Recognizing Inspirational People

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Inspiration is a magnificent thing! It comes in so many different forms & is something completely different from one person to the next. It is what compels you to do something. . . It's what pushes you further along than you ever thought possible, or to pick up & try again after you've been knocked down for what seems like one too many times. It's what gives you the energy to brainstorm that great idea & what gives you hope & the smile on your face.

For me, inspiration comes in the form of how I feel when I've done something well or accomplished something I've set my mind to & worked my ass off for. That feeling is one of the most wonderful things & it has the power to keep me floating along a path to more good things (when I keep The Bitch from ruining it, that is!). But, mostly, my inspiration comes from the people around me. . . Let me explain.

When the handsome husband comes home from work, frustrated about one thing or another & still sets that aside to take the time to make me feel special & wanted & needed, I am inspired to work harder to hold up my share of our workload at home. I am inspired to make sure I am doing well in my college classes so that I can, one day, significantly contribute to our financial well-being. I am inspired to brainstorm other things I can do to help make his life a little easier — either now or in he future.

When I think of my sons & how fast they are growing up & all the things they have learned, are learning, & will learn, I am inspired to help make sure that I can give them some kind of an example of how they should conduct themselves as they grow into the intelligent men they are destined to become. I am inspired to lead by example. When I knew their fathers were not the men that were meant to be my partner, I was inspired to make sure my sons had two potential opportunities to see a positive, healthy relationship, rather than one relationship (with their fathers) that I knew wouldn't be healthy. I am inspired to get my college degree so that they can look at my progress & know that if I could do it in my thirties — in a way that many consider “the hard way” — that they can certainly do it right out of high school & bypass all the obstacles I let hinder my own progress.

When I look around me at my friends & family, each doing great things in their own lives, I am inspired by the obstacles they successfully overcome to reach their goals. Some have gone back to college in their thirties or forties & are working their asses off to make sure they reach their educational goals. Some are leaving unhealthy relationships & starting anew, even though the whole idea is quite frightening. Still others are taking calculated risks to start a business they've always dreamed about or to purchase their first home or to travel (or pick up & move) to new & wonderfully adventurous locals. I am inspired by these people! The guts it must take! It makes me want to open my own eyes a little wider to seek out the opportunities I have let slip away & take a moment to dream a little. .  .Then to take those dreams & turn them into plans. . . Then to put those plans in action so that maybe — just maybe — I can inspire someone else too.

Then, here are the people I haven't even met. They are bloggers that I come across on a cozy afternoon of poking around on the Internet, classmates I encounter at the college, or the young kid that stopped to help an elderly person pick up something they dropped. Each of these people have a story. Maybe it's an obstacle that was conquered. . . a quality worthy of imitating. . . or something else entirely.

It's definitely the people around me that inspire me the most. . . As long as I keep my eyes open & embrace the feelings these people evoke, I will stay inspired. . . As long as I am careful about the types of people I allow to surround me, I will be inspired. . . & maybe I'll even be able to be the inspiration to someone else. . .

How do YOU stay inspired? Who inspires you the most? Comment below, email me at mochamama@calculatedchaos.net, or connect with me on Facebook.

This post was written in participation of the Blog-tember Challenge, hosted by Bailey Jean of Brave Love. Please take the time to click here to see what others wrote in response to the prompt: “How do you stay inspired? Who inspires you the most?”