“Inspiration” has to do with those light bulb moments when I have a bright idea. It has to do with those moments when I think of or do something unique and extraordinary. Inspiration is a deep-down personal calling to do something huge and epic. But I can only be inspired when I am breathing.
Yes! Breathing! When you breathe, you can make things happen! A wise man once said that there are three types of people in this world: The ones who make things happen, the ones who watch what happens and the ones who get to the station after the train has left… they wonder “What the heck just happened and why?”. Inspired people do not spend time wondering. They make things happen.
Inspiration is about genius. We all have our own special brand of genius. It is also about vision and I believe that most people have it. Vision is closely related to having influence. One’s influence depends on who you are and what your circumstances are. Vision, genius and influence help us each to develop our own unique brand of inspiration. We can all “make things happen”. The Archaic meaning of inspire is “to breathe life into” something.
People often ask: “How do I keep myself inspired to keep on working towards my goals and make my dreams a reality? When my inspiration loses steam, I remember some age-old wisdom.
I do not let my dreams be “crowd-funded”.
My dreams and goals are specific to me, not a generic cut-and paste version of what everybody else wants.
I don’t worry about what other people think.
There are many well-meaning people in my life that have ideas about what I should and should not be doing with my life. I must decide whether I should do what they want me to do, or do what I want to do. I found that when I live my life according to someone else’s rules, I am almost always miserable and uninspired.
I protect my excitement inspiration by not letting the dream stealers rain on my parade. I respect those that have different ideas to what I have but I talk about my dreams and goals with passion and conviction. I remember the words of a wise man who once said: “One man with conviction is a majority!”
I don’t worry about how things will turn out.
Worry is a useless activity. I remind myself often that “things” do not lead me to inspiration. A new car will not make me more inspired. A new glamorous job or a gorgeous partner will not inspire me! To be truly inspired, I must simply recognise every precious moment of life and make the best that I can of it. Every moment is an inspiration, no matter what it looks like.
Everything I need to know is already mine!
I have everything I need to know, for every moment in time, already filed in the cabinet in my head. I can be “left to my own devices” and my own devices are sufficient for what I want to accomplish in my life. This may sound strange to you. The fact is that I came into this life with nothing, I go out of this life with nothing and I do not need anything to live my purpose on planet earth. All that I will ever need to live an inspired life is in the space between my ears, which is connected directly with my heart. The challenge is to believe it is there.
This idea is beautifully illustrated in the ancient story of David and Goliath. David was inspired to slay the giant because he wanted to be somebody. But he did not go onto the battlefield with a sword, a spear and a shield. He went with a slingshot and a few pebbles and he still completed the task successfully and became somebody. Our belief is more important than our pebbles and slingshots.
These four little reminders inspired me to make my own beautiful noise. Inspiration is a one-man band. You have to make all the music yourself. As soon as I realised that I have my own unique rhythm, and that I can make what ever noise I want to make, my life started having a sparkle it never had before. Remember that your dreams and aspirations are your own, don’t worry about what others think, don’t worry about the outcome. Trust that you already have everything you need. Your life would be a symphony … if you choose it to be.