It is defined as, “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.”

Now, it would seem that this inspiration comes from an outside source, but that is not necessarily true. It can come from within, after one has read something meaningful or experienced something that moved one.

It is further defined as, “the quality of having been so stimulated, especially when evident in something.” Like noticing it in a friends short story or seeing it in a piece of art work that is better than anything produced by the artist in the past.

Another definition is, “a person or thing that stimulates in this way.” I’d like to think that I have been able to do this over the years for my clients. We have all seen incredible performers who do this through their teachings. Zig Ziglar comes to mind for me, but we probably all have our personal favorites.

There is yet another definition, “a sudden brilliant, creative, or timely idea.” I don’t know about you but I find my best inspiration when I run or drive in the car. One of my friends claims she has her most inspired thoughts in the shower.

The derivation is from Inspire and it is Latin ‘inspirare’ ‘breath or blow into’, from in- ‘into’ + spirare ‘breathe.’

Please, breathe life into your dreams!

Normally, I would just wing it but I decided to actually plan what I was going to say.I love words so I decided to look up the word, motivation in the Oxford Dictionary.

Here’s what I found out… Motivation is, “the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but I realized that it is not necessarily a good thing. It’s rather ambiguous. Interesting.

Then I started thinking about examples, like Joe Blanton, who is pitching for the Phillies tonight. He has a lot of motivation to pitch a great game on the world stage tonight, for himself, his team mates, the fans in Philly, to name a few. But what of the criminal who is motivated to score enough to make his life easier for a day, a week or a year.

Motivation is further defined as, “the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.”

That could be the desire to climb Mt. Everest, lose 10 lbs. or make a sale.

Ah, but here’s where I come in (and where it gets interesting), as a coach, I am hired to ‘Motivate’ my clients. The definition of motivate is, “stimulate (someone’s) interest in or enthusiasm for doing something.”

So, what are we trying to motivate? Ourselves, to accomplish our daily, monthly or yearly goals. The truth is that ultimately it is our responsibility to accomplish our goal.

Here is a quote from Elaine Maxwell, American Writer, which underscores this point. “My will shall shape my future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man’s doing but my own. I am the force. I can clear any obstacle before me or I can get lost in the maze. My choice, my responsibility. Win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny.”

And, another awesome one is by John Wayne, American Actor. He states, “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes to us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learnt something from yesterday.”

Hope you make the most of your tomorrow!!!

Imagination, which is defined as, ‘the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses.’

It is further defined as, ‘the ability of the mind to be creative and resourceful.’

Still further, ‘the part of the mind that imagines things.’

The derivation is from imaginari, ‘to picture to oneself.

So, one creates in ones mind and then brings it forth in the universe for all to see. Without imagination we would have never made it to the moon, there would be no computers and there more definitely would be no iPhone.

We all have the innate ability to imagine things as we would like them to be. When I was a child I would imagine singing for an audience or flying in a plane. It was fun.

When I have trouble sleeping I imagine that I am on a cruise aboard a luxury liner enjoying a wonderful meal or strolling along the deck. I just start thinking about it and I’m transported to sleep.

Use your imagination to create a completed project at work, the accolades of your co-workers or a raise. Decide how you’ll spend it, if you are going to buy a convertible, picture yourself in the car with the wind blowing through your hair.

Have some fun and imagine some great things today. You’ll be glad you did.

Boy, is that ever true and thanks to my wonderful husband and fantastic friends I get to laugh at myself practically every day.

Laughter is powerful medicine, it is cathartic. There are laughter clubs that have sprung up in the last few years, similar to comedy clubs. There is also a type of yoga which has to do with laughter.

I love summer days at home/ As I work at home on my computer I get to listen to the laughter and shouts of the kids behind us as they play in the swimming pool or on the swing set.

When they go away for vacation I get lonesome and look forward to when they will be in the backyard again hanging out with their friends in the afternoon or evening.

So, curl up with your honey and watch a little comedy or go out for a night of laughter at the local comedy club or just go to a playground and watch the children as they laugh and play and don’t be suprised if you develop a new found spirit of play.

That is a very interesting quote. Sometimes I feel we are lead to believe that we have to have faith in someone or something else to make our lives better.

What Ms. Ball seems to be telling us, or maybe it’s just me, is that one has to take personal responsibility for how one feels about their prospects and whether they cry in the stands or get the show on the road and make something happen.

It does not sound like she was content to be the victim and wring her hands.

Action is the key to results. If you aren’t doing something actively to make your goals happen, they won’t so get up, get busy and watch good things gravitate toward you.

Make it an awesome week.

Pretty funny. They certainly provide a few pessimists I know with a good reason to grouse.

The fact of the matter is that it is the optimist who makes the world go round in spite of any and all obstacles. Having read several quotes by Thomas Edison it’s pretty evident to me that he was an optimist.

I’d also have to say that George Washington was an optimist or he would never have survived the American Revolution.

I had the pleasure of reading Joe Montana’s book, “Audibles” and I must say, he was an optimist, too.

So turn on your optimism, and if you happen to be a pessimist, get busy accomplishing some things in life so that you become optimistic, too and we will make this world a better place for everyone.

We all heard the adage, ‘in to every life some rain must fall.’ The point is not to get all hung up in that fact to to keep your eyes to the future and know that things will get better.

When we are little kids, we seem to know this instinctively. We ask our parents for a Radio Flyer for Christmas and when it does not materialize we move on to something else. Or, we try to bake a souffle and it falls as we take it out of the oven so we just get in their and try it again.

But as we move forward in life we seem to accumulate more and more of these loses or failures and have a tougher time recovering from them.

My biggest advise is to follow the above and get busy doing something you know you can accomplish and get your mind entirely off of what you failed to achieve or analyze why you failed to achieve your goal and discover what you could do differently in the future to avoid the same outcome.

Whatever you do, do not sit around moping or wringing your hands.

Get busy and make something great happen in your life!

Isn’t that an interesting quote. He is saying that an optimist is aware that the world can be a sad place but continues to have hope and confidence about the future, whereas the pessimist is surprises or chagrined daily by the fact that the world is a sad place.

One is affected by this the other chooses not to be.

It’s all about choice, whether one will remain upbeat and positive in spite of everything, or be gloomy and morose about it all.

I hope that you will make the choice to be optimist and make good things happen in your life.

In order to achieve anything worthwhile in life, one must first, believe that it is worthwhile and second, believe that it is achievable.

Then one can muster up the courage or design the plan necessary to it’s achievement. It seems that anything worthwhile is going to take some courage to achieve, otherwise, why do it? Remember, in order to have a game their must be freedoms, barriers and purpose.

One needs courage to overcome the barriers, even if they are only in one’s mind. Let’s say someone wants to lose weight, maybe 20 pounds. Let us also suppose that that person has tried in the past and failed. It would take a certain amount of courage to overcome the voices in their head saying that they are a loser and you already tried this once before and failed so what makes you think you can do it now and succeed.

I’ve been there, that takes courage. Or, I heard the story of another gentleman who wanted to own a Porsche one day and he would go each week and pick up an Auto Trader magazine. One day his boss told him that he would never get his car. He should stop wanting his time.

Good news, he did not listen to his boss and eventually he did drive up in front of the shop where he used to work driving the car of his dreams.

He never lost his dream, in spite of all the naysayers, and always had hope and confidence.

You too, can achieve your goals. Read books, get inspired. Hang around people that are making things happen and achieving their goals. They will help you.

See yourself accomplishing your goal every day. Experience the wind rushing through your hair, if it driving a convertible or see yourself thinner in a mirror and be happy about your accomplishment.

You CAN do it! Just decide!

So, one can not set a goal and then ignore it if one wishes to be truly happy. It must be nurtured. It must be reinforced.

I had a goal as a child to live in Montclair in the Oakland Hills. I loved all the trees, the wildness of it. Every time I passed through the area with my folks on Highway 13 I would avidly look out the window.

I would reinforce my desire. I would picture myself living in Montclair. I would go to the market. I would walk down the street.

When I was 17 years old, I met a gentleman, we fell in love. Guess where he lived? Montclair. And for 4 glorious years I lived my dream. It was incredible. I had the squirrels come down and eat out of my hand. I shopped in Montclair, I ran up and down the hills, I walked through the town.

It was a blast. Of course, life can sometimes take a different turn but I look back on that time with much fondness and appreciate the gift that Bob gave me for those 4 years.

Needless to say, for a while, I lived “Under that roof” as Ms. Kingsolver so eloquently puts it.

Live your dream. Believe!