Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece, and welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living Magazine. Today I have Dave Stephenson with me. Hi, Dave.
Dave Stephenson: Hi.
Toni: How are you?
Dave: I’m always good.
Toni: You know what? I like that answer.
Dave: It’s easy to be positive.
Toni: It is. It is. Absolutely. Dave, welcome to the Project. Take us a moment and tell us a little bit about yourself.
Dave: My name is Dave Stephenson. I own A Time For Music and Memories DJ service and I Smile Pod photo booths. Grew up here in the Berks County area my entire life. Been here, and just love what I do. Love the wedding industry. That’s what I specialize in. It’s unique, to say the least, being able to make memories for people. It’s a day that they’re going to remember; something that they’re going to keep with them forever.
Toni: Have you had to deal with any bridezillas?
Dave: Always. Always.
Toni: But that’s a story for another time.
Dave: That is. That is.
Toni: Let’s jump into the project. What does inspiration mean to you?
Dave: Inspiration has multi levels to that. There’s people who inspire you. There’s words that inspire you. There’s just actions; being motivated has tendencies to inspire people. It depends on which way you’re looking at it, really.
Toni: Do you remember the last time you were inspired, or do you know what it feels like to be inspired?
Dave: I do. I know what it feels like.
Toni: Okay. What does it feel like?
Dave: It’s a motivation. It’s a drive. It’s something that you want to do better. You want to help others be better than yourself. It’s not always about you. There’s always a greater good.
Toni: When was the last time you were inspired?
Dave: Every day. Every day when I wake up, I’m inspired to just be better than I was the day before, no matter if it’s just saying hello to one new person, or stopping and listening to people tell their stories, because everybody has their own path and journey that they’ve been on, and it’s so interesting. I find it so incredible to talk to people and just listening to them tell their story.
Toni: So, how do you take that motivation and that inspiration and caring is what it sounds like to me, and put that into practice here in Berks County?
Dave: Well, I believe in being honest with people, and being inspired too…it’s not always about the money, being in business. There’s a matter of giving back to the community and doing good. I believe in karma, which is what you put out, you get back. I do a lot of promotional events for charities in the area that I believe in. I do a lot of donations to just charities online that I feel are helping people, not just here, but anywhere, because there’s always someone that needs a hand.
Toni: How do you find those people?
Dave: I’m very big on the internet. I love to read and search Google. Google is my best friend. Just reading and talking to people, finding out where they come from, what they’ve done, what drives them. It’s amazing, the people just in our small community where you have people from all over the entire world here that just saying hello can spark up an entire conversation, and you’re learning about a whole new culture or way of life.
Toni: Does it inspire you to give back?
Dave: It does.
Toni: Can you give me an example of how that may come back to you, because you used the word “karma,” but if you’re inspired to give, how do you receive?
Dave: I believe in just giving. You don’t expect to receive when you’re giving. The giving is putting yourself out there. The receiving is just the way the universe says, “Thank you.” It could be a phone call from someone that saw me at an event that wants more information or wants to book my company, because they’ve seen me there for a few years volunteering my time and my services. That’s how I look at it, but I don’t expect to be paid back for anything that I donate out there or that I’m putting out there that I believe in.
Toni: Well, I think it’s reciprocal. You’re inspired by a charity, you give to that charity of your time, and you are inspired by them, and that could be your reciprocity in the process, you know?
Dave: Very true.
Toni: So, who in Berks County inspires you?
Dave: Well, there’s a few people. I grew up around Albert Boscov my entire life. My mother worked for him for as long as I have been around. Just seeing how he always had a kind word and a smile for everybody, and to see what he did for Berks County, it really motivates you.
Toni: It’s amazing.
Dave: There’s so much that he’s done that no one will ever know or ever hear about, but being behind the scenes and seeing him as I was young, and also my parents. Both my parents worked very, very hard their entire lives. They raised myself and my two sisters to not give up, and just be better.
Toni: Wow. That’s amazing. That’s an amazing tribute to him and to your parents. What do you want your legacy to be, Dave?
Dave: I want my legacy to be that my children, when they grow up, are honest, good people, and that if I can change someone’s life, even if it’s saying hello to them or taking time to listen to them. You never know. Just leaving that spark somewhere out in the universe, I guess, is what I hope for. I mean, people come, people go in your life. When I’m doing industry events and things like that, I want to make sure that somebody remembers something unique about me. Getting to know people is what I want to have out there.
Toni: Well, as I say many, many times to this question, people are living their legacy. You are living your legacy, based on the answers that you’ve given. Thank you so much for showing up for the Get Inspired! Project.
Dave: Thank you so much for the opportunity.
Toni: Absolutely.