Inspiratus
Good day to you my friends!! Thank you for the gift of your time to show up and read these words from lil ole me, I am grateful. I am starting to feel a bit better after a week of my health feeling lack luster. I think I was part of some sort of bug that swept through. I didn’t feel real ill but my energy and strength was under some sort of an attack. Here’s to our health, am I right? The podcast this week will be released on Wednesday and is about this very topic from a very macro perspective; Our health is truly a major measure of our happiness.
Self Proclaimed Inspiration Junkie
Let’s dive in. For a few weeks now I have been stuck on the word inspiration as something I have been wanting to write about. A pretty broad concept that left me not knowing where to start or feeling like there may not be enough space to cover it for a blog. It hasn’t gone away so today is my attempt to see what comes from it. One thing I have learned and know to be true for me is that I have a very active curiosity and imagination center. I am aware that it is something that was given to me, laid in me, or whatever way there is to describe that I acknowledge it as something that was by no way given to myself as something to obtain, purchase or choose. While that is true I have also become aware that it is within my choice spectrum to ignore that nature in me or acknowledge it. I have lived my life at any given time choosing one or the other, usually unconsciously and more often than not; ignoring it at least to some degree. I can say that I know the difference in how life feels within that choice as well, and therefore I have reached a point, that perhaps just longer time in the game gives one, that I now fully keep my eye on my creative/imagination center because that is where the magic is for keeping my spirits high. I think I felt strongly about writing something surrounding the word inspiration because this creative/imagination center and gift I speak of is hardly about me but more my strong belief that it is about all of us. It is something that was laid in us; I couldn’t feel more certain about it. So, my aim here I guess, if there were a specific target, would be to discuss inspiration rather broadly (since it has so many ways of showing itself) and to share what I have found helps keep the inspirational environment fertile and the creative pathways open. It seems like those pathways are some what like arteries to the heart; many times you don’t feel the clog in them before the serious side affects rear their heads. I also feel that there is a connection between the two; something to consider.
Words From Merriam & Me
Inspiration;
High Spirits
Lively and vivacity of imagination
Something that encourages
A sudden exciting thought
Divine guidance and motivation imparted directly
The act of breathing in
Inspiration, from the Latin, inspiratus; meaning to create unto. In English, since the early 19th century it’s meaning is generally “someone or something that inspires”. Since the mid 16th century it has also had a literal meaning in English pertaining to a medical term, “the drawing of air into the lungs”. Way before that though, in the early 14th century it had a figurative meaning; “a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation.” I think most people would associate the words meaning to #’s 2-4 above, with an addition of many attaching it to #5 but unless you are prone to calling taking a breath as “inspiration” or are in a medical community, meaning #6 is not so much a thing. However, I do find it interesting that the whole act of taking in air as a required aspect of living seems to me to be an ultimate of inspired works. I find it impossible to believe we are not made of the entire meanings of “inspired”. So, if we are inspired works, every single person ultimately made of inspiration, it would seem obvious that not only do we all have it but perhaps we are to tap into that more than anything else; it is the “inspired” part of us that can bring forth an infinite amount of ideas, solutions, works and encouragement. I love how inspiration works too in that everyone can be inspired and can also give the inspiration. What a beautiful system of beneficial exchange. Right there hard-wired into us for free. No extra charge, life long manufacturer guarantee. All we need to do is choose to activate it.
Take a special note that in no place where the definition or word origin for inspire or inspiration appears does the word artist, artistic, music, painter, actor, etc appear. I think sometimes in our minds, inspiration; to be inspired or to inspire gets clumped into visions of creative works of expression; both where we receive it and ways in which to give it are tied together, and that would be wrong. I think this has actually cut people off into thinking they were not given the “inspired” function. While art of any kind of course are examples of inspired works or things that inspire, it is merely a small sliver of what is actually an endless list of what can inspire. Artistic expressions are also very subjective. What inspiration is gained for one person through a painting, a book or a song many not register any inspiration whatsoever for someone else. On the other hand there would be few humans that cannot sense the inspiration in the elements of nature. Perhaps widening our lens of what inspiration means and the endless ideas and solutions that can be attached to it and the spirit of it from which it flows would aid us in creating better environments for our inspiration ground to flourish instead of harden like the arteries to our hearts. I also think that it is quite worth considering that artists of any kind who get elevated by an audience, fall into the trap of believing that they contain magical inspirational powers that sets them aside or above their audience because they hear the praise repeated by their fans and the press so often. This is a sad state of affairs. It puts both the audience into a position of idolization and the artist into a deceptive den of pride and self admiration or as Chris Cornell so succinctly called it in his infamous song, “Jesus Christ Pose”. No bueno! We see the side affects of this reality every single day. I love artistic expressions of all kinds and find much inspiration from the arts however, I do believe we should not place one persons talents so high above our own; not let that stop ones own feeling of self worth in what they may contain as inspiration for someone. We have different ways of expressing inspiration, not better, different. I have always been very triggered by the idolization of actors, musicians, athletes etc as it seems sad on both sides to me. Meanwhile many budding artists and athletes, speakers, inventors, idea people and more cannot seem to find much encouragement but rather discouragement in trying to keep people from entering the playing fields of what people seem to think is the holy grounds of the selected and you aren’t one of them. Interesting right?
Inspiration Buzzkills
Since inspiration is so personal, the list of where to seek it out to help fertilize the field for it’s access and use would be endless. That’s a list for you to make yourself; Instead I will list some things that I know to be creativity and inspiration blockers. These may or may not be in order of what ranks as the worst.
The News ( You know the amount I am talking about here. It was devised for 24/7 only because of the influence it could have and the advertising money opportunity it could generate). We live in the damage era from this.
Screens. TV, streaming, phones, ipads, all of them. Add up the time you spend on them for even one day. I am talking about your “free time” not a career here. Add it up; take note. Restrict yourself. It is robbing you of your own thoughts, ideas and creativity. It is putting your brain at all times in comparison mode. It’s a problem and it is obvious the damage hits we are taking over it. Children behave differently due to it, young adults rely on it as their only connection to assess their dating lives and just about every other opinion they hold, older people rely on it as an outside connection; problem is, it’s not real life. It restricts our actual real life community time. Do you know how many people gather at a restaurant and are all pulling out their phones showing each other things they found on social media and using that as their conversations? Or, the couples who have no conversations but are looking at their phones? I do, too many, and It’s weird. Stand back in a busy restaurant sometime and just observe how phones are centerpieces. It matters what you watch as well; garbage in, garbage out. Seek out things that ignite the mind and heart not things that are dark as go to viewing as a main diet.
Schedule Slavery. We are over schedulers. It’s insane. People wonder why they feel like they get in a rut? Loosen the grip of the scheduling. Loosen the grip of yes and say no to things that just don’t have much fruit to yield because guess what? No matter how much you want to do on any given day, you cannot do it all and there is no competition at the end of this crazy train, even though we act like there is. Straighten out your relationship with time. Inspiration is kind of like spontaneity; neither can be scheduled but both can be missed. Fear of missing out syndrome seems epidemic.
Worry. A misuse of imagination if ever there were one. We spin tales about things that are about to happen as though we know it to be factual. The more time we obsess over it the deeper and darker the tale gets and somewhere along the line we forget to even remember there is another thought perspective and possibilities of conclusions. If you are fearful about something, turn worry to prayer and if you don’t pray, turn it into something. Write things down, journal. How much longer and better would our lives be if we could get worry time back? We need to stop. We need to learn to cope with the life crap that will come whether we worry or not and usually we are faced with challenges we forgot to worry about. Irony.
Lack of Authentic Community. Too many are battling things out with too much isolation. We were not designed for this. Be that friend. Have laughs with friends. Eat with friends. Reach out when your four walls are burying you. Drop pride. Stop thinking nobody would understand; you’re wrong.
Addictions. Addictions lead to isolation. You cannot escape your way out of life; you can only add to the weight of it or you can lighten the weight of it but weighty times will come to all. They need not be life sentences. Never attempt a solution to an ill spirit that will only become another problem. Inspiration does not live in an under-the influence environment. Addictions are symptoms. What’s troubling your heart or soul? Let’s roll up our sleeves.
This has been written as something to consider and I hope it can lead to a conversation with someone. Find ways or share ways with loved ones who may be feeling lack in the inspired department. It is very important to keep an environment for yourself that lets inspiration in and out; just like breathing. After all, you, in and of the reality of just being here on this planet journeying through it with the rest of us; are in fact inspired; it’s what we are so let’s help it be on a free flow.
Share something that has inspired you recently, I’d love to hear them. Feeling uninspired? Let’s share that too! My hope with this blog is that it can build community.
Grateful and Inspired,
L
You inspire me by showing up here every week with your thoughts. I know it's not easy some weeks to pull it all together and put it out in the world. But you just never know when the simple act of showing up will alter the course of your life or someone else's.