We can’t all be inspiring, but we can be inspired by the ones who are I had the privilege this week of interviewing Tyler Scheidt about his experiences at the prestigious West Point military academy (see page 1A). As a reporter, writing the story was a daunting task. Here was the "small town kid done good" story, but each of his accomplishments at West Point is a story in itself.The daunting part was to scrape the surface of his exciting four years at West Point and condense it into a news story that fits onto the standard quarter page or less. (We thought Tyler was more than standard, so we gave him a lot more space.)The writing was difficult, but the interview was fun.I couldn’t help but feel I was in the presence of greatness. Tyler will undoubtedly go on to accomplish even greater things.Mostly, though, I just felt glad to know him. Despite his impressive resumé, he’s genuinely modest. It’s not that he isn’t proud; he just clearly understands the value of character as well.His mother, Pat, shared that when people asked him where he went to school, he often just said, "New York," instead of mentioning his prestigious West Point education.As the proud owner of a four-year college degree (and a respectable GPA), I know all about time management and focusing priorities. I also remember 2 a.m. homework and deciding that the assignment would just have to be good enough as is. I didn’t have it in me to do better.Tyler always had it in him to do better. … Thus, his 4.1 GPA.When I asked Tyler if he was ever tempted to let that happen, he said, "That just isn’t in me to turn in an assignment that way." Further, he never let his deadlines get that close. "It’s all about time management," he said.When I asked him if he ever thought about not passing a difficult course, he said, "Failure just wasn’t an option."For most of us, Tyler’s pretty amazing. He succeeded — even excelled — in everything he tackled at West Point and still had time to accomplish great things outside of class and military training.To him, success is easy: Work hard, and strive to be the best. "It’s a mindset," he said.It’s simple, really.I may not write a Pulitzer Prize-winning story, but why not strive for that?I may not be Mom of the Year, but why not live as though I am?We can’t all be Tyler Scheidt, but we can sure be inspired by his West Point story and by his approach to life in general.