Blog It Forward: What Inspires Me

Over a month ago, I told you about Blog It Forward and today, it's my turn to share a bit of what inspires me!

For those of you familiar with this blog, you know that I am constantly inspired by Africa and all the amazing beauty and talent coming out of the continent and that is what I focus on every day on this blog.

Today I'm going to share three other things that inspired me all the time:

Textiles: I absolutely adore textiles of all styles. From woven carpets to yards and yards of hand-dyed fabrics, I am so inspired by the beauty of textiles and I am constantly in awe of the people who make them.

Books: I've written about my love of books a few times, but I don't know if I've really gone into how inspiring they have been to me. Honestly, a good book can make you move mountains, connect with others in a profound way, and allow you to see entire new aspects of yourself. All of this brought by the enormous power of being able to words to paper...

Entrepreneurs: the deeper I get into the working world, the more and more I am inspired by entrepreneurs and everyone else who has the courage to convert their dreams into an everyday reality. So many people spend their entire lives doing what others have told them is the "right thing," coming up with one excuse after the other of why they can't do that thing that is burning within their souls. Yet, entrepreneurs take that major leap all the time, knowing that their worse failure would be not trying at all. How is that not inspiring?!?! I certainly hope to have such courage one day.

I'll pass the baton to Oxford & Beyond for tomorrow's Blog It Forward, but in the main time...what is one thing that is inspiring you today?

{Photos: Photocillin, kmel, Inc.}