People Who Inspire Me

I’ve been reading the book “The Fire-Starter Sessions” and one of the activities involves writing down a list of people who inspire you. Below is a list of the first 10 people who came to my mind, in no particular order. (NOT including HWMMS, which should be obvious…)

I’m blessed with an abundance of people who inspire me everyday, I feel sort of sad only listing the first 10 that came to mind, of course there are so, so many more. But after I went through this exercise, I realize each person on this list answer a question about how I want to inspire my own life and where I want to be…

Each one of you has a giving, loving POSITIVE outlook on life, love, family that makes a difference. Thank you.

1. Kristina Wright

Some might find this hard to believe, but I’ve never actually met Kris in real life! However, I have known her as a friend through her writing and blogging for years and years and years now. Kristina is living a dream of mine. She gets paid to write. And in between writing and editing and teaching…she is raising two adorable little boys alongside her hubby. Kristina is a strong, independent, brilliant, creative soul who I aspire to be more like everyday. I’ve followed her life through her words and heartache when trying to conceive a child and shared in her excitement when she had her first little boy. I tried to imagine myself being pregnant and raising a newborn while her husband served our country… Watching her and her husband share photos of their family warms my heart. And don’t even get me started on her writing…vavavoom! Kristina has a voice through her blog that feels like home and has never been afraid to share her life with others.

2. Michele Johnson

I have NO IDEA how many hearts this lady can hold inside her, but it certainly is more than one. If you can think of the one person who gives everything to make the lives of others better, well, that’s our Michele. Utterly selfless, to a fault sometimes…taking care of everyone else around her…her family, friends, community. I don’t know what the East Side would do without her! Since I have met her she has been one of my number one cheerleaders in life…always reminding me that no matter what you might have stacked against you, good and kindness and love always prevails. I’m inspired by her dedication to everything around her and know that the world is a better place with her in it. We all are blessed knowing people like Michele in the world…I’m thankful to have her in my pocket for inspiration when I need it most.

3.  Jerry & Karen Shea

The King and Queen of South Buffalo! Also, the parents of two of my best friends…and an amazing couple I’m proud to consider my *adopted* family. If you look up Jerry & Karen in the big book of people the first thing you will see listed is FAMILY. I swear the love this family gives off can cure almost any hangover from too much whiskey the night before. Upon first meeting them you are gifted with a hug and accepted as one of their own. I have spent many a day, night, late night out with or at the Shea House and every single time, I know I’m home. You gotta be very, very special people to create that kind of atmosphere of love…I can only pray I follow their good example someday when raising my own family.

4. Kristen Driscoll

Kristen has been a dear friend since way back in High School. Her papa is a minister, she went to a Bible College, worked for Billy Graham ministries and spent much time traveling the world capturing stories of faith and sharing with others. Kristen is the ULTIMATE Christian. The kind of Christian every follower of Christ should aspire to be. Despite all my crazy, trials and tribulations, wrong paths, YOU NAME IT (I mean you guys read my blog and social media, you know I’m a bit…well, rough around the God edges sometimes.)  I have never ever ever ever ever felt anything but love and encouragement from this woman. She is a rare breed. Her spirit of acceptance and love towards others is refreshing. I want to be a better person and live like Kristen does…all things with love and without passing judgment on to others. THANK YOU for being one of my shining lights in this world and a true example of what I think being a Christian should be. And I can’t fail to mention she married a great guy who brings out the best in her and is now a SAHM raising a wee little son. Pure perfection.

5. Michelle Wlosinski

HAPPY. I like to post this word as my status from time to time just because, I’m happy. And when I think of who most personifies the word HAPPY in my life, it is without a doubt MEESH. This woman brings a ray of sunshine everywhere she goes and leaves no stone unturned. I truly believe it is impossible to dislike her, unless you are a mean jealous person who is gloomy and unhappy. Life has bumps and bruises and sometimes things don’t work out as planned, but even on those days and moments, Michelle gets through them with a sparkly smile and positive attitude. I have learned much by watching her professionally as the VP of Denton Cottier & Daniels, the love she has for her work and music and community overlaps into the perfect cocktail of success. I aspire to be like my dearest Meesh not only professionally, if I ever get back out there in the world…but personally too. She even has inspired me to embrace the love of the color PINK!

6. Kathy Jo Connors

Kathy Jo can do it all. All things, anything whatever she puts her mind to. She is the kind of woman that makes you believe that YOU TOO can do anything! Run a 5k! Crochet a blanket! Start a business! Get in shape! ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. I’m inspired by KJ because like me, she has so many varied interests…but she seems to make her dreams come true. The woman owns and teaches Wing Chun (Kung Fu) even after having knee replacements! She stands up for herself, her goals, her passions and the people around her and makes things happen. I have always been inspired by her independent spirit. Her love for people, animals, nature, travel, family, the universe, healthy living…all things…I look to her for what I see myself wanting to explore in the near future, because usually she is just a few steps ahead of where I want to be. (Seriously, follow her on Pinterest or Goodreads, you will see what I mean!)

7. Brett Gould

Brett has inspired me in the most direct path possible this year…he quit his *job* to pursue his calling to write/teach/share his purpose on earth through God’s word. Crazy, Courageous. Admirable. Inspiring. I rediscovered Brett who was a friend back in High School at the exact time in my life that I needed to find him…you know, the time I quit my job and decided to figure it all out later? I was given the extraordinary blessing to take a career sabbatical and spend time with my new husband and just live life, which was certainly something I never imagined. And with that came the fact that people, people who I’m close with and love dearly, now think I’m crazy, they think my Husband and I are crazy, but we are going with our intuition and living this crazy life together and listening for clues regarding the next big thing along the way. Brett has found his true calling and instead of being afraid or circumventing around the opportunity before him…he is living out his purpose. Can you even dare to imagine?

8. Marina Mukandala

Where do I start with my dearest Marina? THIS woman quit her job working with me at the orchestra planning fabulous parties and schmoozing, to live out her dream of being a yoga instructor and opening her own studio. Not a doubt in her mind that she could do anything she set her mind to…and her studio Mind Body Flow Yoga is proof. And it all started from taking one little yoga class back in the day! Years later she has a supportive, loving and understanding and entrepreneurial husband, a little princess daughter who was doing yoga in the womb with her mama up until she was born and a son on the way to complete her family. Marina is one of those ultimate positive thinking people. Always look on the bright side of life, trust in yourself and good things will happen kind of person.

9. Christina Abt

I first discovered Christina as a WNY writer…and this year? I was able to watch her truly be an inspiration to me and our community by running for political office, under the independent line! My nerdy heart loves politics and I know part of me will always want to make a difference and somehow be an elected official…maybe it will be school board, or small town mayor or just being a congresswoman in a yet unwritten novel…now I have my muse, my inspiration. Christina is a real person, with real values, real ideas, a real love for our community who ran for political office. I can’t even tell you how cool I think she is. Well, I guess I just did. And the fact that she lives on a farm doesn’t hurt either.

10. Christina Banas

Christina is a dear friend who married her Prince Chuck this year and I couldn’t be happier for them! But that’s not why she made this list. Christina, to me, is the true example of how doing little things, the simple day-to-day niceties can make a true difference in the world. Christina works for First Presbyterian church and loves what she does for a living and it shows. She is full of love, laughter, kindness and one of the most giving people I know. She loves, loves, loves animals and takes in rescues and gives the sweet little guys a fighting chance. She is the woman who brings you chicken soup when you are sick, the woman who remembers birthday cards in the mail as well as the joy of sending the no reason at all cards, just because she is thinking of you. She is the one who lends you her car to go on a date in the burbs and offers before you can ask. To be friends with Christina is to remember all the little everyday things that make life so special and worth smiling over in the present moment.

Me. Today. True.

“Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.”- Hardy D. Jackson

Me. Today. True.

New Interest: Pinterest!

Oooh! Pretty things!

I found a new AWESOME WEBSITE! Pinterest, a place for me to save pretty things.

In the past I used WISTS for this same sort of purpose (wish lists all in one place!)

But I think all the cool inspirational types are heading over to Pinterest.

Are you on Pinterest yet? If so FIND ME THERE!

SIDENOTE:

WTF WordPress? REALLY?

End-of-life? Right to Die? How on earth are these appropriate suggested tags for this post?

If this little penguin can do this…

You can take that leap of faith too…

Letting Life Unfold: Present in the Progression

Ha ha ha ha HA.

Oh Daily Om. Sometimes you are just too SPOT ON for your own good.

Our lives are guided by natural rhythms that are particular to each of us and cannot be altered by force of will alone. Life itself is a journey made up of processes and events that manifest before us only to be swept away when time marches on. Whether we envision ourselves creating a career, building a family, or developing the self, we instinctively know when the time has come for us to realize our dreams because all that is involved comes together harmoniously. When the time is right, the passage of destiny cannot be blocked. Yet as desperate as we are to touch these beautiful futures we have imagined, we cannot grow if we are not fully present in the evolutionary experience. The present can be challenging, uncomfortable, and tedious, but life unfolds as it will, and the universe will wait patiently as we make our way into the unknown.

The fate that awaits us is not dependent on our pace, which was preordained before we ever appeared in human guise. Therefore there is no reason to rush through life to reach those pinnacles of development associated with the paths we have chosen. Enjoying and fully experiencing the journey of life is as important as achieving goals and reaching milestones. There are lessons we can learn during those moments that seem immaterial or insignificant that we cannot learn at any other time. Appreciating these takes patience, however, because human beings tend to focus on the fulfillment of expectations rather than the simple joys of being.

Like many people, you have no doubt longed for a device that would give you the power to fast forward through certain periods of your existence. Yet haste is by its very nature vastly more stressful than serene fortitude. When you feel yourself growing impatient because the pace of your development is deceptively slow, remember that everything that will occur in your life will occur in its own time. Quelling your urge to rush will enable you to witness yourself learning, changing, and becoming stronger. There is so much to see and do in between the events and processes that we deem definitive. If you are patient enough to take pleasure in your existence’s unfolding, the journey from one pinnacle to the next will seem to take no time at all.

Daily Om Knows Me Too Well

This pretty much sums up my night…life.

April 27, 2010
Shedding Light On Ourselves
Parts That Don’t Want To Heal

When we choose that which is not best for us, there can be a deep seated part of us that does not want to heal.

In almost every case, we know what is best for us in our lives, from the relationships we create to the food we eat. Still, somewhat mysteriously, it is often difficult to make the right choices for ourselves. We find ourselves hanging out with someone who leaves us feeling drained or choosing to eat fast food over a salad. We go through phases where we stop doing yoga or taking vitamins, even though we feel so much better when we do. Often we have no idea why we continue to make the less enlightened choice, but it is important that we inquire into ourselves to find out.

Our Deepest Fear

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” -Marianne Williamson

IRONY?

The universe is a cursed, evil, ironic jilted lover today.

I opened up the Awe-Manac and found It’s DECIDE TO BE MARRIED DAY?

I’m supposed to write an ode to deciding to be married?

Um, no that would be Mark not me. I’m guessing he is married by now, last Thursday he said he was going to South America to get married next week.

The universe is indeed my cursed, evil, ironic jilted lover today.

I’m writing an ODE to not getting married to someone who isn’t right for me instead. AND in the meantime…I think I’ll stop checking out this book for inspiration and start creating my own.

Just call me Laverne…

Or Shirley.

Making My Dreams Come True!

Another way to nurture your personal power is to honor your dreams and desires by making concrete plans to manifest them in the world. Start by making a list of things you want, and let yourself think big. Choose one goal from the list and commit to bringing it to fruition. In addition, break the goal into tasks that you can work on each day. Know that you deserve to have your dreams come true and that you have the power to bring them into being.

Sorry, not today.

The Daily Om Inspiration Horoscope of the day has me mocking the words out loud. Just not doin’ it for me today I guess.

Blah.

Faithful Devotion

Perhaps because it started with this line?

You may have the opportunity today to recognize your devotion to your relationship.

Um.

Life constantly offers options, and every choice we make is an act of reaffirming who we are and who we choose to be. We can change our mind at any moment, but knowing ourselves at our core helps us to direct our choices to build the lives we want to live.

Yeah, yeah…moving right along.