Inspire

We've all had that "Ah Ha" moment when you get an idea, when you've finally figured out the solution to your current query, when the light bulb about your head suddenly turns on...that's inspiration! I know some may say coming up with a solution to a problem isn't inspiration but it is to me. Once I've accomplished that my thoughts have awakened and are generally building up momentum! I often have what I refer to as "accidental inspiration", when I see something or someone doing an activity which starts up my creative juices or when I'm doing something that prompts others to be inspired!

We all need inspiration without it nothing would have evolved. Inspiration alone is not enough, it's learning to take the thoughts in our head and manifest them into reality. We've all been inspired to make something, when it appears to be doable without major construction, I tend to jump in both feet first! This has lead me to tackle new tasks, take several new classes, not all of them academic but definitely a learning experiences! A few months ago I was inspired to reupholster my couch (I've been cat sitting & the house guests clawed my couch to the point I couldn't take it anymore). I took on the task of reupholstering it. I figured worst case scenario I'd need to acquire a new couch but that was the point I was at anyways. I was successful! It was not as difficult as I had imagined but much more time consuming than I had planned (whoever assembled the couch originally was staple & nail happy)! Since my friends have seen what I accomplished, they've been inspired to reupholster their furniture...I've been recruited by them as well.

I inspire and become inspired by movement on a rather frequent basis. I'm that person who dances down the aisles of the store because the song moves me. I tend to also accompany it with singing under my breath since I wouldn't want to wound bystanders. "There's always time to dance" as far as I'm concerned and I'm not even claiming to do it well! The other day I was waiting for my friend to get something out of her car. I was standing on the sidewalk doing the yoga tree pose when a lady walked by. She commented that she could never do that. I replied with yes you can and it doesn't matter if you can't balance on one leg some days trees sway more than others more than others! Next thing I knew we were both trees on the sidewalk!  She told me that was more fun than she thought and she's now going to look into taking yoga.

We never want to lose our spark! It's important to take time daily or at least be open to things that inspire us. It helps our journey in connecting! So go out and dance, sing, paint, invent a new item, reupholster your couch, whatever you can can to inspire and get inspired...it's contagious! 

We love being inspired! How do you inspire or get inspired?

Introduction

Join us on our amazing journey which is made for everyone!  Why come along on this adventure?  We're just like you!  We have everyday trials and tribulations.  We've learned that if you embrace and celebrate life's hiccups and triumphs they are much easier to learn from.  Sharing our experiences connects us and helps inspire ourselves and others in all aspects of life.  This change is contagious!

A little about us & our tri-decade connection: Mandy & I met through our mothers who later became best friends.  I can't recall the initial meeting but I do recall babysitting Mandy and her two younger brothers when I was 11.  As our Mothers became closer friends our family got bigger. We were both the oldest female children in the group so of course we became friends.  Almost two decades later, Mandy's Mother married my Uncle, my Mom's brother.  This union made us cousins and more interconnected than before!  Mandy & I are rather different but we compliment each other, this allowed us to be brutally honest without hurt feelings (which in turn became self realization) that both of our lives, for different reasons, at different speeds, had deviated from the life journeys previously envisioned.  Neither one of us was entirely happy about this.  We had to make a change(s) in the direction our lives were going and in that process Exist Connected was created.  Embracing the idea that we were desperately in need of change and if we didn't help ourselves, then how could we expect anyone else too!  By changing what we could and embracing our strengths and the experiences around us, people started to take notice.  We were unknowingly inspiring others.  It was the ripple effect, we were the start.

Honing in on areas of our lives that needed to be changed we kept having the same conversation over and over again in different forms for years.  Change, Embrace, Connect, Inspire, Laugh, Learn and Celebrate kept resonating throughout.  As we started to tell others about what we had learned from our realizations; it became obvious we weren't the only ones striving for change.    

Change what doesn't work both inside and out
Embrace what is, who you are and possibility
Connect with others who are on their journey, yourself and nature
Inspire yourself and others and be open to being inspired
Laugh at life and yourself 
Learn new things, new ideas without prejudice 
Celebrate yourself, others and this journey that is life

Exist Connected will contain insights for making the journey more enjoyable for everyone.  We will be sharing ideas on everyday lifestyle tips,  places, occupations, crafts and who knows what else, we're open to inspiration?!  We are not alone on our journeys we are all connected in more ways than we realize and how we feel connected to one another varies dramatically! 

We want to make this your journey too.  Please let us know how you "connect" with the world around you and in the event you might be reluctant to try something new to connect please send us your ideas!  We'll be embracing them all!

~Heather & Mandy