2019 Inspire Someone

World Gone Mad

Now my year review could all be about things that inspire me; the sunshine, beach and great photos but no, no and no say it as you see it!  As another year comes to an end, what can you say? The world appears to be going mad, maybe even the beginning of the end, if you are to believe some conspiracy theorist.  We seem to live in a world where complete strangers feel the need to tell people how they should live their lives or if you speak out with your opinion you are labelled!!! Certainly not things to inspire you

They tell you what to eat, what to wear, who to vote for, what to vote for what you can say, what you can’t say and if you don’t subscribe you are;

A right wing, illiterate fascist, if you want to leave and a left wing, unpatriotic, self-righteous softie if you want to stay. And you’re an animal raping murderer if you eat meet and a deranged, spoilt, crazed activist if you chose to be a vegan.

Then if you say the wrong thing or wrong phase, innocently or out of context, you are held to account, labelled, racist, homophobic, sexist, ageist or any other “ist” that someone may have been offended on behalf of.

However what has been encouraging is the good folk in the middle are fighting back and stating “no” and “enough is enough” Because the reality is, the issues above are serious and some of the pettiness surrounding the online debates only detract from the real problems and allows those on the extreme side of an argument belittle and mock the real issue!!

In 2018 I’ve seen this become more and more unbearable, it is also a year that has seen more issues with mental health coming to the forefront. Now this lies deeper in society but the social media wars can’t help.

The question is what do we do in 2019 to tip the balance?

It’s no secret that exercise and the great outdoors along with goal setting and the camaraderie of sport is one of the best ways to fight the inner demons and constructively occupy your time!

The key to this is what inspires or motivates you to take part in your chosen activities. The inspire bit is interesting. Some of us look up for inspiration, we look at the body perfect on Instagram or to the athlete who smashes records for our motivation, which seems logical!?!

After all as a 6 year old, Kenny Dalglish made me want to kick a ball and then Lance Armstrong made me want to watch the Tour de France and so on. But as an aging adult as much as you enjoy watching the pros perform, you know you can’t reach their heights or compete in their environment, which can lead to frustration and apathy for actually taking part. What we need is “Inspiration” for me the inspiration comes from the normal people, people you can relate to, people that you can watch and think, “I can do that” Yes those above sparked my interest in something but, It was my old Rugby/drinking mates from Uni that inspired me to do an Ironman, with the attitude of “Well if they can do it”

And now when I struggle with form or motivation I look to the everyday person on social media and Strava and see what they are doing and achieving and that’s what inspires me. Don’t get me wrong, I have massive respect for the talented, disciplined and dedicated but we can’t all be like that and we have to accept that we can’t all be the best. Because for the majority of us the competition and the race is with yourself.

Personally I have taken more satisfaction out of those who have said to me “You inspired” than any individual achievement. So what I hope for 2019 is that more middle of the road, under performers and those with less confidence come forward and start inspiring those around them.

Your actions will be noticed and they will inspire, whether that be your children, your friends or those watching from afar that you may never know about.

This “life changing” inspiration can come from anything such as a 5K Run to a 1K Swim or leading a healthier life and having an “honest” post now and again about the journey. But whatever you do, let’s not criticise or judge others (I am so going to try!!!) – Everyone is on their own journey and we never really know where someone else is at so be kind!