I want to live each day with greater inspiration! What does that mean? I'm not sure I know. What I do know is that I feel passionate and alive and that seems too bold of a feeling to stuff down in my soul and ignore. I'm not convinced anyone knows why or when inspiration will show up in their life, but when it does I love seeing those around me who run wild with it! The excitement is an unstoppable force that is contagious and I want to be caught!
Have you ever spent time with someone that you felt is truly inspired?!? In my experience, they tend to radiate joy, self confidence and a love for life. They work hard, their complaints are few and far between and when they have them it is because they are human. Positive people have negative thoughts too, they just don't let those thoughts control or consume them. These people tend to find the good in situations and give from the heart. If you are blessed enough to know someone like this ~ spend as much time with them as possible and learn from them! We all have room to grow. I find myself spending time with these people more often lately and soaking in all they have to offer! I am focusing on changing the negativity certain relationships bring to my life and enjoying those that add pure joy! Silently my heart is saying, "Lord let me be a sponge among the most genuine, giving hearts I know, so I can then be squeezed by someone else who wants me to share!"
I believe our brains are wired to find what we are looking for life, even if we don't realize it. If you are always waiting for negativity to take place, your life will reflect on that. If you are striving to find the positive, your life will reflect on that. Lately, I have been struggling with my own inadequacy of being all or nothing, and my life is reflecting that! I also believe transparency is far more relatable than perfection, and I've had some amazing memories created this week, as well as some very unexpected disappointments. So in turn, I know I need to change my reaction to the situations and focus on what I can control. There is a quote by S. Harris that resonates with me regarding this.
When I hear someone sigh
'life is hard'
I am always tempted to ask
'compared to what?'
I love this quote! Sure, someone might say that seems crass of me, or uncaring ... but that is not my intention. I love it for the raw truth it screams! I have shared personal trials here, joys, struggles, tears, encouragement, laughter ... we all have ups and downs. However, in the moments I meet a dying patient, hear of an acquaintance who has lost a child, a man who has lost his job and ability to provide, see a broken stranger who is starving, or turn on the news to find a nation full of hatred and violence -- my heart is brought back to reality. Now, I will also take a moment to acknowledge that you may very well fit the scenarios I wrote above, or those not listed and my heart goes out to you. I even encourage you to reach out to those around you, they care more than you know. The majority of us though are very blessed, and need a simple reminder sometimes that in the moments we feel like life is unfair, we still have hundreds of reasons of why it is SO good.
This morning I had the pleasure of talking to a friend. Well, lets be honest -- today I did most the talking and she did a lot of listening. Thank you -- you know who you are. The conversation bounced all over the place as it always does when I see her. We seem to take turns talking and both feel like there is never enough time to get through all we have to share! But today as I was leaving we were talking about standing up for what you believe in, even if it means you stand alone. For those who know me, I have always been a strong personality. I have learned to tone it down at times, and there are times this girl cannot be tamed! The older I get though, and the more life experiences I go through I love that about myself. I accept that it can be overbearing, but I also believe it makes me who I am -- a better mom, a loyal friend, a loving wife, etc. I am passionate about my imperfect life! I am grateful that I can look around at those I connect with and feel inspired, and I want to be unapologetically me.
I love music and I love the Florida Georgia Line lyrics sung with Tim McGraw that say:
May we all do a little better than the first time
Learn a little something from the worst times
Get a little stronger from the hurt times
Today, I don't know what living with greater inspiration means for me directly. But I know I am inspired by many things and that I am working on many projects that move me, someday maybe I will be further along to share them with you. I do know that I don't want to wake up in the morning and go thru the motions. I want to reach people. I want to encourage moms. I want to have fitness accountability with friends. I want deep relationships. I want to be someone that another individual sees and says "she is truly inspired"..... and I don't want that for the selfish reasons of being seen or noticed, or acknowledged. It is not about hundreds or thousands of people reading my blogs, it is about the one who may be touched because they did. The people in my life that I look up to and can tell you are truly inspired, are like shining lights in my world, and because of that I want others to take their passion and inspirations and realize that maybe without even knowing it you are touching someone else too. I really believe we sometimes shut down passion or dreams at the thought of failing. Don't fear failure. Be afraid of being in the exact same place next year as you are today.
FEAR
Forget Everything And Run
OR
Face Everything And Rise
The best part of life, is the choice is yours! While I may not have a direct vision today of where my inspiration and passions will take me in the next year, I do know that I am RISING and looking forward to seeing what my mind and heart come up with next!