Meet Motovated Life | YouTube Vlogger

We had the good fortune of connecting with Motovated Life and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Motovated, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
I love the idea of “becoming the change”. I believe it is the most difficult, yet transformative and powerful undertaking one can pursue. To find your true Self. I think many people want to change the world for the “better”. As do I. But I found myself pondering, how exactly, one goes about that. A handful of years ago I was listening to a lecture by Alan Watts and he said a line that has stuck with me since; ““Kindly let me help you or you will drown,” said the monkey putting the fish safely up a tree.” I realized that my way of life and what may be best for me, may not be the best path for others. Having said that, I find that doing what is best for me turns out to be in the best interest of others because more often than not, hurt people hurt people and fulfilled people fulfill people. The caveat being a single principle of morality, which is, to not stop others from pursuing what is best for them. I mean, who am I to tell others how they should live? It is said that variety is the spice of life and I believe there is great beauty in individuality. Thinking back on when I was a wildland firefighter there were plenty of opinions on how to be a good leader, but the one that stood out from the rest was to lead by example. It is my belief that the power is in the individual, and the choices we make, make all the difference to the rest of the world. Of course this is an ever evolving and ongoing process, but in the end, it seems to me that the best and quite possibly the only way to truly make a positive change is to become it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve always enjoyed the idea of helping others. Though, admittedly, I wasn’t very good at it for quite some time. I fumbled my way through having not learned that the key was self improvement, not self sacrifice, and in becoming more I’d have more to give. Which encompasses far more than money or tangible things. So, I decided to become a public servant as a wildland firefighter. It was an incredibly difficult and humbling experience which was very fulfilling for a number of years. Somewhere along the lines I decided it wasn’t quite doing it for me anymore. So in my spare time outside of work alongside some amazing people, I started hosting a scholarship for the high school I graduated from, I cofounded a veteran advocacy group for struggling veterans, and started doing community clean up and random acts of kindness for strangers. That struck a chord. In the fire community there were things I saw that were red flags, including injuries, depression, and suicide. I took up the collateral duties of becoming a personal trainer and comprehensive wellness and resiliency trainer to give talks to hundred of firefighters and staff members. My new calling had arrived. In an effort to transition out of fire I applied for a new position working as a full-time wellness instructor within the agency. I left my fire position and moved states. Unfortunately the budget fell through, and consequently, so did my new position. I left everything I knew including my 12 year career and the transition was very hard on me. My amazing woman has always been extremely supportive of me, but the truth is, I floundered in my new environment. I dabbled in jobs and when COVID arrived I found myself without a job, everything I worked on I let go, and there I was falling back into my old bad habits and poor ways of thinking. What now? A quote I love is, “we teach that which we need most”. In a big way, I think it’s why I do what I do now. I share positivity because I need it the most. I used to be so miserable and haven’t always had the most positive environment, so, I created one. It’s odd that it was born out of pain though. I think when people see some of my content and highlight reels they think I’m just a happy person and always have been. That it’s just a gift. But I think The Motovated Life was born out of necessity, for me. And oddly enough, I don’t think it would have ever existed without the hardships. My insecurities and underlying tendency to self sabotage have interrupted many potential successes along the way and I finally got to a point in my life that I believed in myself enough to take the leap to entrepreneurship. Or maybe more accurately, where I found myself in life, I decided enough was enough and I was fed up of giving up on myself and the things I had worked towards. So I went all in. I began to share my journey through vlogging while I ride my motorcycle around making as many people smile as possible. And for the first time in my life I was completely doing something that I was extremely passionate about and loved! And I wasn’t doing it based on what I thought others wanted me to do. As good fortune would have it, many others also enjoy what I love to do. I’ve now received hundreds of messages from people around the world sharing with me how my content has helped or inspired them in some way. There have even been a number of them that have claims to my content saving their lives. It is so surreal and at times it’s truly difficult to believe, I mean, how does one respond to that? Joy and gratitude I suppose. Here I am, on my path, and enjoying what I do. I will say, it comes with it’s hardships and when entrepreneurs tell you that if you’re gonna start your own business you better love it, they mean it. The rewards are proportionate to the struggle in some sense, but the struggle can be overwhelming at times, so best you love it so you don’t give up. In my case, for example, I could have avoided much of the struggle by finding at least a part time job to cover some of the credit card debt, but I justified it as part of pursuing what I loved and the expenses of starting a business. Poor choice lol. In reality, I’m still figuring out how to surmount that obstacle but I have faith if I continue to work hard, and smart, it will come around. In the meantime my aspirations to travel across the U.S., and hopefully internationally one day, and spread love and positivity continues to grow daily. So the journey continues!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love to head out to the mountains with friends. Whether we’re riding motorcycles or not, Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park are a must see! Cruising around Horsetooth Reservoir is also gorgeous. The hike up to Horsetooth Rock is also amazing, alongside many other hikes, like Gem Lake. Cruising up to Fort Collins for some night life and live music is always a good time. The one place that’s my go to spot to eat with my girl is in Downtown Loveland called Pour House. Their food is so good! I also love Night Shotz for a chill environment with some pool and darts. Finally, I really enjoy kicking back at my place with some music, Giant Jenga, Cornhole, and BBQing up some grub.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to recognize pain, sorrow, insecurity and failure for my successes thus far. Without you I would not know happiness, I would not know accomplishment, I would not know gratitude, and I would not have an aim or purpose in life. There would be no adversity to overcome and no teacher to show me what I’m capable of. So thank you for leading me to my Self.

x

Website: beacons.page/themotovatedlife

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themotovatedlife

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MotovatedLife

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themotovatedlife

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMotovatedlife

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_motovated_life

Image Credits
Isaacs Simple Photography Sarah Smile Photography Hazy Mountain Media