What is Inspiring?

Where does inspiration come from? I know I personally like hose under-dog tales of people succeeding against the odds and overcoming unfathomable hardship. It motivates you to do the same. But it doesn’t usually drive you to actually do the same. It’s something we acknowledge and deposit in our memory banks hoping it will gather enough interest to one day be brought out and applied to life. As inspiring as Avatar, Harry Potter, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Harvey Milk are, their accomplishments seem distant and unattainable to reach in reality.  

So what is it then that truly inspires someone to step out and not just do more, but strive to become more? All I can do is speak from personal experience.

It starts with a thought. A significant, simple thought that is planted in your mind like a seed. As you think on that thought or concept over a period of time, it begins to become more concreted. I grows.  Suddenly it is no longer a thought, but a belief. When act on our beliefs, we become that belief. For me, these thoughts came from Buddhism. We are One, Love is what Binds us to Each Other, Let Go and come Together, Let it Be.  They were simple thoughts, but the more I reflected on them, the more I felt my hair grow longer, my shoulders relax, and my mind expand. I became an ocean unto myself, capable of seeing over vast distances and overcoming things by letting them sink within me, but never overcome me.

The second thing I experienced in life that allowed me to feel and express inspiration, was acknowledgement. All I wanted was to be loved and accepted, but I never knew it until I realized who I was and accepted myself for being myself. The zodiac signs helped. I know it sounds a little out there, but as a Pisces I started looking up facts about my sign on a daily basis –as I do now- and I realized what tendencies life had dealt me. I was like, Great… I’m deep and insightful but I suck at putting thoughts and goals into action. Now what? But it also showed me that Aries and an Aquarius are signs that can make me become better. And as fate would have it, I was already talking to an Aries on a regular basis –mostly about philosophical and theological beliefs. The thing about Aries is, they are highly motivated to acting and accomplishing things, but can lack patience and spirituality. Since I excel in those, we have grown to help each other in the areas we need more fulfillments in to succeed in life.

The third thing that inspired me to change and become more was People. When you open yourself to “the universe” or God or “the Divine”, it tends to return the favor and open life up to you. Last year, when I started growing from a seed of thought to a strong belief, I initially had 50 people as friends and family on my Facebook account. Today I have 128. I was led to People realized We are all on a different path and instead of judging people for being different or fearing others judging us for being different we should be embracing our differences and appreciating each other for them. I am grateful I am not leading someone else’s life and I am grateful no is ungrateful for not leading mine. Life is about variety. We Need people to be different. Being around unique, individual perspectives allows us to see things outside of ourselves and attain a greater understanding of Truth, Love, and Life. We Need to Accept and Love Ourselves and Others.  

The last thing that inspired me to change was a reality check. I was led to learn more about health and wellness, financial guidance, sociology… and I realized I was lacking in these areas. Luckily the same way I was led to these realizations I was simultaneously offered the solution. If you want to be healthy –take care of your body. If you want to be financially free –take care of your assets. If you want to overcome personal flaws –pay attention to them and go out of your way to resist and overcome them. Now my main goal is to become more of a leader to help other people who are lacking in these areas. We Need People, but more importantly, we Need to Help People in Need. What good is Compassion if you never use it?

It’s simple: Be Open and Accepting to Yourself and Others, Care for your Needs and the Needs of Others, Live Your Dream –Not Somebody Else’s.