Who Inspires You?

It’s important to surround yourself with people who lift you up and inspire you.

Last week I found myself unexpectedly packing up our family car and heading West due to a cancelled flight.  I feel I need to explain why my blog posts will now be delayed for a few weeks.

We had plans to visit family and friends and those plans suddenly turned into the kind of road trip that my wife and I had been dreaming of.  We crossed through amazing country in West Virginia, plains I never knew existed in Kansas, dealt with the threat of a tornado in Colorado, and saw amazing beauty in Wyoming when we passed some buffalo.  We were on the road for three and 1/2 days with our young kids in tow.  A lot of friends said we were crazy and we even had our doubts.  But there was one major fact that brushed away all my fear: I am married to an amazing woman who lifts and inspires me.

The reason we’re taking this trip is to visit family and friends.  But this trip also meant the wife and I didn’t have time to celebrate our 9 year anniversary.  (Don’t worry, we have ideas in place to celebrate later!)  So, on the day of our anniversary we decided we should at least take a picture.  I think the photo above is a good reflection of the spirit of our marriage.

Let me tell you a bit about the woman I married.  My wife inspires me to accomplish things I only dream of, she’s given me faith to rise to tasks I’ve felt were beyond my ability, she’s sculpted my rough edges away, she’s given me a reason to improve and repent, and she provides beauty to every day of these past 9 years.  Not only that, she’s brought children into our lives that give me a joy I never imagined was possible.  And all of this makes it easy to carry her when she needs it.  Thus, the above photo 😉

You see, I believe, like others, that you are the sum of those with whom you associate.  As I celebrate 9 years of dedication to my wife, I encourage you to consider those with whom you associate.  Ask yourself, do the people you associate with cause you to rise to your potential or do they drag you down?  Your friends, co-workers, family, or neighbors all have an impact on your life.  If they present obstacles to your growth, find others and make the effort to associate with them.  If you are one of the rare few who are surrounded by people that truly inspire, you should seek out others who need your association.

So, until I get back home and settled back into the blogging routine and can write the final post on The E-Myth, please take a moment to reflect on the people you surround yourself with and take a mental inventory.  Then, take action.