Wednesday, April 22, 2015

24 Things I Am Grateful For



While on the phone with my grandfather on my 24th birthday yesterday he jokingly asked, "so how old are you...34?" I laughed, it kind of feels that way though. Yet nevertheless there is so much to be grateful for up to now, even if some of those things are easily forgotten day to day. Maybe you can relate to my list...or maybe not. But, I'd invite you to practice gratitude. Even just a little bit creates a pretty cool feeling.

(In no particular order)

1. My family, I feel as if they will always be there. Love you all forever.

2. My friends. Some of the coolest guys and gals I know. Love you all forever as well.

3. My health. For without I'd, well...be dead and all that.

4. Leo. This little chihuahua I've been taking care of is an interesting fellow. Has me believe that my distaste for small pups isn't as strong as I thought.

5. Wealth. Not just with money, but just recognizing what you already have. 

6. Jurassic Park. Actually just all of my favorite movies, for they inspire me. I've just been listening to John Williams score for that movie a lot recently. It's gorgeous. 

7. Arnold. The Oak, the legend. I don't believe I even need to say his last name, which is an insane credit to his reputation in the world. Regardless, the moment I saw him in Predator and Terminator 2...I knew I wanted to get into bodybuilding. 

8. Elliott Hulse. One of my mentors and a man who has shown me so much in a so little time. And the crazy thing is, I've never even met him. Though I plan on to. 

9. My library. From books I bought to books I'm currently borrowing. I'm glad I took up personal development and started to read more material that would help me grow into the person I want to be. I'd invite you to do the same.

10. Music. Some believe that the music you listen to can define who you are. I believe it can at least have a hand in it. Which is why I am grateful that I stopped listening to lil Wayne and instead decided to listen more to Michael Jackson. But my moonwalk still needs work...I'll get there.

11. Audiobooks. Reading actual books can sometimes be difficult for me due to concentration problems or sometimes just laziness. But listening to audiobooks while walking is a blessing.

12. Meditation. I don't even know where to begin. All I'll say for now is if you haven't considered practicing it, I'd invite you to give it a shot.

13. Steve. A friend of mine in college who I unfortunately do not keep in contact with any longer, yet a friend of mine who showed me how to be a more sociable guy with men and women. I've been completely different since then, thank you bud.

14. Daniel Weaver. A former mentor and boss of mine. Though a man who gave me a lot of perspective when I came back home from college. And a cool guy to hang out with.

15. Helene France Combe. A woman who helped set up a path for me when I first started fashion modeling. Thank you sweetie, you taught me much.

16. My time with my grandparents. Recently spending almost a year in Idaho on and off with my grandparents has been relaxing and eye opening. 

17. Youtube. It can either be a great time waster, a rich video library of free content from people you in your chosen career that you can learn from.

18. Beaches. I love beaches, I love hearing the sound of the ocean. And I look forward to the next one I go to.

19. Water. Without it we'd again...just die and everything.

20. Nutrition. Learning about this has been fascinating. And a tremendous help to not only my bodybuilding goals but for my health in general.

21. Ben Pakulski. A bodybuilding mentor of mine. Single handedly revolutionized my approach to training forever. And the results have been awesome.

22. Our planet. It's beautiful, powerful, and our home.

23. My hair. I hate how rebellious and curly my hair can be. But I love what I can do with it. 

24. Photography. A recently discovered passion of mine. There's something about it that just draws me in.

There is always more to list, but these are the ones the popped into my head as I was writing. 



-A.W.