Inspiration and Getting Awesome
I want to be inspired. I NEED to be inspired. I need this to keep me moving. I don't know how most people do it. By "most" I mean people who set goals and go for them. When I was younger, that seed of inspiration seemed have been internal, and while it's still there now, I feel I need more external sources of inspiration and motivation. It doesn't take much and it can come from a lot of places. A book, movie, photograph, painting, music, an interview with someone, or just a really cool conversation can do it.
I don't need much, either. Hearing about someone finally running a full mile can get me going. Even seeing a photo of a really organized "gear closet" works. It doesn't all have to be videos of Killian running to the top of Matterhorn.
I've been lucky enough that I've always managed to surround myself with artists and now endurance athletes. People who feel a spark, wether internal or external, and then proceed to set a fire with that spark. The fire doesn't have to be huge. Just enough to keep you warm and get you through the night. I want to see the people around me getting these things out. Wether it's finally getting that song out of your head and sharing it on "soundcloud," posting up some drawings or paintings before they get filed away in the back of a closet, hearing about running those first couple miles of a journey that will take you much farther than you had planned, or maybe even a story about how good it felt to get rid of all the medication and crappy foods from your life. I don't know, anything. Anything besides pictures of cakes, pies and BBQ and conversations about cable TV series.
I'm guilty of this, myself. too much TV, not enough reading. Too much facebook, not enough face time. Too much worrying and complaining, not enough meditating and acting. Too much acquiring more crap and not enough giving away things I no longer need or use. Whatever, pick one. Knocking out just one of these issues would probably bring some significant positive change in the lives of most of us.
I used to ask people, "what's the last awesome thing you did?" Most of the time I wouldn't really get an answer. Just an, 'I don't know. I can't remember.' But sometimes I could get some really surprising answers like, 'Taught my kid how to ride a bike last week.' 'Got my teaching degree.' Stuff like that. NO, running ultras and climbing mountains aren't the only things that certify as "awesome." I'm not the one who certifies what's awesome or not, only we can do that for ourselves. Although, I don't think when I ask that question and someone says, 'Went to work, fed my kids,' it qualifies. That's just doing what you're supposed to do. Like, "not getting a D.U.I.," doesn't quite count either.
Whatever one qualifies as awesome is between one's self but if you can't remember the last time you did something "awesome" maybe it's time. As far as inspiration goes, We're all getting older with more responsibilities, maybe less energy, less exposure to things going on outside of our daily routines. Maybe along with conversations about healthcare, politics, photos of cakes and kids we try to inspire eachother. Most of us won't get an opportunity to travel the world, hike the appalachian trail, record our "abbey road," but there's a lot of space between clocking in/ clocking out and writing a page in history. A LOT of space.
I don't need much, either. Hearing about someone finally running a full mile can get me going. Even seeing a photo of a really organized "gear closet" works. It doesn't all have to be videos of Killian running to the top of Matterhorn.
I've been lucky enough that I've always managed to surround myself with artists and now endurance athletes. People who feel a spark, wether internal or external, and then proceed to set a fire with that spark. The fire doesn't have to be huge. Just enough to keep you warm and get you through the night. I want to see the people around me getting these things out. Wether it's finally getting that song out of your head and sharing it on "soundcloud," posting up some drawings or paintings before they get filed away in the back of a closet, hearing about running those first couple miles of a journey that will take you much farther than you had planned, or maybe even a story about how good it felt to get rid of all the medication and crappy foods from your life. I don't know, anything. Anything besides pictures of cakes, pies and BBQ and conversations about cable TV series.
I'm guilty of this, myself. too much TV, not enough reading. Too much facebook, not enough face time. Too much worrying and complaining, not enough meditating and acting. Too much acquiring more crap and not enough giving away things I no longer need or use. Whatever, pick one. Knocking out just one of these issues would probably bring some significant positive change in the lives of most of us.
I used to ask people, "what's the last awesome thing you did?" Most of the time I wouldn't really get an answer. Just an, 'I don't know. I can't remember.' But sometimes I could get some really surprising answers like, 'Taught my kid how to ride a bike last week.' 'Got my teaching degree.' Stuff like that. NO, running ultras and climbing mountains aren't the only things that certify as "awesome." I'm not the one who certifies what's awesome or not, only we can do that for ourselves. Although, I don't think when I ask that question and someone says, 'Went to work, fed my kids,' it qualifies. That's just doing what you're supposed to do. Like, "not getting a D.U.I.," doesn't quite count either.
Whatever one qualifies as awesome is between one's self but if you can't remember the last time you did something "awesome" maybe it's time. As far as inspiration goes, We're all getting older with more responsibilities, maybe less energy, less exposure to things going on outside of our daily routines. Maybe along with conversations about healthcare, politics, photos of cakes and kids we try to inspire eachother. Most of us won't get an opportunity to travel the world, hike the appalachian trail, record our "abbey road," but there's a lot of space between clocking in/ clocking out and writing a page in history. A LOT of space.
