1001 Rules For My Unborn Daughter

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Traveling life's road, one should never be afraid to try something new. Remember... Amateurs built the ark; professionals built the titanic.

How to wake up inspired...

By Jonathan Mead

Inspiration is typically viewed as something that comes and goes. Some days you “feel it” more than others.

But what if you could be deeply and unconditionally inspired everyday? I bet it would make a difference in the quality of your life. You would probably wake up excited to start your day. You’d get more done, be more creative and feel more of that elusive “flow.” Being inspired also means enjoying the process more, instead of feeling forced and unnatural.

The best part of persistent inspiration is that action tends to be effortless. There isn’t so much trying, rather you’re more simply being and allowing whatever action is natural to flow out from you.

Most of us just wait for inspiration though. We passively anticipate our muse, instead of actively seeking it out.

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.“ ~Jack London

I’ve been experimenting with something different for a while, purposefully taking responsibility for being inspired. For a while I didn’t know if it would work. Inspiration is kind of an elusive phenomenon after all. And even if you choose to look for inspiration, does that mean it will come?

The answer is yes, and no.

Actively creating an inspired state doesn’t work 100% of the time. Sometimes instead you will feel calm, centered and relaxed instead of being filled with electric motivation. And that’s okay.

Here’s the thing though: deliberately choosing to be inspired tends to create a more consistent inspired state over time. That is, the more you flip the switch, the more it becomes automatic and spontaneous.

So the question is… How can you reinforce inspiration, so that it becomes automatic?

I’ve found a few ways to helps this along:

1. Eat inspiration for breakfast.

Who are some of the people that inspire you or have influenced your work? Who do you want to be like, who are some of your mentors? Take some time in the morning to read something they’ve written, or watch a video they’ve created.

2. Reflect on your reasons why.

We should all have deeply emotional reasons behind the goals we set (if you don’t, they might be the wrong goals). Reviewing the reasons behind our intentions help us to remember why we’re doing what we’re doing. Without that purpose, it can be hard to stay inspired.

3. Discard unwanted commitments.

We often say yes to too much. It’s much harder to deliberately choose our projects than to blindly accept whatever comes our way. Regularly reviewing your commitments to make sure that you’re only working on things that truly excite you is essential to being inspired. You can’t expect to be excited about things you didn’t consciously choose or desire.

4. Create an inspiring physical space.

What is it that you truly love to do? What gets your energy flowing and your blood rushing? Surround your physical space in things that will remind you of and reinforce your passion. If art is your passion, make sure your surroundings reflect that. Put up pictures from your favorite artists. Have an easel nearby with paint ready. If your passion is architecture, surround your space with pictures of your favorite buildings, or structures. Let your space be a constant inspirational reinforcement. It only takes a few hours to setup at the most, and after that it’s constantly working for you on autopilot.

5. Surround yourself with inspiring people.

The people you socialize and engage with will have a big impact on your level of inspiration. Choose to be selective about the people you let into your life, and what type of energy they bring to your circle of influence. You can start by following inspiring people on Twitter or keeping in touch with the work of leaders and innovators you admire.

6. Challenge yourself.

The more you move in the direction of things that challenge and make you a bit nervous, the more likely you will find inspiration. You can’t expect to be inspired by doing the same thing every day, following the same routine, working at the same boring job, watching the same boring television shows. You have to decide to follow your passions, engage in the world and choose paths that might make you feel a bit uncomfortable.

7. Create space.

Probably the most neglected of all ways to find inspiration is the most counterintuitive. Sometimes to be inspired, we have to step away… we have to create space and room for our passions to breathe. Spending time hiking and in nature is my favorite way to do this. It’s in the gaps that beauty is found. It’s the empty space that makes a cup useful.

These are all great ways to cultivate a more inspired life, but I think perhaps the most important thing to focus on is the feeling you want to create.

Feeling first, then action

Most of the time we look for the feeling we want to have from or as a result of the action we’re taking. We seek to feel a certain way through the pursuits we engage in. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this approach, it’s just that it can often lead to misjudgment on what goals are truly right for us.

On the other hand, if we focus on what we want to feel first – enjoyment, creativity, connection, excitement, etc. – then we set ourselves up for naturally engaging in action that supports those feelings. Our actions become a reflection of the way we feel, not the other way around.

Inspiration is a choice

Cultivating a life of sustainable inspiration is something that I’m working toward each day. I’m too impatient to wait around for inspiration to fall on my lap, or into my head.

I don’t think living an inspired life happens by accident.

I think inspiration is a choice.

Go get your dreams!!

When you want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

Hello!

I was moping around home today and in debate of whether I should do a post. But I was kind of lacking inspiration, until.... I was going over an old letter from one of my penpals. And I had told him before about how I have days when I just have such difficulty trying to get into something that's completely out of my natural element. Like playing a different sport, learning a new language, this and that...

And in response his letter wrote "...There's a saying that goes, when you really want something, the universe works in your favor..." And I immediately knew what he was talking about! It was a quote from one of my favorite authors - Paulo Coelho. If ya haven't heard the name before, you really need to check him out. Enough said.

Anyways, I remember writing to him and telling how appreciative I was about him reminding me of those words because, they have such special meaning and truth that his letter just gave me a huge boost I needed. Because we all know how crazy complicated life is, but when you just take the time to understand yourself and how life just is. You just get a huge hand from God, helping you to get back on track again.

When I was in high school, and like most young people at this age. They ask us to take this career aptitude test that is supposedly to "help" us realize what we should do in life. I remember taking the test over and over and over. And my results were usually - you should be a designer, an actress, an artist, a business specialist. I remember thinking, really? Is this what I should actually do with myself in the future? But then this past year, I finally thought - this computer doesn't know me! Nor does this test have anything to do with who I really am! What is the real I? It's what you are, not what others make of you.

Regardless if you're a child, a teen, or an adult - we all have dreams. And every now and then there's always someone or something dictating and trying to affect the path of our dreams. Dreams are the language of God. When you set a path for yourself, you have to be stubborn about it and try your best never to lose focus. Of course, there will be good times and bad, but it's how we interpret those times that we can really take to advantage. We have this language of the omens, the language of the signs. It is an alphabet that is directed to us.

God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you. All those things that happen while we're chasing our dreams have meaning. We have to keep them in mind as we go along.

Soooo - after I finish this delicious pizza, I've some thinking to do. And so do you! Go get your dreams!

Every human being has inside them something more important then him or herself - his or her GIFT.

M.

Hope.

Hello,
Sorry I've been a bit MIA this past week. I just haven't really been in the mood for a new post. Just recently, I've been going to through a very rough time and I'm just barely coping. But I decided to give myself a pick-me-up and I found this little story that really gave the boost that I needed...

(from He Invites)

For thirty two years I have struggled with the pain, grief, and destroyed confidence that results from emotional abuse. "You'll never amount anything," was probably the most encouraging phrase my family ever spoke to me. I believed and suffered from it. It affected every area of my life, until I discovered the love and hope that is in Jesus Christ. I learned that I was created in the image of God (Genesis 9:6), forgiven all my sins (Ephesians 1:7), and adopted into the family of God (I John 3:1). The life I now enjoy is valued and eternal (I John 5:11). According to God's word, I am really somebody special. I no longer believe the lies of the enemy (Revelation 12:10).

M

A dreamer of dreams

By Gloria Jean Berry



You have come to me from a distant land,
Dreamer of dreams, to fill my hearts desire,

Sweet music flowing from your nimble hand,

That plays within... to light my passion's fire.

A symphony of word and thought you bring.

Excitement builds upon crescendo's sound,

Brought forth in tones to make my light heart sing

For all the beauty that, with you, I've found.

A life has changed in just an instant's time,

All darkness fled before that brilliant sun,

That shines from spoken words of softest rhyme,

And speaks of treasures, only just begun.

That mystic meeting gives my heart a glow

That few have seen and only you will know.

M

My last month!!

Hello again.

Holy Moses, I can't believe that August is the absolute last month of my hiatus. As soon as September rolls around, I'll be a full-time college student woohoo! It's been a very long 12 months and I'm confident enough to say that I'm ready to get back into the REAL WORLD with a fresh mind and open heart.
I believe I've learned more about myself during this time, than at any other point in my life. It hasn't been easy though, I did shed a few tears in the beginning. Spiritually, I'm much more stronger. The most compelling individual I've met... Is my inner self. When you're able to connect with who you really are, everything starts to fall into place. Alright, I'm going to stop babbling before the water works come in haha.
Here is a piece of last month for yah.

I like... Kina Grannis' Stairwells album
I don't like... Sweat season (I mean *summer*)
I've planned... To read 'Chocolat' and get back into yoga
I want to say to someone special... It's never 'goodbye' or 'farewell'. It's 'we'll see each other down to road'
I've learned... That there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

M