Looking for Inspiration

I admit to not being a consistent blogger, especially in the last couple weeks. The problem? Searching for inspiration. I decided that I wanted to blog if only it could be more substantial than "Dear Diary, here's what I did today and here's what I think about a lot of shitty people." It's not a place to complain, but to a place to refocus and rediscover.


In Master's Rowing, I would especially get bogged down mid-season due to politics, drama, and early morning crankiness. Many mornings I would drive home crying, completely finished by a terrible row, or something a pissed-off rower said, or even just being ignored by coach. I would take a full month off during the season just to regain my confidence and try to find what I loved about coxing again.


Looking for Inspiration Tip #1: Wake Up
At this point in my year, I have many things planned and reserved and booked, places to go, people to see. But in the meantime, I've been napping, literally and figuratively. I love sleeping more than any non-narcoleptic person, but I don't want to sleep through life. Instead of filling moments, I've been sleeping through them. 


Excess sleep can severely drop your metabolism. It makes it harder to get up and be motivated, and I've been constantly lethargic once 2:30pm hits. No 5-hour energy shot for me. Wake up, metaphorically. Take a cold shower, and open your eyes to your possibilities and the reasons your not pursuing them.


Tip #2: The Big Picture
Things happen, whether you're sleeping or not. You can make them happen, or wait for them to happen to you. You can take them in stride, face them head on unpreparedly, or go and look for something more. 


So the "Something More" is what's going to be tracked down today. I don't want an empty calendar showing me the passage of time. I want it fly by, marked with fulfilling moments and experiences. Stop to live in the moment; don't wait for the moment to find you. 


Tip #3: Get Out
This could be going for a walk, or like my friend Jessica, taking an au pair position and relocating to the other side of the world. Enjoy the spring, or go out for lunch. Take a mental health day and go somewhere new. Create a little change and all of a sudden, you're on a different path with a different mentality.

Tip #4: Think about what really makes you happy and go do it
This is pretty self-explanatory, but also holds another point. Think about what doesn't make you happy, and cut it out of your life. Overbooked? Overworked? Look at a full list of your commitments, and determine which are not worth your time. What are you doing half-heartedly? Instead, go use your time for something that is fulfilling and motivating. You'd be surprised how much more time you have when it isn't being spent on stupid shit. 


Tip #5: Create an Aesthetic
Now that you have an unobstructed view of your time, take steps to create an environment that nurtures your new-found clarity. Your environment plays as much a role in your mood than the things that happen.

• Keep clutter from building. Install and maintain an organizational system that makes things easy to get to and put away. This includes your car, your desk, your closet, etc.
• Figure out the places where you spend the most time (my home-office, for example) and make it place that is comforting to be. That way you'll work/live more efficiently and happily.
• Keep your goals posted somewhere. Keep them top-of-mind, so you always have eyes on your prize, and don't get bogged down in the meaningless details. My goals are on a sticky note on my computer desktop.

Tip #6: Give yourself a goal and reward

I find that I keep focus and work better when there is a challenge; something achievable and fulfilling. Perhaps the reason for the ennui is lack of stimulation. Find something that motivates you, and take it to the next level. Or, make creating your aesthetic a goal. Take a class. Look at your long-term goals, and give yourself short-term tasks that build to achieve it.  If you're not moving, you're just standing still. Might as well move in a purposeful direction.

After a month of "resting", I found that I wasn't tired, but I'd been living tired. Despite the travel, despite the moving, I wasn't really "moving", just spinning the wheels. Don't be stationary. There are too many awesome things out there to just sleep on the couch.