Inspiration. Motivation. Dedication. I need these -ations! It's gotta start with the inspiration, I think. I need to find something that will inspire me and then motivate me and then I can apply the dedication.
The other day, I read one of the blogs I follow, Hippo Brigade, and I thought, "Oh, I wish I could write like that." I read her writing and I say to myself that she writes how I think. Then I try to put pen to paper (well, fingertips to keyboard) and nothing comes out. Or something comes out and it's not witty.
The inspiration and the motivation need to come hand-in-hand. I have to get inspired by something and that will motivate me -- to write, to run, to work out, to bake, to just get off the couch. I need a kick in the pants!
I'm thinking about joining a new gym. The gym I currently belong to is super affordable, but that also means it's super limited. I really only use the treadmill. There aren't any classes there and I'm never motivated enough to use the free weights or the machines. So, I got a two-week free pass to a huge gym that is closer to my house and has rooms and rooms of equipment and cardio and offers classes. So, the inspiration is there, I guess - I've been inspired to try something new. Now I need the motivation.
Sure, I went to the gym yesterday. But I used the treadmill. Nothing inspired there.
Tomorrow I'm going to take my first spinning class. I'm nervous. I've never done it before and I'll be the all-around newbie in the class. I know gyms can be clique-y and that makes me shy. I'm hoping that after I make it through the class, I'll be motivated to try out some other classes.
I know that I'm motivated enough to go to the gym five days a week, since I've been doing that for about two years now. Last year, I ran my first 5K. I had a goal and I reached it. Then I went on to run five more in a year. Now I need a new goal. Plus, my body is getting tired of running five days a week and it's letting me know! I'm starting to think that I've skipped the inspiration step. I'm motivated to burn calories, but what inspires me? What's the push?
Do I need to start cutting pictures out of magazines of women with great bodies to hang on the refrigerator? My husband might like that. I don't know if that's enough to inspire and motivate me. I give in to my food cravings far too often and think that I could probably overlook the hot bodies and say that I'll just start over tomorrow.
So, what is going to inspire me? What will inspire me to write? What will inspire me to be creative? What will inspire me to change my workout? I need to think on this . . . and hope for a little divine intervention . . . or inspiration . . . .
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Rhymes with Orange . . .
Well, nothing rhymes with orange. But everything looks better in orange, I say! I love the color orange. So, this is one of my favorite times of the year -- hooray for pumpkin season!
I've never been a HUGE fan of Halloween (well, except for the candy - the rest is just details!), but I really do love decorating at this time of year. When we moved to FL three years ago from MA, where Autumn is not just a season, it's an event -- leaf peeping, apple picking, football games, putting on a sweater for chilly nights . . . . Oh, yeah, I was saying, when I moved to FL my new neighborhood was big on Halloween decorating and I had a lot of catching up to do. Thus began my (slight) obsession with buying Halloween decorations. Gotta keep up with the Joneses, right?
Funnily enough, decorating for Halloween in FL couldn't involve using real pumpkins (keep 'em outside too long, and they rot before Halloween arrives). But, craft pumpkins proved to be a nice substitute. And, all this seasonal decorating gave me an excuse to go orange! I could spread the love from the front door right into and throughout the house.
Three years later and I'm still into my orange decorations, now I'm just using them in CA. And, in CA, there are pumpkin farms! Woo hoo! How excited was I to go pumpkin picking for the first time three years ago?! All those pumpkins! AND, some of them were green. And white. And some are even called Fairytale Pumpkins! Fun stuff.
I have found, though, that in the last few years, since coming to CA, I've been weeding out my Halloween decorations and am opting for a more mature decor. Fewer ghosts and jack o'lanterns, more pumpkins, gourds and cornucopia. I hung onto a few cute ghostly candles and will probably always put my funky witch out (see below; she's so ugly, she's cute), but I've found that using my pumpkins -- real and a few ceramic -- lets me keep the orange around straight through Thanksgiving.
I really love the colors of this season and I'm always trying to capture the perfect picture of said seasonal delights. Thought I'd share a few. They make me feel cozy. Like putting on that first sweater of Autumn for that first chilly night.
My favorite little witch:
Fall favorites:
I've never been a HUGE fan of Halloween (well, except for the candy - the rest is just details!), but I really do love decorating at this time of year. When we moved to FL three years ago from MA, where Autumn is not just a season, it's an event -- leaf peeping, apple picking, football games, putting on a sweater for chilly nights . . . . Oh, yeah, I was saying, when I moved to FL my new neighborhood was big on Halloween decorating and I had a lot of catching up to do. Thus began my (slight) obsession with buying Halloween decorations. Gotta keep up with the Joneses, right?
Funnily enough, decorating for Halloween in FL couldn't involve using real pumpkins (keep 'em outside too long, and they rot before Halloween arrives). But, craft pumpkins proved to be a nice substitute. And, all this seasonal decorating gave me an excuse to go orange! I could spread the love from the front door right into and throughout the house.
Three years later and I'm still into my orange decorations, now I'm just using them in CA. And, in CA, there are pumpkin farms! Woo hoo! How excited was I to go pumpkin picking for the first time three years ago?! All those pumpkins! AND, some of them were green. And white. And some are even called Fairytale Pumpkins! Fun stuff.
I have found, though, that in the last few years, since coming to CA, I've been weeding out my Halloween decorations and am opting for a more mature decor. Fewer ghosts and jack o'lanterns, more pumpkins, gourds and cornucopia. I hung onto a few cute ghostly candles and will probably always put my funky witch out (see below; she's so ugly, she's cute), but I've found that using my pumpkins -- real and a few ceramic -- lets me keep the orange around straight through Thanksgiving.
I really love the colors of this season and I'm always trying to capture the perfect picture of said seasonal delights. Thought I'd share a few. They make me feel cozy. Like putting on that first sweater of Autumn for that first chilly night.
My favorite little witch:
Fall favorites:
Monday, October 3, 2011
Words to Live By
I have some funny friends. One of the funniest, Danielle, posted this on Facebook the other day. It's too perfect not to repeat:
"Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, surrounded by assholes." -- William Gibson
Tru Dat. I'm not sure who Mr. Gibson is, but he's clearly a realist.
Speaking of realists, I really like the artwork and sentiments of Erin Smith. You've probably seen her cards at some funky gift shops and decor stores (or here: http://www.erinsmithart.com/index.cfm). Here's one of my favorites of hers:
"While I admire the glass-is-half-full type . . . I'm comfortable with the fact my glass will always have a slow and steady leak."
Ah, the half-empty glass. It's a way of life. I speak from experience. I live it most days. My husband, on the other hand, is perpetually a glass-is-half-full type. I always say with my half-empty glass and his half-full one, at least together we make a whole person. I want to get t-shirts printed up for us. I'll don the half-empty glass tee and he can sport the half-full one. I do know that Life is Good does make a Half-Full tee. I just need them to stoop to my level for MY shirt!
"Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, surrounded by assholes." -- William Gibson
Tru Dat. I'm not sure who Mr. Gibson is, but he's clearly a realist.
Speaking of realists, I really like the artwork and sentiments of Erin Smith. You've probably seen her cards at some funky gift shops and decor stores (or here: http://www.erinsmithart.com/index.cfm). Here's one of my favorites of hers:
"While I admire the glass-is-half-full type . . . I'm comfortable with the fact my glass will always have a slow and steady leak."
Ah, the half-empty glass. It's a way of life. I speak from experience. I live it most days. My husband, on the other hand, is perpetually a glass-is-half-full type. I always say with my half-empty glass and his half-full one, at least together we make a whole person. I want to get t-shirts printed up for us. I'll don the half-empty glass tee and he can sport the half-full one. I do know that Life is Good does make a Half-Full tee. I just need them to stoop to my level for MY shirt!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)