Aryn Henning Nichols

What does Inspire(d) mean to me?

It comes down to stubbornness, partially.

So often, I feel like I have to prove myself to others. As a woman, as a positive person, as a business owner.

Way back in 2003, when I was a recent grad from the University of Iowa, I talked (to anyone who would listen) about my frustrations with journalism. The phrase, “If it bleeds, it leads,” i.e. putting the tragedies above the fold, was incredibly off-putting to me. As humans, we can’t look away – our brains are neurologically wired to look for what’s wrong rather than what’s good (which is why journalism has latched on to telling those stories). It’s called the negativity bias. But we don’t need that information in our lives. We don’t need to know about other people’s personal tragedies.

You know how in kindergarten, they teach you that you have to give three put-ups for one put-down? Apply that notion to the power of negative news. It is (at least) three times as likely to draw you in, and the correction – balancing the scales back to positivity – takes (at least) three times the energy (in fact, this study suggests the ideal ratio is 5-1).

Yes, we should be informed about major things happening across the world. Some of that is bad news. But in day-to-day life, in communities everywhere (and I mean everywhere), there is so much good news.

I proudly exclaim – back in 2003 and now: People are good! We are being led astray by the societal narrative: “Ugh, what is wrong with people? People are awful.”

I call bullsh*t. People are beautiful, unique, inspiring, complex creatures that, for the most part, just want to live a life without too much hardship. We care for others when we’re able, and when we aren’t, people care for us.

Now is the time – not to despair – but to take back the narrative. Step letting the power of a few dictate how we feel about the world and each other. Now is the time to believe in each other. To show up for each other. To speak up. To share the good.

Each New Year, my hope is always that I’ll take time to reflect on the last. On where we’ve been, what we’ve learned, what we’ve accomplished. The hope is that we’ve moved the needle forward at least a little bit. That the goals are getting checked off the list, and life is being lived in the manner we strive for.

When I sit down each quarter to plan a theme for the next issue of Inspire(d), I think about what people need to hear. What the world is going through at that moment, and what might lift folks up and make them feel inspired to go out and make their world a better place. Then the cycle of inspiration continues (always my biggest goal each year).

My 2022 Inspire(d) themes were (and often are) highly influenced by the seasons.

For Spring 2022 (March, April, May), the theme was Restart – On the first of the year, we are bright and shiny with fresh starts and big dreams. The year is one big, uneaten pizza, piping hot and completely unspoiled (is it weird this is always my analogy when I think about fresh starts?!). But come March, life and old habits settle in. Spring is just far enough into the year to pause, assess, and Restart your goals.

For Summer 2022 (June, July, August), our theme was With Intention. Our need to go, go, go often drives our summers. We asked our readers to take this fleeting season and its myriad of activities on With Intention.

Fall 2022 (September, October, November) the theme of Lifelong Learning led our pages. The back-to-school season is filled with the excitement of learning new things. And honestly, it’s difficult to do anything in life without learning. We encouraged readers to tackle learning with an openness and willingness – it makes it much more meaningful (and enjoyable).

And finally, the Winter 2022-23 (December, January, February) Inspire(d) theme was Defining Enough – At the holiday season, I always find myself in a place of self-doubt. Did I do enough? Am I enough? This issue was about realizing that – beyond having survival needs met – enough is a level we can set for ourselves.

Today, I’m working on the Spring 2023 Inspire(d) – you’ll find out the theme when it hits stands early March! We appreciate your readership over the last year (or longer!) and look forward to seeing all the inspiring things this Driftless community does to tip the scales to positivity in 2023.

You inspire me, friends.

Looking forward,

Aryn

Our story was on the national news! And while we love print, we were more than happy to embrace the public radio waves and hear our tale of love and paper on Marketplace (pumping out of our retro-90s-era boombox – pic above for proof).

Inspire(d) co-owner Benji Nichols is a longtime listener (first-time guest) of Marketplace Business News – so we were so stoked to have been featured in one of their My Economy segments on Friday, December 30, 2022!

According to www.marketplace.org, “My Economy tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy.

“Marketplace is part of American Public Media, one of the largest producers of public radio programming in the world. The Marketplace broadcast portfolio is heard by more than 12 million listeners each week on more than 800 public radio stations nationwide. For context, that’s more than five times the audience of the top five cable TV news shows combined. We also reach more than 2 million across our podcast and digital platforms.”

Benji submitted our story through their website and a producer reached out via email, chatted with Benji on the phone, Zoomed with both Benji and me (Aryn) and then finally we both did an “official” Zoom interview. The producer, Andie Corban, did a great job editing our 30-minute conversation down to just over three minutes of airtime. It was a total honor, and we feel so fortunate to continue sharing our “experiment in positive news” with NPR’s national audience.

Check out the segment here, and share it widely– we are stoked to spread this positive news movement, and are looking forward to 2023 being a big year full of good things!

Thank you all for being part of this adventure!!!

Am I enough?

There’s often a point during the holiday season where I ask myself: Did I do enough? Is this enough stuff? And ultimately: Am I enough?

This place of self-doubt is uncomfortable. And, to be honest, I find myself there more often than I’d like to admit. I’ve heard it’s a frequent feeling for mothers, especially, and it got me thinking about the idea of enough. It’s such a slippery word and concept: What is enough? How much do we need? To survive, to be happy, to thrive?

The perception of the world is that there is a level everyone should strive to attain to have “enough.” But the reality is that beyond having our basic survival needs met (air, food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep), enough is a level we get to set for ourselves. We can strive for as much or as little as we feel we need. 

Shortly after Benji and I got married, we started a joke that has sort of turned into a core value in our lives: Let’s live the “Frugal High Life.” (It has nothing to do with the beer of the same name.) Some of it comes from necessity, some from choice. Live big in a little house. Spend money where it counts, and instead of going for more, going for better (hello, local businesses!). Savor the good stuff that filters through our lives. It’s an ongoing effort and it’s not always easy.

This holiday season, winter, and beyond, I challenge our readers to do the same. Support your neighbor’s businesses, shopping local for holiday gifts. Plan outings to our region’s many high quality museums and activities. Participate in events that bring our community together, and help you find fulfilling relationships and gratitude for this place we get to call home.

As you’re doing this, start defining your enough. In our Winter 2022-23 Inspire(d), writer Olivia Lynn Schnur takes us through this process of Defining Enough for ourselves in our day-to-day and larger lives in her mental health article. What are your needs, right now? What is most important to you? What goals, if achieved, would be enough for you to be satisfied? 

Don’t worry: Your enough is not something you have to commit to forever. Enough right now might look totally different from enough tomorrow, and that’s okay. And no matter what, I’m here to remind you that each day you are doing all you can do, and that’s enough.

XOXO – Aryn