Whether it’s someone you have known for years, someone you have just met or someone you have never met yet admired from afar, there are people who come into your life and inspire you. Who inspires you? What does that person inspire you to do or be?

It happened to me this past week. I returned to our local recreation center to begin exercising again. (I usually take a break in the warmer months because outdoor activities like bicycling, walking and gardening take the place of indoor exercise). I walked into our circuit exercise room and said hello to a woman who I had not seen in nearly six months. It didn’t take me long to realize that she had lost a lot of weight. “Wow. You look great. You’ve lost some weight,” I said. “Yes…I’ve lost 79 pounds total. It’s almost the weight of another person!” she replied. “I’ve had to replace my entire wardrobe. My daughter says she remembers me being this size when she was growing up. That was a few decades ago.” Diane started her fitness journey 11 months ago. She comes to the recreation center just about every day, works the circuit room and walks three miles. She also eats right. And…she is in her 70s. She has succeeded because she has a goal and the discipline to reach that goal.

I continued my workout, going from machine to machine, lifting, shifting, stepping and thinking about that five pounds that I have wanted to melt away for years. Five pounds? Are you kidding me? I could lose that in one month…if…I had the discipline. There is nothing stopping me from achieving this small goal. Diane inspired me. I found myself saying, “If Diane could lose 79 pounds, I could certainly lose 5.”

Consider all the people who have inspired you and who continue to inspire you in your life. Then ask yourself, “How can I inspire others?” And ask a much bigger question, “How can I inspire myself?”