This is how I see it.- views from The Inspirator

Hey there!



Hope you've had a great week and things are working out well for you! Can't believe January is almost over.



It's funny that this time of year many people look to list some goals and achievements they'd like to achieve for the rest of the year.It doesn't matter what time of the year you do this I suppose, but the start of a year seems to work well and this is a good practice in my opinion.

Some people sadly can't see what they have already achieved for a multitude of reasons.Often this is because they are comparing themselves to someone else or trying to live up to someone else's image of who they should be.Be it family, friends or media.

How many of you have heard friends complaining they don't feel they have achieved anything in their lives or maybe you have said or felt this yourself? I know I have.

If you think about it, you and every other person has had a least one major outstanding achiement in their lives. You were born! This is no easy task as you were in competition with millions of other competitors, desperately striving to be born, during the fertilisation process before your introduction into the world. So for starters you are a fighter and a survivor!

The world certainly wouldn't be the same without you because your being has already shaped events in the world and other peoples lives.Therefore, you are important!!

For those that don't think they have achieved much in their lives, try this exercise. Write down on a card a list of your achievements. It may be difficult at first but the achievements don't necessarily have to be of Olympic proportions.I guarantee you'll surprise yourself.I've done it and I was surprised.

Many will have listed: learning a language,raised money for charity, been president of a school committee or sporting organsisation, done tertiary studies whilst working full or part time,learned to drive a car, truck or motorbike,learned a musical instrument, raised beautiful children and so on.

You may not have starred in the latest Hollywood blockuster but, So what?

I'm someone who likes to write down goals I would like to achieve .It works for me and makes me feel focussed.
Sometimes the goals I have written down have seemed difficult and have not been completed in the timeframe I was hoping, but I have had a lot of success.

What has worked for me has been a few things: I don't set stringent timeframes.Sometimes circumstances out of your control can affect these time frames and maybe your original timeframe was a little unrealistic in the first place.
I think it is counterproductive to put any time pressure on yourself.

I revisit and reassess my goals continuously.Maybe the goal I have set is no longer what I want or maybe I want to modify it in some way.I periodically check back to see how I'm tracking.

Also I keep a very open mind about achieving my goals.Many times I have looked at my listed goals and thought that there was no way I would be able to achieve them.When I found myself doing this I would give myself a quick mental slap and change my way of looking at these difficult goals.

What I came up with and what works very well for me when looking at these difficult goals is to pose the question: Is this goal impossibe? In every case the answer has been, No! Difficult, maybe? Unlikely, possibly? But never impossible.

I find if you set limits or impose barriers to your goals, you will only ever rise as far as that limitation or barrier and you may want to go further.

I plan to run a half marathon this year.I had this on my list last year but injury provided a stumbling block.
I know I will achieve this goal soon and I can't wait to take on the challenge. :)

Feel good about yourself! You are already a major achiever and an important part of this world!

Good luck with your goal setting!

It's been great to catch up and we'll talk again soon!

Cheers

The Inspirator :)

How many times in our lives do we find ourselves taking things for granted?

Health,beauty,other people,pets,generosity and the list goes on. We are often only reminded of what we have and our wonderful surroundings during times of adversity.

I like to run, as exercise gives me a lot of energy and inspires me to get out and achieve something for the day.With excercise unfortunately on rare occassions comes injury.However,if you look hard enough you can turn adversity into something positive.

Like many, when I first obtain an injury my immediate reaction is to sulk and feel sorry for myself. The next stage, once I realise that sulking isn't actually speeding up my recovery, is to formulate a plan for the road back ,be it either a short road or a long road. This is where the "Not taking things for granted" comes into it.

In the majority of the time when I am able to run without restriction. I never stop to think about my health or how lucky I am to be able to run when many others cannot.

During periods of injury I reflect on how much I love running, the freedom it makes me feel, the wonderful scenery I can take in and the great friends I can run with and share this experience.

Whilst recovering I draw on wonderful memories of running with friends on the beach in beautiful sunny weather.I file these memories in my "Great to be Alive" folder and they help keep me motivated. I know I will get to run again and promise myself I will make a concious effort to take time and reflect on the wonderful things in my life such as friends,family, pets, scenery,etc and not take things for granted.

Friends,family and people in general that inspire you, should be high on your list of those definitely not to be taken for granted.Firstly, you have no idea how long they'll be around for and secondly they deserve your recognition and appreciation.

I used to be one of those people that would often admire something about a person but never reach out and tell them what I thought or felt about them.What is the point of that? My awareness has improved over time so that I now realise my positive thoughts and feelings can make someone feel good about themselves. It feels selfish to keep your positive feelings about someone else locked inside you.

If you can relate to this yourself, try unlocking these feelings and see what a difference it can make to others.

Anyway, I'm off to continue my rehab and give my dog a pat.

I hope your day goes well and you have some new and exciting experiences to enjoy!

Talk soon. :) 'The Inspirator'