Day 99

Today is June 18, 2020 and it is day 99 (which feels like 199 in pandemic blog days).  In virus news,  the data shows how a month ago in the middle of our stay-at-home order the world was averaging around 90,000 new cases a day. In the month of June during our reopening phase we are averaging around 135,000 and yesterday the most cases on any given day was reported at 166,095. Some of this is due to an increase in testing and not just the reopening phase.  Some may also be from people not social distancing and wearing a mask as the CDC continues to advise. In the world of sports colleges around the nation are finding returning athletes are testing positive for COVID19 causing further delays in the possibility of fall sports.  This could also be the case for professional athletes as well. It remains to be seen whether we will see baseball this year.  Football is full steam ahead, but who knows what will happen once players all huddle together. And of course we are awaiting, avidly, the return of basketball and hockey; they have plans but nothing is yet scheduled.  During these times of waiting and hoping we all need inspiration.

     I follow a few online writers and podcasts who inspire me.  They all write or speak about health, exercise or positive motivation. They are health experts, doctors and gurus.  Feel free to look them up: Brad Stulberg,  Dr. Stephanie Estima, Benjamin Hardy, PhD and Zat Rana.  I find their writing relevant to me as well as thoughtful and enlightening in regard to current events.  One recent article by Benjamin Hardy was about success, motivation, and actions.  Something that got my attention was how actions precede inspiration and how our desire for something requires us to plan and act in order to reach said desire. The psychologists call it "epiphany ability." The thoughts you have can only become reality if you put those thoughts into action and thus the action inspires the creation.  Creation in turn inspires others and creation can last lifetimes.    We have the ability to train and teach ourselves to not only conjure up the desires in our minds, but ultimately reach them.  Our minds are like computers waiting to be reprogrammed.  The investment you make in your daily self-talk, steadfast positive projection and then real-life application can lead you to information and connections you need to be successful.  When it comes to boldness and action, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe said it best, “Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute: What you can do, or dream you can, begin it;
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Only engage and then the mind grows heated; Begin and then the work will be completed.”

So there you have it. During these times, if you find yourself uninspired, think on something you would like to achieve; a project, hobby or artistic creation and begin it! Who knows what you can accomplish. 

I for one have been training in the art of Filipino Stick fighting.