Have you ever met someone who makes you look at your own life a little differently? Not because they’re giving you wonderful advice or telling you how to live, but simply because of the way they live theirs. Maybe it’s someone who has gone through tremendous difficulties and still manages to find reasons to smile. Someone who continues learning, creating, exploring, or pursuing something they love, even when life has given them plenty of reasons to stop.
I find these people fascinating. And I’m not necessarily talking about famous personalities or people who have achieved extraordinary things. Sometimes it’s someone in our own family, a friend, a neighbour, or even a complete stranger whose attitude stays with us long after we’ve met them. They remind us of something we may have forgotten about ourselves. And occasionally, they make us wonder, Am I still excited about my own life? Or have I become so busy living it that I’ve forgotten what makes me feel alive?

When Did Life Become So Predictable?
It’s funny how we slowly settle into our routines without even noticing. We wake up, get through our responsibilities, manage our work, relationships, finances, family commitments, and whatever else life throws our way. We try to eat well, exercise, get enough sleep (that one can be a challenge!), and perhaps squeeze in some quiet time for ourselves. And before we know it, another week has gone by.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with routine. I believe routines are important, especially when it comes to our physical and emotional well-being. But sometimes we become so efficient at managing our lives that we stop being curious about them. We know what tomorrow will look like, what we’ll be doing next weekend, and probably what we’ll complain about on Monday morning!

Think about the last time you felt genuinely excited about something. Not because you had to do it, or because it was going to improve your career, health, or finances, but simply because you wanted to. Maybe it was learning to dance, planning a little adventure, picking up a forgotten hobby, or having an interesting conversation with someone who sees the world differently. Somewhere between being responsible and being practical, we can start putting our interests on hold. We tell ourselves we’ll get back to them when life settles down. But does life ever really settle down? There’s always another responsibility waiting.
And that’s why I think inspiration matters. Sometimes we need to see someone else enjoying their life, taking a chance, or following their passion to remember that we’re allowed to do the same.

The People Who Inspire Us Aren’t Always the Ones We Expect
When we think of inspiring people, we often think of successful entrepreneurs, spiritual teachers, authors, or people who have overcome extraordinary challenges. And yes, their stories can be powerful. But some of the most inspiring people I’ve met are ordinary people doing ordinary things with extraordinary dedication. Think about someone who gets up every morning and goes for a walk despite having a hundred excuses not to. Or a person who has experienced a difficult loss but gradually finds the courage to rebuild their life. Someone who starts taking music lessons at sixty, or a friend who finally decides to leave a career that no longer makes them happy and explore something completely different. What inspires me about people like this isn’t necessarily what they achieve. It’s that they haven’t given up on themselves.
There’s actually an interesting psychological connection here. Psychologist Albert Bandura studied how our beliefs about our abilities are influenced by observing others. When we see someone we can relate to learning something, overcoming difficulties, or making progress, it can strengthen our belief that perhaps we could do something similar. But here’s something important. There’s a fine line between being inspired by someone and comparing ourselves to them. One makes us feel encouraged; the other can leave us feeling like we’re falling behind. And with social media constantly showing us everyone’s achievements, travels, beautiful homes, and supposedly perfect lives, it’s easy to cross that line.

So perhaps the question isn’t “Why haven’t I accomplished what they have?“ Instead, try asking, What is it about this person that inspires me, and how could I bring a little of that quality into my own life? And of course, we don’t always need to look outside ourselves for inspiration. Sometimes it comes from our own experiences, the challenges we’ve overcome, or simply remembering how far we’ve come. But there are also times when someone else’s journey reminds us of something we’ve forgotten about ourselves. They aren’t necessarily giving us the motivation to keep going. They’re just helping us see what’s already possible within us. And I think that’s worth appreciating.

Who Decided There’s an Age Limit on Dreams?
I recently came across the story of Grandma Moses, an American artist who began painting seriously in her late seventies. She went on to become one of America’s best-known folk artists, with her work exhibited widely. Imagine if she’d decided she was simply too old to begin!
Then there’s Colonel Harland Sanders, who became famous for building Kentucky Fried Chicken into a franchise business in his sixties. His story certainly wasn’t one of overnight success. He’d already lived through years of different jobs, business ventures, setbacks, and disappointments.
We have this strange habit of assigning ages to things. There’s an age to study, an age to establish a career, an age to settle down, and apparently an age when we’re supposed to stop experimenting and become sensible!

But who made these rules?
Maybe at fifty you discover you love hiking. At sixty you start writing. At seventy you decide to learn a new language. Or perhaps at thirty-five you realize the career you worked so hard to build doesn’t excite you anymore, and you want to explore something different. Of course, circumstances matter. Health, finances, family responsibilities, and energy levels can all influence what’s realistic. But I think there’s a difference between acknowledging our limitations and automatically assuming we’ve reached them. Sometimes the most inspiring thing we can do is give ourselves permission to remain interested in life.

Inspiration Is Wonderful, but What Happens Afterward?
We’ve all experienced that lovely burst of motivation after reading a book, attending a workshop, watching an inspiring interview, or having a meaningful conversation. For a few hours, we feel ready to change everything! We make plans, promise ourselves we’ll start something new, and feel quite convinced that this time things will be different.
Then Monday arrives. The emails pile up, someone needs something urgently, the laundry is waiting, and suddenly our grand plans don’t seem quite so urgent anymore. I think that’s where we sometimes misunderstand inspiration. We expect it to keep us motivated, when really, inspiration is often just the beginning.
This is also where our daily practices become important. Yoga, meditation, walking, journaling, or simply spending some quiet time with ourselves can help us notice when we’ve been running on autopilot. They won’t magically make us passionate about everything, but they can create a little breathing room to ask ourselves what we’re missing. We are allowed to be curious. We are allowed to change our minds. And we are certainly allowed to discover new things about ourselves, regardless of how long we’ve been doing life a particular way.

A Few Ways to Keep That Spark Alive
If you’ve been feeling a little uninspired lately, don’t immediately assume you need a dramatic change. Sometimes it’s the smallest shifts that remind us there’s still plenty to look forward to.

Make Your Own Inspiration List: Think of three people who genuinely inspire you. They don’t have to be famous. Write down one quality you admire in each person. Is it their resilience, kindness, discipline, creativity, or enthusiasm? Then ask yourself how you could practise one of those qualities this week. For example, if you admire someone’s adventurous spirit, perhaps it’s time to visit somewhere new instead of going to the same familiar places.

Bring Back Something You Once Loved: Remember an interest you enjoyed before life became so busy? Maybe painting, gardening, dancing, photography, reading, or playing an instrument. You don’t need to be particularly good at it. Give yourself twenty minutes this week to reconnect with it. And please, resist the temptation to turn it into another goal you have to achieve!

Try the Ten-Minute Beginning: If there’s something you’ve been wanting to do but keep postponing, give it just ten minutes. Open that book. Write the first paragraph. Research a class. Take out your art supplies. Often, getting started is the hardest part. Ten minutes may not change your life, but it can interrupt the habit of endlessly putting things off.

Spend Time With People Who Make You Feel Alive: Pay attention to how you feel after spending time with different people. Some conversations leave us feeling drained, while others make us curious, hopeful, and excited about possibilities. Make a conscious effort to spend a little more time with people who encourage you to grow, laugh, and explore. And remember, you can be that person for someone else too.

Keep a Little Curiosity Journal: At the end of the day, write down one thing that caught your attention. Perhaps you heard an interesting idea, noticed someone doing something unusual, discovered a new place, or wondered how something works. Follow up on one of those observations during the week. Curiosity doesn’t always arrive as a big passion. Sometimes it begins with a simple, Hmm, that’s interesting!

Stop Waiting Until You’re Good at Something: This one is especially important. As adults, we can become surprisingly uncomfortable with being beginners. We don’t want to look awkward, make mistakes, or feel foolish. But learning something new usually involves all three! Try something where you’re perfectly happy to be a beginner. A dance class, pottery workshop, new recipe, or even a different style of exercise. Allow yourself to enjoy the process without needing an impressive result.

Pay a Little Inspiration Forward: Tell someone when they’ve inspired you. We often admire people silently, assuming they already know how much their actions matter. They may have absolutely no idea. Send that message, make that phone call, or encourage someone who’s considering something new. Sometimes a few sincere words can give someone the confidence to keep going.

Ask Yourself a Better Question: Instead of ending the day by thinking about everything you didn’t finish, ask yourself, What gave me a little energy today? What made me curious? What would I like more of in my life? These questions can help you recognize interests and possibilities that get buried beneath everyday responsibilities.

Affirmations to help you stay inspired….
I am allowed to discover new parts of myself at every stage of life.
I can admire someone else’s journey without comparing it to my own.
I don’t need to have everything figured out to begin something meaningful.
My life still has room for curiosity, creativity, and new experiences.

A Little Journaling for This Week
Find a quiet moment, perhaps after your meditation or with your morning tea, and reflect on these questions:
Who are three people who have genuinely inspired me, and what have I learned from them?
What part of my life has started to feel a little too predictable?
Is there something I’ve quietly stopped doing because I think I’m too busy, too old, or not good enough?
When was the last time I felt truly enthusiastic about something, and what was it?

Before You Get Back to Your Day…
I wonder how many people have inspired us over the years without ever knowing it. A parent whose determination we quietly admired. A teacher who believed in us. A friend who showed courage during a difficult time. Or someone who simply continued doing what they loved, even when the world around them suggested they should slow down. And perhaps, without realizing it, we’ve inspired a few people ourselves.I think that’s one of the loveliest things about inspiration. It doesn’t have to stop with the person who first sparked it. We can carry something forward, add our own experiences to it, and pass it along in ways we may never fully see. So this week, think about the people who inspire you. But also take a moment to think about the life you’re creating. Is there something you’ve been wanting to explore? Something that used to bring you joy? A little spark you’ve been ignoring because other things always seem more important?Sometimes we just need to become a little more interested in the one we’re already living.

Love and light,
Manali