What inspires you?

Aren't we all searching for something that is going to change us for the better?  Looking for that story, that song, that quote, that person that's going to make us get up and go.  What about looking on the inside?  What about inspiring yourself?

Have you ever had that moment when you say to yourself, "I CAN NOT believe I just did that!" A feat.  Not a bad night moment.  Many of you have begun your fitness journeys and may have at some point emptied the tank and left yourself breathless.  Afterwards you say to yourself, "I CAN NOT believe I just did that!"  If you haven't reached that point yet, another moment may have been when you gave birth to your children.  A feat that at first seems so scary and unknown.  It's going to happen though.  That baby is coming out one way or another.  So you do it.  And you revel in it.  It's amazing and you feel empowered, overwhelmed, amazed.  Believe it or not, fitness can give you that feeling.  Pushing yourself to the point of no return - and then you pass that point.  That's when you get the "I CAN NOT believe I just did that!" feeling. 
What gets you to that point?  Inspiration?  Motivation?  As much as you can read or hear the ONLY thing that will get you to that point is you!  There's no Stroller Strides instructor, no Body Back instructor that will take you to the point of hurting yourself.  That's not our goal.  Our goal is to give you the tools to inspire what you think is impossible, but we know to be possible.  Taking that look inside is often one of the most difficult things to do.  To admit what you're doing to hurt yourself and know that you have the options to make it better. 
For me personally, after many years of athletics and coaching, I hadn't had that "I CAN NOT believe" etc feeling.  Where is is?  Where'd it go?  It started when I went to train for Body Back.  The emotional toll it took on me that ONE day was a lot to handle.  I pushed myself to empty.  Farel, our trainer, asked us to look at ourselves.  What did we want?  Were we being good to ourselves?  Get the Gremlin off our shoulder she said.  A million other questions that I wasn't really ready to tackle.  I thought this was just another training certification.  Am I really sitting here sweating my ass off, sweat literally pouring down my face, to find out what I wanted from me?  Well yeah!  Who else is gonna do it?  I AM THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN!  I am my own inspiration!  So how do I inspire myself?  As I explained in our "safe zone" this morning to the Body Backers, one of my biggest issues is looking myself in the eye.  I have no fear of looking someone else in the eye and telling them how it is but telling myself how it is, wow!  When you work out do you talk to yourself?  Do you say, [insert name here], you can do this!  Do you thank yourself?  Do you appreciate yourself?  As wacky as it sounds I've been talking to myself more lately.  Appreciating and thanking myself for what I've done for ME.  During my 10k training I constantly amaze myself that I ran that far or for that long.  "I CAN NOT believe I just did that!"  During your workout today or tomorrow or the next day, try to inspire yourself from the inside to empty that tank and get that feeling.  Thank yourself!  Look yourself in the eye and smile with the inspiration that is you!  When you look yourself in the eye you'll know if you did your best.  Face to face with the reality of who you are with inspire you to be better and go further then you knew you could go.  Be the inspiration.  Be yourself!