The first half of 2013 was a very interesting half of a year
for me and a few friends. You see, we have this, ahem, ‘curiosity’ about those
people that kill other people. Murderers, yeah. I say ‘curiosity’, I should
explain that, we don’t like the
murderers, we just like reading about
them. Hope you’re okay now. Anyway, basically, a few friends and I became
interested in a particular murder case which was very high profile in America;
the Jodi Arias trial.
The crime took place in Mesa, Arizona, where it is legal to
publicise trials. This meant that over here in England, those of us with weird
interests and apparent spare time (I’ve no idea where that time came from,
looking back...) could watch live streams from the court room.
The basic outline is this: Jodi Arias, a waitress from California, was arrested in 2008 following the murder of Travis Alexander. He had been stabbed 27 times, shot and was on the brink of decapitation when he was found slumped alone in a bloody shower cubicle days later by friends. Arias took to the stand for 18 days, testifying that Travis was abusive and a paedophile, amongst other false accusations. Arias lied several times before finally admitting she had killed Travis, but ‘in self defence’, for which she was convicted of 1st degree murder due to extreme cruelty on 8th May – the new jury are yet to decide if she will receive the death penalty or life imprisonment for her crimes, in the new penalty phase starting in March - six years after the murder happened.
The basic outline is this: Jodi Arias, a waitress from California, was arrested in 2008 following the murder of Travis Alexander. He had been stabbed 27 times, shot and was on the brink of decapitation when he was found slumped alone in a bloody shower cubicle days later by friends. Arias took to the stand for 18 days, testifying that Travis was abusive and a paedophile, amongst other false accusations. Arias lied several times before finally admitting she had killed Travis, but ‘in self defence’, for which she was convicted of 1st degree murder due to extreme cruelty on 8th May – the new jury are yet to decide if she will receive the death penalty or life imprisonment for her crimes, in the new penalty phase starting in March - six years after the murder happened.
Now, I wouldn’t have gone to all of the trouble of sharing
my weird, morbid interests with you all if it wasn’t for a reason. Travis
Alexander, during his short life, was a motivational speaker with a passion for
making the world a better place – and I’ve been trying my hardest to get his
message for the world to reach as many people as possible, simply because that
opportunity was viciously taken from him by his jealous ex-girlfriend.
Travis coined this phrase:
“The only difference between a stumbling block and a
stepping stone is the character of the individual walking the path”
He was so on it.
Think to yourself, what do I see as an obstacle? Is it truly
an obstacle, or can I easily overcome it with a little more motivation, or a
better attitude? Is there someone in a worse position than I am?
Questions like these are what gave Travis his true thirst for life, which led to his thrill-seeking, creating and running a successful blog, and helping others realise their own potential through his motivational speaking.
Travis came to this earth to teach us all that no matter what we have been handed in life, we can, like the Phoenix, ‘rise from the ash and accomplish absolutely anything we choose to. All that is required is that we realise what we have and the source of where it comes. Once we have done that we become unbound and free to do and have anything’.
Questions like these are what gave Travis his true thirst for life, which led to his thrill-seeking, creating and running a successful blog, and helping others realise their own potential through his motivational speaking.
Travis came to this earth to teach us all that no matter what we have been handed in life, we can, like the Phoenix, ‘rise from the ash and accomplish absolutely anything we choose to. All that is required is that we realise what we have and the source of where it comes. Once we have done that we become unbound and free to do and have anything’.
Travis’ motto was that we have
no limits. Sixth Form might just be a small section of your life so far – we haven’t
even lived a quarter of a century yet, remember – but exams and school work
aren’t something that you should let become an obstacle, or a negative thing.
Keep your motivation, have a good attitude, and keep trucking; because if you
do that, how can you possibly go wrong? We as humans have absolutely no limits,
and we can do anything to make life and the world a beautiful thing for
ourselves and others, so long as we put our minds to it.
This being said, next time you think you won’t get a grade, you’re having a bad day, or feel like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, don’t give up! Remember that there is always going to be someone else out there who has done so much more with maybe even less than what you have.
This being said, next time you think you won’t get a grade, you’re having a bad day, or feel like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, don’t give up! Remember that there is always going to be someone else out there who has done so much more with maybe even less than what you have.
Before he was so tragically stolen from the world, Travis
was writing a book called ‘Raising You’. Unfortunately it’s a very slim volume
and only available on Kindle, but ‘Travis Alexander’s Being Better Blog’ is
still viewable online, and I can’t recommend it enough; especially at this
important stage of learning, growth and development.
I thought that I would also include a warning to anyone who
is sensitive to this sort of thing but wants to find out more about this
remarkable man - DO NOT GOOGLE TRAVIS’ NAME ALONE! Please include the blog name
too. There are some horrific images on Google which were used as evidence in
the trial, which I personally still find uncomfortable and upsetting to see.
I’ll leave this post on a high note, with Travis in happier
times on a skiing trip -
All my love, x
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