where do you find your inspiration?

Well, I had a horrible head cold and you can tell because I took two sad little photos of our 10 mile walk. We did an out & back walk from the Transit Cafe to Andronico's and back. I tried experimenting with having one break - with only bathrooms marked on the route map. Not sure this will work on our longer walks, but it seemed OK for this 10 mile day.

Up and out through the San Francisco National Cemetery in the Presidio, which is a really lovely peaceful place.

On our way back we found a *new* set of stairs to tackle up to Stow Lake. STEEP ones at that.

Right after our walk, we headed to the Landmark for our glassybaby fundraising party!

Ready for the shoppers to come pick out their new glassybaby!

My new acquisitions: taxi, seattle sunset, fortitude, gingerbread, victory, hudson and gratitude.

Many thanks to glassybaby and Hillary for this wonderful day! Even if you were unable to make the party you can still shop - through July 28th, enter the promo code “impact” during checkout and 10% from your online glassybaby purchase will benefit the Immediate Impact Breast Cancer Walk.


On Sunday, I met the group and handed off maps because I realized my head cold was pretty bad and walking 10 miles was not a good idea. Trina reported that they had a terrific walk! 

THIS WEEK'S MAP QUOTES

I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being. Hafiz

So many people glorify and romanticize “busy”. I do not. I value purpose. I believe in resting in reason and moving in passion. If you’re always busy/moving, you will miss important details. I like the mountain. Still, but when it moves lands shift and earth quakes. Joseph Cook

Our next step, our next creative idea, lies somewhere in the frontier of our lives, and as we take steps, we see that the path appears, awaiting our faithful steps. And when we look back, we see that what we thought was the horizon of our potential is now only the background. Angella Nazarian

Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto. Dale Carnegie

WEEKLY INSPIRATION

Where do you find your inspiration?  I find mine here: 

In all honesty, I was dreading getting up to walk this morning - I had a head cold, it was a cold & foggy  and staying bed sounded pretty terrific. That all vanished within the first mile of the walk... the cold, fresh air and beauty of the quiet morning re-set my whole outlook. I was so happy to be out walking. Gratitude for the day and opportunity to be out exploring my favorite city. It is here I find my inspiration: on the road in the company of other travelers or in the company of silence. I think deep thoughts, and no so deep thoughts. I see amazing things and share a lot of wonderful conversation & laughter with some terrific people.

Where do you go to fill your well of inspiration when you are overtired, spent, spread too thin, resentful, or over-scheduled ? Here are 50 Ways to Find Inspiration... let's try a few!

Find Inspiration in Nature

1. Go for a walk in nature, practice mindfulness, and lose track of time for a while.

2. Meditate or practice yoga in a nearby park.

3. Watch children playing at the park then make a point to carry their spirit with you throughout the day.

4. Watch your cat or dog in nature and try to emulate your pet’s mindfulness and playfulness.

5. Take a camera outside and photograph everything that looks beautiful to you.

6. Practice deep breathing while listening to nature sounds.

7. Draw or paint a scene outside your window.

8. Watch Planet Earth DVDs to experience beauty of the oceans, forests, jungles, Great Plains, and caves.

9. Get lost in nature photos online.

10. Spend some time contemplating nature-based art.

Find Inspiration on the Web

11. Watch a TED video to learn about inspiring ideas.

12. Search for tweets with the hashtag #inspiration using the Twitter search functionality.

13. Post an inspiring video, like Validation or Are You Going to Finish Strong? Then be an active part of the conversation in the comments.

14. Read blogs written by people who have overcome adversity.

15. Join a forum of people who can relate to your challenges.

16. Browse through inspirational quotes on Tiny Buddha.

17. Share yourself vulnerably and authentically in a blog post—give inspiration to receive it.

18. Learn about ways to change the world through social media.

19. Watch 40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes.

20. Use My Web Inspiration to collaborate with others and think visually.

Find Inspiration in Possibilities

21. Try something you’ve always assumed you can’t do but secretly want to try.

22. Teach someone to do something and tap into your potential as a leader.

23. Immerse yourself in learning something new and allow yourself to forget about the limitations of time.

24. Write a bucket list of all the things you’d like to do in your lifetime.

25. Create a vision board with pictures of all of those things..

26. Brainstorm for ideas for a new project.

27. Think about the challenges you face, and identify possibly solutions.

28. Submit your resume for a dream job instead of assuming you can’t get it.

29. Attend a conference or retreat to connect with likeminded people. (The Wisdom 2.0 Conferencerecently inspired me!)

30. Read 50 Ways to Open Your World to New Possibilities and pick one to try today.

Find Inspiration in People

31. Ask someone you love what they consider to be the most important thing they’ve ever learned.

32. Ask everyone you see today what they’re grateful for.

33. Ask someone to tell you about the thing they love the most in life, and watch how they light up sharing their passion.

34. Ask your parents to tell you what you were like as a child, and remember what mattered to you then.

35. Notice what matters to someone and focus solely on how they experience it.

36. Join an organization of people making a positive difference in the world.

37. Read an autobiography by someone who has marched to the beat of their own drummer.

38. Listen to music that moves you and think about what the songwriter felt when s/he wrote it.

39. Make a list of all the ways your friends and family members are your heroes. Odds are there’s a lot of inspiration around you already.

40. Spend time with children and see the world through their eyes.

Find Inspiration in Yourself

41. Disconnect for a while and write in a journal.

42. Make today the day you embrace a new healthy habit that can change your life for the better.

43. Give yourself a pressure-free day with nothing to do except the things you enjoy.

44. Try something new and revel in the sensation of stretching beyond your comfort zone.

45. Express yourself creatively in a way you never have before—by sculpting, for example—and see what comes in your mind and heart.

46. Enjoy something you created in the past—a blog post, a video, a drawing, or a project.

47. Sing in the shower. Put your heart into and release your feelings through music.

48. Recognize in yourself the strengths you see in other people.

49. Make a conscious decision to let go of something that doesn’t serve you.

50. Reflect on everything you’ve learned and accomplished and how you’ve made a positive difference in the world.