Friday, August 17, 2012

Inspiration


After watching our inspirational video, Inspired Bikes, please answer the following: (Make sure you are being true to your response-
1. What lessons can we take away that involve struggle, potential, expectations, work ethic etc.? (Hence, what do these videos have to teach us regarding these issues?)
2. How might these ideals apply to your future or present day life?
4. What inspires YOU?

26 comments:

  1. The guy who does these must have incredible skill to perform these super difficult tricks. There is no way he could have started out this good, as was shown in the beginning of the video. The video says that we should not expect to do great in the begininning, but work hard and not give up. If he gave up, he would not have ever been able to perform those amazing stunts, and we would not be watching his video. He must have put in countless hours of practice. These ideas apply to our lives because many of us are not good at some things starting out, and we should all work hard and not expect to be great at first but also recognise our potential and not give up. I am greatly inspired by the fact that he achieved such an insane level of skill by working hard and sticking to it.

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  2. The video began by showing Danny Macaskill attempting a bike trick and failing. However, he got back on the bike and tried again, this time with success. To me, the video showed a journey where Danny was able to overcome obsticles that were more and more daring. He lives for his passions. Through the video, Danny teaches the lesson that if you have a good work ethic and persist through struggles, you can reach your potential. Danny's work ethic was demonstrated when he got back on the bike, and continually tried different things. He never gave up. Danny overcame struggles each time he was able to do a new trick or obsticle. His potential is shown as he amazes people with his biking skill. Work ethic, struggles, and potential apply to my life because I have to persistantly work to overcome struggles and reach my potential. For example, I run every day because I struggle with keeping in shape. In order to reach my potential, I need to continue to persist in persuing my goal. I am inspired by both other people and myself. When I see the amazing accomplishments other people have, such as in the Olympics, I want to better myself. I also am inspired to be the best I can be, and beat my personal best. Like Jack said, we might not be good at something at first, but through hard work, we can reach our potential.

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  3. Danny Macaskill, a freestyle bicyclist, started his Inspired Bikes video by showing him failing, falling, and injuring himself. But the video continues to show him complete the trick he had failed trying to do, leaving the audience to assume he was only able to complete this after many times of trial and error. Following that, the video showed him completing crazy tricks that seem impossible. The message he conveys is that you should never give up on what you are set to do, no matter how many times, how hard you fall, or the amount of failure u experience. Instead, you should embrace it and face it head on to conquer the obstacle, because it's all the more impressive when you stand atop that obstacle. This relates to my current and future life by way of academics and sports. I'm constantly taking the most difficult class I can and every year it gets to be more and more, and it piles on top until it's almost too much to bear, but this video just proves that if I do, then it will be even more impressive to look back upon and may even catch the eye of others. As for sports, I always push myself more than I should, but I do have the faltering drive that everyone experiences, and this just shows that in the end, when it's conquered, I'll be able to do things that no one else thinks I can do. What inspires me to do all this is that it's my life and my passion. I never really knew what the inspiration was until my brother got into sports, then I realized it just became life and I lived it everyday, and I wanted to be the best at life and what I love more than anything.

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  4. Everyone struggles with most things at one point or another. The people that succeed, are the ones that didn’t let that “hic-up” get to them, pushed on, and ended up with a product that might not have ever existed had they not kept going. Steve Jobs probably didn’t get the touch screen down on the first try, maybe not even the second or third, but he didn’t give up. He knew the potential he had, and he understood what expectations his buyers had for him. That’s a work ethic that is hard to keep up. There’s a point where you just want to give up, but with that mindset, you can probably get anywhere in life if you really try. My schedule is packed this year with tough classes and classes that I almost had to take just to fill a space, but I know you have to go through a lot just to get where you should be. For a lot of people (including myself) it takes some sort of inspiration to find that work ethic. I have multiple inspirations for different subjects. Mia Hamm is a huge inspiration in my athletics, and people like Steve Jobs, and as cliché as it may be, my dad are inspirations in my school work and my job. They give me of that extra push that I almost always need to get things done.

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  5. Struggle is something that people have trouble dealing with. It's hard to not succeed and pick yourself to keep going. The video showed this at the beginning when he fell of the bike a few times. However, if he never got back on, then he never would have been able to ride the bike on top of the fence. If you can't handle struggle and sometimes failure, then chances are you won't experience anything great. I think it's really neat how he had the idea to ride on the fence and then attacked it. In life it's important to have a longer goal and go after it. This concept can apply to many things in my life, but one of them is this class. I think it is going to challenge and push me in ways I have never been challenged or pushed before. But instead of dropping out and taking an easier class, I am ready for the experiences that are to come. I am expecting this to be a hard class, but I believe in myself to have success. Personally, I am inspired by things people that overcome their struggles and excel to do great things. For example, I am inspired by Oscar Pistorius who ran in the Olympics this year. He doesn't have real legs but he still competed and did fairly well. I think that would be a very humbling experience to run in front of thousands of people with a disability. I can only imagine how hard that must have been but I admire him for that. I think that if he can do something that great, I should be able to conquer Honors American Literature during my sophomore year in high school.

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  6. After watching the video we learned that you have to struggle in order to succeed. If someone has a good work ethic and they are able to push through and vision what they could do there and there is no stopping. The opportunities are endless. Everyday I struggle through cross-country practice but I know one day it won’t be a struggle. All my work will pay off and I will be up there with the best. To be a winner, first you have to loose. Having a good work ethic makes you a winner. Instead of being a bad sport about loosing you take it and make it your motivation to get better. The idea of hard work and then in turn getting better inspires me. When I see other people; whether it’s in business, athletics or school, when others work hard and get good results it inspires me to work hard and improve.

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  7. The video obviously showed that the man failed several times, then triumphed, and was performing insane tricks for the rest of the video. I believe the message is that you should never give up, even if you fail, never stop trying. I wish to apply this to every part of my life, I should keep trying at getting good grades in school, or getting better at running. Personally, I am inspired by videos like this. When you see someone that fails time, time, and time again, it is amazing to see them have victory in the end. I am also inspired by the idea that anyone can be successful, even if it seems impossible, no matter how difficult it may be, it is possible. To see the man ride across a thin fence, I thought that would be impossible, it wasn't. It makes me wonder, is there something I thought I could not do, that I really could have? Did I give up trying? Of course I have, hopefully, from here on, I do not.

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  8. After watching Inspired Bikes, it’s easy to put the video- and Danny, on the golden pedestal. But what some people might not remember after all the tricks and gravity defying moments, is 0:48-0:50- Danny falling off the railing, and taking a moment to show a dejected face. Afterward getting up and beginning again. Of course Danny wasn’t this good in the beginning, and you can imagine how many broken bones, bruises, and bikes he went through to be able to even make the video- showing an enormous amount of passion to never give up, self expectation to believe in yourself, and a work ethic to keep going, keep pushing your potential- to make today’s impossible, tomorrow’s possible. I once had someone tell me practice does not make perfect, it makes permanent. Would he be telling me this if he had broken down and quit once he saw the mountain he had to climb to reach a permanent state for his passion? Of course not, the same reasoning applying to Danny’s struggle for permanent shows a rock solid work ethic that pushes him higher and higher to a new potential. It shows me that I can apply his sense of expectation and commitment to his passion into something that I am inspired by. Self expectation is more important than a anyone’s input- surely Danny didn’t always have someone following him with a camera over the hundreds of hours he practiced- he held himself to a new level- strengthening his goal commitment and solidifying a new personal best. I can apply these lessons into my life in that even if you start out slowly with a passion, it’s all right to fail and make mistakes- it’s ok to fall. You have to make the promise of expectation to yourself that you will struggle, but you can make the success of your passion a reality.

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  9. The Inspired Bikes video shows us that you can achieve things that no one would have though possible, if you put your head to it. It shows us that we can't give up on our dreams, even if they seem out of reach, and also that your have to push through struggles and tough barriers such as doubt in order to succeed. Ths video really showed me that if I work hard at my personal goals, such as making the varsity soccer team next year, I can succeed. This also appiles to school. Like Hunter said, I always try to challenge myslef with difficult classes, because I want to be able to go to a good college. THere are many things that inspire me in my life. When I see people like Danny doing things that other peolpe though were impossible, I get inspired to go out and do the same. To push those boundaries of the possible, I have to work hard, and never give up.

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  10. I think that the biggest lesson we can learn from this video, is that no matter what you think you're capable of doing, you can always do more. Danny showed himself in his video doing several tricks, but as the video progressed viewers could easily tell the potential he had of doing harder tricks. By the end of the video we saw him biking off the top of store awnings and doing flips off the trunk of a tree. This video obviously doesn't apply to my potential in biking, but I do think that this can relate to several other aspects in my life such as my writing, reading and personal hobbies. It inspires me to push forward even within my struggles and to constantly practice at what I do. If I didn't struggle and practice the piano, I wouldn't be able to write the music that I do today. I am truly inspired by my own brother. He has done amazing things with his life and I know that he will keep pursuing to do more things. He has volunteered at the Castle Rock Fire Department and plans on becoming a firefighter after he finishes college. But what really makes me proud of him, is that he is always using his time to help other people. I wish that I had the servant heart that he does. Whenever I see him helping people or working hard I feel inspired to be a better person who reaches out to other people. I also feel inspired by seeing other people become inspired. I think inspiration is a chain reaction that spreads easily when we see the potential that we all have.

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  11. This video demonstrated the importance of never giving up. At the beginning of the video, Danny kept falling and failing at his trick. But that didn't stop him. Every time he didn't make it, he tried again. Finally he made it, and pushing himself is what made him so successful. This can apply to my life because I am sometimes at a loss and have a hard time pushing myself to go bigger and better. Seeing Danny get back on his bike makes me want to try harder and encourage myself to do something I never thought I would do. At this point in my life, my inspiration is my daddy. He passed away when I was in third grade. At the end of first grade, he wrote me a little note in my yearbook that said, "Good luck in 2nd grade! I'm proud of you!" This is inspiring to me because even if I were to fail at something, I know my dad would still be proud and want be to get back up and try again.

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  12. From this video, we can take away the lesson, like Colleen said, to never give up. This relates to struggle because of how you handle it, potential because your potential is much higher if you are unlikely to give up, and to work ethic, because if you don't give up, you are a hard worker. This lesson applies to my future and every day life. For my future, I will face tough times, but if I never give up, I can be successful and happy. In my life now, it will help me get through the tough nights when I am struggling with homework and want to give up, but this video taught me that good things will come if I keep working at it. To me, inspiration and motivation are very similar. I like to think that I am self motivated. I am inspired to be better then others because I am very competitive. Regarding athletics and academics, I am inspired by the prospect of a college scholarship. That is my goal and that is what inspires me.

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  13. After watching Inspired Bikes there are many lessons we can take away from Danny Macaskill's hard work and dedication. For instance, early on in the video Macaskill had a few failed attempts at riding across the top of a fence. Instead of quitting, he kept working at it until he finally rode all the way across and jumped off. It is necessary for us to take note of this because it shows to never give up because one day you'll achieve your goal. This video also demonstrates the potential each and everyone of us has. We need to learn that we shouldn't settle for anything less than the best we can do. We should never set our expectations low either. Why only expect to get a B on an assignment when you can push yourself and expect an A?
    These ideals apply to my life both now and in the future. In both February and May I had surgery that conflicted with my dancing. For 5-6 weeks prior to my first surgery I had to dance without really moving my left arm due to a tumor grown in my muscle constricting movement without pain. After recovering I had a hard time re-training my left arm to move in the way required for ballet. I never gave up however and kept working at it like Danny Macaskill did. In May I had surgery for two hernias and didn't dance for a total of six weeks. Through that I lost some strength in my feet for pointe shoes and some flexibility. I have mostly regained the skill level I was at before my surgeries. However there is always room for improvement and this video will really help me push myself to continue getting better. As I grow older I have many goals for the career I wish to pursue as a neonatal nurse. I will always remember this video when I am struggling through something.
    I am most inspired by babysitting and working in my church nursery. Caring for babies and children inspires me to be the best babysitter I can be and it will continue to inspire me as I have a job and a family. I hope to be the best mom I can when I get older and I aspire to be an amazing and loved neonatal nurse caring for premature babies in the NICU.

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  14. In the beginning of the video, Danny Macaskill fell a couple times while attempting a trick on his bike, but he didn't let that get to him. He continued to work towards the trick and in the end, he did it perfectly and continued to perform amazing tricks on his bike, showing us that with hard work and perseverance, anything is possible, and that everyone has the potential for greatness. Although the video didn't really show many failed attempts, we can assume that for each perfectly completed trick, he fell multiple times in the attempt, and from each fall, he learned how not to do the trick, and eventually applied that to the final result, creating a flawless attempt that showcased Macaskill's amazing talent and all the hard work he put into what he does. In my own life, I sometimes have a hard time pushing myself after I do something poorly, especially in a rough soccer game or a bad start at a swim meet, but like Macaskill, I have to continue to push my limits so that eventually I can be the best that I can be. I'm constantly trying to improve and this video taught me a lot about the power of perseverance and willpower to achieve a goal no matter what obstacles I'm faced with. Sometimes school and sports seem like a lot to handle, and sometimes I just feel like giving up, but I know that if I keep going and never give up, nothing is impossible. I would say that I am most inspired by just seeing all the amazing people in the world around us that have worked so hard to achieve their dreams or rise up out of a bad situation, and thinking that if they can do such great things, why can't I? Watching the Olympics this summer really showed how amazing all of those athletes are, especially the ones who have overcome huge obstacles just to be there and live their dream. People who have overcome adversity and who have had to face challenges that I can't even dream of ever having to deal with, and yet they are incredibly successful and they've taken that struggle and become stronger because of it.

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  15. Success doesn't just fall out of the sky one day and land in the palm of our hands. We are pushed all of our lives to find that glory and there is no easy way to do it, hence perseverance an struggle in the biking video. After numerous falls off of the fence, he never gave up and kept going until he conquered it. It's that drive of work ethic, that confidence of true potential and high expectation of himself, that drove him to do it. To take away from this, we should all be like this with the same motivation but with the things we love to do because then we would be happy in the end. That same sort of drive shouldn't just guide us in our careers but through all of life including school, relationships, sports, etc. In my life present day, I am hitting little bumps in the road but it is important to take a step over them and keep on cruising down my road. What inspires me most are my parents because I know how hard they worked and now they both have fine jobs, leading a life of happiness. I know how much I want that so bad, and it pushes me to be just like them. If I turn out to be at least as great as my mom or my dad, then I will be proud of my self!

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  16. After watching the Inspired Bikes video, I came to realize a couple things about becoming spectacular at something you're passionate about. Success comes with lots of hard work and doesn't just show up because you want it to. Danny started off struggling with some of the stunts he was working on, but as he powered through, he got better and better. Eventually, he was able to try harder stunts and pull off even more challenging tricks. If you truly want to get great and something, work hard at it. It's as simple as that. That idea can definitely correspond to my life right now, and certainly my future. High school is a constant struggle to succeed and beat the odds. If you want to do well on a test, you can't just show up for the exam not having prepared for it or studied at all. You have to take your success and achievement into your own hands and work hard toward that A+. As we grow older, sooner or later we will have to get jobs and work hard at something other than school work. When we are done with high school, that's when we actually start applying ourselves to what we are doing. Doctors don't diagnose patients without all the hard work they put into Medical School. Lawyers don't try to win a case without all of the preparation in Law School. All of the people who are outstanding at what they do is because they worked hard toward it like Danny in the video. I know that this is going to sounds completely sappy and clishe, but I'm inspired by the l everyday things; like walking by a flower in the park. Or finding a matching sock in the laundry. Or even seeing kids play with each other in their front lawn like my sister and I used to do. Things like that make me want to do good throughout the day and stay positive with my opinions about certain classes or people.

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  17. Freestyle bicyclist Danny Macaskill was shown falling multiple times at the start of his video, "Inspired Bicycles". He is shown struggling and failing, but he gets up and tries again. After a while, he finally is able to ride across the fence and continues to do amazing, seemingly impossible tricks. He saw potential in the trick he was attempting and in himself. Without that kind of confidence, he would never been able to accomplish what he has. We can learn a lot from this video regarding work ethic. Unless he was born with this amazing talent, he had to have worked incredibly hard to acquire the skill he has. These ideals apply to me almost everyday, whether it is academic or athletic. I'm constantly trying to improve my skills, even during the off season. I have to maintain a good work ethic in order for me to improve. It was especially difficult for me during the summer! I struggle in certain areas of baseball but I realize my potential and work hard to achieve those goals. There are many things that inspire me, including what people say and what they do. When someone accomplishes something amazing, I get inspired by their determination and it motivates me. I am also inspired and motivated by my own potential and goals. It pushes me and challenges me to exceed in what I am doing.

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  18. Inspired Bikes was an unusual, yet amazing and effective way of spreading the message of determination. The video told the story of a man that must have overcome what many see as impossible to achieve what he did. Personally, I was awestruck at the tricks, and the way he made them seem easy. We can take away a commentary on the fact that nothing is out of reach, as long as we are willing to work towards it. Along the way, we may encounter numerous setbacks, but they should not rattle the passion and goal we have. In my present day life, this message already applies. This year, I missed varsity tennis by 2 spots, but I know to not let that set me back, and come back better next year. Going forward, this same attitude will probably help with getting into the college I want, and creating the life I have envisioned for myself, no matter how hard it may seem. To me, nothing is more inspiring than someone who achieved what they wanted to be in life, and as efficiently as they could. When I hear stories about people that grew up with or faced trouble in their lives, yet still achieved what they wanted, I immediately get a fresh look on my own goals and aspirations.

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  19. I feel that these kinds of videos can teach us a lot about life. They inspire us to keep going even through the hard times. The biker had to go through some extremely difficult times, but he came out on top because he never stoped working towards his goal. I know that this lesson is something I can use in my personal life every day. I know that I always need to work hard to reach my goals. In my sports, I must never give up, especially when I'm having a hard time. In the end, it will all be worth it. Messages like this are really what inspire me. Messages like never giving up and always giving it your best effort never fail to inspire me every day.

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  20. I think that "Inspired Bikes" illustrates how important it is to push yourself to go on. Success does not come without some struggle. The biker obviously must have trained and practiced for a long time in order to do many of the complicated skills in the video. The video even shows the biker falling down, but that didn't stop him from getting back up and trying again. Difficult skills like that don't come automatically, behind each trick is a lot of hard work. This way of thinking will always apply to my life because I know that I have to work through my struggles to live a happy life. Right now, as a student I am taking a lot of hard classes. Even though it is the beginning of the year, I obviously will have to work hard to get the most out of my education. I can't just give up when I get a hard assignment. Many different aspects of my life like sports and my job also require me to learn from my past mistakes. That way I can improve my skills and work through the rough spots. What really inspires me is my friends and family. I can learn from them and set new goals for myself. My job teaching gymnastics also inspires me because I know that I personally am affecting someones life and I want to do my best to help them learn everything they can.

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  21. I believe the most important lesson to learn from this video is perseverance. In the beginning of the video they showed Danny Macaskill falling multiple times as he attempted to cross the top of the fence on his bike. This is just an example of how hard he had to work to prefect all of his skills he can do to be able to be as good as he is today. Now obviously not everyone wants to become a great biker like him, but there is at least one thing in people’s lives that they want to become better at. It could be a physical activity, like is someone wanted to become a better soccer player, or they could want to improve on something that’s not physical, like biking, but an activity like writing. Whatever they are doing they have to have the perseverance to not give up right away or when things get difficult. They have to stick with it to become good. Not everyone can just show up to a soccer field and do great, they have to put a lot of work into practice time to become that great player. And it’s the same way with writing, they need to practice different writing techniques to really learn how to write a great story. Many things can inspire different people. I do not have any one person that inspires me, but an idea. The idea that no matter who you are you can achieve greatness. Many people represent this idea, for example there were many stories like this on the Olympics not too long ago. It showed how people had struggled in their lives but they beat the odds and were able to make it there and compete.

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  22. I think that we can take away from this video, to never give up on your passion in life. The man that achieved the tricks that were displayed took plenty of practice, and had the self determination and passion to complete those tricks. He also seemed to have a persistent work ethic which is something that I admire, especially after having the set backs of not making this year's volleyball team, but I realized that I should believe that every end leads to a new beginning. Just because I didn't make the volleyball team doesn't mean I can't join another club or go out for a different sport, so maybe by me being cut from the team would lead me to find my next passion. Passion is what inspires me because it is something that I can look forward to at the start of each day, so when I am having a bad day or have a set-back I can look forward to that passion for the day and feel a little better. Right now, my passion is to explore all the different clubs that our school has to offer and see which ones are best for me, and see how this year works itself out..

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  23. There are many lessons that can be taken away from video, Inspired Bikes, and like Colleen and Gabriella said I think the main message is to never give up and you can accomplish anything with hard work and dedication. Like when the man on the bike was trying to get across the fence, he literally fell down and got back up to try again. This represents the struggle that everyone faces when trying to accomplish something, and even if you fail you have to endure and keep trying. It proves that with the right attitude and potential anything can be accomplished if you keep at it. These ideals can applied or connected with my life and thinking because I run on the school’s track team. The track team is very difficult and highly competitive, and sometimes I feel I can’t reach my speed goal, or it’s just too hard for me, but I pressed through and endured, and passed my, as well as everyone’s expectations of me, and proved I have very much skill, potential, and speed! If I had given up I wouldn’t be as strong as I am today or learned to follow through. There are many things that inspire me, but the biggest inspiration to me is courage. When people stand up for something, or go after their dreams and attempt things, even when they are likely to fail, and then get back up and keep trying. That’s what encourages me.

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  24. The video of Danny Macaskill is inspirational for many reasons. It perfectly combines the ideas of work ethic and talent. Danny obviously has talent. No matter how long I practiced, I could never ride a bike like Danny. However, Danny would never be as good as he is, if he didn’t practice. When he fell in the beginning of the video, Danny hoped right back on his bike to attempt the trick again. He showed his hard working nature by never giving up. Perhaps that is what is so inspiring about this video. It shows how amazing it can be when hard work and talent combine. Danny would be a marginal bike rider if he solely relied on his talents. Conversely, if he just relied on hard work, he would be only mediocre. But when he combines his talent with hard work, 22 million people around the world marvel at his skill. This inspires me to use my talents and work hard perfecting them so that one day my abilities can be something special. It inspires me that one day the ideas I have floating in my head could actually become real because of my hard work. That is where I find my inspiration, in the idea that through hard work I can use my talents to do something special.

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  25. We can take away several lessons from the Inspired Bikes video. Especially the lesson of seeking our inner potential. Literally, anyone can do anything if they try hard enough. Seeking our inner potential is apart of life, and we may struggle, we may fall, but i think its important to always get back up and try harder every time. At the beginning of the video, it showed Danny Macaskill struggling. Yet every time he failed, he got back on the bike and tried again until he got it right. In my future, I know i won't always get something on the first try, but Danny showed me how important it is to continue on. I must try to find my highest potential in order to succeed. I think the main thing that inspires me are the words and actions of other people. Whether it be quotes, or watching somebody try and jump buildings on a bike, I find other people truly inspiring.

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  26. we are able to take many things away from this video such as how Danny was able to push himself over and over again to get to the point where he could trust himself enough to try all of these difficult stunts. persistance is huge when life brings you obsticles as large as Danny had and has come across. this video showed that even though there may be a mountain in your way at times, all you need to do is be strong enough to walk up it. The journey down is always easier than up and that is exactly where Danny is in this video, on the down part of the mountain. Things that inspire me, are things that i can feel for. for instance drawing, painting, broken families, all of those things inspire me. they inspire me to become a better person, help others, and do what makes me happy.

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