by Austin

November 6, 2010

November 5, 2010



Total Distance for today: 0
Total Distance for Trip: approx. 233 miles
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, PA
STATUS: On the way back to Baltimore to continue the skate!

Fowlerville

Today was a lot of fun, as I had the opportunity to speak to the students at Smith Elementary in Fowlerville, MI. It was interesting, because I was a bit concerned about my ability to put my message in a form that they would understand. Well… It turns out that kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students are quite receptive. They were totally into it! I mean sure, I was a total goofball (dancing, singing, and making sound effects!), but I realized that the message is universal enough that young children should be able to grasp it, perhaps better than adults!


Though their concept of the world is still fragmented, children have the unique ability to accept new ideas that are bold, powerful, and paradigm-shifting. Why? It’s because they don’t have all of the baggage that we carry around as adults. So I can tell a group of 6, 7, and 8 year-olds that they can do anything they set their minds to, if they’re just brave enough to believe in themselves and start, and they can accept that! Adults… are more likely to be cynical and block their own possibilities, because they’ve experienced too many downward cycles of pain and failure in life and, often, are no longer open to upward cycles!


My mom said it best: “Those kids are more excited, passionate, and eager about life than anyone!” We might learn something from children, if we would listen: Life can be just as new, free, and full of opportunities today as it ever was, but we have to let go of past failures and future anxieties. We have to be here and now.

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About the author 

Austin

From a 3412 mile inline skate across America for Freedom to a pilgrimage halfway around the world, speaker and life coach, Austin Szelkowski has lived an intrepid spiritual journey. Over the last 11 years, he has skated across a continent, built 3 successful businesses, been enlightened by a mind-bending spiritual awakening, and endured a terrifying dark night of the soul journey in 2017. His story brings courage in the darkest places – providing a sense of spiritual adventure and hope.

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