Finding Inspiration

When I started writing about two years ago, my goal was to write one article a week until I have finished a hundred articles. At the time I thought this target would be a challenge as I was not sure if I would find enough inspiration to keep the writing going.

Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I have long finished my 100th article, but I’m still going. From this experience I realise that once you have a clear vision of your goal and develop a clear understanding of what it takes to get there, everything else just follows effortless. The means would come to you. I am not claiming that I am the best writer in the world, but I have kept the momentum which to me, is a success. You see, I don’t compare myself to others, I compare my past self to my present self.

Inspiration is behind all inventions, art and positive changes in life. Finding inspiration is easier than what you may think. I realise that the easiest way to find inspiration is by being positive.

We all have a tendency towards negativity and some of them are deeply rooted. If we become aware of our negativity or receive feedback from others about our negativity, we usually have loads of excuses. These excuses serve a good purpose - we don’t feel guilty about our being negative.

I don’t care what excuses you may have. I just want to tell you to stop thinking about all the negatives as soon as possible and start thinking about the positives in life. Unless you shift your perspective, you will continue to find life boring and mundane; you will continue to feel lack of energy and stimulation; and surely you will continue to stay in the same place, feeling powerless and aimless.

Many people find it difficult to find any inspiration in their daily lives. If you ask them what the highlights of the day or the week are, they say “as usual” or “nothing special”. If we don’t pay attention to the details of life and show our gratitude, of course we will not feel inspired and of course there is ‘nothing special‘! However, if you really pay attention in your life, you will be surprised as to how many special things happen to you during a week or a day! I don’t mind sharing you my ten highlights of the week below, just to give you an example:

1). One of my colleagues sent me an email and copied my boss in thanking me for my good work and dedication;

2). Another colleague of mine gave me a mooncake yesterday as a ‘random act of kindness’;

3). My husband told me last night that I am a very kind person for looking after him while he was sick;

4).I was given a cake this morning and a shawl as presents;

5). My friend took me to a the Toastmaster’s club (again) as a guest where I was inspired by some wonderful speeches;

6). A friend of mine sent me a joke on Monday to cheer me up;

7). My will maker told me that he was inspired by my thoughts during the process of reviewing my will with me;

8). I half jokingly told my husband that I might have put on weight and my weight goes straight to tummy. He said to me that ‘I’ve never seen any tummy that is flatter and smaller than yours in my entire life!’ which made me laugh;

9).A friend of mine after reading some of my writings commented in his email “I read your dream journals and the death article you wrote and your comment about karma in my article. The more I read about your thoughts, the more I appreciate them. Great going!”

10). My tutor in my speech class said to me that she liked my ‘personal touch’ in my speeches.

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I can go on and on about the positive things that have happened in this week. You see, it’s not that hard to find them at all! It’s the same old saying: Seek and you’ll find! There is no shortage of positive people and shining moments in your life. You just need to focus on the positives and appreciate them. Sure, there are many negative things as well in this world. But those negative things don’t give you any inspiration, why dwell on them? If your glass is half full, why do you want to think it’s half empty?

Build a shield around yourself so that you can protect yourself against all negative people and your own negative thoughts. When you surround yourself with positive people and positive thoughts, your inspiration would never ever run out. Guaranteed!