Who Inspires You

Have no idea how that green border appears but I'm leaving it

Maybe it’s all the Super Soul Sunday I watch or the motivational newsletters I receive; whatever it is I find myself feeling oddly appreciative lately. And since I’m usually the first person to point out when someone is full of it, annoying or scary, I figured I’d write a positive post.  I’m starting to realize that for every anti-smile, pretentious girl out there, there’s someone pretty amazing.

Some of these ladies I know first hand are awesome, for others you can just tell.

I’m inspired by:

Funny

There’s nothing better than funny and nobody I find funnier than Chelsea Handler. Let’s not forget the business she’s built and the books she’s written. And then there’s my friend Jena who’s also a writer and a stand up comedian. Who decides to rope off Starbucks or can make a workout sound this funny?

Athletes

Sure there are professional athletes but I have a few in my midst. My friend Sarah Stanley does things like this “in 2009 completed 13 races, most notably a 100 mile ultra marathon, a 24 team relay, 3 full marathons and one half marathon- all within 5 weeks of each other. She also updated her progress via live updates to Twitter and Facebook.” Or Tricia of Food Matters NYC who periodically sends me emails like the one I received yesterday. “Something totally ridiculous like this race interests me. Have you found an Ultra that interests you?"

Writers

So yes, I wrote a book and love to write but don’t have a method or training. This week I had the pleasure of hearing Anna Quindlen speak about her latest book. My friend Aidan asked her if she had advice for rookie authors. She said “butt to chair” just put your butt in the chair and “just do it”. The inspiration comes when you’re writing. Speaking of Aidan, I’ve never said this but I think my courage to write LBT came in part from watching and reading about her journey writing her first book.

Parenting

I’m realizing more and more as my kids get older how tricky this parenting thing is. I’m reading a book called the Conscious Parent by Dr Shefali Tsabari. My friend Ameena has a fantastic blog and I love that she never sugar coats the parenting journey. She also moved her family across the country, takes great trips and works really hard. And while often I find photos upon photos of children overkill, I love Alysa’s. Aside from taking beautiful photos, her love for her children shines without the bragging that so many parents succumb to.

Gorgeous and More

I know, I know looks shouldn’t impress but looks with charm and brains do. We just saw the movie Blended. Drew Barrymore looks fantastic and real and adorable and she’s 40 or almost 40.

So who inspires you? And what qualities do you find most inspiring? 

Maybe give a shout out today. When I emailed one of my friends and told her about this post she said, “that’s the nicest email ever”.