Zander's Inside Voice

Who do you envy?

This is a shitty question, honestly. This is one of the seven deadly sins, right? I think envy is something that holds you back from living your best life. If someone has something you want, or an attribute you would like to have, you should find yourself inspired by them and not sit around being envious of them. Envy, to me, implies some kind of inaction, inability, or refusal to improve one’s circumstances through their own efforts.

I think a better way to ask this same question is “Who inspires you?”

I am inspired by so many people around me. Ordinary people who do extraordinary things. People who are artistic and paint, sculpt, write, design, and create. People who fight for success despite unbeatable odds. People who simply keep trudging through their shitty life with a smile because they are happy to be alive. I am inspired by people who speak their truth, people who won’t take any crap they don’t deserve, people who will humble themselves to care for everyone, and most of all, people who know who they are inside and don’t let the world bring them down. I am inspired by my wife, who doesn’t know how to stop even when she has already done so much more than she had to. I am inspired by Boy #1, who always takes his own path, even when I tell him he’s wrong. I am inspired by Girl, who gives and gives and helps and helps because that’s who she is. I am inspired by my father, who went out of his way to help us rebuild our relationship after decades of trouble.

I could list tons of specific people who inspire me, but we’d be here all day and night. So I will stop with this short list for now and maybe revisit my inspirations in the future!