The thrill of being inspired
June 17, 2009 by admin
Filed under Inspiration U
Quote of the month:
“There’s no thrill in easy sailing when the skies are clear and blue; there’s no joy in merely doing things which any one can do. But there is some satisfaction that is mighty sweet to take, when you reach a destination that you thought you’d never make.”
– Spirella
So maybe your idea of a good time doesn’t involve roping up and climbing a 75-foot wall or soaring a few thousand feet in the air with no engine. But when you read about thrill-seekers that operate with a high level of passion and commitment, doesn’t it make you wonder: What am I that passionate about? By asking and answering this question, you’ll learn how to infuse just the right amount of zest and inspiration into your life.
Square one.
Assess the content of your daily life on a regular basis. Not only does this keep us actively engaged with our feelings and experiences, but it also gives us information about what pieces of our lives we need to consider changing.
The process is simple. Take a few moments to reflect on the past week. Including what happened at work, what you did after work, whom you spent time with, and so on. You probably already have a pretty good idea about what was wonderful and inspiring about the week — dinner out with the girls or a breakthrough moment with your newborn — as well as what moments felt less-than-worth-your-time — the monotonous workout at the gym or time spent with a group of people that you don’t particularly like. If it helps, make a written list of the “thumb’s up” and “thumb’s down” moments.
Making things happen.
Once you have a handle on what excites you and what drains you, the real work begins. (You may have to observe yourself for a few weeks before you see some clear patterns.)
Start with the list of things that you enjoy. These are the experiences that have the potential to easily cultivate more passion and stimulation in your daily life. Your job is to start weaving more of these activities into your schedule. Pronto.
Then there are the things on your list that aren’t so enjoyable. Carefully evaluate how much these events drain you and if they need to change. If a shift is necessary, you have two options available:
1. Change how you approach or participate in the experiences, or
2. Get rid of them altogether.
Only you can decide which course of action is best.
Watch for tendencies to make excuses for why you can’t make the necessary changes (there isn’t enough time in your schedule, you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, or you can just “deal with it” for a little longer). These are often the little half-truths we utter in order to make ourselves feel better about languishing in the status quo.
Your deepest fears.
If you really want to invite consistent inspiration into your life, you’re going to have to be honest about what scares you about getting there. Maybe you fear conflict so much that you can’t bring yourself to end the friendship that drains you the most. Maybe you can hardly deal with the guilt of taking two hours to do something just for you, so you don’t. Maybe you are terrified that your employer doesn’t really value your talents, and so you end up skipping that request for a raise.
This is where the rubber meets the road. Once you identify your primary motivations for side-stepping bold changes in your life, you can start working with them, rather than allowing them to keep you in a state of non-action. By acknowledging and better understanding your base fears, you have the potential to unlock the hold that they have on you.
This can be a delicate, exciting, frightening, empowering ride — asking yourself to consistently evaluate the role that inspiration plays in your life. Rest assured, you’ll have both the easy, a-ha! moments as well as the tough, ugh! moments along the way. Perhaps you can take that all in stride when you realize the tremendous thrill that comes with living an inspired life.
Jonas is a Boulder-based intuitive guide and healer and teacher of sacred movement, yoga and meditation. Contact her at www.body-mantra.com or www.kimberlyjonas.com.
