8 posts tagged “inspire”

I've been battling the flu these past few days, and I think I am finally coming out of the "fog."  I am trying to get back into the swing of things slowly, and I found the below passage a helpful reminder to surround myself with positive experiences.  Hope you have a great day ;o)

The Joyful Flow
Good Vibrations
from The Daily Om

Feelings vibrate, just as all things in the universe do, at a particular frequency. Negative feelings like anger, guilt, and depression vibrate at low frequencies, while positive feelings like joy, appreciation, and passion vibrate at high frequencies. These high frequency vibrations make us feel good. This is why people and places that inspire and cultivate positive feelings have what we call good vibrations.

Good vibrations inspire health, happiness, and optimism. When we are tuned in to good vibrations, our bodies heal, our hearts open, and our minds shift toward the light. We see new possibilities and feel powerfully energized to follow our inner visions. At the same time, we feel relaxed and capable of manifesting these visions without giving in to stress or struggle. Good vibrations put us in a state of perfect receptivity so that we feel it is the energy flowing through us that accomplishes what needs to be done. We feel guided, supported, protected, and nourished within this joyful flow. We sometimes forget that we are allowed to feel this way all the time.

Lower frequency vibrations are not bad in a moral sense, but they are bad in the sense that they simply don’t feel good. Still, they have a purpose, which is to alert us to the fact that we are blocking out the higher frequency vibrations that we need to function well. They are a call for healing ourselves from within. The key to our healing lies in remembering that it is our birthright to feel good and that feeling good is the essence of our true nature. When we are receiving and sending out good vibrations, we are in the flow. When we are not, we can begin to raise our vibration by seeking out people, places, and situations that vibrate at a higher frequency. Whether we need to go on retreat or just call a friend who makes us laugh, seeking out those good vibrations and basking in them is a sacred and loving practice that returns us, time and again, to the joyful flow of the universe.

Found this blog while searching the net, and really found the author's comments inspirational..please enjoy

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Knowing I Will Die Someday, How Then Shall I Live?
Jul 17th, 2009 by Judith Rich

I know this sounds like a really “heavy” subject to be bringing up, especially now, in the middle of summer, when everybody just wants to escape the heat and curl up with a romance novel at the beach, or go to the mountains, pitch a tent, drop a fishing line and dangle your feet in a cool mountain stream and forget the world.

I’m choosing now to bring up the “D” word? Not to worry. I don’t want to talk about death. I want to talk about life.

I know, it’s not exactly light, summer reading, but hey, the sudden death of Michael Jackson three weeks ago coupled with the reality of my own breast cancer diagnosis three months ago has brought this important question to the forefront of my awareness in a new and urgent way.

One thing I’ve learned from both these events is there’s only now. If it’s on my radar screen, I best write about it now. And that, after all, is the point of this post.

I said I wasn’t going to talk about death, but let me just say this: the very fact of our death is ordained at the moment of our first breath, yet human beings live their lives, for the most part, in deep denial of this truth. The unexpected death of a loved one or the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness smacks us in the face; tears away our denial and forces us to look squarely into the abyss of our own mortality. I’ve just come back from taking a look into that abyss. I’m quite happy to be back.

But like I said, the focus of this inquiry is not about death. It's about life. Our death, like it or not, is a given. Our life is not. Life is merely a creative possibility that we shape and mold according to the choices we make during our time here on earth. Given that we know how the story ends, in some form or fashion we die, how do we make the time we spend here worthy of the life we've been given?

Within each of us, there is an innate call to connect to the greater whole in our own, unique way. We're called to actualize our potential, discover and develop our gifts and contribute them in some way that makes a difference in the human condition.

Each of us is called to be in service to life in a way that only we can fulfill. There is no one else who has the same combination of gifts or talents as you. You're one of a kind. Given your life is yours to create, what kind of life do you want to live?

I was in my mid-30's when that question first arose for me. Up until then, it had never dawned on me that I had any choice in the matter. I was just putting one foot in front of the other, doing what I thought I was expected to do. Graduate from college, get a job, get married, start a family. My life was already laid out according to the messages from my parents and the culture in general.

I followed the rules and did all the things I was expected to do; but there was another dynamic at work in me that did not line up according to plan. Some deeper part of me wasn't buying it. I was living the life I thought others wanted for me, not the one I wanted for myself. I couldn't fit myself into that box, even though I was the one who'd constructed it. I was compelled to leave that life in search of the authentic life I sought to live.

That search has taken me far and wide and I'm happy to say I've found my purpose and lived in alignment with it for the past forty years.

Today, I'm much closer to the finish line. Sensing its increasing proximity puts a fine patina on the richness of whatever is left of my life. I feel a quickening, a knowing that while I may still have decades left to live, it becomes even more important that my remaining years be lived in service to my purpose. This is not the time to kick back and coast. Now post cancer, I've been given another chance at life, an opportunity to continue to make a difference. How will I use it?

Each of us has a choice about how we live out our days in this lifetime. We can live in lockstep with how we've been conditioned and never question whether or not the choices we're making are truly our own or if we're merely following the script we've been given.

On the surface, this might seem the easier approach. Follow the rules: don't make waves, live to please others, ignore your own feelings, keep a low profile, don't upset anyone, be careful what you do and say, be concerned about what other people think of you, be in control at all times, avoid difficulties and anything unpleasant. Lots of people live this life and seem to do it well, at least on the surface.

Having worked with thousands of people over the years that have lived according to these unwritten rules for being human, it's clear that while this life might give the appearance of working, it comes at a heavy price. The price? Knowing who you are, that's all. But in the end, that's everything. So what's the alternative?

Another possibility is to live a life that is sourced from the deeper waters of the Soul. As I've said before in other posts, the soul has its own agenda. Sooner or later, it will have its way with us. The soul comes to fulfill its purpose. The sooner one can discover that purpose and align with it, the more grace we experience in the journey.

A life lived "on purpose" is not necessarily an easier life. It can be very challenging because you're not avoiding anything. Some of us come with strong and powerful lessons to complete. Living on purpose insures that you'll be continuously learning, taking new territory, dealing with uncertainty. But knowing that a larger purpose is being served and becoming aligned with that purpose puts one on a track that is supported by the very process of life itself. You were meant to fulfill your purpose.

Your purpose becomes your point of reference, your personal GPS. Choices that were obscure now become obvious. You operate from a level of Higher Being as opposed to being driven by the automatic, reactive, conditioned Ego. You learn to access your own wisdom and trust it. Imagination and intuition spark creative responses to life instead of automatic reactions. What once looked like a huge risk becomes the next obvious step in the direction of your authentic life. You begin to sense yourself moving in the direction of "home", your deeper truth. Your dreams take form. This is a life lived with intention. This is a life lived "on purpose".

My purpose is to serve the planet in awakening to a higher consciousness. For forty years, I've been in service to my purpose through teaching, training, coaching, speaking and writing, being a mother and a friend.

How do you see your life unfolding? Knowing you will die someday, what do you see most important to fulfill in the life you have left to live? Are you on/off track? Can you see the path of your purpose? What steps do you need to take now to step into this life?

Blessings on the path.

I have some great ideas that never go beyond the "thinking" stage..and this inspirational message helped me understand what I was missing.  I hope you enjoy this as well ;o)

THE TIME TO ACT
by Jim Rohn

Engaging in genuine discipline requires that you develop the ability to take action. You don't need to be hasty if it isn't required, but you don't want to lose much time either. Here's the time to act: when the idea is hot and the emotion is strong.

Let's say you would like to build your library. If that is a strong desire for you, what you've got to do is get the first book. Then get the second book. Take action as soon as possible, before the feeling passes and before the idea dims. If you don't, here's what happens

- YOU FALL PREY TO THE LAW OF DIMINISHING INTENT –

We intend to take action when the idea strikes us. We intend to do something when the emotion is high. But if we don't translate that intention into action fairly soon, the urgency starts to diminish. A month from now the passion is cold. A year from now it can't be found.

So take action. Set up a discipline when the emotions are high and the idea is strong, clear, and powerful. If somebody talks about good health and you're motivated by it, you need to get a book on nutrition. Get the book before the idea passes, before the emotion gets cold. Begin the process. Fall on the floor and do some push-ups. You've got to take action; otherwise the wisdom is wasted. The emotion soon passes unless you apply it to a disciplined activity.

Discipline enables you to capture the emotion and the wisdom and translate them into action. The key is to increase your motivation by quickly setting up the disciplines. By doing so, you've started a whole new life process.

Here is the greatest value of discipline: self-worth, also known as self-esteem. Many people who are teaching self-esteem these days don't connect it to discipline. But once we sense the least lack of discipline within ourselves, it starts to erode our psyche. One of the greatest temptations is to just ease up a little bit. Instead of doing your best, you allow yourself to do just a little less than your best. Sure enough, you've started in the slightest way to decrease your sense of self-worth.

There is a problem with even a little bit of neglect. Neglect starts as an infection. If you don't take care of it, it becomes a disease. And one neglect leads to another. Worst of all, when neglect starts, it diminishes our self-worth. Once this has happened, how can you regain your self-respect?

All you have to do is act now! Start with the smallest discipline that corresponds to your own philosophy. Make the commitment: "I will discipline myself to achieve my goals so that in the years ahead I can celebrate my successes."

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

This is an inspirational story of Beethoven receiving a standing ovation for his amazing symphony, and the person who helped him experience that joy.  It reminded me of the help I have received by my mother, who has encouraged me through some challenging times ~ May this story remind you that we all have gifts to share and people who can help us see the beauty in our lives.

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Music of the Heart Will Not Be Silent
By Stephanie West Allen

Beethoven

Most of Beethoven's masterpieces were composed while he was deaf. He had inside him music that would not be stilled by life's circumstances. His music triumphed over suffering.

The last movement of the Ninth Symphony is choral music Beethoven set to Friedrich von Schiller's poem "Ode to Joy." Beethoven believed this poem celebrated the brotherhood of man.

On May 7, 1824, when the Ninth Symphony premiered, Beethoven was on-stage conducting. Also on-stage was a supplementary conductor necessary because of Beethoven's deafness. When the "Ode to Joy" movement was over, the audience erupted in applause. Beethoven did not turn around as he could not hear them.

Turn Around and See What You Have Created

One of the chorus members broke protocol and moved towards Beethoven. He took hold of the composer's arm. Beethoven gave him a fierce look but the chorus member persisted gently turning him around. By then the applause had subsided.

As Beethoven looked out into the audience, they began to rise in standing ovation. First one person and then many and then all. It is said that a single, small tear of joy slipped down the composer's cheek. It is also said that another tiny companion tear rolled down the cheek of the chorus member standing next to him.

Some Questions for You

What gift inside of you is so strong that it must triumph over any adversity (or shyness or inactivity or busy-ness) and come out for others to enjoy?

Are you still holding it in, sapping creative energy by squelching it?
What will it take for this ability, this genius, to flow out of you on a stream of inspiration?

We all have our genius with which we can make our world and that of others a more beautiful place. Part of being a member of the brotherhood of man is sharing our gifts with each other. What will bring your tear of joy?

And one more question, who in your life gently turns you around when you are facing in the wrong direction so you can see your standing ovation?