Where can we find a wellspring of inspiration to raise us from our doldrums, rekindle our enthusiasm about everyday events, and encourage us to explore untested possibilities? Maybe we can find it in familiar places: within ideas and examples of people we know that illuminate higher values to aspire to; among simple interests and pleasures that we take for granted and never fully recognize; and connected to unresolved problems that cry out for innovative solutions.

Being motivated fundamentally involves caring enough about someone or something to influence our course of thought and action. There are occasions when its source may come from a realization that the path that we are on is unacceptable, and we must change it, even if we’re not certain where to go.

In Reflections on Oceans and Puddles, author and educator Larry Bell summarizes a lifetime of learning to create a marvelous guide for the open-minded, young and old.