Life’s Ultimate High – Are You Getting Yours?!
Today‘s post is from Jess, a fitness professional by trade, traveller by passion, writer and photography enthusiast, an extrovert, a dreamer, a goal setter, a silver lining seeker… find out about her Journey and become inspired here!
Have you ever woken up before the alarm with an explosion of enthusiasm? The elated feeling of being empowered, having a rush of forward momentum, of steadfast courage, the feeling of being inspired?! You recognize that nothing can stand in your way; nothing can possibly bring you down because you are in a complete and utter state of positive drive and determination! You know the feeling I’m talking about, let’s face it, you’re an Incredible woman…this is what we do! But what triggers it for you? Where does it come from? Has it been a while since you’ve been quite this inspired?
I swear, this morning I woke up with an overwhelming sensation of inspiration, gratitude, energy and a drive to get things done!! Now, while I tend to be a bit over the top with enthusiasm as it is, the passion that ran through my blood this morning, all day for that matter, and will inevitably continue to fuel me, is beyond words!! I simply have to take on the world!
Whoa, let me slow down a minute, I’m sorry I’m just too thrilled….
It’s pretty fair to say that few of us live day in and day out on this high, even if you are genuinely a positive, focused and otherwise Incredible Woman! But surely there are a few tricks to bring it back when you’re not feeling on top of your game. Today we’ll uncover the single most significant exercise you can do to gain (or re-gain) that same passion and inspiration AND how to hold on to it making it your way of life!
exercise your inspiration
So you must be wondering what magic potion I stumbled upon, right? A brush with love perhaps? Or an erotically satisfying (sugar laiden) dark chocolate soufflé? No, no I would love to say that you can find this feeling of elation in a tablet or one hit of a highly caloric dream in a bowl (that would inevitably send one straight to regret and self-loathing), but unfortunately not. You see, I was having a rather unfamiliar ‘flat’ period where it began to feel like the odds were just stacked against me. Well, I’ll be honest it was nearly 2 and a half weeks’ worth of trying everything else before embarking on the life changing exercise. What do I mean by everything? From reading inspiring blogs (Thank you Woman Incredible), to surrounding myself with positive people, to taking some solo time out, smashing training, resting, talking about it, not talking about it, dreaming, yoga….oh you get the idea! And I’m confident that ALL of these things lead to the moment, the pinnacle, the answer…. This rush of inspired motivation was the result of an exercise I ‘try’ to do every few months (but seems to get pushed down the infamous list of ‘To Do’s’ all too often).
Now usually I get the most inspired on one of my many travels. I leave it to fate, have an Epihany and then set out an action plan to make it happen! I’m not kidding, this has been going on for years! Need inspiration, take a holiday (an expensive habit I may add!) Have you ever used or even faked a holiday to re-inspire? But is it really the holiday itself, or perhaps, is it just the opportunity to sit back and think about what I really, genuinely want? (Ahhh the art of dreaming…surely you’re familiar with this way of thinking by now;) Also it’s the time to assess if what I previously considered to be my dream, was in fact, still the same…. Interestingly, it’s usually on the flight home where it all comes together and I detail everything that needs to occur in order to make it happen, in other words, I identify my goals and action plan….
good old-fashioned goal-setting
Being a bit more realistic this time, I omitted the unnecessary flight and cocktails on the beach and instead, I sat out on my rooftop, pen in hand and I went back to basics; I went back to my goal setting. Now as you all already know, anyone who has ever achieved anything will tell you that they had a crack at this goal setting business. Wait a second, you might be surprised, this isn’t actually a post about goal setting at all, it’s about being inspired! And I can tell you now more than ever, I am truly inspired and I have an overwhelming need to inspire YOU or rather help you find your inspiration!
So, without further ado, let’s get down to the details, the brass tacks to have you on your road to taking on the world!!
1. “IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING, HOW CAN YOU EXPECT TO GET THERE?”
“Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life”
Writing down your goals is the key here. I for one started with my very detailed goal(s) at the top of the page. As promised, I’m not going to go into the specifics of writing out your goals today, but you can find awesome articles HERE if you need some tips! You must already be feeling a bit excited!!! Can you see it? Feel it? Believe it to be already true?
2. ACTION PLAN, WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO ACHIEVE IT?
“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” ~Japanese Proverb
Right, we’re already feeling a bit inspired; let’s capitalize on it and bring them into fruition. Try breaking down your goal(s) into pieces and identifying every action or event that would be required in order to make that happen. So for example, if one of your goals was to learn a foreign language, let’s say Spanish (since part of my goal is to become fluent!)
A) You would need to research your options for learning: classes, online tutorials, books/cd’s, or one on one AND register and/or purchase required materials <set a date in the VERY near future>
B) Enlist support. Get a friend, partner or family member to either do it with you or someone that will support you along the way.
C) Allocate a designated time each day/week for your studies and practice. Book this in BEFORE you start…and then you’ll have time for it.
D) Before your class or new learning experience even begins, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the language and the culture via online sources, cuisine, even find a “meet up” for other students learning the language.
Ok so you get the idea. You can apply this principle to ANY of your goals be it losing weight, gaining lean muscle, building relationships etc. HINT: Think outside the box….#3 will help you with this!!
3. START DOING AND STOP DOING…I love this!
‘The key to success is to risk thinking unconventional thoughts. Convention is the enemy of progress. If you go down just one corridor of thought you never get to see what’s in the rooms leading off it. ‘
— Trevor Baylis
Can you honestly put your hand on your heart and say you’ve tried everything? Most of us would have to say no. I learned this tool a number of years back, and while it can be quite difficult, it absolutely delivers! Give it a try!
On the page next to your action plan, make two columns: “20 THINGS TO START DOING/DOING MORE OF” and “20 THINGS TO STOP DOING/DO LESS OF” Now, I can pretty much assure you that if you are honest with yourself, you have not actually done 20 new things AND broken 20 habits in order to bring these goals to fruition. Most people find this list VERY difficult BUT you must persist because it’s those ideas that you start coming up with around 17, 18, 19, and 20 that are going to be the things that make the difference for you! HINT: My number 1 & 2 are always a reminder to read my goals and action plan EVERY morning upon waking and before I sleep at night AND to express gratitude for who and what I already have in my life.
practice makes perfect!
How’d you go? Mind boggled? I totally understand! It brings up a lot…perhaps thoughts, dreams, realities that you would otherwise not have recognized (or have chosen not to see.) I honestly went through this sequence just yesterday and while I felt superb afterwards, I had so many thoughts swirling in my mind, I felt overwhelmed. So I nestled in for a good night sleep and it came this morning, clarity. I woke before my alarm, and I kid you not, EXPLODED out of bed a new re-inspired person! I just had to share with you, the Incredible Women of this powerful community! (And later read Kat’s sensational post on “Supercharging your confidence” also, with a list of 20 things…great minds think alike I tell you, perfect timing;) Now trust me, I have done this a number of times, and each time it gets easier, and each time I receive more inspiration from it. But it does take practice, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t wake up with the sort of out of body experience that I had today….you will DEFINITELY feel better than you did yesterday and will continue to spiral only upwards on your journey toward a healthier, happier, more inspired YOU.
You can connect with Jess at her blog and make sure you ‘like’ her Facebook page for more great tips on fitness and healthy living!
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