From Inspiration to Fulfillment

Photo by Siona Watson

If I had to classify 2010 in one word, I think it would have to be inspired.

I've always struggled to figure out what my talents were and how I should utilize those in my home, with my kids, and in my life as a whole. So this year, I set out to define my interests and abilities and exercise those unused muscles.

The journey has led me to some interesting discoveries about myself. For one, if you buy all that left-brain/right-brain stuff, I'm left-hand dominant and therefore supposedly right-brained. That makes sense. I've always enjoyed creative endeavors. Majored in a creative field.

There are left-brain activities that I enjoy as well, and I therefore got my Master's degree in a corresponding field. So that makes sense, too. There are several activities in which I participate that I utilize my right hand. For instance, and I have to admit this baffles me, I can't cut with my left hand. I can bend the paper this way and that with a pair of scissors wielded in my left hand, but alas, I might as well be trying to lift the bumper of a Mack truck.

Whether or not the left-brain/right-brain theories are true, I've discovered that I'm a creative person. I enjoy working with my hands, creating something out of something else. Or out of nothing, for that matter. With this discovery has come the quest for information and inspiration. So I have turned to the one place teeming with creative people, the Internet.

Most other creative people are blogging about their endeavors. And I have learned so much from them, incorporated new skills into my artist's toolbox. Remember when I blogged about learning about something new each month? This month I'm learning how to spin yarn. Why? Because I can and because I've been inspired to stretch my creative self and learn new skills.

This post is not intended to be all about me but rather a message to get inspired. We're all looking to improve ourselves, right? I mean we're setting New Year's resolutions and striving to keep them. So find ways to develop this year, ways that inspire you. Let's stretch ourselves so we're the best, most fulfilled version of ourselves in 2011.