Do you remember a bright moment in your life when you were extremely happy, successful or both? Do you recall how you arrived at that moment? Did you get there on your own, or through consultation and advice?

I ask these questions because in my own life, some of my best moments were those where I followed my instincts and feelings. At 20 years old, I made my first appearance in the Detroit News for a business I co-founded with a childhood friend. We couldn’t afford a copywriter or PR firm at the time, so in my usual DIY nature, I wrote our press release and shopped it around Detroit until Detroit’s largest newspaper showed interest.

Looking back on that moment, I am reminded that it’s okay to live and succeed on feelings and instincts. For me, it’s my way of being true and honest to myself and the world. You cannot wait for your mentor or adviser to guide you on everything in life. Sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith and do what you feel is right.

Of course, doing what you feel will not always guarantee success, but ultimately, you will learn about sacrifice and risk in the interim. Never be afraid to do what you feel in life. It’s the best adviser you’ll ever have.

By now, the world has heard about the 30+ killings which occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia yesterday. There is no reason to be shocked, folks. We saw this before with 9/11, Columbine, and we’ll see it again in the future. What appears to be a senseless and violent act is in fact a wake up call:

We need to change our ways, America.

It seems each time a tragedy strikes our country, we simply sweep things under a rug and go on about our usual lives. We make no effort to understand the implications of the act and our contribution to them — Yes, we are indirectly responsible for what goes on in our country. It seems that in America, the only time we decide “do anything” is when tragedy strikes close to home. Until then, we don’t really care about what happens.

This latest tragedy is — yet again — another opportunity for us to assess our lives and standards of living. I needn’t go into details about what is wrong in our country — we already know, and it starts with you.

I arrived in Denver at about 9:30 AM Mountain today — 1200+ miles in about 22 hours (I guess my body decided it needed rest and slept past my 30 minute alarm for a total of three hours). Anyway, I am beat, but I am here. The weather is beautiful. I should be alseep about now, but I’ve been running errads. Later today, I’m going to catch up with some friends and hangout.

Hope everyone is well.

Technology is cool, eh? I’m currently traveling Westbound on Interstate 80 (about 1 hour until I reach Des Moines) and I noticed this Rest Area had FREE Wireless Internet access — I had to stop! So, here I am blogging, surfing, and all of that cool stuff. I even made a few phone calls from my laptop.

Iowa just might become my favorite state if they roll out more rest areas with wireless internet access. Anyway, I’ll be in Denver Sunday morning sometime. I’ve been wired all eight hours so far and I don’t see myself falling asleep anytime soon (sleep isn’t optional — hell, I haven’t slept in the last two days as it is — I’ve been so motivated and excited about my return to Denver and other things that are on the horizon).

I’ll post more later.

For the past seven months, I’ve spent time “regrouping” with family and friends in Michigan. The circumstances are not worth repeating, but I followed my heart (at the time) to return to my past (which is why I initially left Denver). Four months into leaving Denver, the past once again repeated myself, and I found myself facing an all too familiar situation.

Angry and confused, I had no choice but to return home this time — something I said I’d never do when I left more than five years ago (never say never). I spent weeks (and months) dealing with the reality of things; Resentment, pain and anger consumed me like you wouldn’t believe. I hated myself for doing what I felt was the right thing, and I disliked having to return home after I’d done so well on my own for years. It was a wake up call, for sure.

This weekend, I will return to the city I fell in love with almost two years ago (April 27, 2005). It wasn’t even a planned move, as I thought Nashville would be the place I’d live the rest of my life — well, there were other plans. After vacationing for a week in Denver, I wasn’t ready to leave — so I extended my vacation a week at a time, until I decided that I’d just stay. It was the best decision I ever made.

I am looking forward to everything I love about Denver: The Rockies, night life, opportunities, quality of life and more. I’ve got the biggest smile on my face — I haven’t been this happy in months. I’m planning to celebrate my return at one of my favorite hangout spots: Old Chicago. I can’t hardly wait.