Bloggerstock: What Inspires you?

Hey guys! It's time for Bloggerstock, again. Where someone writes for me and I write for someone else. This month's topic is "What inspires you". Be sure to read about who inspires me on Kris's blog Because or Why Not. And now Riley from Wayfaring Warrior will tell us what inspires her. Enjoy!

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What Inspires me? Competition. Revenge. Fear.

It’s not the most mature response, but what rouses me from my bed at 04:45AM to go to the gym is the thought of ex-friends, lovers, and frenemies seeing my perfect six-pack and crooning with jealousy.

All humans want to be somebody. They want to be someone good. We want.

Somewhere between wanting and becoming is a long line of excuses that we might pick up, distractions that lead us astray, and feel forlorn that we’ll never get our goals. That’s when competition, revenge and fear take hold.

I compete. I’m afraid of not measuring up. So I work hard. I sublimate my insecurities by measuring myself against others. Can someone run a mile thirty seconds faster than me? I must catch them! Then the next guy, and the guy after that, and the guy after that.

Like most people, I feel like I have been wronged in one way or another. I seek revenge by being better (it goes right along with competitiveness). They say that living well is the best revenge? Well, I do just that.

I once had an NCO tell me that I had no idea what I was doing, that I wasn’t going to be an officer, and that no one would ever put me in charge of soldiers. He called me “Parade Pretty”, and “Princess”. I should have punched him in the face. Later on, in the small world that we call the Army, I passed him in a parking lot.

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” he said as he rendered a salute.

“Good afternoon, sergeant,” I responded back, walking past him into the building.

I don’t know for sure, but I think he looked back, realizing who I was, doing a double-take and miss-step when he walked into the curb.

You salute the rank, not necessarily the person, but it was pretty sweet all the same. I won’t go after him. I’ll certainly never be anything than professional and fair to him… but in that, there’s a sweet taste of vengeance as well.

Lastly, I use fear as an inspiration. I don’t fear heights, crowds, or loud noises. There are no devils, or monsters in the closet, or shadows in the night. I fear failure. I’m afraid of not doing well, of not performing. I’m afraid of that slippery slope – hey, if you skip this morning’s run, what’ll keep you from skipping two? Or three? What will keep you from slipping from running entirely and become one of those people that just don’t exercise anymore, using time, age, work, and laziness as an excuse.

Is that the fate I want for myself? No.

Is it wrong that use such negative emotions as a source of inspiration? Maybe.

Deep down, I have more than just these three things pushing me towards my goals, but those won’t yank you out of bed before the break of dawn. It won’t push you that extra mile.

Different things inspire us. These are mine.

Thank you Lily, for hosting my post on Bloggerstock! When you get the chance, please take a look at Shelly’s post on my blog While you're at it, go check out Shelly's Blog too!