I Can Haz Idea?

Good morning! I'm working on my second cup of java (thank you, Newman's organic vanilla caramel deliciousness) and getting ready for my morning date with the gym on this cold, rainy, and generally gross Tuesday morning.

The word of the day is "Ewwwwwwww."

After my strength sessions on Sunday and Monday, the ol' muscles need a bit of a break -- so I have 45 minutes of cardio on tap for today. Depending on how many people are in the gym and which machines are taken, my plan is to hit up the elliptical for 25 minutes, the treadmill for 10 (I'm now busting out 8.5 minute miles, which is a HUGE PR for me -- they're hard, but I can do 'em!), and the bike for another 10.

My iPad filled with IIN material is all fired up and ready to go (I listen to my IIN lectures while I'm at the gym, and I love it), and I'm just waiting for the caffeine to do its job so I can no longer feel like an extra on The Walking Dead.

Get! In! Mah! Bloodstream!

While I'm waiting, though, I'm going to flesh out an idea that I had recently -- an idea that I'm really, really excited about.

You see, I find that inspiration strikes at incredibly random times: mid-shampoo, at the end of a boring meeting, while stuck on the train...you name it, and if it's totally random, chances are good that it's a situation in which I've had flashes of inspiration.

The other day while at the gym, I suddenly thought of a passage from a book I just read, and...shazam! Inspiration!

Fact: this book is awesome.

There's a portion of Dare, Dream, Do by Whitney Johnson in which she talks about interviewing people we admire, and it really struck a chord with me for two reasons: first, when I think back to the job I loved most in the last 15 years, it was unquestionably the two summers I spent as a writer for a college alumni magazine.  I remember thinking to myself (at least once a day, if not more) "This is amazing! I get to talk to cool people, interview them, and then write about it. I can't believe I get paid to do this!" As it turns out, socializing and writing are two of my favorite things.

Secondly, I realized a few months ago that I've tended to internalize the messages and ideas that I'm exposed to -- so when I'm surrounded by pessimistic and negative messages, my inner monologue mirrors those concepts. Once I realized this, I decided to take concrete steps to surround myself with positive ideas, people, and messages.  I shamelessly subscribed to happy, inspirational podcasts, and I brazenly bought books that focus on staying positive throughout major life changes.

 

When I read the passage of Dare, Dream, Do that talks about interviews, I realized: in an effort to surround myself with positive things, I want to interview people I know who've taken risks in order to follow their dreams, pursue their passions, or be relentlessly true to themselves.

The more I thought about this, the more I realized that the interviewees don't have to be big-name, famous people -- to the contrary, they can be regular people just like the rest of us.

Then I realized that I already have a substantial list of friends who would fit perfectly into these categories. I have friends who've left secure but unfulfilling careers in order to pursue career paths they love, friends who've worked well into the wee hours of the night writing the book they'd always dreamed of, friends who've left safe but unhappy relationships because they valued their health and happiness too much to stay with a guy who brings them down.

Naturally, these are folks who're perfect candidates!

So, my plan for this week is to start reaching out to those friends to see if they'd be willing to chat with me about the process of pursuing their dreams -- the challenges, the high points, the whole enchilada.  I'm really excited about the possibility of doing this, so keep your fingers crossed that people say yes! :)

With all that being said, I hope everyone has a fabulous Tuesday!