Saturday, January 01, 2011

Hello 2011

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me
... and I'm feeling good."

I started 2011 with a beautiful sunrise.

My plane landed in John F. Kennedy Airport at the ungodly hour of 6AM and I hadn't had a wink of sleep. I should not have been feeling good at all. But seeing such a beautiful sunrise at the start of a new year seemed to me like an omen of really good things to come.

There's something about the start of a new year that gives everyone a feeling that anything is possible. We all get a clean slate, a fresh set of 365 days to seize!

I think a little bit of inspiration would go really well with that carpe diem mindset.

Now, I don't know about you guys but after two full weeks of having all the time in the world to blog and work on writing projects, I'm kind of sick of my story. So on this beautiful new day, how about I point you towards a few of my favorite bloggers to read when I need a kick in the butt? A cool thing I discovered in the process of writing this blog is that there is a community of people out there who've made it their life's mission to squeeze the pulp out of life—and do it on their own terms.

In this day and age when people are so desperate for motivation that sex scandal-mired celebrities and all-around hot messes have become role models, it's more important than ever to find real people with a great outlook on life and good old gumption to provide us with real inspiration. They're real people, not much different from us, who've decided to demand something out of the ordinary from life. If, like me, you're looking for that type of inspiration, here are three awesome blogs that I turn to for a good inspiration on a regular basis:

If You Never Did, You Should
Jodi Sagurin was the first blogger I discovered among this league of extraordinary people, and to this day I get constant inspiration from her. When I first started reading her blog, I got hooked with her regular suggestions of things that you should try if you haven't already. I'm not talking "If you've never had a McRib, you should." While it's not out of the realm of possibility that she'll point you towards a McDonald's, you're more likely to find Jodi suggesting you bungee-jump or leave a comfy California life to volunteer for a month in India. These days, her blog has expanded to include interviews with other adventurers and motivational posts encouraging you to follow your passion.

The Art of Audacity
I found this blog through Jodi, and after reading one post I immediately knew that Lach and I are from similar schools of thought (our propensity to jump off airplanes might have something to do with that belief). The message of this blog: "Smash fear. Think big. Live remarkably." It is one of the most well-written blogs I've seen, with great prose combined with really helpful content. One of my favorite posts of his is called How to Avoid Death Bed Regrets—and I swear on my New York walk-in closet (gasp!) that it's not because he mentions me in it. I am just very appreciative of people who are willing to share large chunks of their life, even things that may be utterly personal and possibly unpleasant, in order to lead others to a profound truth. If you've liked what you've read on my blog so far, this particular post that Lach wrote will surely resonate with you.

The Art of Non-Conformity
It would be easy to hate Chris Guillebeau. He makes a living blogging while traveling the world to reach his goal of going to every single country in the world before he turns 35. Say it with me ... I want that gig! But how can you hate a guy who is more than willing to share how he did it for a grand total of $0? His beautifully designed and well-written guides 279 Days to Overnight Success and A Brief Guide to World Domination now reside permanently on my desktop, and are must-reads for bloggers who would like to get heard. But you need not be a blogger to benefit from his ballsy, non-conformist approach to life.

There are many more inspirational blogs out there that I will share with you in due time—but let's keep it at my three favorites for today, shall we? It's the first day of the year after all, so read and get inspired, but most importantly LIVE!

7 comments:

  1. Thanks a bunch for the write-up, Celine. It's a huge honour to be thought of in the same breath as Jodi and Chris; both heros to me. I'm loving what you're doing, Celine. There's a hero in you as well! Keep seizing the day; and the year!

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  2. Happy New Year, Cel! Thanks for recommending those blogs. (I foresee many hours digesting Chris's archives!)

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  3. Lach - Thank you for the support. Will be keeping my eye on your adventures, as per usual!

    Tish - You're welcome! Chris' guides are total must-reads for bloggers, enjoy them and good luck!

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  4. I'm definitely checking out these blogs! They all sound really awesome. Happy New Year!

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  5. Do that Alexa! Enjoy and a happy new year to you too!

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  6. Your blog inspired me in starting my own project. Thank you! And I hope you don't mind me linking your blog on mine.

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  7. Of course I don't mind, thank YOU Quely! Just hopped on over to your blog and checked out your list. Looking good! You have inspired me to seek out my perfect shade of lipstick for my next list, among other things. Best of luck and keep me posted!

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