mytropicalescape.com

Have you been inspired by someone this past year? For me, 2007 has been GREAT! I quit my job, bought a small business in the Caribbean, and have gone down the path of entrepreneurship after more than ten years of planning and working toward these goals.

Personally, I started out blogging last year as a way to keep people informed of my life overseas, and to hopefully inspire people to get off their butts and pursue their dreams, goals, and aspirations. After a long year the site has taken a slight turn to include more topics but it still remains quite true to its original purpose.

Many people have had an impact on my life this past year and since the holiday season is upon us I would like to highlight Ten People who have truly inspired me during 2007 through their blog or website.

image source: Lush.i.ous

Without further adieu, here are my selections for the Ten Most Inspirational Bloggers of 2007:

First, I would like to highlight three amazing people, two of whom are athletes and one who is an online entrepreneur, all of them also happen to be bloggers. By virtue of how they conduct themselves and live their lives, they have been inspirational to me.

Specifically, they do not let physical setbacks get in their way and they face fear and everyday challenges in ways that most of us should aspire to. These people are truly inspirational and are listed in no particular order.

1. Scott Rigsby - Scott’s Website or Scott’s Blog

Do you have a hard time getting off the couch just to go for a walk or a bike ride? If you have not heard of him, I would like to introduce you to Hawaii Ironman competitor Scott Rigsby. Next year, let Scott Rigsby’s story inspire you to do better. He is the first person to complete the grueling Hawaii Ironman Triathlon as a double amputee. Reading an article on his life story in Runner’s World magazine recently two of his statements really stood out. When it comes to facing challenges Rigsby states, “If you tell me I can’t do something I am going to find a way to do it.” Additionally, Rigsby’s view on life is equally inspiring:

“I want to stay the course and show people that you can take the life that you have been given and you can use it to do something extraordinary.”

2. Sarah Reinertsen – Sarah’s website or her blog

Another world-class athlete, I initially saw Sarah Reinertsen competing in the 2005 Hawaii Ironman Triathlon as the first female amputee to enter the race. I happened to turn on the TV late into the telecast and she was already well into the bike riding stage. For the first five or ten minutes while I was watching the race they did not show her from the waist down, only from the shoulders and up. The commentators up to this point had made no mention of any disability so I continued watching and assumed that she was in the spotlight because she was a frontrunner in the race. However, a few minutes later the camera panned down and I saw that she had one artificial leg. Amazing, I thought. Most of us put mental blocks on what WE think we can achieve and here was this woman, who was missing one leg, competing in an Ironman Triathlon and she was even smiling. Sarah continues to race and train and she is a shining example of what we can do!

Sarah’s motto is “fear less and live more” which is a statement that we should all strive to live by in 2008.

3. Jon Morrow - blog On Moneymaking

Jon is not an athlete but the example he sets with how he chooses to live his life is just as inspirational. I first came across Jon’s blog, On Moneymaking, about a month ago and I have been fascinated with his story and success ever since.

According to his website, Jon has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. As stated on his ‘About’ page, “it’s a degenerative neuromuscular disease, meaning I’m supposed to get weaker and weaker until I’m finally dead.” Jon is inspiring because he refuses to let his disease define him, rather he is defining his disease and LIVING EVERYDAY. He retired at 25 to become a fulltime philanthropist and he fully expects to walk again within the next ten years.

Editor’s note: Next up I would like to highlight two bloggers who have experienced a meteoric rise to the top of the blogosphere this past year by providing well-written content and easy to digest posts which add tremendous value to the lives of their blog readers.

4. Leo Babauta – blog Zen Habits (read Leo’s recent interview on MyTropicalEscape)

The blogging success that Leo has accomplished this past year is truly amazing. Back in January he started a little site with a killer title, Zen Habits. Well, since then the blog, which is listed in the Technorati Top 100, has dispensed a daily dose of ‘simple inspiration and motivation’ that has some 25,000 subscribers (and growing) coming back every day. Recently, Leo released his first ebook, “Zen to Done – The Ultimate Simple Productivity System” and it has received great reviews.

5. Skellie – blog Skelliewag.org

The second upstart “Problogger” that I would like recognize and who has had remarkable recent success with her blog is Skellie, of Skelliewag.org.

Unbelievably she did not launch her blog until the end of July, which is only a little over four months ago. Skellie’s straightforward posts about how to be a better, more productive blogger have made her a great success in a relatively short period of time. She has become a fantastic inspiration for many bloggers. Some of Skellie’s keystone posts over the past couple of months include 110 Resources for Creative Minds, 50 Tips to Unclutter Your Blog, and 25 Headline Formulas That Have Plagued and Blessed Web 2.0. Editor’s note: If you would like to learn more about Skellie, I will be posting a recent interview that I conducted with her for the ‘Ten Questions With’ series tomorrow.

The next three blogs (and bloggers) have been around the internet for a while and each one has inspired me during 2007. With the millions of blogs that are out there these days, each of these sites below has managed to teach me a tremendous amount about personal finance, blogging in general, and how to make money online. Like the other blogs above, they are listed in no particular order.

6. J.D. Roth – blog Get Rich Slowly

Roth’s no nonsense website ‘personal finance that makes cents’ currently has almost 40,000 subscribers, and provides daily information about personal finance and related topics. Personally, I find his posts about removing debt most inspiring. As someone who has accumulated higher education debt (loans from undergrad and graduate school) I found his post “Free at Last! Saying Good-Bye to 20 Years of Debt” particularly uplifting. Recently, J.D. has been able to pay down all of his debt except a home mortgage, which is a goal that I am aiming for myself. One reason I believe his blog has mass inspirational appeal is because of his philosophy, “that personal growth is systemic, that in order to improve financially, you have to improve in other areas of your life.”

7. Darren Rowse - blog ProBlogger

Darren is the man who has inspired legions of bloggers to quit hacking around and get serious. His posts and articles are always stimulating and I remain in awe at the number of daily updates he does. Of course, he is a fulltime ‘Problogger’ but he posts multiple times a day on his site and the consistency and quality are always of the highest caliber. According to his about page, Darren’s site “is dedicated to helping other bloggers learn the skills of blogging, share their own experiences and promote the blogging medium.” If you are looking to start blogging, or to bring your skills to the next level, there is no greater inspiration than this site. Just remember to check back often for his insights because he is always posting new articles.

8. Maki - blog DoshDosh

Maki’s site, DoshDosh, is what I like to call a ‘thinking man’s blog.’ His typical posts are much longer than most blog articles that you will find about making money online. He writes in a dissertation-esque style with a depth and breadth of topic coverage that always makes you feel like you have learned something new. Additionally, he has a way of investigating money making and marketing topics from viewpoints that I would never think of. Recently, his post, “The Flagship Blog Project: Creating Multiple Blogs for Profit in 30 Day Cycles” really motivated me and made me realize that possibilities for generating income online are almost limitless.

Ok, we are down to the last two but they are certainly not listed here at the bottom because they are any less inspirational than the others! This is just how the list worked out.

9. Seth Godin – blog Seth’s Blog

I believe that any list regarding the year’s most inspirational blogs (and cutting edge marketing) wouldn’t be complete if it did not include Seth Godin’s blog. His website, books, and blog posts pack more value and insightful wisdom than grandma’s stories about the good old days. From what I have discerned as a frequent reader of his articles, Seth has based his career on being ‘remarkable’ and he recommends the same for all who would like to succeed. His blog posts are inspiring because he has a creative way of dissecting corporate marketing, customer service, and entrepreneurship in a very direct and almost matter of fact manner. Many times after reading his blog I feel like Seth sees the same inadequacies that we all see, especially as it pertains to customer service, he is just (MUCH) better at writing about it.

10. Curt Schilling – blog 38 Pitches

Okay, for those of you outside of the United States you might be asking, who the heck is Curt Schilling? He is a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and he has one of the best sport’s blogs around. Unfortunately, I completely disagree with his right-wing politics. But as a native New Englander living outside of the continental US his site provides tremendous insight into the every day lives of a professional baseball players and the baseball team that I have followed my whole life.

Also, the Red Sox won the World Series (again) this year and after their 86-year drought, if that isn’t inspiration then I don’t know what is. Curt also uses his blog to help raise money for his various charities…now if we can just get him to change his political views!

That’s my list. Do you agree with my picks? Who was it that inspired you this year? Let me know in the comments.