Inspiration is the magical elixir of life necessary for us to want to do more and to do it better. It is what gives us the ability to dream big and the strength to persist against all odds. Inspiration is not only what artists, dancers, writers, performers, and athletes need to begin their process of creation but also what they need to see it through. Without inspiration it just feels like a daily grind, a job. But with inspiration it feels like following your dream and living out your life’s dharma. For as long as I can remember I would seek my inspiration of the extraordinary to stimulate my ordinary life.
To feel inspired is to inhale something divine.
To me it meant that to feel inspired is to inhale something divine, not quite of this world but yet directly connected to it. When famous artists, like prima ballerina, Misty Copeland, speak of their performances on stage, they often describe it as an out of body experience. Something overtakes them and transforms them, consumes them and they feel it is no longer them. That is a moment of inspiration, in which I believe a regular human is connected to their vibrant spirit. In that moment the creative act of dance, writing, or acting becomes a simple extension of one’s being and it flows naturally without any restrictions of the voices in your head.
Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.
Ella Fitzgerald
However, I don’t think that inspiration is something that is available to us if we don’t work at it, consistently, earnestly, on a daily basis. If we desire this pure connection, to channel the stream of inspiration to motivate and bring out our creativity, we must go after it with intent. We cannot leave it to inspiration to visit us whenever it likes to, but rather cultivate the state of inspiration in the ordinary life. Here are a few helpful tips on bringing and keeping inspiration in your life:
- Create a personal ritual to disconnect from the daily grind.
- Nurture balance in your daily life, balance in eating, balance in moving, balance in alone time and balance in time with others.
- Experiment with creative activities that connect to you personally, i.e. freestyle dancing or painting, or maybe it’s a crafty project with your kids.
- Learn to quiet the judging voices in your head.
- Try to really pay attention to what is happening at any given moment, inspiration can be found in the most surprising place.
The more present we can be in our ordinary daily lives, observing the different events as they unfold, the more aware we become of who we are and who we are not. Inspiration definitely lives somewhere beyond the voices of the ego, the mean and judging side. It usually takes some sitting with yourself and acknowledgment of what those voices are saying, how you are not good enough for this thing or the other. Once you have separated from these voices enough, you begin to move past them and into the quiet space of inspiration, where your next brilliant idea for a project, a book, or improving a relationship, or helping someone through a difficult life situation comes from.
I find that inviting inspiration into my life is almost like playing a little mind game: “Will I listen to these awful voices that are never satisfied? Or will I just relax, stop asking, and let come what may?” I think the key is somewhere in relaxing and not needing to control, but just being present. Everything becomes revealed when we suddenly open our eyes, and inspiration rushes in.
