Inspiration from Stuart Edge's book: "On The Edge"

I have been very interested lately in reading about other people's experiences. I find it so interesting to learn about how others have navigated their lives and their frustrations and obstacles to find joy, success, and hope.

I recently read a new book by Stuart Edge who is a very successful YouTuber. He put out some videos you may have seen such as reverse pick-pocketing or the "Spider-Man Kiss in real life" video where spider-man drops from above to offer a kiss to unsuspecting girls. In his book, On The Edge (published by Cedar Fort), Stuart shares his story (so far) from childhood through to his "overnight" viral video success on YouTube and some unexpected struggles that he had to go through to figure out what he would and would not present in his videos and what he wanted to stand for.

I knew all about Stuart from the perspective of a YouTube viewer but I loved learning about his life and the "behind the scenes" of his rise to YouTube fame. I found his story inspiring and it was a great reinforcement to my belief that we have a Heavenly Father who knows and cares about us. I really believe that there is a plan for each of us (that may be different than we would expect or imagine). Sometimes it is really easy to feel discouraged that things aren't going the way you want them to in your life, but I always come back to the thought that there could be something wonderful just around the corner. If we only knew how things would turn out, maybe we'd feel encouraged and like we could "hang in there" a little longer, until things changed for the better.

Throughout his book, there are little "sticky notes" with helpful thoughts, tips, and quotes. I starred some of my favourites and thought I'd share a few with you here:

"I believe God gives us unique talents and abilities that make up our personality. Take time to really connect with what those are for you." 

"Never give up on something you're passionate about. If you want it badly enough, and work hard enough for it, a way will open up for you to accomplish it." 

"Don't be afraid to step into the unknown. You may discover opportunities you used to only dream of." 

"Listen to the people around you. They may be able to see things in a way you never could." 

"Don't be afraid to set goals that may seem lofty. If you reach for them and fail, you will still be a lot closer to where you want to be, especially had you not moved at all."

I really like these quotes, but perhaps my favourite part of the book is at the end when he is summing things up.  I'll end my post with sharing my favourite excerpt from that:

"God has a plan for me and I'm excited to see what that is. I also believe that God is interested in those things that interest me. He wants me to be happy and he wants me to use my talents to spread good messages throughout the world. If there's a better way to do that than what I'm doing now, He'll help me find it." 

"Those 'crappy moments' we go through in this life are put there to help us become better people. Our struggles are never in vain."

Disclosure: A copy of the book was provided for review purposes.

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