Every Day Inspiration

To be inspired everyday can be a challenge. We have many little things that nag away in the back of our minds …”I need to get a load of towels in the laundry … have to remember to pick up milk … oops need to call the babysitter … what am I going to make for lunch, we have no bread.” Sometimes waking up in the morning can be enough to make you want to crawl right back into bed.
One solution for this seemingly chaotic life is to become organized. Write down everything you need to do everyday. Who you have to contact and about what. What you need to buy and where you have to go. This does work to a degree, but to organize your entire life like this would not only be tedious but is impossible if there are young children involved. Plus, it’s not very inspiring. There is no spontaneity when everything is scheduled.
A different approach to the daily life struggle is to approach each day as it comes and decide from the start what kind of day you’d like to have. Or more accurately, how would you like to feel at the end of the day. After deciding this, then choose your activities.
Do you want to feel relaxed? Plan some ‘me’ time for a portion of the day. Sure, do your chores, appointments, work or whatever else you need to do that day but make sure that the first spare moment you get you focus your activities to your daily goal - relax. Get that cup of tea and a book, or maybe a bubble bath is more your thing. It doesn’t matter what time of the day it is or even how often your able to find those moments. Keep that end of the day feeling in mind and don’t let yourself feel guilty about it.
Some other end of the day feelings that I find enjoyable are: accomplished, energized, healthy, entertained and bone weary tired from having an extra fun long day.
Accomplished is a very personalized feeling. Some may feel accomplished from a regular day at work. Others may find they feel accomplished if they’ve made something with their own two hands such as a birthday card or sewing a pair of curtains. Another might be getting all the main floor rooms tidied, dusted and vacuumed. Essentially, to get a feeling of accomplishment a person must complete a job or project that they feel is a large but do-able amount of work.
Energized is a more tricky feeling to get, especially in our coffee and stimulants ridden society. I love coffee, but if I want to get energized I skip my morning cup and reach for a herbal tea instead. The reason I do this is because if I use a stimulant too early in the day, I’m going to get a bit of a slump or tired period in the afternoon. I save my coffee for later. Another thing about getting energized - it’s a delicate balance between relaxation and exercise. Stretches are a great example. Get on some flexible clothing and slowly go through as many stretching forms as you can remember. Stand up afterwards and breath deeply. How do you feel? Energized. To keep that feeling simply keep the balance. Put on some music and do some chores in a relaxed mode, or maybe go for a walk in the park.
Healthy, this is the hardest feeling for me to accomplish. Health encompasses many aspects of daily life, the most commonly thought of ones being food and exercise. My personal expectations for a healthy feeling are very high, and this is what makes it difficult for me. However, this does not mean it should be difficult for you. Decide for yourself what a healthy lifestyle is and as you make your choices during the day, simply keep your daily goal in mind. Don’t think about a ‘diet’ in general. Keep it to the day only, don’t think about tomorrow or the next day. Don’t think about wanting to lose that 10 pounds, keep it in the day.
Entertained is a fun one. What kind of activities do you find entertaining? Perhaps it’s a movie marathon with a bunch of friends or a big game. A couple hours of video games maybe or watching the kids play in the park .. or maybe playing in the park yourself. What ever it is, have fun and enjoy.
Bone weary tired from having a long fun day. This is usually a day planned in advance and can range from a day at the fair to camping to a community event. These days don’t come around very often so when they do, jump in headfirst and embrace the day.
At this point some may be wondering what this all has to do with daily inspiration. Well, to be inspired on a daily basis requires a certain amount of acceptance to what a day will bring you mixed with your personal drive to make get what you want out of the day. To be inspired by the life you see around you, you have to first know the track that your own life is on.
It’s like driving down a road. You have to know what the signs and lights ahead are (just like having to accomplish your daily tasks, like dishes and laundry, you also have to stop at red lights) but you can choose your own path and destination. Road blocks occur, accidents happen, those things are normal and must be taken as they come. But at any moment on a typical drive, when you know your path and are aware of all the possible things down the road you can glance out the side window and see an apple tree losing it’s blossoms, or a mother hug her child, or dog peeing on a fire hydrant, or a cat staring back at you or a …...