You know those days when you’re a wee bit down or a wee bit unsure of yourself, I want you to remember that you’re always someone’s inspiration.
I was having a bit of an ‘ugh’ few days a couple of weeks ago and I messaged my lovely sister for a moan and said that I needed to pull myself together. She replied “You pull yourself up girl! You are great and my inspiration and you are inspiring others, keep going”. This from the lady who quietly has created a fabulous career in the oil industry in Aberdeen, whilst having a family and runs 10km’s and ½ marathons for fun and never moans or brags.
Anyway, it was such a lovely thing to say and made me drag my sorry ass out of the doldrums asap. To be someones inspiration had never crossed my mind but I’ve been hanging on to that daily now. It makes me feel so good and it can make you feel good too. There is inspiration in us all and all around us and YOU will be someones inspiration too!!!
I find inspiration in so many people and places, my family, my friends, my clients, people I meet, people I hear about and even strangers. I know I may sound like a broken record with regards my sojourn Chez NHS last year (but lots of things came out of that time) but there was a time then that I really needed to find inspiration. The lovely physio Josie Green (hilarious considering my sister is Josie Brown, childish I know) came to see me a few days after they woke me up and am ashamed to say, I wasn’t the nicest to her (bit of an understatement). Everything felt hard, I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t hold anything, I couldn’t feed myself, I couldn’t even wee without an attached bag and she wanted me to lift my arms, squeeze her hand and by the way, ‘I’m bringing in the bike contraption tomorrow’. I couldn’t and didn’t want to even try (a big bugger off right there), I was a touch rude (which obviously I regret hugely, ‘it was the drugs honest Guvnor’, bless her).
However, when she came back the next day, machine in tow, she had found out more about me and knew what I did for work. When I started to whinge and moan like a little girl being asked to walk 10 miles, she said to me “what would you say to your clients or your family if this was them?” and she was right, I had to dig in and take inspiration from all the lovely ladies that had always worked so hard for me, for themselves, all the family and friends that had always been around me even when I was a bit of a pain in the arse (yes I’m afraid it’s true but 7 out or 10 is the new perfection I’ve been told lol). I needed to think of them to be able to get my ass out of that hospital (you just want your own bed and bath don’t you!) which I wasn’t allowed to do unless I could walk to the commode on my own to do my business (so attractive) and at that moment, I couldn’t get my legs out of the bed let alone my ass and was swearing like a pirate at the lovely kind physio trying to help me.
So, jump a year (like in the movies) to last weekend, I completed my first ever 5km Park Run at our local country park. I’ve seen them advertised for ages but wasn’t actually ever planning on partaking personally – that was what other people did. However, one of my lovely 14 day online Wellness ladies posted in our facey group the night before that she was going to do a park run and I thought ‘hhmmm I wonder if I should give it a go’. I’m not a runner (a wee dabble at sprinting the 80 metres hurdles in school maybe and a wee charge down the hockey field to attempt to score a goal, again school days and maybe a run to get to the bar before closing), but I am pretty sure I’ll never run a marathon or anywhere close. However, I had been to the gym this week, been to a pilates class and an lbt class so why not try something else (attention span of a goldfish) and be inspired by someone to do something else. To be brutally honest, I also had new full-length fitness trousers bought from the sale rail of one of the supermarkets (I’m not proud) and not been worn yet so may as well take them for a spin. Well, it’s always good to remember to try things out in a not so public place (just saying) as most of the 5 km, I spent pulling up not only the said trousers, (is that why they were on sale?!?!) but the knickers underneath which were being dragged floor ways also. Anyway, maybe it would have helped others be inspired to test out their trousers before they used them in front of a large audience.
So, the park run, well I’m actually so glad I did it and the only reason I did was because 2 lovely ladies INSPIRED me, one on my online womens wellness programme and the other, my lovely sister who runs them regularly. I may have been overtaken by 90% of the runners in the first 15 minutes (their race not mine),and one being a 4ish year old boy and his mum – whatever – but I did it at my pace and had my own goals – mainly
- don’t fall down or let your trousers actually fall down
- don’t be last (not that there is anything wrong with that), and
- please let me get back to the car before my parking ticket runs out.
I’m glad to say that I managed all 3! – WOOHOO – Success, I’m not saying that I will become a seasoned park runner, however I will do it again and may even do it in my home town this Saturday when back in bonny Scotland visiting the famille. I’ll update you on whether I make it out of bed or whether it was raining at the seaside and actually I stayed in the house and drank hot cuppas instead.
So, to my lovely friend Caroline and my always super supportive and inspirational sister, thank you for inspiring me to shift my ass and give it a go and to the lady in the luminous yellow jacket just behind me on the Park Run last Saturday, you were my inspiration to keep going and who knows, maybe I was yours. And to everyone else out there who has inspired me over the years, I’d be going for ever naming everyone, a big big thank you.
No matter what kind of day / time YOU have or may be having – always remember YOU are someone’s INSPIRATION, let that lift you and know that you are IMPORTANT & AMAZING.
XXX