DYI Inspiration Boost

Life Coaching Tip: Establishing a daily inspiration practice can help you stay excited about your goals and motivated to achieve them. Don’t leave your mood up to circumstance or chance. Sometimes you must create your own sunshine! We all need a boost of inspiration from time to time!

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This time of year can be rough for those of us who live in climates like I do in Northeast Ohio. Not only are the skies perpetually gray, but the temperatures are often frigid, and heaps of snow can get in the way of most plans.

I live in a snowbelt area to the east of Cleveland, and last Monday, almost two feet of snow covered the ground overnight, making my morning trek by the lake out of the question.

But, it’s not that we didn’t try.

My 9-month-old puppy, Ginger, is typically up for anything, and we rarely let much get in the way of our walks. However, the park trails weren’t plowed yet and the snow was well above Ginger’s head.

So, we opted for a tour of the parking lot, and Ginger delighted in “mountain climbing,” sniffing, and chomping on fresh fallen snow.

Our morning walks are incredibly important to us, not just for the exercise, but also for our mental health.

As a puppy, Ginger needs new, enriching experiences to help her flourish and grow. And I need the same, as well as the quiet inspiration that time in nature provides my soul.

But what to do when Mother Earth nixes our plans?

Well then, it’s time to turn to another inspiration practice that is sure to get me going… music!

Ginger and I, well mostly me, turned up the jams, and belted out Mathew Wilder’s “Break My Stride” all the way home!

Ain’t nothin’ gonna break-a my stride
Nobody gonna slow me down
Oh no, I got to keep on moving
Ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride
I’m runnin’ and I won’t touch ground
Oh no, I got to keep on moving

And by the time we got home, we were both, well mostly me again, feeling energized and ready for the day!

Do you have an inspirational music playlist?

If not, I encourage you to create one. Even if you live in a sunnier part of the country, we all need a boost of inspiration sometimes.

And an even bigger idea would be to establish a regular inspiration routine into your schedule to help you stay excited about your goals and motivated to stay on them each day.

Inspirational reading, audio books, podcasts, or videos might be part of your practice, in addition to mediation, prayer, journaling or walking in nature.

I’m also a fan of uplifting affirmations or mantras that you can repeat throughout the day to take the limits off your beliefs, increase your self-confidence, ignite your inspiration, and make you unstoppable.

And if you’re someone who likes a good challenge, then designing one for yourself is a fun way to stay motivated.

Some of my clients, who have very specific goals like limiting their sugar intake or increasing their business leads, have been playing with this idea and getting good results. Together, we’ve created 30-day challenges complete with rewards and penalties.

For instance, a reward might be a donation to one of their favorite charities, a brand-new, shiny journal, or taking themselves on a date to the art museum.

A penalty, on the other hand, might be a donation to a cause that they detest, purchasing a gift for an unsavory co-worker, or vacuuming out their bratty younger sister’s car.

“Yeah, that’s never going to happen,” is often the response to those penalties, and they then make sure of it by sticking with their goal plan!

Sound fun?

Give it a try! The idea is to be light and playful. It’s meant to inspire you, not torture you:)

Finally, establishing accountability for yourself is another great way to stay inspired. Finding an accountability partner to workout with, or to just check in with, can keep you connected and on track in a pleasurable way.

And, hanging out with a group of accomplished, passionate women who are nailing their goals, can make all the difference in the world! I encourage you to seek out like-minded women and find your tribe.

This is what my Shine On program is all about. (Stay tuned, the next round is coming soon!)

My thought is… misery loves company, but so does badassery, right?

And so, I hope you’ll give yourself a boost and crank up a song like “Eye of the Tiger” today. I mean, if that song got Rocky Balboa back in the ring, it surely can get your heart pumping and feet moving too!

Let’s do this!