-why do we do that?
I also love the line you added :)I am enjoying the A to Z Challenge although my husband and son wonder if I live with them anymore :)

Anonymous said...

I opted out of the challenge for a number of reasons. One of the benefits has been the opportunity to get around and read as many posts as I can. This one is just another example of the inspiring work I have encountered. Loved it!!

PR said...

Oh I love this. We should always be ourselves no matter what others think :)

Sandra Tyler said...

inspiration, good one! I look for it daily with this challenge! Thanks for stopping by again and reading my harried post. I'm late letting my I up!

Jack Edwards Poetry said...

An inspirational read :) Great post. My inspiration was to explore the world of poetry, for a lot of post I'm learning something new and sharing it with the world.

All the best
Jack

Betty Alark said...

Greetings!

Lot of truth to those words;however like you said: be the best that you can be - anyway!!

Nice to visit your blog! Hope you're enjoying the challenge!


http://bettyalark.blogspot.com/

Nick Wilford said...

Inspiring quote. I guess it comes down to doing what feels right to us.

I abandoned a couple of themes before settling on mine: 26 things that have made me a writer, or inspired me in some way. I had worried about talking about myself so much, but it's going down OK. I figure I'm always interested in finding out about other people! Think I might do something less personal next year, though.

wsbhark said...

Wow! That quote kind of says it all. And I have been thinking about many of the points it makes lately. I'll bet a lot of people do. I would like to share it and link to it. I know someone who could also use 'hearing' it.

Thanks so much for your post!

Arlee Bird said...

This is outstanding advice, Konstanz. So true--sometimes our efforts may not work or might not be appreciated, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't at least try.


Lee
An A to Z Co-Host
Tossing It Out

Bev said...

I love that poem. It identifies true character.

As far as the A-Z challenge. I love it. It's my second time participating. I tend to be a procrastinator but feel I offer some of my best work that way. I don't over think my posts.

My blog has a very specific and narrow interest so that has made it easy for me to decide what to post but more difficult to draw new followers. That's ok though, I still love meeting new bloggers and getting fresh ideas off of them.

Donna B. McNicol said...

Great post! I found out about the challenge from the writing half of an RVing couple whose blog I followed.

My theme was picked 1) to keep posts short - a tip I picked up early on in the pre-hop blogs and 2) to challenge me.

So far it's working out great! Thanks to the hosts and other bloggers. I've already made some new writing friends and found a lot of great blogs.

Sherry Gloag said...

Lovely post. I came across A-Z by chance and am enjoying the 'challenge' + meeting a host of new people.
Thanks for all your work to make it possible.

Anonymous said...

I'm inspired because life is full of anticipation. It's fun to anticipate what we'll do next, how we'll do it and where it will lead us on the journey.

Combine anticipation with things we like to do and the desire to make the world a better place and sharing your work with others is a no-brainer. The anticipation comes when you find out how many opportunities are available to do so, and this A - Z Challenge is one I'm very happy to have found.

Mimi said...

I figured my medium (painting) was enough of a theme and I would have enough trouble coming up with 26 letters of the alphabet. I ended up changing a few of the letters as it got closer, but it's working out very well for me.

Mimi Torchia Boothby Watercolors

Bish Denham said...

Love it! The challenge, for me, in the Challenge, is not the post, it's the reading all the wonderful blogs! Time, it takes a lot of time, something I don't always have. Still, I read blogs anyway.

Jaye Robin Brown said...

Love your quotes. I've enjoyed the challenge but am so grateful I prewrote most of my posts. I'm also lucky to be on Spring Break from teaching this week.

Paula Martin said...

Enjoyed all these quotes. My inspiration this year is the English Lake District, a beautiful area that is dear to my heart.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Those are some wise words.

Jenn3128 said...

This is my first year doing the challenge and I wish I could remember where I heard about it. I'm having a blast posting as well as reading others. There are some seriously creative folks out there!

I know that I'll be signing up for the challenge again!

Von L said...

That's great! There are always hundreds of reasons not to do something, but the reason to do it outshines them all.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Von L
The Growing Writer

Tracy Moore said...

Great post filled with inspiration. I've chosen to fly by the seat of my pants for the challenge. Some of my regular readers who missed my announcement about doing the challenge are probably wondering about some of my posts! Luckily, I tend to be a bit on the random side anyway so it shouldn't be too shocking for them. *wink*

Anna (herding cats-burning soup) said...

You know I don't even know how I stumbled upon the challenge. It must have been through another blog I follow but I just can't remember.

All of my posts are random other than the fact that they're things I love :)

Anna@ Herding Cats & Burning Soup

Anonymous said...

All good advice.
thanks for dropping in on thefeatherednest

Cheryl Klarich said...

I was going to do something book related... but then that's what I usually blog about... so I thought I'd share more personal stuff- not always the best idea, but there it is.

Rebecka Vigus said...

Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a post. When I signed up for the A-Z Challenge I had no clue what I would write about. I didn't plan for months to come up with anything. So far, it's been a tremendous success for me to write off the cuff.

Linda King said...

I love that! Thank you for visiting my blog - it's nice to meet you and all the other people I've encountered during the challenge so far. I'm enjoying it so much - sign me up for next year!
LindaK

Brenda said...

I happened upon the A-Z Challenge through another blog and I decided I AM GOING to do this. I've done well so far, only missing one letter on each blog.
I originally had a list almost filled with ideas and wouldn't you know it, I've lost it. So I'm trying to stay a day ahead and making another list! It has been fun. I've found some new friends, and I'm having fun writing everyday.

Annalisa Crawford said...

Very inspiring. I think my sleep-walking alter-ego must have signed me up because I'm not sure there was a thought process involved. I did all my questioning afterwards!

Megan said...

I found this challenge through a blogging friend of mine who is doing it, as well. My inspiration has been to use it for God's glory. All my posts are for Him. That's my inspiration :)

Here to Find Him

Anonymous said...

I love that. Just what I needed to keep going. I think I peaked on day one...
How did I hear about AtoZ? I think from one of the co-hosts on twitter but not really sure.

It's my first year and I hope I get to the end. I've learnt a lot and met some lovely new people.
Lynne @lynneinPborough

Julie Jordan Scott said...

Wow! I love love love love this, Konstanz! They are exactly the words I needed to read as I have been getting discouraged and thinking... maybe I would just stop with the challenge. Now your words have lifted me up and yes, I will keep going!

Thank you so much!

Julie Jordan Scott
Fellow A to Z Challenge Writer
twitter: @juliejordanscot
I is for Ina Coolbrith
On a Mission to Spread Word-Love Throughout the World

Karen Baldwin said...

Love Elizabeth anyway. :)

Erin M. Hartshorn said...

A friend posted about the A to Z challenge last year, and I participated without a theme. This year, I thought having a theme would make it more cohesive, more like something that people would come back to. Why epic fantasy? Because I'm working on planning one now, so it gave me another way to dig deep.

Erin

Ian Anderson said...

Good stuff.

My theme is beautiful things, inspired by Gungor and their song of the same name. It's been great to think through all the beauty that's around us.

Nicole said...

Good quote and your addition at the end made me laugh! Music was the inspiration for my A to Z posts. I chose a theme by wrapping music around the main topic of my blog -- which is movies, and then adding activities that could be completed in the comments section of my posts and other interactive elements that readers could do on their own at home with their friends and/or family.

Since I consider the A to Z Challenge to be a big ol' party, I decided to create my theme around party ideas inspired by movies that were inspired by songs that I listen to often...hence my theme title: "Parties, Playlists and Motion Pictures!" :)

~Nicole
Blog: The Madlab Post
@MadlabPost on Twitter

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

A wonderful "I" post.

Yvonne.

Kathy said...

Wow, that's a great 'I' post. The 'Challenge' is a challenge, for a reason. If we don't challenge ourselves we'll stagnate. Thanks for visiting my 'I' post.
Kathy at Oak Lawn Images

klahanie said...

And what inspires me is to be an Individual and continue to do my own posting times and of course, be inspired by you awesome folks who are bringing further awareness of the alphabet.
I must say that your first statement about people being illogical, unreasonable and self-centred, is a sweeping generalisation. I like to think the true ethos within the blogging community should embrace the ideals of a sharing, caring, encouraging community. All different, all equal in this great diversity.

Unknown said...

Last year I hoofed it. This year I'm keeping about one week's worth of posts ahead. It doesn't seem to have taken the pressure off though, but then, that's what makes this challenge exciting! Great post.

Sonia Lal said...

I don't have a theme, but the blog is about books so I try to pick book related topics.


Sonia Lal, A to Z challenge

loverofwords said...

Have you all seen the world-wide art below the Google bar using Google Chrome? It is amazing. Hope to be able to access it later, as well. All those bad things I said about Google, I take back.

Jessica Ferguson said...

Very inspiring. Thanks. I've been wondering if I should continue or get busy with a hundred other things I have to do. I'll hang in there. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Love it! It really is essential to strive for our best ... even during A to Z!! :)

Theres just life said...

Love this. Didn't Mother Theresa say this or at least part of it.
I participated last year, but just winged it. That was a challenge. This year I decided to do a theme like a lot of the people I followed last year. Being spring and coming out of a sever drought from last year, I loved looking at the wildflowers. I didn't know a lot about them, so I decided to do them and learn more. Boy have I learned a lot.

Pamela Jo

Bethie said...

I love the post. My inspiration/theme came from work frustration. This reminds me to be myself no matter what.

Gail said...

That is a wonderful outlook. I Did one A for absent-minded. I couldn't remember if I signed up or not. I've been reading.

Unknown said...

It's like each post you have is speaking directly to me.
Thanks!

Susan Kane said...

Great advice to the very end. :)

k~ said...

Yay for Elizabeth Mueller ;-) I like the additional line you put in there. This is one of my favorite poems of all time. It speaks loudly.

Jessica Salyer said...

Love this!

Mary Aalgaard said...

Words to live by, and blog by. Thanks for posting them.

Play off the Page

Sue said...

good advice, think I'll copy it for future reference. I'd like to add something like
"You might like word verification, others don't so
turn it off" - sorry that's not remotely witty, but you get the gist.

I'd love it if people told me BEFORE I tried to leave a comment that they have word verification on. I wouldn't even try to comment. I can't get the horrible fuzzy letters correct and it's really frustrating when a delightful blog is worthy of a comment and support - after three attempts I gave up ...

Sue: An A-Z of Climate Matters

MunirGhiasuddin said...

I like to help as much as possible. Generally i do not look at people as under dog or top dogs, but I think that since there are few who support the week, it will help them if we try.

Ashley said...

Thanks for the encouragement! And phew, got my 'I' post in just in time :). It helps that I'm on and island right now, hehe !

Duncan D. Horne - the Kuantan blogger said...

Haha! I'm an English teacher and I wanted to do something challenging, so I decided upon my alliteration video and A-Z paragraph for each day of posting. I managed to get all 26 posts prepared by mid-March, so that was great!

This is me, Duncan D. Horne, visiting you from the A-Z challenge, wishing you all the best throughout April and beyond.

Duncan In Kuantan

Narayana Rao K.V.S.S. said...

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.


Would like to say

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Lead them anyway.

Would add it in a blog post included in A to Z

Slamdunk said...

I think your addition was certainly worthy Stephen.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Marianne (Mare) Baker Ball said...

I don't have a theme...just life. I love the themed blogs, though. Very interesting. So many creative ways to do this! This is my first year, and I'm enjoying it very much. Just wish I had more time to write!

Narayana Rao K.V.S.S. said...

Added the link to this post in my a to z challenge post

Leadership - Self Development and Training

http://nraombakc.blogspot.com/2012/04/leadership-self-development-and.html

It is an interesting poem I want to modify it to suit my leadership theme.

Thank you

sulekkha said...

My favorite is , People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

http://sulekharawat.com/2012/04/13/k-is-for-kitchen-phobia/

Unknown said...

My inspiration is sharing odd and exciting musical snippets from my collection :)

Jamie
Fellow A-Z Buddy
Doing a monumental blog catch-up
Mithril Wisdom