A RESOLUTION THAT YOU CAN KEEP!

Make your New Year’s resolution mean something. This year, promise to do something for yourself and others that really matters. Resolve to dream out loud more and resolve to beat a challenge. It does not matter what it is. Make the resolution something that you can achieve and share that with someone else. With many others! By doing so, you create an environment of encouragement! There are no small resolutions. It is my hope that your 2013 is ridiculously amazing. Make it so. You are in control. Keep Dreaming Out Loud! -Trace

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

On behalf of everyone involved with Team Inspiration Texas, I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for every person that has been placed in my life. I am thankful for the environment of encouragement, support and love that they have each shown me. I am thankful for the opportunity that I've been given to help others with and without MS to dream out loud and to create a positive, supportive and encouraging environment in which to live. It is my hope that each and every person who reads this blog will find the courage and strength to fight whatever challenges they face. Start today. Make today ridiculously amazing. What the heck. Throw caution to the wind. Go ahead and make your whole life ridiculously amazing! Happy Thanksgiving and KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD! -Trace

THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT!

Remember the gentleman that I spoke of in my last blog that I met at the Biogen Idec talk that I got to give? Remember that his dream was to be able to be more active with his 3 year old son both now and in the future? Well, I was fortunate enough to go work out with him this morning. As we all do regardless of what our challenge may be, we get scared about not being able to achieve something that we desperately want to achieve. We don't put ourselves in a position where others can support or encourage us. Well, this morning we started him on the road to achieving his dream with some exercises that Trisha and Ryan have given me that I can do not only at the gym, but at home. We have always talked about creating a positive, supportive environment. This not some nebulous, touchy-feely concept. It is very real and I am honored to have witnessed it again this morning. By meeting with my new friend this morning, I not only was able to encourage him, but he encouraged me. We added yet another to our community of support and encouragement. Every time I am fortunate enough to be a part of and witness the dreams of others in action, it makes my own dreams stronger. What an amazing morning. Please please please, KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD! -Trace

DREAMING OUT LOUD - THE DREAM GROWS!

I was thrilled to be invited by Biogen Idec to speak to a group of 130 MS patients and their families last night. No surprise – the theme of my talk was the importance of dreaming out loud. I asked everyone in the room, both folks with MS and those without, to think of something that they did not believe that they were physically capable of doing. I also asked them to share that dream with someone else at the table... OUT LOUD! I am both honored and humbled by the amazing response that I received last evening! It is my hope that everyone present learned to cast aside fear and doubt and create an environment conducive to success in any endeavor. And to try! One gentleman shared with me that he would like to be able to be more active with his young son. He made the mistake of sending me an email last night, so I will be bugging him incessantly and supporting and encouraging his dream! Everything we have talked about here – dreaming, sharing, the importance of trying and casting aside fear was discussed. A husband and wife, both with MS, shared their dream to become more active together. They will no doubt continue in this quest even stronger now. The dream continues to grow! It is my hope that everyone who reads this blog will share their dreams with someone else, thereby creating an environment of encouragement and support. I am really very overwhelmed with the opportunity that Biogen Idec gave me. It's a good feeling to be able to encourage others and an even more powerful thing to be reminded of my own dreams and once again share them OUT LOUD! KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD! -Trace

CONFIDENCE

I have not taken a vacation in over ten years. Why you ask? Because I was AFRAID to travel. Afraid of whether I would be able to handle long flights or car trips. Afraid of what traveling would do to my body. Afraid that once I got to my destination, I would be so tired that I would not be able to enjoy myself. I always had an excuse when I was invited somewhere. Well that changed this year. My oldest son, Trevor, had an internship in Spokane, Washington and asked me to spend the weekend with him in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. Now Coeur d' Alene is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Reluctantly (because of fear) I agreed to go. But how many opportunities would I have like this with my sons? The trip was AMAZING. I had no problems whatsoever and we crammed a month's worth of activities in a short time. I was patient with myself and found I was able to do much more than I imagined I could. Imagine what I would have missed out on if I allowed fear to control me and had not been confident. Then this week, Jim asked me to go to The Fray/Kelly Clarkson concert at the Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion here in The Woodlands. For those not familiar with the Woodlands in September ... well IT IS HOT. Rather than decline the invitation (knowing that Jim would see through that) I agreed to go. It was 92 degrees and disgustingly humid. We walked a great deal from the parking lot to the Pavilion and then a LONG way up to the top of the grass where we believed there was a bathroom - just in case. (There was not.) I had a great time and I surprised myself and I think Jim too. Once again the secret is patience and not allowing fear to control you. The point of these ramblings is to NEVER let fear allow you to create artificial limitations. And, truthfully, they are nothing more than artificial limitations. Go enjoy life, and, with knowledge of your limitations and patience, GET OUT THERE! Let me tell you, it sure beats sitting in the house because you are afraid of what MIGHT happen! BE CONFIDENT! Oh, and KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD! -Trace

INSPIRE SOMEONE TODAY!

IronMan Texas was held a few weeks ago and for many weeks before it, Jim’s coach held an open water swim on Lake Conroe. I kayaked the perimeter of the swim area to keep an eye on the swimmers and to keep boats out of the area. I enjoy being around these incredible athletes as they, like Jim, inspire and remind me to keep active. That is indeed the only way that I can stay ahead of the MS. These men and women have become great friends and I enjoy my time with them immensely. I gain tremendous strength and encouragement from them. Last night Jim surprised me with an amazing gift. He got the poster in the picture and had the athletes sign it. One theme was evident in their messages and came as quite a shock to me. You see, these extreme athletes talked about how I inspired THEM. What?! How on earth could I inspire them? But the lesson in Jim’s gift also became quite evident. Regardless of what our challenges are, we each have the ability to inspire others in how we act, conduct ourselves and treat others. Inspiration does not require amazing athletic ability, intelligence or talent. It requires the simple use of that wonderful thing called the heart. So use yours as an instrument to inspire others regardless of what your challenges may be . Like we have talked about so many times, it will come back to benefit you in unimaginable ways. Keep Dreaming Out Loud! -Trace

WOW! PATIENCE REALLY DOES WORK

For several months, I have been under an extreme amount of pressure in nearly every aspect of my life. It would have been very easy to say “Why me?” or “Poor me”. It would have been so very easy to just give up. During my monthly MS infusions, my blood pressure has been through the roof which has caused Lynn great concern. With the help of the amazing people around me, I have gotten through it, and have remained positive, knowing that things would get better some day. Then, suddenly, things have shifted, almost miraculously. Life has suddenly gotten better, shockingly so. A friend and I discussed how this all has come about. The consensus is simple. Patience. Remember that that has been one of my worst character flaws? I have now learned that it is an incredible asset. Remember that we have also said how much better we come out on the other side of a struggle when we learn from it and deal with it with grace and dignity. I am a much better man now and have learned from past mistakes and struggles. Of course, this is not to say that challenges will not come back, perhaps even greater than in the past. But I have seen what patience does. I hope I have learned from it. Yesterday was my monthly infusion. My blood pressure was suddenly indicative of the great deal of working out that I do. It was beyond superb. It did not reflect the stress that was a part of my life as it had previously. I hope that my lessons will benefit others as well. I know that I have been truly Blessed and am very thankful for that. It is time to pay it forward in a much bigger way. Keep Dreaming Out Loud! -Trace

DON'T FORGET TO LAUGH TODAY

We have talked before about the importance of laughing. Have you laughed today? I mean the kind of laugh that fills you with joy. The kind where you are crying and thankful there is no liquid in your mouth to spew. I make a point to laugh every day. Laugh hard. Actually many times each day. Frequently, I laugh so much that people wonder whether there is something really wrong with me! For example, last weekend was Cinco de Mayo. Jim and another friend picked me up and took me for Mexican food. I had a Dos Equis. Being the slightly twisted people that we are (okay, REALLY twisted), somehow a commercial came up. “‘I do not usually drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.’ He is the most interesting man on earth.” Thus the Adventures of Pancho and Pedro were born. That should be good for a decade or so of laughs at least.

Coincidentally, last night my friend from high school, Lindsay, found me on Facebook. (I promise I had not been trying to hide from you Lindsay.) Just seeing her name made me laugh and talking to her on the phone was, in a word, hysterical. These are the kind of folks that we need to be around. In our last blog, we talked about the importance of surrounding yourself with amazing, positive people. Laughing goes hand in hand with that. I have been reminded so frequently recently by the many amazing people around me that laughing helps so much. Laughing makes us feel good. Laughing makes us a joy to be around. Laughing is contagious. Perhaps most importantly, laughter makes life's hurdles hurt less. It truly provides us with the armor we need to repel life’s often hurtful barbs. Not only do my friends keep me in stitches but I try to do the same. So laugh. Have fun. Make people wonder if there is something wrong with you. And, I know you will listen to the most interesting man in the world when I tell you to KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD! -Trace

LOVING LIFE - WON'T YOU JOIN ME?!

This morning I had the privilege of watching the 2012 CB&I triathlon. Yes boys and girls, that is the same triathlon that I participated in last year. It is so hard to believe that a year has passed. I look back on the amazing things that happened to me before the triathlon but the past year has been even better. Exponentially so. With the help of my heroes, I was able to participate in this year's MS 150 and Team Inspiration Texas is growing by leaps and bounds. Six team members rode in this year's MS150 and we took 20 patients and their families to the finish line in Austin. Just two short weeks after the event, more than 25 people have committed already to riding the MS150 next April with Team Inspiration Texas and our patient experience will be huge. Amazing. And it will be very exciting to see how many ultimately ride with us. The difference we are making is mind boggling. Our wrist bands are frequently seen. Personally, I love seeing the Team Inspiration Texas t-shirts and wristbands in pictures of our super jocks, our young men and women, in pictures in college and plastered all over Facebook. After the MS150, one of our super jocks, Travis Wells, had a speech to do for a college class. He did it on Team Inspiration Texas. He made an "A". He proudly told me after the speech that his class was very engaged in his talk. He is proud of Team Inspiration Texas and we are so proud of him and of all of our young people and the great hope that they give us. But the most miraculous thing to me is the number of friends I have made and continue to make on this adventure. I mean real, true life-long friends. Friends who deeply care for you and you for them. Remember that cloud of positivity we have talked about. The cloud of hope, love and joy. It is getting huge and has really become self perpetuating. That is what life is about. That is why I love life. I have suggested it before and I will urge you again. Find an amazing group of people. Surround yourself in their energy and make sure your energy is equally supportive. Love and enjoy life. It makes the challenges and hardships really quite inconsequential. Oh, and KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD! -Trace

SEE KIMI, IT IS ALL ABOUT ME!

I am in one of my vague moods but I promise there is something worthwhile in here. In March I wrote a blog entitled “Life Happens.” After my amazing weekend with the MS 150, I realized my point of view was somewhat wrong. Life does not “happen” to us. We happen to life. Let me say that again. WE HAPPEN TO LIFE. You see, it is how we handle the things that are placed in our path that defines who we are and how we move forward. It defines how we are viewed by those around us, whether we leave a favorable impression on them and on society. It defines, as Jim has said, our legacy. We can allow the bumps in the road of life to cause us to stop moving forward or we can jump them and keep moving on. Sure, some bumps are larger than others. Just move back in the road and gather steam to jump them! So don’t let life happen and make you stagnant. Happen to life! Really this is a clever way of setting Kimi, Nathan, Jim and Mush straight when they tease me that it is always “ALL about me.” I can say "You are damned right Skippy!" I am happening in my life! KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD! -Trace

THESE PICTURES ARE WORTH A MILLION WORDS

Visit www.facebook.com/teaminspiration and check out pictures from our amazing weekend at the 2012 MS150 from both a rider and a patient's perspective. And... KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD! -TRACE

WOW. JUST WOW! MY WEEKEND-THE MS 150

I am going to try not to forget to thank the many people that made this weekend truly one of the best weekends of my life. If I do, please forgive me. I am still kinda high from an amazing experience. Also, forgive me for the Academy Award acceptance speech tone of this post. This all needs to be said. First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you to Calvin Pollard, Mindy LeBlanc, Debbie Pope and every single person with the NMSS for creating a SPECTACULAR event involving the coordination of a mind boggling number of people and services in too many counties to count from Houston to Austin. Coordination of the seemingly flawless ride was nothing short of Herculean. I am a lawyer. If they don’t give you at least 2 months of paid vacation after this call me. We will talk. Seriously, you are amazing and as both a rider and a person with MS, there is no way to adequately thank you. Thanks also to everyone involved with the Bubble Bistro, a series of tents set up at the finish line in Austin where patients can comfortably watch their supporters cross the finish line. Our patients from Houston enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of the Bubble Bistro and I thank you so much for that. Thanks to Kimberly Cutchall and Accendo International, Mush Khan and O’Rourke Petroleum and Shell for sponsoring Team Inspiration, not only our riders, but our patients’ experience as well. That is what put this weekend over the top for me. A special thanks to Mush for, well, everything you do for me. For arranging the tandem and for constantly validating me. Thanks to Cara Baez and the entire team at HP for letting our little rag tag team join your group and for making us all feel so welcomed, particularly in the tent in LaGrange. I can not imagine being made to feel more at home and we were so proud to wear the HP jersey. To Kimberly and Emerson Cutchall (the most amazing sister and niece in the history of mankind), Bob Meyer and Lynn Maki, our Team Inspiration volunteer core for making this work for both riders and patients and for taking such amazing care of me every step of the way. Lastly and importantly to our riders – Nathan Beedle, Jim Harrington, Igor Cherches (my neurologist), and my super jocks – Brandon Loughridge, Travis Wells and Joe Trainor. You all made the ride absolutely amazing. Yesterday morning when I encouraged my super jocks to ride ahead and finish they insisted on staying with me. They said “we started this together. We are finishing it together.” These are truly amazing young men. I want to especially thank Nathan for keeping me steady as the captain of our tandem. There were many times that I think he was worried my stability would be our end, particularly when negotiating a downhill on a narrow course going over 30 miles an hour. He kept The Beast in line and kept us safe. You are my hero, Nathan. Once I get them all collected and get my act together, I will post pictures from the whole weekend. They are pretty amazing.

Boys and girls, this weekend was a vivid reminder of the importance of dreaming out loud. Since I was diagnosed with MS in 1999, I have always wanted to ride the MS 150. I did not share that dream with others until last year around the time of the triathlon. Jim shared a dream of involving patients in our experience and as a result, 20 patients and their family members were taken to Austin from Houston on a Team Inspiration bus and were able to experience some of what we, as riders, experienced. So, I guess what I am telling you is to KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD! -Trace

THE VICTORY WITHIN

Ever since I was diagnosed with MS in 1999, I have dreamed of riding in the MS150.  As my disease progressed, I worried that that dream was becoming more difficult to achieve. Please notice that I did not say impossible. Nothing is impossible.  In 5 days I will ride in my first MS150 and it is so special to me for so many reasons.

I will be riding on a tandem with Nathan thanks to the generosity of my dear friend Mush.  She is affectionately known as The Beast and Nathan and I took her on her maiden voyage yesterday. My only complaint is that there are no footholds for me to rest my feet as Nathan hauls my carcass to Austin. Guess I will have to pedal. In addition to Nathan, Jim, my doctor, Igor Cherches, two of our super jocks, Brandon and Travis and a friend Joe are all coming home from college to ride.  For me, the weather will be a major factor.  I may not be able to ride the full way but who cares? Two years ago before the great adventure with the triathlon started, I could not ride a bike even a mile.  The way I see it, if I ride 1.1 miles, I have achieved a major victory.

Saturday, my niece,  Emerson Cutchall, and her Girl Scout Troop 18360 set up a lemonade and cookie stand to raise money for the MS150 on behalf of Team Inspiration.  In less than 2 hours, these amazing young ladies raised over $400 and learned so much about MS and the beauty of compassion towards others.

Perhaps the biggest victory this weekend will be that Jim's vision of patient involvement  will become reality.  Thanks to the generous support of sponsors like Accendo International, O'Rourke Petroleum and Shell, Team Inspiration has chartered a bus and will take patients from Houston to the finish line in Austin where they can cheer on the riders and express their gratitude.  It promises to be a beautiful weekend all around.

If you would like to donate to my MS150 ride fundraising efforts, you can go to ms150.org. Then Team Resources, Then 2012 Team List and click my name. It is that easy. Any amount is greatly appreciated!!!

So, the victories this weekend will be plentiful.  You can start enjoying your own victories if you

KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD!

-Trace

COME JOIN THE PARTY!!!!

PLEASE COME RIDE WITH US! I know we got a tragically late start on this and I apologize profusely. We need 50 riders to ride with Team Inspiration Texas for the MS 150! Remember-YOU DO NOT HAVE TO RIDE THE WHOLE WAY. Ride as much as you can and enjoy the fellowship! Sign up TODAY at ms150.org. The team name is Team Inspiration. Please come join us for a great time. As always,

KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD!!!!!!

-Trace

LIFE HAPPENS

I apologize for not blogging more recently but things have been crazy.  I am happy to report that since I started keeping track of my mileage on the bike at the end of July last year, I have ridden over 2500 miles in preparation for the MS150 on April 21st and 22nd. I should be ready depending on the weather. We have had an unusually hot and humid winter and spring and that has not been fun.  My goal is to ride the whole way, but as we have repeatedly said on here, I will ride as much as I can. Given where I started, riding any distance is a MAJOR victory.

The purpose of today's blog is to reiterate how important keeping a positive outlook is.  For the last several months, all aspects of my life have been wildly tumultuous. Not one. Not two. Everywhere I look, new challenges arise. Now it would be very easy to let any one of these rather major confrontations drag me under. All of them together frequently have me feeling overwhelmed. So it is important that I step back, take a deep breath and accept and deal with the challenges. Life happens. We are defined by how we handle the challenges. Additionally, keeping the positive folks around me keeps me up. I find myself constantly reminding myself to not let my challenges not only drag me down but drag down those around me. I need them. Badly.

Accept and embrace the challenges that face you. I have said it before and I will say it again. I WILL defeat them.  I WILL win. I WILL be a better and stronger person when I come out on the other side. Most importantly, I WILL stay positive.

KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD,

Trace

THE SCORE DOESN'T MATTER

Do you know people that insist on keeping score? In life? In your job? In love? In everything? Let me ask you something. Who really cares what the score is? It really doesn't matter in the end. What matters is plain and simple. It is not whether the score says you have won but HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME.  And by game, I really mean life. In the end no one will remember what the score was but whether you committed everything you had, gave it your all and handled yourself with grace and dignity.  People who keep score are frequently burdened with insecurity and negativity. With those ugly things, they only hold themselves back and miss the beauty of the challenge of the game. They  don't learn from the game. They do not enjoy it. So do not get bogged down in the score. Enjoy the game.  Learn from it.  That way we all win.


KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD!

-Trace

THE MIRROR

I thanked my dear friend Mush the other day for giving me such hope in life.  His response was beautiful and really made me think. He said "I am only a mirror reflecting what is in you." Wow. It made me think of something that my Mom used to tell us (and for which Kimi and I made many jokes at her expense.) Mom would say "If you don't have something pleasant to say, don't say anything at all.  The two really go together beautifully. The energy our comments and actions create are a reflection of us.  We can make our comments and actions positive, encouraging and beautiful rather than ugly, hurtful and negative.  When they are positive, they not only benefit the person to whom they are directed but us as well. They help maintain the positive energy necessary for a peaceful and happy life.  It all goes along with everything we have said about the importance of creating and surrounding ourselves in a positive environment that allows us to accomplish our goals.  While looking in the mirror is often a frightening experience for me, the image is so much better when I see my reflection combined with positivity, hope, love and joy! Make sense?

KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD!

-Trace

PAIN

I am reminded daily of pain. Pain I have. Pain my friends have. Pain can manifest itself in so many ways. We can have physical pain or we can have pain emotionally that we inflict on ourselves or that others inflict on us either intentionally or perhaps inadvertently. It takes a great deal of strength and courage to handle our pain in a positive manner and not to let it bring us down or, worse yet, destroy us.  It is not easy not to dwell on it and the positives that it can lead to are often so very difficult to see or comprehend. Let me say it again - IT TAKES STRENGTH AND COURAGE.

But we must strive to do it. We must surround ourselves with the kind of positive people and experiences that allow us to learn from our painful experiences and come out on the other side stronger, better and more positive people.  If we can find a way to endure the pain, we appreciate the good that we ultimately create so much more. We become stewards of our own happiness and, in the end, of the happiness we help others create. Talk about your pain. Share your pain. But do not dwell on it. Learn from it and appreciate how it will make you better. Because it will.

Keep Dreaming Out Loud!

-Trace