Inspiration - that mysterious, wonderful, and sometimes elusive sense of direction, mission or purpose. Don't you love it when you feel completely inspired about a project, dream, or a hobby. It is amazing to get into the "zone" and lose track of time as you are wrapped up in, lost in he art of inspired effort, creating something new and magical.
My question is how do you find that inspiration? Sometimes it comes to me in a flash, or without even intentionally reaching for it. That good idea, light bulb moment, crazy dream with a nugget of truth comes to me without effort. At other times, it feels as though I am literally searching for inspiration. Of course, life goes on and so must the responsibilities and expectations of work and daily life. So sometimes extra hard work replaces the ease of inspiration and things do get done but seem to do so with a little less luster.
What does inspire? For me... the words and ideas of those whom I admire, my daughters, a well written story, song or piece of art. A cause or injustice of some sort brings out the passion in me, especially when it impacts children. Can inspiration be practical as well? The need to pay the bills piled on the countertop, to make up for late or missing child support, to meet the expectations at work..- shouldn't that inspire me to work harder, write more, work to get published to bring in extra dollars? It doesn't seem to work that way. Looking for inspiration in the midst of feeling overwhelmed and yes, even a little angry- is not effective. Perhaps because that search is based more in fear and need than possiblities. Perhaps inspiration is the gift you get for sincerely looking to accomplish what you are meant to do. Fear, worry and concern probably block that process.
So before I tackle that pile of bills and put them in the proper perspective..I researched some quotes that inspire me.. Hope you enjoy them (if anyone is really out there reading this- LOL.)
*"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them."
Henry David Thoreau
* "The power of imagination makes us infinite."
John Muir
* "First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do."
Epictetus
* “If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much.”
Tom Krause
* "The end of wisdom is to dream high enough not to lose the dream in the seeking of it." William Faulkner
* "Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly." Langston Hughes
* "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Eleanor Roosevelt
*“I shut my eyes in order to see.”
Paul Gauguin
* “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs
What inspires you?
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From my brilliant friend John - the word inspire comes from the Latin word for "to breathe." Makes sense!
ReplyDeleteWhat I've learned over time is that I'm inspired most by steady work and expended effort -- the act of sitting down and getting through the piles, the tasks, and the gloriousness altogether. If inspiration is the spark that moves me to new things, new ideas, new plans, then what drives me most often is a new sense of connection between old ideas -- something that encourages me to take what I already know to a new level. The more I pay attention to what I know -- and to the edges that blur between what I know and what I don't -- the more likely I am to find something new and wondrous and worth following.
ReplyDeleteBut it's well-established that I'm a bit nuts. :)