What inspires you?

I was recently asked what inspires me to write this blog and keep up with my health & fitness routine.  What a great question!

Well to start, my inspiration & motivation to get healthy again originated with my family.  I didn’t want to miss out on being an active part of my son’s life and I wanted to enjoy being a family, a mom, and a wife.  Now that I have healed from my wounds, lost weight, and re-gained my confidence back - there is a lot more to add to that original list.  Here is what else inspires me now:

• LOVE - Love inspires me to stay healthy.  When I feel good about myself, what I’m eating, & how I’m feeling - it’s easier for me to show love to those I care about.  I took the time to take care of me, so now I can take care of others.
• PEOPLE - People inspire me which in turn helps me inspire people.  By hearing other people’s stories, where they’ve come from, where they’re headed, and what they’ve overcome gives me hope and courage.  It helps me build the strength to share my triumphs and pitfalls so that others can know that they are not alone and help them learn from my experiences.  You don’t have to be perfect to inspire others, let others be inspired by how you deal with your imperfections.
• BEAUTY - My son has taught me to stop and smell the roses.  To live in the moment.  And in those moments, I have drawn inspiration from many things.  I have seen a stranger pay for another person’s groceries without saying anything.  I have seen kids play together without judgment or regard of race.  I have seen butterflies emerge from their cocoon, flowers blossom, and heard the laughter of the neighborhood kids.  There is beauty all around us - all you need to do is stop and look.

The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.  ~Kalu Kalu