Inspiration

I’ve been having a very busy and inspiring week: lots of ideas are flowing in about various projects related to my consulting work. Lots of it also involves reaching out and linking in with others to create things bigger than that which I might be doing on my own. This connection with others gives a great feeling of warmth and I feel alive with possibility, as though some things are about to expand and produce inspiring work to make a difference on a much greater scale.

Which got me reflecting on inspiration. It’s a big thing with me. For example I get talking with people around something that I enjoy and that interests me and I start to talk in an enlivened manner. I get enthusiastic and others then get enthused. The nature of enthusiasm is that it’s infectious. Like laughter, others pick up on it. I intuitively alight on some matter and the creative juices start to flow, a bit like this blog sometimes.

You might like to look at the words I’ve just used in the paragraph above: I’ll quickly select inspiration, enjoy, interests, enlivened, enthusiasm, infectious, alight, flow. I don’t know how you react to them. My thought is that with these, something happens inside us. They are strong, positive, uplifting words, relating to a strong inner experience.

If I take inspiration, in the Oxford English dictionary I notice where it says it is “divine prompting or guidance”; “the prompting of the mind to exalted thoughts, to creative activity”. It also refers to the drawing in of breath. To go further, the verb “inspire” includes to “breathe life, a soul into…”. Personally, I associate inspiration with a sudden lightening up, an aliveness, like I become alive with something. Enthusiasm likewise is derived from the Greek “enthousiasmos” originally to “be inspired or possessed by a god”. As regards flow, the psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi refers to the “flow state” as a mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing, characterised by a feeling of energised focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. When I get inspired, I feel caught up in a wave of pure positive energy of enthusiasm and everything takes on a new powerful, energised perspective and I for a while feel unstoppable.

For me I need to trust the inspiration, just allow it to happen, let it roll. It come from within and explodes out there, either in writing, in developing ideas or in communication with others.

Trusting the inner voice, what lies within us, our inner power, our inner truth: it’s hugely important. It’s our life force, who we are. Through developing our self-awareness, we can get to know it more. Through inner work, like say meditation, we can get to work round its nuances, to see where it’s pure and where ego gets in the way. Learning to discriminate, to see what’s pure within us that we can express powerfully, our inner power, is a vital part of the inner journey. Then when we put it “out there” in the world and make our mark, it comes from a space of integrity. That’s what people will listen to and trust, what people will connect with. Or we can use it for what we need to do that helps us on the life path. Inspiration guides us positively forward, as we choose the steps which are right for us on our path. Inspiration creates for us what we need to create. It helps make things happen. It brings into life what lies dormant within. Its helps us fulfil our potential. It draws things and people to us. It links with synchronicity, those apparent chance happenings which are really co-created with others or with events and situations apparently out there but actually part of us.

So perhaps, this weekend, sit in a quiet, special place and go within, and spend a little time being still. Ask yourself what lies within you that inspires you. Ask what lies within that has a good energy around it. Ask yourself and then meditate. Don’t force anything. Connect if you like with your god within, or your inner spirit, or your inner life, or your centre, or whatever that means for you that you are comfortable with. Just sit there and be patient. Be alert and attentive. Don’t expect anything. Let go of any attachment to expectation or to getting a result. These things come unsought. It’s an allowing. If you get some words or a sense of some words, just notice them: whatever pops up. When something feels like it has an energy, just let it be there and attend to the energy. Allow the energy to grow and see what grows. See what you feel inspired about. Then, when you come back from your meditation, or contemplation really act on it. Put it out there somehow, so that the energy can turn into something positive, something you’ll act on and grow.

Maybe let me know what happens. En-joy!