Finding Inspiration

When all else fails, an inspiring story can lift your spirits and remind you that rising above your circumstances is possible.

There is so much that connects us.  We all care about our family and friends.  We all care about our health. We all care about our livelihood.  We all care about our well-being.  We all want things to go as well as possible.  At the same time, we know that wanting things to work out well is not enough to make that happen.  This is precisely when a shift in mindset can reboot the system and enable us to move forward.

Curiously, it doesn't take that much to shift your mindset.  Sometimes an unexpected smile or kind word or memory or flashpoint to a previous success can do it.  Sometimes reading about other people who share difficult circumstances who somehow are rising above, at least for the moment, can help.  This matters, because we are emotional human beings.  We all go through a broad spectrum of feelings and thoughts throughout the day.

On the other hand, things might begin well and then start unraveling out of no where.  For example, I volunteered to teach an aqua aerobics class on Monday.  I was helping out in a pinch when no one else was available.  One of the participants looked at me (disappointedly) and asked if I understood that this class was not an arthritis aqua class?  OUCH.  It got to the point where I had to say that we all need a positive attitude--if I weren't there, there would be no class.  Shift!  I don't like interactions like this to ruin my day, so I chose to move on.  It doesn't help to dwell on negative experiences or unkind words.  It does help immensely to move forward.  This is a valuable life skill that we can use every single day.

Whether you are inspired by your family members, a story in the news, someone at your work or in your neighborhood or even a stranger you read about on social media, take it in.  Let those normal, human experiences compel you to keep moving your life forward, to keep rising above the challenges that face you, to keep a positive attitude so you can live a fulfilling, rewarding life.  It is a choice.

This week, seek out inspiring people in your daily life.  Discover their stories and let them be reminders that you too can show up for your precious life.