How a kick-in-the-butt can change your life

 

Crazy bird, she was. Only flew when no one watched.
None could keep her. All failed to train her.
Funny name she had. Time.
~ Anonymous

 

My recent post, ‘Tick tock…,’ talks about time and our elusive grasp on it. I can actually define the catalyst—or kick in the butt—that snapped me out of my Rip Van Winkle state, the one where I slept away more than twice the amount of time as the fictional character. I call it BC and AC. Before I re-enrolled to complete my undergraduate degree, my life felt ‘tiny,’ unimaginative. Timid. After college (and also while attending classes for my Bachelor of Arts in Literature, Writing & Film), my world became vast, inspired. Daring. How differently my path might have unfolded had I attended college before middle age. Yet, I wouldn’t trade my experiences or the connections I built, the new tricks I learned and still do. The important thing is where I go from here: forward.

What’s your life’s catalyst?

Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Running on empty? Do more!

[Image credit: Salvatore Vuono]

I’ve been running on an empty tank for the past few months. Even with regular Bikram yoga practice, I’m weary and uninspired more often than not. I think, in part, it’s because I’m not exactly where I believe I should be. Yet I have a sneaking suspicion that, at the same time, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. However, that just means I’m uncomfortable enough to take stock of my life and acknowledge that what I’m looking at is only a small piece of the big picture. My remedy? I’ve started doing more (of the good stuff): traveling to the Midwest to visit family and friends, scheduling time to attend a local tourist attraction and my first volunteer stint for a non-profit, preparing for an upcoming writers’ convention and my high school reunion, plus planning a getaway in the fall. I figure the more I invest in myself and others, the more likely I’ll fill my tank and become inspired again.

What keeps you energized and inspired?