Let’s Talk Inspiration & Motivation

This post is sponsored by adidas. All opinions are my own. Thanks to you, I have the amazing opportunity to work with brands that I love, and in turn, collaborations like this make Living the Gray Life possible!

I’ve done a similar post to this before, but that was wayyyyyy back at the beginning of my fitness journey. We’re talking like two years ago… And while that was is still perfectly relevant, it focuses more on fitness. Not inspiration and motivation in life.

My thoughts on motivation and inspiration have definitely changed since then, so when adidas reached out to me to see if I was interested in speaking about this particular topic, I almost instantly responded to their email with an “OMG YES PLZ LET ME POST ABOUT THIS.” (do note that I am a bit more professional in my emails than that, lol)

Staying motivated and finding inspiration go hand in hand. They’re like two peas in a pod. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. It’s like me and my cat. Some could say it’s the same as pumpkin spice and fall. 

For me, inspiration feeds my motivation. 2018 has been a very interesting year in the motivation department. Motivation for the gym was lacking for almost the entirety of summer. Senioritis has hit me HARD so inevitably my motivation for school is non–existent. 

This isn’t a post about how to stay motivated or ways to spark your motivation. Instead, I’m turning the focus back on me and talking about who inspires me and who keeps me motivated to keep doing what I love to do. 

Brooke Ence

Who is Brooke Ence?

Brooke is a phenomenal CrossFit athlete. She works hard and she trains even harder. In 2015, she made her debut at the CrossFit games and she killed it. Since then, she’s been faced with a few injuries and she uses her Instagram and YouTube to document her progress with those injuries and show her followers an inside look at her life. 

What inspires me about Brooke?

Whenever I go to the gym and I’m having just an off day and I don’t want to workout and I just want to go home, I think to myself “Would Brooke give up on this workout? Would she just quit and go home?”

The answer to that question is always no, and that answer keeps me going. Not only does she encourage me, but she is a huge inspiration to her followers… always pushing them through the tough times, be 100% themselves, and have fun in the process. 

Katy Bellotte 

Omg Katy Bellotte… where do I begin. 

I’ve been following Katy for probably 8+ years now. She’s only a year older than me so I’ve definitely seen her as an older sister figure in my life. She helped me get through high school and make it through college. 

She runs her YouTube and blog and podcast (!!) all while working a full-time job as a social media manager/content creator for L’Oreal in NYC. #goals right there.

Katy definitely keeps things real and always seems to have the right advice when I need it most. She has stunning handwriting, eloquent writing skills, and a great eye for design. She definitely embodies everything about being a young 20-something straight out of college and her take on life is inspirational. 

Katy, if you’re somehow reading this, thank you for helping me push through all of the tough times in my life. Also, your sister goes to the real USC and so do I so if you’re ever in Columbia, I would LOVE to get coffee with you. I know all the cute coffee shops in town 🙂 Love ya!!

Jera Foster-Fell

Who is Jera?

Jera is a powerful, inspiring woman who took her life in NYC and turned it upside down because she was unhappy. She went from working in graphic design to quitting her job and becoming a SoulCycle instructor. This year, she stopped teaching SoulCycle and is now living her best life. 

Why do I find Jera so inspiring?

Jera is unapologetically herself. She’s not afraid to talk about uncomfortable topics and she genuinely cares about her followers/fans/friends. She creates such a motivational and friendly place for her audience, and tbh, she never fails to put a smile on my face. 

And, she’s a part of the adidas family which makes me love her even more 🙂

All of these people to be my strongest self and showcase who I am. In a world full of Instagram-worthy “worlds”, it’s easy to fall into the trap of doing what everyone else is doing. These 3 individuals inspire me to truly be myself and show that to the world.

Shop a few of my adidas faves:

Who inspires you to be your best self? Is it a family member, someone on social media, or an important person in your life?? Sound off in the comments below because I want to know!

~abigail gray