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Guest Post - Inspiration Versus Motivation

My 2nd guest blogger is none other than Sarena from The Non-Dairy Queen. I have yet to meet her in person, but know that I will one of these days. Sarena is one of those dear friends you feel like you've known your whole life. The friend you're related to.

Sarena is an inspiration on many levels. And if you don't read her blog yet, you really should. It doesn't matter if you're vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, runner, lifter, whatever. She has amazing recipes but an even more, an amazing heart.

I really hope you enjoy her post as much as I do.

Inspiration Versus Motivation

Who else is jealous that Heather is out enjoying the beach? My hand is raised really high right now! I trust that she is soaking up the sun (protected of course) with her best friend and sister. With that group of ladies, there are sure to be some great memories being made.

Heather was kind enough to ask me to write a post while she is out having a good time. I am honored that she would have me share. I should introduce myself. Hi Where's The Beach Readers, I'm Sarena from The Non-Dairy Queen. I find Heather's posts to be incredibly inspiring and motivational so I thought it would be fun to talk about those two powerful words.

Inspiration is defined as:  

  1. The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative: "flashes of inspiration".
  2. The quality of having been so stimulated, especially when evident in something: "a moment of inspiration in an otherwise dull display".

Motivation is defined as:

  1. The reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.
  2. The general desire or willingness of someone to do something.

As a personal trainer, I think about these words a lot when it comes to helping my clients achieve their goals. I even think about them and how they pertain to my own life experiences. I have found that while the two words are similar, there are also some key differences. In my opinion, inspiration is the spark to get you started. Motivation is the drive that keeps you going. The inner need to accomplish a goal.

That being said, what inspires me may not inspire you. I find people to be incredibly inspiring. I have to get up at 4:30am most mornings to train clients at the gym. Their motivation to get up and workout that early inspires me and makes me feel my own motivation to get up to help them!

Inspiration is a positive force for me. It comes from seeing great things! When Heather posts her "Way To Go Wednesday" posts, I am incredibly inspired by the accomplishments of all these incredible individuals. The passion, the drive, the hard work…I want all of that. I want to be that good! Honestly though, when it comes to working out and my health, what motivates me is my inner need to fight genetics. Heart disease, colon cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes they all scare me to death and I'm gonna fight those genetics as hard as I can.

Being a trainer, I find that most people assume that the motivation is always easy for me. So not true. I get tired, warn out, overwhelmed and frustrated too. What I have discovered though, is that I have a variety of activities that I love to do and I listen to how I'm feeling and make the best of whatever I'm doing.  Every workout does not have to be overly exhausting or extraordinarily hard. Finding what you love to do and making a point to be the best you can at it will constantly give you the motivation to reach your goals…in life, love, work, health and fitness.

My life has changed by leaps and bounds the past two years. From being a party planner, private chef, recipe developer, stay-at-home mom, specialist in fitness nurtrion, to personal trainer and now I'm moving into more fun things in my career. I took a leap of faith jumping into a new career path in my 30s. Being in the fitness industry has been a lifelong dream of mine. I love everything about helping others reach their goals in health and fitness. I have found my inspiration and I'm completely motivated to make things happen.

I'm curious, what inspires you? What motivates you? Have you ever thought about the differences?

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