Hi guys Welcome to episode 275 of the Wildly Successful Lifestyle podcast! There’s so much heaviness in the world, but at the same time there’s so much lightness and fun and reasons to be happy. I wonder sometimes why the heaviness gets all the attention. It really doesn’t deserve it. I notice lately how much my mood is affected by what I allow in and so much that gets highlighted is upsetting and so it’s easy to live in a constant mood of upset. We deserve better. We can choose to focus on much better things. Even just for a couple minutes a day, intentionally focus on something good that’s happening and see how it affects your mood.
Ok, so I love to be inspired. Don’t you? We all like to be inspired. But have you ever given any thought to the idea that not only can you be inspired, you can also be the source of inspiration for others and probably are.
Have you ever thought about the people you inspire? It’s kind of funny to think that way, because most of us don’t think of ourselves as “inspiring”. But what if you are? What could you be inspiring people to do? Maybe you’re at the gym every day before work and you inspire others to do the same, maybe you cook delicious dinners at home and you inspire others to do the same. Maybe you are always dressed impeccably and you inspire others to do the same…. Sometimes you don’t know how much you inspire other people. That’s just something to think about. I bet you’re inspiring someone and you don’t even know it. And if your first thought is Im not inspiring anyone. Why would you say that about yourself? The thing that inspires others about you may come so naturally to you that you just brush it off as “oh that’s not anything special”. But it is, we each have our unique thing we are good at, and you may be discounting that thing, but someone else may look at it and be inspired by it. Don’t underestimate the power of that thing you do that comes naturally to you. There’s a clue in that and if you follow that clue, it could lead you down a path to new doors that are opening.
Different things inspire different people.
Last week the Queen of England passed away. She was 96. To her family she meant the world, to the world she meant (for a lot of people anyway, I realize not everyone) but for a lot of people she represented a legacy of dignity and grace.
Always poised.
I saw a picture of the queen the day before she died, literally the day before she died and she was all dressed up and standing in one of her many rooms looking like she might live to see 100. All dressed up at 96, posing for the camera and she probably literally felt terrible, but what she presented to the world was dignity and grace, even when she didn’t feel like it. She didn’t make it to 100.
I kind of wish she had. I don’t follow celebrity news, I used to when I was younger, but it simply doesn’t interest me anymore. But I got sucked into watching reels this week mainly. Because Kate Middleton was in all of them. I just watched one after another and after a little while, I forced myself to stop and be productive but it got me thinking….why? Why the draw? Obviously Im not alone, Kate Middleton has somewhat of a cult following, very similar to Princess Diana who also had a cult following. So why are we so obsessed with them?
I thought about it and I believe it’s because they represent a beautiful feminine woman who is full of dignity, grace and elegance. I believe it’s easy to fall into day to day life and when we see someone who takes a lot of pride and care in the way they present themselves, it’s inspiring. It’s inspiring to me because I know how hard it is to always put your best foot forward….and this may come as a surprise, but it’s also hard for Kate Middleton. Sure money makes it easier. No doubt. But I would ask a question and I ask this of myself too, what would I do differently with my health and my body if I had all the money in the world? Would I have a private chef? Maybe, but I have all of that information at my fingertips online, why not do it now? Would you have a personal trainer? Maybe, but there are classes at every gym that act like your own personal trainer. Why not do it now? Yes, we LOVE to be inspired, but inspiration without action is just that….inspiration. Now, what we are inspired by can be a big clue to the things we are passionate about. Not everyone gets inspired by Kate, but if you do, what is that inspiration inviting you to do? Sometimes, we wait for someone or something to come along and inspire us to take action but what if that inspiration that Kate Middleton gives us, is just that……inspiration, in order for it to improve our lives, we have to do something different, we have to take action. Inspiration feels so good in the moment we experience it, but if it doesn’t move us to change something or improve something in our life, that inspiration dies with the end of the instagram reel.
My grandmother died at 91. She was always the picture of elegance and grace even up until she died. I love to tell the story of Eric and I called her to ask if she needed anything before we came and visited her at the rehab facility where she was recovering and she asked me to bring her mirror and her lipstick. She was 90 and still concerned about looking her best. She still inspires me years after she passed away, I try to represent the same that she did. Always looking my best and caring as much about my health on the inside as on the outside. I think of her often, her inspiration moves me to action, it moves me to eat healthier, to be healthy inside and out.
For me it’s just that…..for all of us simply being our best. We come in different shapes and sizes. And let’s face it, we admire people who work hard to be the best version of themselves. That’s the best we have right? We have one body, one chance to be whatever it is we are destined for. What we are destined for is being created by every decision we make, what we eat, what we drink, how much we move, what we do with the 24 hours we are all given.
We are creating our life with every decision we make. Our attitude has a lot to do with the things we allow into our mind, the people we surround ourselves with, our environment and our lifestyle.
What do you do with the inspiration you feel? And what do you do so well innately that it inspires others?
So What do you do with the inspiration you feel? Does it cause you to take action or is it just a passing idea and once it’s gone from your mind, nothing changes. If something pretty consistently inspires you, it’s a clue to your path of least resistance to everything you want.
And what is your unique thing that inspires others? Dig deep and find what that is. It may be something you do so naturally that you don’t even realize how inspiring it is. There’s a clue in that for you. That’s a door just waiting to be opened by you…..
My challenge to you this week is when you feel inspired by something, ask yourself what is this inspiration inviting me to do? And don’t leave that moment before you take massive action, do something so that the inspiration doesn’t die with the thought. And secondly acknowledge yourself for the things you ARE good at, and keep doing them, keep growing, keep cultivating those, you’re inspiring people…if you’re at the gym at 3:45 am, it may be getting someone else to believe then there is no reason they can’t go at 9am. Keep doing the things you’re doing that you know are right for you. If nothing else, you’re inspiring yourself, which is the most important person in your world.
I love you guys, I’ll talk to you in a few days!
