Spark Your Life SeriesJuliet Kaska's Inspirational …Spark Your Life Series Week 2: Seek Inspiration in Nature open the windows. Let the outside in. If it is cold, do it only for

Spark Your Life Series

Week 2: Seek Inspiration in Nature

open the windows.Let the outside in. If it is cold, do it only for 2-5 minutes.

Go for a daily walk. Allot 10 minutes for a brisk walk outside minus your cellphone—it will calm and enliven you. As you walk, observe the sk

Week 1: Take Care of Your Health

Make all of your annual doctor appointments.Schedule with your GP, gynecologist, dentist or optometrist.

Sleep! Resolve above all else to get 6-9 hours of sleep a night. Read, meditate or listen to soothing music 10 minutes before your set bedtime.music 10 minutes before your set bedtime.

Limit processed foods. Try a 30-day healthy food challenge or try to have 85 percent of each meal come from whole foods.

Meditate. In airplane mode, set your alarm for 5 minutes and chose a soothing sound. Sit comfortably anywhere and gently close your eyes. Pay attention to your and gently close your eyes. Pay attention to your breath. Inhale to a slow 5 count. Hold for 1 second. Exhale to a 7 count, visualizing the air leaving your body from the lower stomach, up through the torso and out the mouth. On both the inhale and the exhale feel the chest lifting and lowering. When the timer goes off, stay seated for another 30 seconds or more, then slowly blink your eyes open and return to your daslowly blink your eyes open and return to your day.

Juliet Kaska's Inspirational Action Plan

Week 2: Seek Inspiration in Nature

open the windows.Let the outside in. If it is cold, do it only for 2-5 minutes.

Go for a daily walk. Allot 10 minutes for a brisk walk outside minus your cellphone—it will calm and enliven you. As you walk, observe the skobserve the sky, trees and leaves and the sounds around you.

Stargaze once a week. If you have a yard or an open balcony, lay down and gaze up. It can be cathartic to focus on one star, keeping your focus directed there, as the rest of the stars slip out of view.

Observe your environment. Sit back and observe your surroundings. Take notice of the people, the sounds, the air and the smells. If you feel the urge to judge, acknowledge the thought, resist it and move back to observing.

Week 4: Pay It Forward

Give more, receive more.You have a lifetime of experiences to bestow. Have lunch with a junior coworker, reach out to a youth program or volunteer at a senior center. As you step into a mentor role as someone who inspires, the more you will find inspiration.

Week 3: Seek Inspiration in Others

MAKE A LIST.Create a 3-column list. Fill the first column with people, alive or deceased, fictional or real, that have inspired you. In the second column, write down what about this person inspired you. In the third column, write down the quality In the third column, write down the quality that allowed them to be inspirational.

LIVE THE LIST.Review the third column daily and say to yourself: "I am (insert the qualities)."

DEVELOP MENTOR RELATIONSHIPS.List life aspects that are important to you (romance, friendships, community). Look for (romance, friendships, community). Look for people in your area that inspire how you want to live. Share how you want to grow in that area with them. By openly sharing with and acknowledging this person, they will naturally show up for you as a mentor.

GET TO KNOW YOUR MENTORS.Interview or read a book about them, take the Interview or read a book about them, take the time to understand them and how they became a person that inspires you. The more you learn, the more your subconscious will be energized to do great and positive things.

Observe your environment. Sit back and observe your surroundings. Take notice of the people, the sounds, the air and the smells. If you feel the urge to judge, acknowledge the thought, resist it and move back to observing.

Week 4: Pay It Forward

Give more, receive more.You have a lifetime of experiences to bestow. Have lunch with a junior coworker, reach out to a youth program or volunteer at a senior center. As you step into a mentor role as someone who inspires, the more you will find inspiration.inspires, the more you will find inspiration.

TELL YOUR STORY.You don't need to write a memoir and look for a publisher (but you can!). Use social media or create a blog to share your story and inspire others.

Journal for your grandchildren. Write it with the intention to pass it on. Share the detailed life lessons you have learned, and detailed life lessons you have learned, and inspiration will flow into them easily. You can do this for you children, but there is something special about writing for your grandchildren.

REACH OUT.Maybe you have a friend or co-worker who cannot seem to get healthy. Offer to spend time with them or ask them to join you on your next workout them or ask them to join you on your next workout or on your daily walk.