I’m Asked: How Do You Stay Positive? Voila, my own Invention

Photo by Reynier Carl on Unsplash

Hello Thrivers,

The price of everything is skyrocketing. We’ve started shopping at Aldis again. If you have a way to save money, please share in the comments below.

It’s Five Pearl Friday!

Pearl One

There’s Oprah of course. But — aside from the obvious — have you ever thought about the genius that’s all around us? You and I marinate in the success of others to such an extent that we’ve become accustomed to the greatness, and don’t give it a second thought.

Give me a moment, and I’ll explain how seeing the genius all around us can change our inner world.

Let’s start with my car mechanic. Kyle isn’t just “fixing cars,” he’s saving lives by keeping his customers off the side of the freeway, and we love him for it. (K&R Auto, Atlanta.)

Or my hairstylist who doesn’t only do hair, her artistry leaves me feeling confident and pretty long after I’ve left her chair.

When you walk into your local Costco (839 total as of September 2022), do you wonder about the two guys who brought Costco into our world?

When you open the refrigerator, do you marvel at the guys through the last few centuries who built on each other’s knowledge and dedication to bring us our modern day frig?

That novel you can’t put down? That’s the work of a master storyteller.

Genius is all around us. Guess who invented the first car? There’s debate, but one name that comes up repeatedly is Karl Benz, Mercedes’s dad!!

And it’s not just the big time inventors. There’s people like the dedicated IT guy who keeps the Children’s Hospital computers in top condition for the nurses and doctors who care for the children.

We can include our librarian, the people at the post office, the gutter cleaning company, the owner and people who work at the gas station; our list would be endless.

You’re thinking, big whoop. So there’s amazing inventions everywhere. I’m not exactly inventing cars. In Pearl Two I’ll explain why this matters. ♥

Pearl Two

It’s self-evident that we can take great inspiration from the story of a single, destitute mom who in a Scottish café brought Harry Potter’s world to life.

But there’s phenomenal examples of inspiration all around us, and here’s how I keep myself pumped up: I look for inspiration everywhere I can find it. I mean, in any situation I’m looking for inspiration (or learning from mistakes).

When my boys were young, I found inspirational messages in their superhero shows (especially Big Hero Six). I essentially looked at the bigger message the movie was conveying, and used it as a boost in my own life.

I love my veterinarian, and watching him expand over the last seven years has been crazy-inspirational. He had a thriving practice, but then created a cat clinic, and now is building a second story onto his clinic that will become his surgery room. (It’s easy to see his dream go up because he’s on a main road in town.)

When I drive by his clinic rather than saying to myself, a second story, cool. I think, look at how much he believes in himself. And my very next thought is, wowza, if Zach can commit a massive amount of money to his business I can sure stay focused on creating a Smart Eating Lifestyle. Had he always dreamed of a huge vet clinic? What did he say to the loan officer? How does he pumps himself up each day?

In other words, I’ve made it a habit to look for inspiration everywhere I go, so that I’m always filling my brain with a can-do mindset.

My point, J.K. Rowling doesn’t have a lock on inspiration.

It’s a habit to instill – looking for inspiration in your day-to-day –, but practice it often, and eventually it becomes second nature.

Journal about the encouraging scenes you notice each day, write about them in your journal, and then “inspiration stack.” My stack would be: my veterinarian, Dr. Edith Eger (survived Auschwitz), a friend’s daughter who travels solo to other countries, and definitively my friend who has a disability, but lives life with gusto.

I’d love to hear what inspirational scenes you’ve spotted in your own life. I hope you’ll share. ♥

Pearl Three

In October, we’re keeping this slot for “How I Screwed Up.” You know that I’m a big believer in “brownies for breakfast.”

The Scarfer went shopping and he brought home donuts. I went to bed thinking, tomorrow morning will be tasty. The morning dawned and while it was fun to have a donut with coffee – okay three –, they weren’t worth the sugar and rush.

Remember wad-able food? Well, these donuts were melt-in-your-mouth, gone in a flash, totally wad-able bites. Normally I eat maximum-bite food like a whole wheat bagel with whipped cream cheese, a bowl of Cheerios, or maybe pizza from last night. I don’t eat food that disappears in a blink.

As you know I hold myself to two rules for eating “anything I want for breakfast:” I have to be done eating by 9:00 a.m. And I can’t eat so much that I won’t want lunch at noonish. For example, if I’d eaten half the box of donuts, I probably wouldn’t have wanted lunch until 3 or 4 p.m.

My Takeaway

Wad-able foods are merely eye candy and aren’t worth the time and money. I won’t put them on my grocery list again. ♥

Pearl Four

You know what hasn’t been in my freezer for a handful of months? A gallon or more of ice cream. My husband hasn’t been buying any. I work hard not to preach about how he should eat.

So, I didn’t say a word.

Today he casually mentioned that he’s buying cereal – on sale – and has a bowl every evening instead of ice cream. (I acted all cool like, “oh, what a good idea.” Inside I was thinking, strike up the band!!)

He added, “Have you seen the price of ice cream??” Um, no, I never go in that aisle. Apparently it’s doubled in price. Yikes.

He’s not doing it for his health, he’s doing it because he’s angry about the prices.

Whatever works, I’m flexible.

This a huge step for this guy. He isn’t a teen, he’s in his 50s and eating whackadoo-food all day has caught up with him.

If you’re also struggling with an ice cream habit, consider keeping a clean grocery cart when you shop (no ice cream goes into the cart), and eating cereal as your “bridge-food.” (Meaning the slower you go, the better the habit will be rooted into your life.) ♥

Pearl Five

I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of “Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,” and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough. – Marissa Mayer ♥

Have a smart eating weekend, everyone!

♥, Wendy

P.S. Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you first read the Aunt Bea post (and you’ll find Aunt Bea on this page to the right under my short bio). On your cell you’ll see it immediately following the first post. After you enter your email address, the Aunt Bea article will be sent to your email’s inbox. If it’s not there, you might check the spam folder. And always feel free to email me at Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com and I’ll get Aunt Bea right to you!

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I am not an expert, a doctor, a surgeon, a nurse or a nutritionist: the information within TheInspiredEater.com is based solely on my personal experience and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. ♥