What Inspires You?

Have you ever thought? What inspires YOU? What is it that drives you day in and day out? What is it that inspires you?

We think of creative people as being inspired and ask about their work. What inspired you to paint, draw, produce this piece of work? What inspired you to make this? Usually the answer is: a book, poem, film, experience, person, a place or in Cole Porter's case the 'phone call from the director'.

Something else or someone else inspired the artist, the songwriter. But what about the person in a regular job? What inspires you?

"Inspiration is a desire to live life without flinching. To take a risk and possibly fail. To act on your emotions, creativity, ability and beliefs. To take criticism but have the faith in yourself to do it anyway. Bloody hard work, but then hard work never killed anyone (or so my Dad says). Oh, and I find foster parents inspiring. They pick up the pieces when the fundamental teachings and rules of our society fail. If I were religious I'd ask God to bless em." Carolyn Tomley (Sydney Morning Herald website).

What is it that inspires you?

You can begin to see that if nothing inspires you or excites you or lights up your life you are really missing something. You are just like a robot performing task after task. We believe that deep down you have a place where you can be touched. You have a place that is solely ours. Solely for you to show the world. Can you name it?

What inspires me, is the thought that I am more than my body. My limitations are only down to my thoughts. Thus I want to keep pushing the boundaries to find out what is there. Find out what I can communicate to the world. I am inspired by the fact that through what I do I may enable another person to open their mind. To remove the blinkers and reach their possibilities.

Julie is inspired by life. All that is around her. To Julie, inspiration is a rush of adrenalin, a rush of energy that creates a clearing in her thinking. It's that time when you see something from a different perspective and say to yourself, Why didn't see it like this before?

For Julie, inspiration is like the prisoner who says you can do whatever you like to my body but you can't touch my soul, my reason for living.

But what inspires you? What makes you go to that space where you continue to do what you do for hour after hour, when you forget the need to eat and drink. What is it that inspires you?

Some artists suggest that it is their imagination that inspires them. The need to tell the world what is going on in their heads. The links that they make. The different ways of viewing the world. After all literature, music and visual arts are all about the originator communicating with the rest of us.

So inspiration appears to be linked with the need to communicate with others. It may not be in words. But we feel it is about communication. What about you? What are you inspired to communicate?

Inspiration is linked to innovation. To introduce new ways of seeing things. Inspiration is a way of understanding the essence of ourselves. Understanding who we are and what we dream about. Whatever it is that inspires you, it is the core of your very being. So what is it?

Perhaps the role of inspiration is to wake us up from a big sleep. A sleep where everyday is the same. Where we contribute to the world but at the same time we don't contribute because there is nothing of us in there. Perhaps the role of inspiration is to get us to become involved with the world rather than be a bystander, an observer.

This was definitely the situation for Alice Foote MacDougall, an American Business woman before the second world war. Like many of her era she was driven by her husband's financial failure and the necessity of supporting her three young children.

...the opportunity offered by life to women is far in excess of any offered to men. To be the inspiration is more than to be the tool. To create the world, a greater thing than to reform it.

When we tap into whatever it is that inspires us we become a full member of society. We are able to share our ideas, thoughts and emotions. As we share and show our dreams, emotions and ideas and thoughts then we gradually become to understand the person we truly are.

So, the role of inspiration is more than we first thought. More that just a drive to action. It actually enables you to understand the very essence of yourself and what you have to offer the world.

Inspiration gives you understanding.
Inspiration gives you an identity.
Inspiration gives you a way of being.

Can you really live without knowing what inspires you?

Good luck

Graham and Julie
http://www.desktop-meditation.com

To improve your intuition, initiative and energy levels. Please go to: http://www.desktop-meditation.com It's free.

Following Through

Direct Answers - Column for the week of March 24,... Read More

Change Begins With Choice

Any day we wish we can discipline ourselves to change... Read More

The Amazing Power of the Human Will

The human will is the most incredible thing. I believe... Read More

My Favorite Movies Journal

The movies--what a wonderful way to spend an afternoon! I... Read More

Just Say, I Love You to Those Who are...

Life is beautiful and lovable with the type of people... Read More

When Human Beings Take It To The Limit

In life we all have dreams and goals, aspirations to... Read More

Be a Star in Your Own Life

Do you have the charactertics to be star in their... Read More

Encouragement--Heart At Work

Encouragement can have a very powerful effect on bosses and... Read More

Make A Difference - Just Go Make A Difference!

Three Words That Can Help Us Live Exceptional LivesCertain words... Read More

What Footsie Taught Us!

We have just inherited a rag, tag and bobtail of... Read More

The Family

Direct Answers - Column for the week of January 19,... Read More

Nine Lives

Direct Answers - Column for the week of September 2,... Read More

Reclaiming Our Resilient Spirit

Our spirits are taking a beating. The daily barrage of... Read More

The Creative Evolution of Intellectual Properties: The Royal Critters/Whale Magic (TM) Project

Hello Creative Entrepreneurs!The moral of that story is to follow... Read More

Persistency - Element In Reality

One of the keys to being successful in anything you... Read More

Life Lessons I Learned from My Cat

Even if you are not a cat person, bear with... Read More

Anamcara - The Blessing of Peace

"Come out of the circle of time and into... Read More

I Am?

?you are, he is, she is, they are? But you... Read More

Where Did We Miss?

Talking with friends, people I meet on a regular basis,... Read More

Improving Your Self Esteem

Often in our society, we are bombarded with the lives... Read More

The Art of Giving

In the pursuit of the life we dream of, this... Read More

Opening the Heart and Exploring Beneath the Surface

Exploring beneath the surface of a reoccurring relationship issue can... Read More

Just Think of Kyle!

This morning at 5:22am to 6am, I was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed... Read More

Everyone Has Been Hurt... Part 4

Continued...After that I stayed with him still and when he... Read More

Living Profoundly

When you realize that you really want to have an... Read More