Inspiration

I read this AMAZING post by Rachel last week, and have been looking for the perfect place to share it ever since. This post on inspiration seems a perfect fit. I don't say this lightly but the ideas Rachel shared have the potential to be life changing, and not just for me. I really encourage you to go check it out, but the basic premise is based on a C.S. Lewis quote:

"I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare...If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charities expenditure excludes them."

Rachel's interpretation of this quote left me feeling inspired immediately, I stopped what I was doing to tell Jay and haven't really stopped thinking about it since. Please, stop reading this post and get on over to Rachel's blog. It is packing a big impact today! 

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Today's Challenge, "How do you stay inspired? Who inspires you the most?" 

I find inspiration in everything (not because I am wildly creative) but because my mind is always running.

I tend to draw my inspiration most from people. People I know. People I've read about. People I've never met. People doing amazing things (climbing mountains, donating kidneys, soldiers) and people who are doing ordinary things extraordinarily. Kids who spend their weekends selling lemonade for charity, the parent who took the extra minute to add a note to their child's lunch bag, the grandma who learns to skype to stay in touch with grandchildren. 

Everyone is inspiring. 

Every moment is inspiring. 

It just depends on where I chose to look. 

Beautiful landscapes inspire me to dream big. 

My lake (ok, I don't own it), inspires me to hold my family close. 

My parents inspire me to hold on, and to never forget that things will get better. 

My sister inspires me to be proud of who I am. 

We pretend we are on a roller coaster, really we are on the couch. This is kind of a tradition.

My brother inspires me not to take life to seriously, and to roll with the punches. 

Parents at work inspire me to consider individual circumstances of each child and therefore leads to a greater connection between me and each family. 

The little start-up shops I walk by on my way home every night inspire me to never give up on my dreams, whatever they may be.

The Library inspires me to learn and understand the world. 

Dogs out for a walk with their owners inspire me to just let things go and smile. 

Cats on a leash send me over the edge to happytown. 

Once I saw a mini-horse out for a walk near a restaurant (this has nothing to do with my list but I thought you should know). 

Rainbows inspire me to just dream, unabashedly. If they can exist in such natural perfection, how is anything impossible? 

Survivors and their families inspire me. Whether it's a bad divorce,  depression, a health scare or an unforseen disaster, people who find a way through give me strength. Today my thoughts are of course with the amazing survivors of 9/11 and the families of those who had to find a way to go on. 

What inspires you? How do you channel inspiration into real life? Did you go read Rachel's post yet? Life changing ideas I swear! 

Keep Smiling :)