Temperatures in the 70′s this week have me inspired to surreptitiously arrange my work schedule to get more time outside on my bike. Even so, I’m struggling to juggle all the to do’s in my life so I’ve been turning to past WILD interviews to spark my prioritization of time on the bike and away from the computer.
What inspires you?
The sun, a warm breeze, my personal athletic accomplishments, my
fellow teammates, getting a good report card from the Dr., feeling
good, preventing diabetes complications, knowing if can do it and if I
can’t then try anyway. – Mara Schwartz
For the most part, people inspire me. Especially in the diabetes online community. There are so many examples of people doing incredible things, on top of managing their diabetes (which is a full time job in itself). – Scott K. Johnson
Hard work and the promise of reaching my goals inspires me. – Amy McGuire
Almost everything can inspire me… seeing other athletes achieve their goals, a beautiful sunrise, weather (from crisp air to warm air to snow), talking to my friends about our race plans or our workouts, coaching other athletes, a goal that I want to attain. I am a pretty self motivated person and, luckily, I am easily motivated/inspired. – Lynnda Best-Wiss
Powerful women – Hillary Clinton for starters. – Nicole Freedman
Knowing that I may be an inspiration to others–to someone newly diagnosed, a parent of a young type 1 who is scared, or knowing there is a chance of inspiring others frustrated by managing their diabetes. – Lyndsay Riffe
I’m inspired by intelligent hard work in the face of daunting obstacles. It’s not enough to be smart but lazy. It’s not enough to be hard working but foolish. It’s not enough to just have everything go your way. I get fired up seeing someone tackle seemingly insurmountable odds, apply every ounce of strength, every iota of intelligence, and come out on top. – Michael Kelly
I am consistently inspired by the simple act of trying. In running a lot of races, I’m always amazed by those people who look like they are giving it their all. They don’t tend to “look” like athletes, but I think that’s what I love. One doesn’t have to have the fancy compression socks or running skirt to do well. I think it’s inspiring that people of all levels get out of something the effort they put in. – Jennifer Smith
Mainly I am inspired by friends that live an active life. I’ve got three or four friends that I knew before joining TeamWILD that constantly challenge themselves to new physical heights via biking and running for the most part. They inspire me to at least try to be more active, although it continues to be a challenge. My kids inspire me to at least try, I’d like to keep up with them as they age. My 6 year old learning to ride his bike made me want to throw on my gear and head out with him. – Tiffany Briggs
Seeing other people getting out there and giving it a go. Assisting other people reach their chosen goals. I love to see people succeed. Watching an Ironman race and seeing the finishers that have been out there for 17 hours – truly inspirational. – Jarrod Fritsch
I get crazy inspired watching athletes at an event who have a challenge of some sort. For example the wheelchair athletes always pull my heart strings. I love the older athletes. One year I saw a woman who was likely in her 60′s and she was running the marathon with her oxygen in a cart that she pulled behind her. I was amazed by her. I love seeing Team WILD athletes do their first 100 mile bike ride and when they cross that finish line, seeing their smiles of pure joy, confidence and exhilaration always moves me. I also always get tears in my eyes when I see photos of groups of Red Riders from around the country at Tour de Cure rides. Their smiles and pride makes me so incredibly happy that we have found a way to powerfully celebrate living well with diabetes. Red Riders are my heroes. – Mari Ruddy
When I first started training strength and powerlifting, I quickly realized that what I was thinking about during every training session was really important to how hard I pushed myself. From the beginning, my grandfather was and continues to be my biggest inspiration. I know that he would never want me to give anything less than my best. When I think about giving up in an exercise, I think of my grandfather, and I push harder! He inspires me to do more than what I think I’m capable of. – Ginger Vieira
How about you, dear readers? What inspires you?
