This blog introduces you to my special brand of BIKE. I show you how to find your Best self, access your Inner strength, tune in to your Killer instincts, and use your Expressive voice. It's inspiring, spiritual, quirky, and it's all in your head. It's about ATTITUDE, not exercise, though that might be a side benefit.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Inspiration schinsperation

Okay, I figured it was time. Time to confess.

Wait for it...

Believe it or not...I am not always inspired.

It's true.

I am not always inspired to do the right thing, say the right thing, be the right thing, have the right things, care about everything, enjoy everything, laugh all the time, yada, yada, yada.

What a relief to get that out!

Just so you know, I definitely have my days where I want to do nothing more than complain. Only I've learned to stay away from people on those days. If you call me, you'll probably wish you hadn't when you hang up afterward.

And I have my days where I don't care if the dishes are washed, the laundry is folded, the toilet is flushed, the lawn is mowed, or the bills are paid. I don't care. On those days, I simply do not care. And everything else can wait.

What I might prefer to do on those days is sit on my couch with a bag of chips and a bottle of chilled Sauvignon Blanc and watch really dumb TV, TV you'd probably never be caught dead in dirty underwear watching. I'm talking things like whatever's on Disney Channel (I don't have kids at home; there's no excuse for me doing this), reruns of reruns of reruns of "Little House on the Prairie," and...don't hate me for this...Nancy Grace. Hey, I can't help it. I want to know when they're going to convict Casey Anthony.

And you know what else? I don't exercise every day. When I was writing my book, weeks went by without me so much as thinking about my bicycle. And right now, I'm in walking/hiking mode. But the weather's getting warmer around here, and I'm getting older, and I don't always want to go outside to get my exercise. It's too hot out there! So I have my days when I don't. I just don't. I'm not motivated. I'm not inspired. So I just find something else to do.

I guess my point is that sometimes we need the lack of inspiration to remind us what being inspired feels like. At least that's the story I tell myself.

When you're having your down days, where nothing seems to lift you up, how do you manage to get through the day? Share your tips. We've all been there, done that. And we're all ears.

12 comments:

Cindy White said...

Love this Jackie. My last episode of listless, unmotivated, uninspired and depressed emotion was remedied by having my energy centers and energy field read - amazing transformation!!!

Unknown said...

I have never done that, Cindy, I don't think. I've had my chakras cleansed. Might need to do that again soon. LOL. Where do you go to have your energy read?

I clearly have a renewed sense of vigor from yesterday. I just spent the morning on a five-mile walk with my daughter and then a major overhaul of all the clothes in my closet. Five bags of giveaways! Ridiculous how much stuff a person can store away and not use. Decluttering. Now that'll unblock an energy force. No cost.

ed Pilolla said...

this is great. our dark times are a part of life. ain't no such thing as living in this world without the valleys. we must share our frustrations or we risk having them fester. i bottom out emotionally and rebound better that way, which sounds like what you did.

Jan said...

Hey Jackie,
Love your post. Living in the Northwest can make all of this harder. No sun makes life extremely dreary.

But the best part of being tired, bored, gloomy is when you feel better, life looks great! And when I'm productive then it makes it easier to be more productive! Why is that?

Kathleen Murray said...

Great post, Jackie. I've had plenty of those days, too. Funny that you unblocked yours by walking and cleaning out the closet. Same works for me. Getting off my duff and doing something, ANYTHING, even if it's cleaning the basement. Also getting outside -- in the garden, to sweep the deck, mow the lawn, whatever, can usually jar me back into some sort of action. The challenge for me is making that first move.;)

Unknown said...

Jan, good question. I'll use that in a future post--Why does productivity lead to more productivity? Furthermore, how do we sustain it? I'll ask the experts and post about that after the blogathon ends--when we all go back to our regularly undaily-like posting, right.

Kathy, making that first move IS tough, isn't it? I've needed to clean out the excess clothes in my bedroom for years! Goodness knows what got me going. I just started, and that led to clearing out the office, and now I'm on to the other rooms in the house. I can tell you I won't be making THAT first move again for quite some time. I'm beat and my muscles are sore, and it'll be time to hire a cleaning lady then. LOL.

Joy Choquette said...

Oh, wow. I can relate! I think we should all talk about this more--it's much more refreshing to be honest rather than run around spouting off about how busy we are and how full our lives are which, I guess, makes us all feel important! :)

Michelle Rafter said...

There are many Saturday mornings when I last thing I feel like doing is putting on workout clothes and going to yoga. I am no not inspired. I force myself to get in the car, to drive the car, to walk into the building, to take off my shoes and walk into the studio. Today, I think, I'll go easy on myself. I won't go all out on the hard poses. I'll pretend it's a restorative class. But then I sit down, we do the breathing exercises we always do at the beginning, then the warm ups, then the sun salute, and before you know it, I'm into it. An hour passes before I even think to glance at the clock. Then we're into savasana, and my mind's relaxed, I'm relaxed. My teacher plays music or reads a poem or is just silent. When class is over, I feel like a different person. I don't always walk out feeling a rush of new inspiration, though sometimes I do. But I do walk out feeling more like myself.

Unknown said...

I would love to get into yoga, Michelle. It hasn't been something I've fit into the schedule yet. But it'll probably happen. Once the idea's there and all. I actually love exercise. I also find that working long hours just zaps too much of my energy, any more. So no amount of liking will get me to do what my body doesn't think it can handle. So my goal now is to focus on cutting back hours, stopping at a reasonable hour, reconnecting with the balance that will allow me to fit more "me" time in that is not work. Because, trust me, I love to work. I love my work. And that can sometimes be a problem.

Sheesh! That was a big ol' long comment, wasn't it?

Anjuli said...

What a fabulous post- I was laughing and smiling throughout the entire thing because I could identify!! SO MUCH- loved your phrase "...Tv you'd probably never be caught dead in dirty underwear watching..." -- I'm still laughing- had never heard that before - its great! :)

Alexandra Grabbe said...

Everyone has days like you describe, and I'm so glad you included this post in your month-long series. What do I do? Force myself to walk at the ocean. I always return refreshed. But these types of days do not happen very often since I did what Cindy White recommends ....

Anonymous said...

On days like that,I like to listen to classical music mostly and lay in bed and sleep or put on the sound of rain and light some candles and just be okay with having a lazy day.