Unlikely New Year Inspirations

Happy New Year!!

I love the turn of the New Year!  I love resolutions, goals, inspirations, and ideas for the coming year, even if they do fall to the wayside and old habits die hard.  I don't care!  I still love the whole idea!

For 2020, I have found two very unlikely inspirations.  I never thought these people would inspire me to be a better person.  Usually, we look to religious or charitable figures to improve upon our character.  It isn't likely that a top business woman in the fashion and journalism world, and a "sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll" legend would inspire a simple, conservative, traditional middle-aged woman, but they do!

Anna Wintour

Just last week, I watched two videos on YouTube featuring Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue Magazine.  The first was a rapid-fire 73 questions posed to her.  She never said "ummm" once.  She was assured and confident, poised and well-spoken in all her answers.  She didn't speak to please, or say what would be best accepted and popular, but she spoke what she wanted without being offensive.  

The second video featured Dame Wintour on a panel of judges as they gave up-and-coming fashion designer hopefuls 15 minutes of their time to feature their designs.  Anna was poised and assured and knew her industry inside and out.  She knew what to look for and who she wanted to take under her.  She demands and expects greatness.   It was a strong contrast to the majority of the hopefuls who were uncomfortably terrible in their presentations.  They were silly, giggly, unsure, lacked confidence, talked like they were college freshmen trying to flirt at a frat party, and basically had no public speaking skills.  Watching that, I wanted to be an Anna, but realized I can be more of an Anna than a hopeful.  

I'm a middle-aged woman, now.  I have earned my place in poise and assuredness.  It's time to take it, to be sure of my decisions and choices.  In 2020, I will be more Anna.  

Steven Tyler

Who would have thought that a mogul in sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll would be a roll model for a woman who barely even listened to his music?  What could Steven Tyler possibly offer someone who finds Nyquil too strong, has only ever been with her husband, and prefers classical over hard rock?  The answer comes from more YouTube videos.  With success strongly in hand and forever enriched, Steven Tyler has warmed his mature years with being a decent human being towards others.  From mingling with fans in public, impromptu mini-concerts, and boosting the spirits of addicts in recovery by singing and speaking in centers, I was struck by how much he cares.  This has inspired me because it is so easy to just stay away from people.  It's easier to just be invisible and unfriendly.  I claim to be a Christian.  I claim to love and serve Jesus, and yet here is a man whose lifestyle has been polar-opposite to my own and he loves people and gives of himself to the "least of these" better than I do.  

Is Steven Tyler perfect?  Of course not.  I'm sure there are plenty of complaints from people out there.  I'm basing this off of media I've seen that has inspired me, and not necessarily off of his entire personhood.  But, take inspiration from where it comes, ok?  He has inspired me to be a more street-involved human to the average Joe.  For me, that means paying a stranger a compliment.  If I can, perhaps it is paying for someone's coffee.  It could be instead of ducking down a different aisle in the store, actually going up and saying, "hi" to the acquaintance I see.   It could be volunteering for at least one of the events at my kids' school instead of coming up with all my introvert excuses to stay home.

Those are my two unlikely inspirations for 2020.