Zombies get a bad rap. Not in the way that Eminem sings a song about them (because that would be an awesome rap), but they get a bad rap because they're stinky, kind of scabby and gross, and most of the time they're trying to use our faces as an entryway to our sweet and tasty brains.
   The thing is, zombies are AWESOME! One of the most awesome ways zombies are awesome, and yes, I say awesome a lot, is that they are PERSISTENT little rascals. Yep, if a zombie's chasing after you, and you shoot it in the face, it gets up and groans a bit and then keeps coming.
You're ready though. You chainsaw off one of its arms. BAM! It doesn't make excuses. It keeps coming, and now you're getting worried.
So you punch it in the face, HARD, but all that happens is that now your hand is covered in gross zombie pus and blood and some weird black stuff I don't know what that is and IT'S STILL CHASING YOU and you start crying and then IT SUCKS OUT YOUR BRAIN LIKE A SQUISHEE!!!
So what can we learn from this?
People who persist have more chance of succeeding.
That's kind of obvious, really. If you're trying to do something and it gets hard and you quit, well, you aren't going to finish the job.
Zombies finish the job.
Awesome superstar legendary zombie level non-undead humans do as well. Like the people I'm going to list below right now! I hope all the facts are right. I did the research. I trusted the internet AND books!

Dr Seuss. I like to read his books, I do, how many have I read? A few. His first book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, was rejected by 27 publishers! Yep, 27. The 28th, which he happened on by chance, took the book and sold 6 million copies and possibly the greatest children's author ever was away.
Stephanie Meyer. She wrote a little book series called Twilight. You may have heard of it. Yeah, well, it was rejected by 14 literary agents. WHOOPS!!!
JK Rowling. What's wrong with publishers and agents? Harry Potter, which has now sold 59 Gazajillion copies (actual figure may be slightly more or less), was rejected by a whole heap of publishers. The numbers vary. I've read 12, 27 and 43. Whatever, double triple whoops!
Coca Cola. In its first year, Coca Cola sold a mere 9 serves of Coke a day. Now it serves, wait for it ... 1.9 BILLION serves EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!
Michael Jordan. This guy was possibly the greatest basketballer EVER. He's amazing. But back in high school, he went out for the school basketball team, and he wasn't selected in the first team! Some people would have given up. Jordan went back, worked harder, and the rest is history!
Richard Branson (who owns Virgin), Pablo Picasso (a totally famous artist and inventor), and Orlando Bloom, Jennifer Aniston and Jim Carrey (Champion actors) - they all had dyslexia, which is a learning difficulty (Source of information www.dyslexia.com/famous.htm).
Paralympians. Yep. If you want to watch people who have it hard but who just keep persisting, watch the Paralympics. It is totally inspiring.

​So don't let failures or hard times hold you back. If you have something you really want to achieve, GO FOR IT! Keep persisting! Be yourself, but persist like the people mentioned above. Most of all, though, persist like zombies ... except for the whole brain eating thing.
That would just be weird.
​#zombieinspiration

After you've persisted at whatever it is you're doing, remember to sign up for Braaaaiiiinnnn Food so you join the zombie inspiration revolution by getting a weekly mini-dose of zombie inspiration and fun!
Also remember this - if you really wanna live ... you gotta be undead!

Hazel Edwards ... what a star!!! She's written over 200 books, she's an OAM, and she wrote a little book about a hippopotamus that has become an Australian institution, and is about to become a musical!
She's also realised that zombies are crucial in helping us live awesome lives!
I was able to chat with Hazel as she hunkered down in a zombie-proof abode, and I discovered she believes in taking risks and not always doing what everyone else does.
I also discovered she's not a 6 year old girl ... that comment makes sense when you watch the interview, I promise!
I also also discovered that the only thing that smells in Antarctica is penguin poop! Whaaaat?

Click HERE to watch Hazel's Zombie Inspiration Interview on taking risks and getting out there, and also to see her AMAZING Zombie Inspiration Fast Question Challenge.

Before that, you can take a sneak peek by watching the video below, to see the unfortunate result of what happened when Hazel said penguin poop one time too many.

George Ivanoff is a marvel! He lives the zombie life. He knows that to get to where you want to, you have to be as persistent as a zombie chasing after the fastest man alive, just to slurp on his yummy brain.
I was able to connect with George via a video link-up, and discovered that even with over 90 books published, he has had his books rejected heaps of times, and still continues to get rejections today!
I discovered he loves going for a jog if he gets writer's block, and that he really is a massive Dr Who fan.
I also discovered he does a super awesome zombie impersonation!

Check out the videos below to see either the full interview with George, his Zombie Inspiration Fast Question Challenge (he's HILARIOUS in this!), or the unfortunate result of what happened a few days after we talked to George.
George Ivanoff, we thank you, and we're sorry for what happened to you. We'll try not to blast you with our flame thrower. 

​​Below the interviews you'll see the covers of George's latest two books, due out on May 2!!!!

To most people, zombies are gross and disgusting and scary and they have their eyeballs hanging out of their head and their bones are showing through their gross, disgusting, pus-oozing, bits-falling-off-everywhere skin.
​What these people don’t know is that zombies are an INSPIRATION!!!
I know, I know, you’re going to shout me down with your "They just shuffle and grunt and groan!” and your “But they ate my mother!” and your “How can they be inspiring? They smell like rat guts mixed with dog poo!”
Well to that I say this … if you really want to be inspired, if you really want to become awesome, you have to look deeper than the blood and guts and the brain eating and the bullet holes with worms crawling out of them.
Here are my TOP 5 WAYS ZOMBIES ARE INSPIRING!!!

1. Zombies have a goal. Setting goals is really important. People who set goals are more likely to reach them! Zombies set goals too. In fact, they not only have a goal, but they are like totally obsessed with it. I mean, sure, their goal is to sniff you out and chase you down and try and suck your brain out through your ear, but that’s not the point.                  Setting goals is IMPORTANT!
2. Zombies have awesome focus. Seriously. They’re not like us, as in us non-zombie humans. We get distracted super easy! People watch TV while they have their phone out checking messages and are playing a game on the iPad! Zombies don’t multi-task, because multi-tasking means you do a few things averagely. Zombies do one thing at a time AWESOMELY! And trust me, with that focus, they eat more brains than they miss.                                    Think about that … unless your brain was one of the ones they ate. Then you won’t be thinking about much at all.
3. Zombies don’t quit as soon as it gets hard. No kidding! Even if you chainsaw off a zombie’s arm it will keep coming. I get a paper cut and I stop! Or I say I’m bored when really I’m just finding something hard. You can shoot a zombie and it just gets up and shuffles on. It's desperate to get that sweet, juicy brain that it has as its goal and that it is focused on getting! And when they don't give up easy, they get to bite more faces. It's win-win ... sort of.
4. Zombies always move towards their goal. If you do little things every day towards your goal, you'll get there sooner than you think. Zombies always shuffle forward. They’re always on the move, so when an opportunity (ie a tasty human) pops up, they’re ready to go after it. You have to be ready too, so keep working towards your goal. Practise, learn, get more skills, bite more faces. Little shuffling steps, every day.
5. Zombies mostly eat what’s good for them. Zombies know brains are good for them, so zombies eat brains. It’s pretty simple! I mean, sure, sometimes they have a treat of a tasty eyeball, but mostly it’s brains on the menu. Non-zombie people eat SO much junk they don’t need. Yes, have treats, but do it every now and again, not all the time! Basically, make sure that you eat to live, don’t live to eat.                                                              Your body will thank you. The zombies won’t, but that’s fine. Remember, healthy body, hungry zombie.

So that’s five ways zombies have inspired me to become more awesome.
How about you?
Have zombies inspired you?
​Have zombies taught you anything that helped you become an awesome legend superstar?
Comment below, or tweet it out at #zombieinspiration
Join the revolution, because if you really wanna live ... you gotta become undead!