On any given day, we look to certain people or places for inspiration. We gather all the ubiquitous quotes or sing songs that speak to our hearts. Have you ever wondered how those quotes and songs were written. Or certain people who are just living their life, the mere essence that they permeate around them can be intoxicatingly influential. We are envious and ask ourselves, “how do we be like them?” I would hope you never compare yourself to anyone but for those of you who are seeking to be inspirational or positively infectious, here are a few things that you can integrate into your daily activities.
1. SMILE. Not only does it show optimism but it gives people the warm and fuzzys. Even to strangers walking on the street. They could be having a terrible day or a mediocre one, you could brighten a moment with those pearly whites.
2. Listen to others. This one is hard for some people because it’s easy to get excited and interject when you have something to add to the conversation. If you wait for someone to finish speaking whether in a group or solo session, they will feel appreciated and heard which may inspire them to do the same for someone else.
3. Be kind to someone. It’s easy to do something nice for someone you love but have you thought about extending a helping hand to someone that really needs it? This can be difficult as most of us expect something in return, even if it’s just a thank you. But do a random act of kindness to an individual and don’t expect anything in return.
4. Open a door for a stranger. Chivalry is not lost and doing something as small as holding the door of an elevator can remind people of this.
5. Exude confidence. To the women who are bold and own who they are and what they do, you are inspiring. Embrace confidence in yourself by acceptance and love in your mind, body and soul because it truly shows.
6. Be and do what makes you happy. Happiness is extremely overlooked. People depend on someone or something to make them happy, but it can be lost after a moment. Figure out what in life brings you pure and honest joy. This could be an activity, hobby, or employment. Whatever it is, search for it high and low and you’ll always find pleasure in your life. And what better way to be inspiring than creating your own happiness?
7. LAUGH. Laughter is infectious. Once you find humor in something it’s hard for your surroundings to not to be integrated in the hilarity of the moment. Laughter is a great reminder of happiness and makes people just feel GOOD.
8. Try something new. Get out there and do something you’ve always wanted to do or never thought you could do! Showing your adventurous side can give those who were to scared to do so a small nudge of motivation to do the same.
9. Be vulnerable. It’s scary, it’s heartbreaking, it’s a million emotions to be vulnerable which is why a lot of people tend not to do it. However opening up and expressing feelings that are so close to your heart is inspirational and radiates strength in who you are.
10. Stand up for what you believe in. This is a pretty common way to inspire people. To try and make a difference by voicing your opinion and beliefs takes courage. People tend to shy away from controversy or don’t think they alone can be influential.
11. Take charge of your life. We all get lost at one point or another and some of us never find our way back to center. Realizing you need help or want to make a change is incredibly inspiring as so many of us can get stuck and not find the motivation to get out. Taking the necessary steps to get your life back into control is uplifting and a great example to those who want to do the same.
12. Be genuine. There is only one you in the world and you are unique. Don’t conform to society just to feel accepted. You aren’t being truthful to yourself or the world.
13. Fall in and out of love and then back again. Heartbreak is given a bad connotation because well, it means your heart is broken. It’s sadness, it’s loneliness, it’s unrelenting hopelessness that you wonder if you’ll ever find love again. But from heartbreak comes knowledge and growth. You’ve learned to love and you felt the most amazing emotion us humans can experience. To be able to open your heart and let love in again, even though your heart has been broken, is something to cherish and makes love only that much more tender. To see someone in love again is inspiring.
14. Gratitude. Knowing what you have been given in life and being grateful for every moment. Being grateful can be seen through your actions and motivates people to look at themselves and be thankful as well.
15. Passion. When someone sees that you are putting in hard work and devotion to something, it shows your passion. Passion that can be seen motivates others to find their passion in life or to work harder in what they love.
16. Have no regrets. This one is difficult because how do you know if you’ll regret doing something before you do it? It’s not so much that you make the right decisions but accepting that life happens and mistakes are made. We can all wish we had done something different but what will that accomplish?
17. Live in the present. Take advantage of the now. We miss out on so much when we think of the past or worry about the future. People who remain in the present embrace life for what it is and seize the moment.
18. Apologize or accept an apology. Whether you were in the wrong or were wrongly scorned, just let it go. By acknowledging you were in the wrong or listening to someone admit their faults, apologies are a form of closure and conscious effort to validate someone’s feelings. Many people put their pride in front of a grudge and by not allowing this to happen is inspirational.
19. Bar no judgments. Acceptance is a beautiful thing and society can be so quick to judge their environment. Keep and open mind and be kind, this can lead to so many wonderful ways of life.
20. Challenge yourself. We can all get comfortable which can lead to physical and emotional instability. If we lived every day as if it’s a new one and that anything is possible, people would feel so much more accomplished. How motivating would it be to see someone creating a new goal every day? How inspiring would you feel if your friend told you a story about how he/she was a go getter. Allow yourself to feel challenged in different situations. You’ll acquire so much more of life than letting yourself sit on a plateau.
Being inspirational doesn’t mean you have to be on the New York Time’s Best Seller’s list or have a TV Show on Day Time television. As flat out ridiculously awesome as that would be, simple things that improve your well being and happiness is what’s going to inspire people. I encourage everyone to be inspiring today in your own way or with the tips above, you choose. Believe in yourself. That’s inspiration you can count on.
This morning in practice my amazing instructor focused on letting our body and movement guide our flow. Let go of what we are supposed to look like or how each pose is supposed to be. It’s okay to shake, it’s okay to fall out of stability. Building and pushing ourselves to our edge only makes us grow. I usually think too analytically when I focus on something to work on as opposed to letting my body feel it out. It ends up making me over compensate, wobble or holding on too long to my breath.
Dre Watanabe 