Tag Archives: Inspiration

Andy Anderson Hippie Mike Kaelen Faux Life and Death - And all the Emotions that come in between Motivational and Inspirational Blogs Motivational Mondays Protest Skateboards Skateboarding

You Never Know What Tomorrow Brings

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You can make plans or you can live on a whim, you never really know what will happen tomorrow. Tomorrow could be the best day of your life, the worst day of your life, or just another day to remember or forget. You could win a lottery, or someone close to you could pass away; You could decide to head out on a dream vacation, or you could find out your not allowed to go outside because of a world pandemic lockdown; You really never know…
The other day was great because I went out to skate with just Kaelen and myself and didn’t make plans with anybody. We went to Queensborough where my friend Jamie Madill had some wheels for me and we skated there for a bit together which was super fun.

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We knew we were heading to Richmond to skate a special street spot but hadn’t told anyone we were going there. After we went to the spot I took Kaelen to the old River Road Skate Park because he had never been there and it was literally around the corner from where we were. We had a great time there and met a bunch of really cool teenage kids that had no idea who I was. I always love that because it usually means they are pretty new to skateboarding and weren’t part of all the things I’ve done over the years. We skated with them and had a great time, we even got asked to be filmed to be in a video they are making, I love that.

Train Video – Richmond Skate Park

While we were there I texted Andy Anderson to see where he was skating that day, usually if we are going to skate together we make plans much earlier in the week so I didn’t actually expect for us to hook up but nice to know where everyone is at. So just by fluke him, Shawn Beaupre, Travis Waller, and Ty Williamson were on there way to Brighouse, right around the corner from where we were. Just to paint a bigger picture for those who don’t know but I live in Sunshine Valley and it’s about a 2 hour drive to Richmond, so you can imagine I’m not there very often. The fact that these guys happened to be skating right where we were skating that day was obviously fate that we needed to hang out together.
So we met up about a half hour later and it was great. Andy was trying to make history with a couple NBD tricks for an upcoming Powell Peralta video part and since I was there I jumped in for the 2nd camera angle. History was definitely made, and so were the memories. Everyone in that group has been through some awesome times together over the years and it was great to all be in one spot at the same time again. If you had asked me the day before who I was going to be hanging out with the next day I would’ve just answered Kaelen. But instead I hung out with 5 generations of amazing people that all just had fun skateboarding together.
You never know what Tomorrow brings….

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Hippie Mike Life and Death - And all the Emotions that come in between Motivational and Inspirational Blogs Motivational Mondays Skateboarding

Mid-Summer Vibes

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It’s the middle of Summer and there’s definitely still a confused mentality in the air, some people still think everyone around should be in quarantined lockdown inside their houses while others are doing anything possible they can do to be out and about and not stuck in their condos. The main thing is that the kids are active and learning whether inside or out.
It’s been a different year for everyone, not fully understanding what’s happening in the world right now or even why it’s happening, and not knowing what the future will hold. But kids are just kids that need to out there having fun and learning through experience. We can still participate in group activities and hang out in public parks as long as it’s done properly. I love to teach kids things for the main reason of how awesome it is to watch people learn and expand their minds. And with young kids you know every reaction is real. When they’re scared or nervous you can see it all over their face, and when they’re super excited it’s obvious as they jump up and down and run around in circles while screaming at the top of their lungs. It always makes me wonder what it would take to actually get me that excited at this age haha.

This year is about finding yourself and learning more about who You are and how You react to different situations. Are you responsible, are you rebellious, are you ignorant, are you respectful? Where do your priorities lie, and what are they?
Mine are raising happy, healthy children that respect themselves and the others around them wherever they go, and to help them learn all kinds of new things and find their true passions in life.
I coach physically and mentally, and adapt to each child differently.
I focus on the positives and help utilize those moments to make the next ones even better.
I talk about the negatives and suggest ways to prevent them from reoccurring.
And I take the time to listen to each child when they have something to share and then build on those conversations.
We need to remember that we were once in their shoes, and we were influenced by many different people as we grew up. Certain experiences that happen when you’re young can direct you on which paths you choose later in life to end up who you become. I still have tons of people come up to me in random places to let me know I taught them how to skateboard 15-20 years ago, or they participated in my skateboard contests every year, or I coached them in baseball or did a presentation at their elementary school, and that it’s one of their best memories that they still think about. It’s not just who you are to yourself, it’s who you are to others that matters, who will remember you if you disappeared tomorrow, and what will they remember you for.
I want to be remembered as someone who created opportunities for the next generation to learn positivity from, someone who fought for everyone’s freedom to just be themselves, someone who shared their knowledge to help others grow up safer and stronger, and someone who had a lots of friends that he could call family…

Now go have some fun.

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Hippie Mike Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind Kaelen Faux Life and Death - And all the Emotions that come in between Motivational and Inspirational Blogs Motivational Mondays

Escape the Norm

Kaelen pushing the trail - Hwy3

When the “Normal” isn’t satisfying you, what do you do? I always live by a saying from Bob Marley – “If you’re not living good, travel wide”. Traveling wide doesn’t necessarily mean relocating where you live, it can simply relate to traveling far from your own comfort zone and trying new things. Diving into the forest away from the social world and just being one with nature for a change. We all have dreams and aspirations, and a lot of people just keep those thoughts as dreams, but what if you want to make them come to life?
What if you said today that it’s time to make a change?
What are you really afraid of?
Time by yourself is when you get things done, use that time wisely to plan out your future. Then actually act on your plans.
And if your plan is loose and you don’t really know how it’s going to work, try it anyway and let it figure itself out. Usually a plan has to be adjusted in the middle anyway so maybe being a little loose is a good thing. This leaves it open for other opportunities to come together and create something amazing as one.
Hang out in new crowds, work in different industries, try new activities.
If the Norm is to sit back and take what life you’re given, then escaping that norm would give you the Freedom to find your true self.
Only then can you know which life is better

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Hippie Mike Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind Life and Death - And all the Emotions that come in between Motivational and Inspirational Blogs Motivational Mondays

Don’t Mess with the Bull

Don't Mess with the Bull

Determination is everything; Set your goals high but low enough to guarantee reaching them; Take your time and don’t rush beyond your own capabilities; Know what you want and focus all energy towards getting it…

When you wake up in the morning what is your brain thinking about? I know mine starts running through a list of things I Need to get done that day in order to survive the year, but also likes to wander into thinking of what things I Want to get done in the near future to make my life even better. A lot of the time these two mind frames collide and get in each other’s way, but it’s important to always have dreams and aspirations and not let the everyday necessities take over your life. Obviously top priorities include making sure you and your kids are fed, dressed, and semi-clean, but beyond that there are certain things that can just wait. Family time is always important so make sure you make time for that every day, and include your family in your dreams of the future so that they get to grow with you. Travel and learn about new things together, and make memories that each of you will remember forever. Surround yourself with positive people and push the negativities out of your life. Take time every day to just breathe the fresh air and enjoy the scenery. Remember where you came from and know why you are who you are.
And just be yourself – Always

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Hippie Mike Life and Death - And all the Emotions that come in between Motivational and Inspirational Blogs Motivational Mondays

Never Give Up

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When Life throws you curveballs, just throw one right back. If you grow up thinking everything will always work out the way you plan it to, you are either living in a dreamworld or have too much wealth to ever experience Real Life. One thing I have experienced the most in the past 5-10 years is constant change and adjustment, I’ve had to change my relationships with some friends due to unfortunate circumstances that occurred, and I had to wipe 2 years worth of work off my plate completely in order to save a couple friendships that meant so much to me. When you wake up in the morning you usually have a plan of how the day will start and how it will end, but what happens in the middle can always be unpredictable, try to never be surprised when things go wrong, and then just figure out the best way to make them right again…

The Motivation for today is not only to Never Give Up, but also to look at the positive aspects of every negative situation and feed off that instead of just dwelling on the negative. It’s like when you’re car breaks down on you, the first thing I look at in that situation is where I was at the time, what time of day it is, and whether or not myself and everyone with me are safe. If nobody got hurt and you were able to deal with the situation fairly simply then what’s so bad about it, it’s not the end of the world, Repair the issues and move onward…

There’s never a better time than Now to make something positive happen. Utilize every day to work towards Your goals, no matter what they are. Don’t let others influence your decisions when their opinions don’t match yours. Never Give Up on your dreams, and always spread the Joy around by fulfilling them.

Happy Monday!

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