Happy New Year to all! What will 2015 bring? July 3, 1985, the movie, Back to the Future hit the theaters, and the year of the future in this movie was 2015. So, welcome to the future ladies and gentlemen!
As many do each New Year, I too, fall into considering change, a better self, and what improvements do I need to make to ensure a better me! For me personally, it is not about New Year resolutions necessarily, it's more about a new vision for the New Year. The beginning of a New Year is refreshing because it gives you permission for all sorts of new decisions that somehow don't happen as easily once the year is in full swing. One of my new visions for 2015 is to read more each day. So who better to inspire my vision for reading, than the inspiration king himself, Zig Ziglar.
This morning I selected several books to inspire my thoughts for the day, and the book I feel has the messages worth sharing is from Zig Ziglar's book, Create a Life You Can't Wait to Live. What I liked about this book is how he captured four practical ways for inspiring yourself. We all get in ruts and feel we need to reignite our passions, and here are some great thoughts by Zig:
- Invest in Inspiration: I am on the board of The Women's Leadership Connection here in Orlando, and each Christmas we host a Christmas party for a women's shelter and their residents, as well as their children. Many of the residents and their children would not see any form of holiday if it wasn't for this event. They are very emotional and genuinely appreciative for the gifts and surprises that we put in place for them. This year I didn't get to go to the event, and without a doubt, I felt the loss. Investing in this event makes my heart very happy. Invest in what you feel passionate about because it truly breeds inspiring thoughts and feelings.
- Inquire for Inspiration: One of the best things that I have done to keep my passion alive is to surround myself with people that have similar passions. As Zig Ziglar says, "there is no better way to stay inspired than by spending time in the presence of inspirational people." If you don't have a mentor, someone to inspire you and help you keep your passions aflame, find one.
- Get Involved to Find Inspiration: When you become part of something bigger than you are, it makes you more accountable. You become inspired and motivated to do your best for the group.
- Imagine for Inspiration: I clearly remember imagining what it would look and feel like to celebrate 25 years in business. I imagined the hard work, the dedication from my team, keeping them inspired and happy, as well as imagining the focus I would need to grow the business. We just celebrated 26 years in business this month! Inspiration can fuel your passion.
Zig tells us that, "we are responsible for feeding inspiration to the flame of passion, and if we don't, passion over time, will become a distant and only occasional visitor to the house of your heart." Our future is ours to explore and mold into our dreams. Even without the DeLorean time machine and flux capacitor, it's all pretty exciting to me! What are you doing to keep inspired and your passion alive?