What inspires you?

I want to start my post with a question to you. 

What inspires you? 

I ask this because my own answer helps me be the person I am every day.  

People often ask me how or why I have so much energy. I suppose if I look at myself I do have a high amount of energy.  It all comes down to what inspires me, I inspire me.  I know it sounds  a bit vain and perhaps even conceited but being the best I can be at whatever I am involved in drives me.  Whether it be work, sports, fitness, or life in general I have something inside me that makes me want to conquer it.  I want to be the best for not only myself but for others I am with; coworkers, friends, family and most importantly my daughter.  I want her to learn by my example that there is no 'half in'.

"If you aren't going all the way, why go?"

I wake up at 4:20 AM and I literally jump out of bed.  I am excited to start a fresh new day. 

"What happened yesterday no longer matters, today is another day."  

If yesterday was a good day I am striving to re-live it and if yesterday was a dud, I want to quickly turn it around.

I think a big part of what makes me the way I am is my level of 'passion'.  I am All-In, all the time.  

"Go big or Go Home"

I approach life and all that I do with an all or nothing approach.  There are obviously two sides to this coin; if I choose a great objective I have huge success, if I choose a questionable, more risky objective sometimes I fall on my face.  

"Learn by doing" 

What I try not to do is be negative. I try very hard to make light of stressful situations and let things go quickly.  This is hard to do sometimes when working with difficult people or on a project that seems to never end.  I definitely am not perfect in anyway and sometimes find myself needing to vent my feelings and frustrations I am experiencing. A positive spin on this is that I am not bottling it up which can cause deeper health issues later, however I am bringing those I am venting to, down.  I am working on this part of me and hope to have my attitude become more sustainable through stressful situations. What helps is working out. 

#iworkout  

In the past 5 years I have found that working out has helped me in all aspects of my life.  Mentally and physically.  

"Do what is necessary to become who you want to be"

This is the quote that pushed me to be a better me, physically.  Welcoming my daughter into this wacky world made me want to be the best me I could be. And that meant getting fit.  It wasn't about weight loss - it was about being healthy and strong. What I never anticipated was how working out can change you mentally.  

"Your only limit is you"

After working out I feel a sense of euphoria.  A completeness of sorts.  If I am having a stressful day and am just in a 'funk', I choose to head to the gym, focus on the workout, focus on the reps and nothing else matters, push your body, push yourself.  It clears my head, gives me a new sense of self and when I sit back down at my desk, I'm ready to start fresh.  

"Once you see results, it becomes an addiction."

Who knew working out could be addicting? It's how I start my day.  At 4:30 AM my workout wakes me up, gets me moving and energized for the day.  My noon workout helps keep me going and clears my head. If I skip one or both of my workouts I feel incomplete, even guilty, like I let myself down.

"Sore ... the most satisfying feeling"

When my muscles are tight and sore I feel accomplished, like I did it right. When your muscles hurt it means you are burning fat and getting stronger.

"Your fitness is 100% mental. Your body won't go where you mind doesn't push it"

So I end this post with another question...what makes you, you? 

Perhaps you should considering adding fitness to your life. It helps make me be me.