What does Spring Inspire for You?

Doesn’t your heart seem to literally smile when you see the beautiful flowering trees, the green beginning to come back to the trees, the valiant flowers poking their way out of the ground to bring more color and vibrancy to your world? The flowers in Summer and Fall are equally beautiful, but there’s something special about Spring flowers after a winter of dull grayness, or cold whiteness, where you seemed to hibernate. 

Okay, so most of us don’t get to literally hibernate, we still have to go to work, get the kids off to school, cook dinner and all the regular tasks of life, but there is a slower, sleepier feel, a sense that we’re waiting for something to happen, for the life to come back into our lives, subconsciously we put things off and spend more of our evenings by the fire or in front of the television than we’d like to admit. We feel sluggish and it’s just a little difficult to get up the energy for new projects, oftentimes the ones we had started get put on hold.

Flowers start blooming, there’s more daylight, the weather is warmer and unless you’re a cold weather enthusiast that loved being out in the cold, you’re finally getting outside again. It’s more than that though, it’s as if your spirit is coming alive and blooming once again. Your energy is up. New ideas are popping into your head. You’re cleaning out the closets, opening the windows and doors and clearing out all the unwanted stuff AND energy that piled up over the winter. Life feels more exciting, you’re adding brighter colors to your winter wardrobe of black, gray and brown, you’re calling friends and making plans, you’re looking forward to a summer of vacations, outdoor festivals, grilling on the deck, golf, tennis, horseback riding, long walks on the beach at sunset (sorry I couldn’t resist that old standard), your energy feels expansive and ready for something new.

What happened to Your New Year’s Resolutions?

What are you going to do with all this renewed vigor and excitement? Traditionally we make resolutions at New Years, but honestly that seems a little counterproductive because when we’re in Winter mode it’s harder to move forward and make changes. We make the resolutions, then they slowly fall by the wayside or get kicked under the rug, and we hope like heck that no one remembers what we’d promised ourselves we were going to do. We feel guilty, we beat up on ourselves for our failures, and we let it all convince us we are somehow unworthy, after all we did break a really important promise (or two or three) to ourselves.

You could turn all this horrendous mass of negativity on yourself and pull yourself down, simply compounding the problem, or you can give yourself a hug, take a deep breath and sweep out all the disappointments and sense of failure, take another deep breath and allow your mind to go to what you really want to create in your life? What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail?

Does something pop into your head right away? If so, you’re one of the fortunate ones who has something that can instantly get their heart racing. Take a few minutes to really allow yourself to feel the excitement, visualize and feel the emotions when this is a reality in your life.  Now get going: write it down, put it on your calendar, bookmark it in your browser, tell a friend, start working on it, make a list of actions that you can take to make it a reality. Got the idea? Just go for it.

How to find some PURPOSE and Excitement to your days

What if you just aren’t sure what you want to do?

There are so many things you can do to break through the doldrums and find your passion.

1. Make a list
   1. What do you enjoy doing?
   2. What do you dream of doing?
   3. What do you see other people doing and wish you could?
   4. What was your dream as a child? Were you artistic, athletic, did you dream of being a nurse, writing a book, dancing, singing…..?
   5. Take a look at your list. What makes you smile? What makes you just a little excited? Does something on that list make you feel stressed, or tired?
   6. Circle the items that had you smiling and feeling excited.
   7. Write down ways that you could start doing, being, experiencing.
   8. Do you need to make a phone call, sign up for a class, read a book, get some help? Do it now! Get started, that first step is the hardest.
      1. This isn’t necessarily about something that you’ll make a career out of. But it could be down the road. It doesn’t have to be practical or even make sense.
      2. If you wanted to sing, can you take a singing class or join a group.
      3. Want to be a dancer? Okay, so you’re not going to be a prima ballerina, but you can still find a way to express yourself. Go find a Salsa class or even a tap dance class and get your feet moving.
      4. What do you need to do next? If you can’t do it now, put it on your calendar and promise yourself you’ll follow through.
      5. Sit back and feel how your body feels. If you’re on the right track you’re energized and happy. If not, go back over that list and pick the next thing. When you’re on purpose, you should feel energized and positive. You’ll know it when you get there.

What if you still don’t have a clue? Make an appointment with a Life Coach or a creativity coach. Coaches are trained to help you find your deepest self and start living the energized, authentic life you were meant to live.

Here are a few articles in our Health Stress and Living Section may get you thinking.

Set Your Life on Fire

What’s Stopping You?

Do What you Love

Dream it, from Baby Steps to Giant Leaps

Getting Personal Clarity

Enjoy your spring, and I hope you find something that inspires and excites you. Life is too precious to waste by just letting it float by. Create the wave and jump on.

Carolyn

Keep checking back, we are always adding new articles to this section. We’d also love it if you share what inspires you. If it’s an article or story, send us a link. If it’s your personal story, please share it with us, and with your permission we may publish it in the next newsletter.