Inspiration Archives - Marge Swearin

Hey all, I’ve taken a short hiatus, frankly because I had a bad attitude and had one of those “just can’t” periods happening. I wanted to share some of the life stuff that happened and a few strategies I return to when trying to stay inspired.

A bit of background: I intended this blog to be a lifestyle blog for ambitious women like me, and honestly, some of that comes with some hard times as well. These days, maintaining work-life balance is SO important. I think when most people reference that phrase it’s because work is extremely demanding. In my case, it’s been quite the opposite. Work has been absolutely NOT demanding.

I transitioned to my current job about 15 months ago, as a stepping stone. This was it! I was finally taking a step forward in my career, after restarting at ground zero when we moved to Colorado a few years ago. It took me another 4 years to ascend to this awesome job. I was so thrilled to be working in a specialty field, being more autonomous in my work load, and truly being respected and valued for my input on this team… And then it all came to what I interpreted as a screeching hault 8 weeks later (due to some unforseen complications totally unrelated to any work that I had contributed to), and it has remained haulted ever since. Now, it will eventually resume, but the “when?” is still up in the air.

My day-to-day routine is mundane, to put it lightly. I have moments that I resent the job, because I haven’t been doing what I was hired to do – my specialty – in over a year. And recently, I’ve been struggling to stay inspired. Let me tell you something – it is TOUGH. Tough to get up out of bed and go to work to do ‘work’ you don’t actually enjoy doing or is completely unrelated to your job (i.e. being a secretary, or an errand girl, or performing data entry) –I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here! But let me tell you, I get it.

My mom’s advice is: “Well, get a new job!” But unfortunately, it’s not that simple. There is insurance to take into account, and 401k, and it’s one of those situations that I get more vacation because of the years I’ve been an employee of this company. It’s just not that simple, and bailing isn’t always the right answer. So – through all of this, how does one stay inspired?

I recently read “Girl, Wash Your Face“, by Rachel Hollis, and had a total attitude change. I love her voice in this book, and that she too is a major support and inspiration for ambitious women. Do yourself a favor and read it, especially if you’re questioning any of your life choices.

Staying inspired involves a lot of self-motivation, and optimism, that for me, waxes and wanes often. I pursued as much as was possible professionally, during this time. In the medical field, there are additional levels of achievement that you can work on to better your knowledge and career. I’ve accumulated nearly all my continuing education for the next 5 years… and am working on an additional certification for the alphabet soup behind my professional name. I’m perfecting all my processes & equipment so that I can be prepared when my workload does increase again. But most of this was done in the first 8 weeks after “the hault”.

Mostly, I’ve tried to stay busy and better myself. This is the most difficult part, I’ve found. Some of this has been researching community-based education (I’ve always been interested in learning calligraphy!), expanding my knowledge of literature (audio books are incredible!), podcasts (almost every one out there!), and working on maintaining my positive, optimistic attitude about the future. Do something to keep you personally optimistic. I think ambition, or a drive for the future is one of the sexiest attributes one can have. When I met my husband, it was his ambition that I was attracted to, and I notice that I gravitate towards ambitious friends as well.

Staying positive in the face of adversity, or even on one of those days you “just can’t” is tough, but you can do it! And even on those bad days, allow yourself to feel bad, sad, angry, mad, to cry, Get it out! Whatever you need to do to emotionally release. Then come back to your reality and handle it. [Flash to “Put on some gangsta’ rap and handle it”]

What do you guys do to stay inspired? To stay motivated and on track when you have so much pulling you the opposite direction?

During my daily podcast listen, I heard a term that was new to me from the LIKEtoKNOW.it influencer radio. “Inbetweenie”. Sarah Tripp, of the blog Sassy Red Lipstick, who tags her niche as a body positive fashion blog, referred to an inbetweenie as a fashion blogger who is an in-between size – greater than a size 4 up to a size 12 — not teeny, not full-figured. And I loved the term so much I’ve officially adopted it. (Thanks, Sarah 😉 )

There was a day that I realized that I wasn’t like my teeny tiny size 2 and 4 girlfriends in high school, and I had the insight at a young age that I needed to learn to be proud of the body that I was given (and learn how to dress it well ;). I go into way more detail on this in my previous post about being referred to as an Amazon woman.

I am 100% an inbetweenie. I’m just a hair shy of 5’10”. My weight generally fluctuates within a 15 pound range, and it’s ok. I’m V-shaped, with narrow hips & broad shoulders. I like to say i’m mismatched – in that I typically wear a size 6-8 on the bottom and nothing smaller than a 12 on top! (So frustrating when trying to buy bathing suits – And so, separates it is!) And yes, I am sometimes frustrated when some brands only go up to a size Large – that won’t even fit my body! – but that’s what this growing fashion community is about.

During that time that I was so ashamed that I was bigger than all my teeny friends (at a ripe old 14), I was horrified to even discuss my weigh or my size. This was a growing pain for me to realize that it didn’t matter what the number on the tag said – it matters how it fits and how you feel in it. I have some size 6 bottoms and some size 14 dresses – ultimately it’s of no importance so long as you feel good in it.

Sure, there are things every person dislikes about their body, but my philosophy is that you should try and change it if you can, or learn to work with what you’re given. Some days that feeling comes easier than others, but the unfair pressure of trying like you need to fit into a mold that you weren’t made to fit into is ridiculous.

I have to say, I truly admire Sarah’s ability to be incredibly body positive and hope to emanate that same level of appreciation and understanding that beautiful is applicable at every size.

How to Stay Inspired

Being an “Inbetweenie”