Discover What Inspires You

Discover What Inspires You and Change Your Life

Are you often inspired? I once took a train trip across Canada and found that I was inspired to write poetry and daydream about the life I wanted to create for myself. When you discover what inspires you there is no limit to what you will achieve.

6 Quotes to Inspire Your Morning Routine

You’ve probably toyed with the idea already. You’ve heard there are better ways to start your day and even considered how you might become more intentional in your mornings. At the same time, a morning routine may sound awesome but could also be a challenging thing. You might not know where to begin.

If this is the case, take heart. Sometimes the best advice comes from people who have already mastered the skill you’re trying to learn. In this case, let’s look at what some people have to say who really know how to make the most of their day.

“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.”
Paul Valery recognized he wouldn’t get anything done by lying around in bed all day. You need to wake up and get moving to make things happen. Embrace his attitude by rising with your alarm instead of hitting the snooze in the morning.

“Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.”
The Dalai Lama knows a great deal about having the right mindset. To create positive energy which will follow you throughout the day, start with a positive thought from the moment you wake up.

“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”
Even back in the early 1800s, Henry David Thoreau knew the value of exercise as being part of your daily routine. By making something so simple as a walk part of the first part of the day, you too can reap the benefits of early morning exercise.

“My future starts when I wake up every morning.”
Famous Jazz Musician, Miles Davis, realized the value of a fresh and positive start to every day. You can also embrace this attitude by reminding yourself from the moment you wake up just what you’re striving for and why this is important.

“To me, breakfast is my most important meal…It’s the fuel you use to hopefully do your best.”
Former NFL quarterback Andrew Luck knew he couldn’t play football if he didn’t first give his body something to fight with. Neither will you get through your day if you don’t stop to give yourself the right food first thing in the morning.

“Every day, each of us sets the stage for our sentiment, confidence, and success by getting dressed. When you feel great and feel your best, it opens up a world of possibility. Feeling confident and self-assured are important inputs into good days, successful days, and happy days.”
CEO Katrina Lake understands the importance of putting on the right clothes in the morning to set the tone for the entire day. You can’t just wear any old thing if you’re hunting success! (Pro Tip: Lay out your clothes the night before to add intentionality to your day.

New Things to Start Doing Immediately for a More Interesting and Inspired Life

When life gets dull, there’s no need to succumb to a mundane lifestyle. Instead, just mix it up! Here are 10 new things to do when you’re trying to spunk up your life and discover what inspires you…

Visit a New Town: Variety is the spice of life, and one way to achieve that is by exploring. You don’t have to trek across the globe to mix up your whereabouts – you can travel to a neighboring town or your closest metropolis. Either way, experiencing a different culture is a great way to make your life more inspired.

Branch Out with Food Choices: Food culture is upon us – let’s relish it! Change up your daily routine by cooking a new meal or going to an exotic restaurant. Here’s the best part: You can do it alone or in good company. It’s your call!

Make a Trip to the Museum to Discover What Inspires You: Unless you’re a museum buff, you probably don’t pay frequent trips to the local museum. When you have some extra time on your hands, and you’re looking for new things to do, take a walk through history or art at the museum.

Spend Time with Someone New: Socialization can be the source of great ideas and inspiration. Give your neighbor a friendly wave or call up an old friend for a coffee date. You never know what could come out of a friendly chat, and creating your own community of friends makes sense!

Go for a Bike Ride: Fresh air, exercise, and some good ole Vitamin D. A bike ride may be just the thing you need!

Take a Day Trip to Get Inspired: When your budget doesn’t allow for a vacation, you can take a day trip to a fun place nearby. Experiment with different foods, visit a few shops and make memories at a new place. Even though I live in two cities and one of them is a destination at the beach, I continue to take day trips to other locations in southern California and along the Central Coast and find this to be therapeutic and inspiring.

Get Crafty: You don’t have to be an artist to enjoy a good arts and crafts session. Bring out the paint supplies, and glitter and inspiration will hit!

Host a Barbecue… depending on the weather, of course. When you’re looking for a change of pace, it’s always a good idea to host a gathering with your favorite people.

Go Shopping: There’s nothing like retail therapy! And if you’re working with a budget, you can go thrift shopping.

Pick up Scrapbooking: Sometimes “new” comes from the old. As you piece together your scrapbook, you can look back on your favorite memories. It will boost your inspiration to go make more memories!

How Our Aspirations Change Over Time

What are your lifelong achievement goals? What did you dream of as a child? Has that changed? Aspirations are those dreams that we conjure up throughout our lives. As children, it may have been a career goal of becoming a fireman, a ballerina, or the President. Then, we age and gain new responsibilities.

Our perspectives change, making new things take on more importance. Aspirations are not a one-and-done kind of dream. They evolve as you grow, and life throws some spitballs your way. Understanding how your long-term plans will change helps you understand that you are not failing but truly growing if life takes a detour.

The 4 Stages of Aspirations… Life seems to run in stages – so do aspirations. Typically, you may find yourself in any one of these stages throughout your life:

Unadulterated Optimism: This stage is more common in our youth when we don’t have the same fears and responsibilities as our older years. This is the stage to identify your weaknesses and build your knowledge and skills. You create a better opportunity for success when you are aware of what you don’t know, and you work to grow in wisdom. Since we don’t know any better, we can dream freely and pursue our dreams.

Worldly Reality: Life does happen, and we get burdened with responsibilities. We start jobs, buy houses, and have families. This is part of life. Your aspirations will seem like they die at this stage, but they don’t. Instead, they are weighed down and go into hiding. You may find that you struggle to find a work-life balance so that you can continue working toward your dreams.

Renewed Dreaming: As time goes by, our responsibilities lighten or shift, and we find ourselves willing to dream again. For some, this may result in a mid-life crisis. It is easy to become distracted. For all of us, it is the time to take a renewed look at our dreams and how we can refocus and refresh our outlook. Often, the result is a firm footing and a renewed perspective on what we want to do with our lives.

Realignment and New Momentum: After renewing our aspirations and shifting as needed, we get the desire to jump in with a sense of purpose. We may feel young again, and others will notice a bounce in our step. Our fears are lessened like in our youth, and the momentum builds to accomplish our hopes and dreams.

Aspirations take a lifetime to accomplish, and you will go through many stages. Understanding those stages makes sense of what is happening and adjusting to achieve your dreams.

I’m USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Connie Ragen Green, dreaming of helping you to discover what inspires you so that you can reach the upper limits of your great potential in any areas of your life experience.