Back to the inspiration board
Oh, hey Monday. You sneak up on us so quickly 😉
Since I’m on another breakfast kick
(eating the same thing everyday until I get sick of it)
let’s talk about inspiration.
Yesterday was the day of the half marathon that I thought I’d be walk/running. It was fun to have a specific fitness event to look forward to when I could resume normal activity again, but deep down, I knew it probably wasn’t going to happen. When I woke up yesterday and saw the pics on Facebook from the race, it just made me even more glad that I didn’t rush things.
I’ve ran a handful of times since I’ve been back in action, and it’s been nice to gradually get back into it instead of jumping straight into a training plan. It’s made me… enjoy running again. Zumba, spin and yoga will always win, but running is a tricky ex-boyfriend, I’ll tell you what 😉
I’m excited to see if there’s a race in the fall that would be more feasible for me to train for, especially since it’s one of my goals for the year to run another half.
I was looking for inspirational quotes in my pics, and when my board came up, I realized that I haven’t been paying too much attention to it lately. It’s hanging in the closet, and I either wear PJs or get dressed with lightning speed, so I’d forgotten a lot of the things on the board.
*It’s important to stay mindful of goals, because then each day you’re more likely to take steps towards achieving them*
So, last night, I took a couple of seconds to re-evaluate my board and see how things are going so far, even though we’re only a few months into the year. I was pretty general about my 2012 aspirations, because I had no idea how it would go with such a huge life transformation. I’m really excited to see that even without being mindful of my inspiration board, I’ve still accomplished quite a few of my goals, or am on the way to achieving them.
Still need to plan that Italy trip! Every year we say we’re going to do it, but for whatever reason it hasn’t worked out. The Pilot was “stranded” there for almost a month last year on his way to the desert. He ate gelato and bruschetta everyday… poor guy 😉
I also enjoyed liked re-reading the quotes I attached on the right side of the board:
Relationships matter more than anything else in life. This was a big one for me, because before we had a baby, my friends and I would talk about our friends that were in the “Huggies Club.” As in, “Oh, she can’t hang out tonight.. she’s in the Huggies Club.” So now as a card-carrying member of the Huggies Club myself, it’s been really important for me to hang out and keep in contact with my all of friends, with kids, sans kids, doesn’t matter. It’s been amazing to talk to and see the ones who also have babies, because we can talk about everything we’re going through, but I still love hanging out with my single/college/sans kiddos friends just as much as ever. While my priorities have shifted, I didn’t want to disappear from the planet because we had a baby, and it’s been a lot of fun having the girls over to hang out, bringing Liv to lunches and squadron events.
You can be the master of your emotions. You can’t control what other people do, but you can control your reaction to the situation. You can look at the other person’s intention behind their action (whether it’s love, hate, etc.) but how you handle it has nothing to do with them. It’s all you.
Failure and disappointment make you stronger. This one speaks for itself, but whenever I find that something is extremely difficult or I fail at an attempt, it just makes me want to work even harder to succeed. Failure is awesome motivation.
Life generally turns out better than you’d predict. I’m a big believer in this one. Maybe it’s because I’m ultra-superstitious and never want to *jinx* anything (the Pilot teases me for this one), so I’ll imagine things as going “just ok” so it’s not a disappointment if it doesn’t work out. This way, it’s a pleasant surprise when the results are so much better.
So tell me, friends:
Have you ever used failure as motivation?
When’s the last time something turned out way better than you predicted?
Hope you’re enjoying your morning!
See ya later <3
xoxo
Gina
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Now that I (and my friends) are 30, I feel like the most common thing I say is “oh my gosh, I haven’t seen so-and-so since she had the baby!”
It seems near impossible to juggle friends and a social life with new momhood, but I think it’s so great that you’re being mindful to really put in the effort. Good luck! 🙂
This is SUCH an awesome post Gina! I just did a similar one (http://eat-spin-run-repeat.com/2012/03/22/spring-check-up/) to check in on my inspiration board and goals this year. It’s funny that you gravitate more to the right side of the board now.. coincidentally, the right side of mine is one that I think needs the most work and attention right now, and it’s the relationships/emotions etc part. I love your comment about mastering your emotions. I’m of the same mind.. it’s amazing how we can have such a huge influence on how our days turn out and how we perceive situations. Thanks for the little boost this morning! 🙂
One of my new favorite things to say to myself is, “control what you can control”. Such a help in learning how to do my personal best and then let go. I realized how much time I wasted over-thinking things that I couldn’t do a darn thing about! Great post, thanks!
I’m a bit frustrated that every time I have a half marathon goal I get a new injury – but I turn it into expanding my fitness routine beyond running. 🙂
You are right…poor guy. How could anyone cope with being in Italy for that long?! I love when failure turns into motivation…perhaps because it makes you realize that you CAN accomplish something even by just trying next time!!! Unless it was an exam/midterm…then I just cry haha
I am so glad to hear you feel HAPPY in your decision to take things at your own pace rather than rushing back into something and feeling good about doing that. That’s great. After my daughter was born, the thought of actually running rather than power walking was not something I could engage in for almost a year! It would have just been too much for my body. Too high impact!
Sometimes my bad runs (failures) end up motivating me to keep going and not give up when I have another bad run. They remind me that they’re simply going to happen and I have to move past them. Great post!
I often fail but I’m not the greatest at using it positively to motivate myself. I can tend to fall into the trap of setting really high goals but then not following through fully, not getting the result, and then feeling bad about it. This year I set small (to me) goals – some I should have no trouble making and others will require some effort. It’s important to find that balance though because even an easy goal won’t happen unless you make the effort to achieve that. And just because it’s not a bigger goal doesn’t lessen its importance!
You are doing an awesome job and balancing everything so well 🙂
It’s funny how things usually DON’T turn out the way we plan. I ended up not getting into the graduate program I wanted this year, so I’m turning it into an opportunity to make a big move and some life changes, but it is also motivating me to reapply to programs and get in this time! So I guess in a way, things are turning out better than I initially predicted 🙂
Thanks Gina! I am always so glad to be reminded to “control what I can control”! It is really hard for me to accept, but I’m still working on it! I’ve also had a lot of failure in my life lately, so I’m glad to hear you think its going to make me stronger:)
I need to actually make a board like this so I can physically see my goals. And pinterest doesn’t count for me.
pinterest doesn’t count for me either 🙂
I love it that you wrote: Life generally turns out better than you’d predict.
My husband and I are in the process of deciding whether we should move back closer to family – before starting a family. I think life will turn out better than we predict no matter what we decide 🙂
I think failure is a better motivator than success. When I am successful, I tend to forget that I need to continue working on the task. But, if I don’t accomplish the task the first time, I am that much more motivated to make up for it the next time.
I always predict that things are going to be worse than they are. I freak out over every little thing, that always ends up being completely fine. My husband has learned to just sit back and let me have my moment, and then say, “See – told ya so!” 🙂
hahah the pilot is the same way.
I love those quotes, especially the one about being the master of your emotions. Last year, I really let the people around me control how I felt. Considering it seemed to be a VERY negative year for a lot of people at work, I felt totally drained and depleted and…well…miserable most of the time. Now I make sure that I don’t let other people’s emotions/issues dictate how I feel, and I try to bring as much positivity to every day and situation that I can. So far, so good!
it’s amazing how other people can have the ability to zap positive energy. it took me a long time to learn that i have control over how i feel, and if other people want to be miserable, that’s their prerogative
I love the quotes section at the end. The “you can be master of your emotions,” is exactly what I needed right now! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I use failure as a motivation a lot… especially when it comes to school. If I’m not happy with a grade, I use that as motivation to step it up and do better on my next exam!
i used to do the same thing
I absolutely love this post! I think now that almost 3 months have passed in 2012 (1/4 of the way over which is hard to believe!) It’s definitely time to look at my goals and hopes for the year. I think I often put too much pressure on myself though for certain things and it’s so good to remember that life turns out better than we’d predict. So often I put it all on myself for it to go a certain way but should be listening to God’s plan instead! Thanks for the reminder!
of course! it’s hard to lose sight up sometimes 🙂
I love that “master your emotions” one. I always try to remember that I can’t control what other people do/say/etc but I can control my reactions.
Hey Gina,
I’m from germany and usually more of a silent follower, but today I was thinking about you in my Zumba class and thought I had to tell you 😉
I think you were asking about some new zumba songs the other day and we just had a blast earlier with the newly introduced “Bourleque” by Christina Aguilera – its really sexy and definately gets that heart rate up! 😀
Apart from that I love your mixture of random daily posts with other topic related things, keep that up!!
thank you, christina! and thank you so much for reading 🙂
going to download that song now!
xoxo
The last time something turned out way better than predicted was a week ago when my mom helped me negotiate a new car. I ended up getting the price I wanted for the trade in and even the price I wanted to pay for the new car – WITHOUT feeling pressured in the slightest. It was too good to be true and I just KNEW something bad was going to happen (of course it didn’t). I’ve heard horror stories of car buying but I had the most pleasant experience. I love Honda!
I think the Pilot was “stranded” in my home town 🙂 Let me know if you plan to come back!
i will! hopefully it will be in the fall
awww I love the vision board! Lots of good stuff and good energy 🙂
I’m glad someone else does breakfast kicks (I do all kinds of meal kicks!) I do the same thing with songs. I listen to them until I’m sick of them!
I really like the first quote about relationships… So true!
I have a “words of wisdom” board on Pinterest that I have been using for a little daily inspiration 🙂
I feel like life ALWAYS turns out better than I predicted. In one way or other. Sometimes it doesn’t “feel” like it turned out better at the moment, but in the long run, what actually ends up happening always seems awesome. I do not believe in failure either! Only lessons.
I feel like life ALWAYS turns out better than I predicted. In one way or other. Sometimes it doesn’t “feel” like it turned out better at the moment, but in the long run, what actually ends up happening always seems awesome. I do not believe in failure either! Only lessons.
Forgive me the question, but what exactly is that what you are eating for breakfast? 🙂
oats with protein powder and almond butter. usually berries are in there too but i haven’t made it to the store yet 🙂
Yo- this is my *favorite* “failure as motivation” video. I could (and do) watch it over and over and over!!! Great post today, lady! xo http://goo.gl/bmtY7
*It’s important to stay mindful of goals, because then each day you’re more likely to take steps towards achieving them*
soooo true, being reminded of that helps =) thanks for this!
I think I’m going to take a cue from you and make an inspiration board–Hubby and I are about to go through some major life changes in the next year, and it’s such an amazing way to stay grounded in what’s really important.
Thanks for your quotes on the side: I have to remember to let life happen!!
Hey Gina!
Totally random question, but what are some zumba shoes you recommend? I have been making do with cross trainers, and it’s really hard to do quick foot movements in them!
Also, my hubby and I are about to start planning a Europe trip. Apparently all of Italy goes on vacation the month of August, so I hear we should avoid going then because lots of places are closed. Good luck planning.
oh good to know, thank you!
i used to wear the nike huarache dance lows, but they were discontinued 🙁 i start teaching again in a week, so i was either going to order zumba sneaks from the website, or pumagility (saw them in self this month and they look pretty functional)
xoxo
Thanks!!
The board is a great idea. I need to make one of these. I never thought about putting my goals down on paper, but they may help my motivation and keep me moving.
I have that page from Self ripped out as well! Great advice….
I’m going to use it for some yoga class inspiration! Especially that whole mastering your emotions thing! 🙂
I could use some inspiration for the goal of getting up at 5am to run. I have an 8mo old baby girl and get up currently at 5:30 am to get myself, her and sometimes the hubby ready for work, daycare, etc. I keep setting my alarm for 5am but end up laying in bed till 5:30. I guess you could say I need some mastering of my will power.
i wish i could give a good tip on that one. liv usually wakes up at 6 or so and goes back to sleep for another hour or hour and a half. ideally, i want to workout during that time, but i always go back to sleep
Thanks for posting this and reminding me to create my inspiration board. I have been procrastinating for months!