Tag Archives: Fiction

From Repairing Boards to Living Dreams: Adrian Morales

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The Dreamer of Santa Cruz
California

Adrian Morales had always lived with the sound of waves. Growing up in Santa Cruz, the ocean was more than scenery — it was a teacher, shaping his dreams and his faith with its rhythm. His mother used to say that God often spoke through three voices: Scripture, people, and creation. For Adrian, creation spoke every morning in the crash of surf and the call of gulls.

But by twenty-seven, his life didn’t look like the dreams he held as a boy. He was working two part-time jobs — repairing surfboards at a shack by the beach and serving coffees at a coastal café. He had once believed he’d start his own board company, designing unique boards with Christian symbols woven subtly into the artistry — reminders that God rode every wave with you.

Instead, he felt stuck.

One chilly evening, after a long shift, he walked the shoreline with hands deep in his hoodie pocket. The bonfire circles were crackling with laughter from nearby college students, but he felt a quiet heaviness. He prayed under his breath, “Lord… did I miss my chance? Did I misunderstand what You called me to do?”

The ocean didn’t answer out loud, but a verse rose in him — something his mother had quoted when he was young:

“Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
—Psalm 37:4

He swallowed hard. But those desires feel so far away, he thought.

A week later, the café buzzed with its usual morning rush when a man walked in — tall, sun-kissed skin, carrying a surfboard with a massive crack along its edge. Adrian immediately recognized the board: this was not a beginner’s. Only someone who surfed monstrous waves would ride a board like that.

“Hey,” Adrian said, stepping closer. “You won’t want to fix that with glue. The stringer is damaged. I work at WaveCraft down the boardwalk — I could take a look. Might need to rebuild the tail entirely.”

The stranger’s eyebrows lifted. “You know your stuff.” He extended a hand. “I’m Kai.”

Adrian shook it. “Adrian. Nice to meet you.”

Kai grinned. “If you can resurrect this board, I’ll owe you big.”

“Resurrection is kind of my specialty,” Adrian said jokingly, before realizing how it sounded. But Kai just laughed.

True to his word, Adrian poured his passion into the repair. He didn’t just fix the board — he redesigned it slightly, ensuring it would handle the force of Northern California swells. Without overthinking it, he added a subtle gold cross inside the resin near the tail — small, elegant, meant as a reminder of hope.

When Kai returned, he ran his fingers over the surface, eyebrows rising again — but this time in amazement.

“This looks brand new. Better, even.” He paused. “What’s this symbol?”

Adrian swallowed. “Just something I like to include sometimes… a reminder of faith.”

Kai looked at him thoughtfully. “Most people don’t talk about faith around here. At least not openly.”

“Yeah,” Adrian replied, suddenly self-conscious. “Maybe I shouldn’t have—”

“No.” Kai interrupted gently. “I like it. You have a gift. You should be designing boards full-time, man. Ever thought about starting your own company?”

Adrian let out a nervous chuckle. “Thought? Yes. Could I ever afford it? Not really.”

Kai shifted, as if weighing a decision. Then he spoke words that stunned Adrian:

“I’m a photographer and filmmaker. I surf all over the world… and I’m starting a brand — a surf ministry, actually. A movement to reach surfers with the Gospel. I’m looking for someone who believes in it enough to build boards with purpose. Someone like you.”

Adrian blinked, heart pounding. “Is this real?”

Kai nodded. “Let me show you something.”

He pulled up pictures on his phone — beaches in Australia, Portugal, Indonesia — each with surfers praying on the sand before diving into the water. A community. A mission.

Adrian felt his throat tighten.

Kai continued, “We’re calling it Salt & Light Surf Co. You’d design the boards. I handle travel and content. And together we share Jesus with the surfing world.”

Adrian felt as if a wave of warmth crashed through his chest. Another verse surfaced — one he had memorized but almost forgotten:

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”
—Ephesians 2:10

He believed, with sudden clarity, that this was one of those good things.

“Yes,” Adrian said, breathless. “I want to do this. I’m in.”

Kai grinned wide. “Welcome to the adventure.”

Months later, with a small rented workspace near the pier, Adrian stood over a row of custom boards — each one with unique designs inspired by Scripture, creation, and the movement of waves. The first shipment was headed to a surf tournament in Hawai‘i.

He stepped outside as the sun fell toward the horizon. The sky burned orange over the water, and a peaceful joy washed through him — the kind that felt like God smiling.

The waves kept crashing, steady and sure. And this time, Adrian didn’t hear discouragement in the sound — he heard calling.

His dream wasn’t dead.

It was just beginning.

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Maya Angelou: From Silence to Strength

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The Rise of Maya Angelou

The state of Arkansas is full of deep history, rich soil, and stories of resilience. And one of its greatest stories is told through the life of Maya Angelou — a woman whose journey proves that belief can lift a life from the lowest places into extraordinary purpose.

When Maya Angelou was a girl named Marguerite Johnson, growing up in Stamps, Arkansas, her life could have easily been measured as a 3 or 4 out of 10. She was bright and imaginative, but life dealt her pain far beyond her youth. At eight years old, she experienced trauma so severe that she stopped speaking entirely. She believed her voice could cause harm, so she locked it away. Silence became her shield. For nearly five years, she did not speak.

In a world that often measures worth through visibility and noise, Maya became invisible — trapped in quietness, convinced that silence was safer than sound.

But the number 10 is a number of completion — a number that refuses to leave a story unfinished. Even when Maya’s belief in herself was dim, there were hints of something greater inside her. She began to read. Books became her world, and words — though unspoken — became her freedom. Literature taught her that voices can rescue, heal, and rebuild. Slowly, belief began to rise.

Maya often said it was a teacher who changed her life. That teacher saw not a silent girl, but a powerful thinker. She encouraged Maya to speak again — not just to form sound, but to release her brilliance into the world. That moment was the beginning of her rise.

A 4 became a 5.
A 5 became a 6.
Each word spoken was a step out of the shadows.

As she grew older, Maya refused to be defined by her pain. Instead, she built a life that was overflowing with color, courage, and conviction. She worked as a dancer, singer, writer, and civil rights advocate. She traveled the world, absorbing wisdom from every place she touched. Belief pulled her upward — beyond Arkansas, beyond limitation, beyond the past.

Her journey eventually led her to write the book that would transform her life — and countless others:
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

This book placed her voice in the hands of millions. The girl who once hid from sound became the woman who changed the sound of literature. She wrote with fire, honesty, and hope — offering readers a path out of their own cages. Her voice, once trapped, now soared like that freed bird the title promised.

That is what belief does:
It turns prison into purpose.

Maya’s life is a living illustration of the strength of the number 10. Just as our ten fingers represent a cycle of completeness, and just as the noble gas with its 10 electrons reaches full stability, Maya reached a powerful wholeness — not because her life lacked adversity, but because she mastered it.

Her rise continued into roles she once couldn’t have imagined:
• A poet for presidents
• A professor for scholars
• A symbol of hope for generations

She became one of the most influential women of the 20th and 21st centuries — a global figure whose words healed, challenged, and inspired.

But what makes Maya’s story so transformative isn’t just what she achieved — it’s what she believed:

She believed that every voice matters — especially the ones once silenced.
She believed that your past cannot cancel your future.
She believed that a low number is only the beginning of a higher story.

The number 10 isn’t about perfection.
It’s about completion that leads to new beginnings.

Even as she gained fame, Maya continued to encourage others to rise. She taught that courage is the foundation of all other virtues. She reminded us that love is an unstoppable force. And she proclaimed that we are each called to stand up and speak the truth of who we are.

Her life teaches you this:

Your voice — even if shaken — can change everything.
Your story — even if painful — still has pages left.
Your number — even if low — can still climb higher.

The young girl in Arkansas who rated her life a fragile 4 because she could not speak eventually brought her life into a brilliant 10 — where her voice empowered the world.

So ask yourself today:

What part of my story have I silenced?
What belief have I allowed to shrink my score?
What if my greatest power is waiting for my voice?

Like Maya, you can rise.

You can rewrite your life.
You can lift your score.
You can open the cage.

Because perfection is not where you start — it is where belief can take you.

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Sandra Day O’Connor: A Journey from Desert to Supreme Court

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Desert to Destiny: The Breakthrough Life of Sandra Day O’Connor

Arizona is known for towering red canyons, desert horizons, and unshakeable sunshine — a land that feels bold, fierce, and full of possibility. Sandra Day O’Connor carried those same qualities inside her long before the world realized it. But as a young woman growing up on a remote cattle ranch in south-eastern Arizona, her life didn’t look like a 10 out of 10. It was more like a 6 — strong roots, big dreams, but limited pathways to walk them out.

From the time she was a girl, Sandra believed she was made for something bigger. She had curiosity too large for the boundaries of the ranch. She devoured books the way the desert absorbs rain — deeply, excitedly, gratefully. Education became the first place where her belief started pushing her number upward.

She enrolled at Stanford University when she was just 16. Brilliant, but humble. Determined, but unsure of her future. She pursued law — a field almost entirely dominated by men. When she graduated near the top of her class, she imagined doors swinging wide open.

Instead, she found every door closed.

Law firms wouldn’t hire a woman attorney.

If she had judged her life’s score in that moment, she might have slipped from a hopeful 7 back down to a 4. A life where talent is present… but opportunity is not.

But the number 10 represents completion — of courage, of calling, of belief. And Sandra understood that no one else can decide your number unless you let them.

If life will not open a door for you, belief can build one.

So she stepped into public service. She accepted roles that others overlooked. She worked harder, learned faster, and grew stronger. Each step — though not glamorous — lifted her score.

A 6…
A 7…
An 8…

Arizona became her training ground. She rose through the state legislature, eventually becoming the first woman to serve as majority leader in ANY U.S. state senate. The desert winds were shifting. She was stepping into the higher life she had believed was possible.

Then, in 1981, the breakthrough:

President Ronald Reagan nominated her to the Supreme Court.
The first woman in America.
History rewritten.

It was more than a promotion — it was a transformation. A life once limited now set a new standard for millions. Girls who once saw no seat for them at the table could now see a woman with a gavel, wearing the robe, interpreting the law of the land.

Sandra’s life had climbed to a different level — a level that looked a lot like 10.

But what does a 10 really mean?

The number 10 is symbolic — the end of one cycle and the beginning of a new one. It is the point where fullness is reached and expansion begins. Sandra didn’t stop because she arrived — she kept rising because arrival always opens a new horizon.

She became known as a voice of balance and fairness. She guided decisions with wisdom instead of ideology. She believed that justice must stand above politics, and that belief made her a stabilizing force for a nation in constant debate.

Her life became both powerful and grounded — like the noble gas with its 10 electrons, stable and complete. She demonstrated that greatness isn’t loud — it is consistent, principled, and chosen one decision at a time.

And still, Sandra remained connected to her roots — the rugged simplicity of Arizona, the land that taught her perseverance, resilience, and independence. When she retired from the Supreme Court, she dedicated herself to education — teaching young Americans the value of civics and the power of participation.

Her message was simple:
Believe in the system — and believe in your ability to change it.

Sandra Day O’Connor’s story proves something profound:

  • Your starting point does not set your final score.
  • Your obstacles do not determine your outcome.
  • Your belief is the force that upgrades everything.

She reminds us that a 6 out of 10 life is just unfinished, not unworthy.

Maybe that’s where you are today — somewhere in the middle. Capable but overlooked. Ready but waiting. Dreaming but unsure.

Sandra’s life whispers to you:
Keep rising.

Don’t settle. Don’t stop. Don’t let someone else decide your value.

Build your door. Knock again. Push forward. Believe bigger.

Your own transformation toward 10 may already be in motion. The path may not look obvious — it rarely does at first. But each choice driven by belief is a step upward, a step forward, a step into the life you were designed to live.

Sandra Day O’Connor reached her 10 because she believed that the life she imagined was also the life she deserved.

And now it’s your turn:

Believe your next number can be higher.
And your life will rise to meet it.

Motivation Posts and Books

Free Motivation Book

A short encouragement to motivate you for free.

New Level of Motivation

Would you like to go to a new level of motivation?

A Book about Success

A longer book to explore your inner potential.

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