What lights you up?
Sets you on fire?
Fuels your passion(s) / interests?
How do you feel when you’ve been inspired?
Who or What causes you to feel inspired?
Do you find inspiration within yourself or outside of yourself – or maybe some of both?
When have you felt inspired before, and how did it affect your life?
Has anyone said that you inspired them?
Why is inspiration important?
Inspire defined:
“to make someone feel that they want to do something and can do it”
-taken from Cambridgedictionary.org
We are all so unique in the ways that we can feel motivated, encouraged and inspired. Nature speaks to me in its essence as it remains in a steady state of change through the seasons. In this cooler season, it seems to be a time of preparing for even colder days to come and it’s more of a challenge to get the warmth of sunshine which I crave! Today was one of centering my day around the best time to catch warmth and sunshine for a walk outside and was gently strolling around a favorite nature path when coming across a beautiful strong woman seasoned with decades of vitality. Oh, what an inspiration she was to me as I attempted to keep in step with her energetic level of cardiac fitness! As she heads into her 8th decade of life with a radiance shining through a white-haired crown, I became her student as we journeyed together and learned of her life, and countless experiences traveling on foot, canoe or bike across country. Intrigued by her missions to serve the planet – people and animals – and creating a life for herself so she could do this (while quite thankful she was talking more than me so I could catch my breath:). This woman became an incredible source of inspiration just by sharing pieces of her life journey.
How might we respond when we are inspired?
This fellow nature loving, earth honoring, life fulfilling, energy exuding woman became a gift of inspiration for me as I consider the desires, dreams, goals I have for my own life, and she graced me with her presence while she’s on a mission for her own desires, dreams, and goals – which she is achieving! This is not the first gift of inspiration I have found on my nature outings, but this woman modeled things that spur me forward – not saying “I’m not able, I’ve done that before, maybe now that I’m this age…I should reconsider…”
No. She modeled: “I did. I am doing. I will do. I plan to do. I have made arrangements. People are doing this with me…” As she was marching out her goals (at quite a heightened speed uphill I might add:), I looked at her courageous spirit as we parted and thanked her for inspiring me. She will no doubt accomplish her next quest. I have full faith in her.
Do I have full faith in me? Do you have full faith in yourself?
It’s never over. Don’t give up. Keep going. You can do it. You are doing it. Make the plans. Set the goals. Create the steps to make them happen. Who cares how fast you go. Just go. Just enjoy it. Just do it. It’s your life.
Who or what inspires you? What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? What legacy do you want to leave behind?
Maybe you are that someone’s inspiration when you make a courageous step to do it (whatever “it” is for you).
I would love to hear from you. Share what inspires you or how you’ve inspired someone else!
Chelsea's Checking In 
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