Go and rejoice, it’s 2020 – a decade of new beginnings! Time to take stock, hit the refresh button, make merry and create resolutions for the New You in the New Year. I’d like to reinvent the New Year’s resolutions tradition, which can sometimes be a ball and chain. Let’s shift the paradigm to New Year’s Inspirations, to reflect on what inspires us, makes us feel alive and brings us brightness and joy. Let’s face it, we’re beating ourselves up by February 15th asking, “what resolutions?” I’d rather fill my head with ideas that encourage, light a fire and give a hit of dopamine! I fire up each morning with a blast of music (Rodriquez lately) and I get a shot of inspiration from an oversized photo of my dad running on the beach, with a friend, before his MS diagnosis (photo above). As I mentioned in my first blog, my dad has always been a continuous source of inspiration. The photo shouts loud and clear, “Carpe diem…go and be grateful!”
Recently, I asked a friend what she was doing for the holiday break. She said she was going to sit on the couch, drink coffee and make lists. I love that idea! I never got to ask what type of lists, but I decided to adopt the idea for myself. I made a big pot of coffee, plopped on the couch and started a list of some of the many things that inspire me. My list included laughter, rousing music, artistic photography, inspiring quotes, creative learning challenges, cooking shows, La Jolla Beach walks, loud rocking Zumba, addicting podcasts, nostalgia, inspiring others and of course, remarkable people who bring compassion and sunshine to those in need. This is a starter list of some of the things that rock my world! Creating a simple list can help us understand who we are and what we cherish. Starting our GPS audio tour business, Tour Freely, created an opportunity to sync up many of the items on this list. We hope to add some music to the tour which will dial in one more inspirational element from my list!
Nostalgia as Inspiration
As an inspiration junkie, I welcome encouragement in all forms. The other day, as a childhood friend and I were walking along La Jolla Shores, my pal was getting nostalgic about my mother. Entwined in her precious memories was how special my mother made her feel. My mother always made her feel like she was the shizzle! Simple touch points of nostalgia like this are sources of great comfort, connection and evoke inspiration, as the research bears out and as Jerry pointed out in an earlier post, nostalgia is clearly linked to happiness and emotional wellbeing. From the comments from those taking the tour, the tour’s sites are stirring up feelings of nostalgia for the old La Jolla they’ve known and loved. So, as we gather to reflect on “days gone by,” I share one more bit of nostalgia, an upbeat photo (below), I see every day. This is my father, with my brother, receiving the MS Father of Year of Award from President Ronald Reagan. I was so moved by my father’s grace in the face of adversity that I wrote to nominate him for this tremendous honor, and I was overjoyed when he was selected! My dad’s inspiration certainly plays a role in challenging me to make a success of this new venture of ours, and I toast to him regularly. At 6’4” and affectionately known as Big John, I raise my champagne glass in a big New Year’s toast to you, Dad!
As we launch into this new decade, we take advantage to recalibrate ourselves and to ask how we want to inspire ourselves and our friends and families in 2020. Just think what all this collective inspiration can do! So, we encourage you to get out in the fresh air, get motivated and do something NEW and this could include a La Jolla GPS audio tour! You can visit Tour Freely here to enjoy a seaside La Jolla Village tour to make your 2020 merry and bright!
Take heart, tally up your lists, count your joys…. and go inspire!