Inspired and Inspire are powerful words. They can bring joy, purpose and energy into our lives. That's why I adopted "inspire" as my 'word' long ago. Your 'word' is a word that encapsulates your beliefs, ideals and the real you. If you don't know what your "word" is, check out my blog here, on this topic.
Before I talk about "being inspired" or "inspire", let's define the word INSPIRE. It is defined as ↪ fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative ↩.
The word inspire comes from the Latin word "inspirare" which means "to breathe or blow into". So when you are inspired, you are breathing life into a thought, feeling, action or idea. How awesome does that sound?
Be Inspired
What do you think when I say the word 'inspire'? Do you think of a beach sunset? The birth of your child or grandchild? Being offered a new opportunity? The Sunday sermon you heard last week? Watching someone you love overcome a major obstacle? Building houses in a third world country? There are SO many ways to be inspired. And since we are all unique in our own way, we are all inspired by different things.
Whatever that inspiration is and no matter how big or small, it usually;
affects one or more areas of our life: physically, mentally or spiritually
brings happiness and joy to our life; including a sense of wonder
leads you to action and even go outside your comfort zone
leads you to your life's purpose
Our inspirations can bring SO much joy into our lives, IF, we are aware and mindful of them each and every day.
Exercise: Take a moment and list twenty things that inspire you. Be honest. Don't take the easy way out by listing random ideas. Give it some time. You'll be surprised at what's on your list.
Inspiration Leading to Action
If you look back at the definition of inspire, it says that ....it fills someone with the urge OR ability to do or feel something. Being inspired doesn't necessarily mean that it automatically spurs us into action. We can be inspired without doing anything different in our lives. An example is someone who is inspired by watching professional tennis matches. They are inspired by their athleticism, discipline and power but that doesn't necessarily mean they want to train to be a professional tennis player.
But there are times when inspiration breeds action. If we look at our lives, we will invariably find things we did or accomplished because someONE or someTHING inspired us. And most often it becomes a true source of our purpose, happiness, and growth.
To Inspire
Are you an inspiration to others?
To be inspired is great but TO inspire is incredible and an honor.
The best part of inspiration is that YOU can inspire others too. Inspiring others is not just for the rich and/or famous. We don't have to be Michael Jordan, Mother Teresa or Frank Sinatra, to inspire. Each one of us everyday, inspires others.
We tend to think that we are not making a difference in this world. But we ARE. No matter who we are and what we do, big or small, we DO inspire others. Just ask your best friend, coworker or a family member. Those you've inspired are not necessarily going to tell you that you inspire them. It's not usually a topic of conversation. But it's there. You just have to ask.
Exercise: Who are 3 people in your life that inspire you? Take this week to email, text, message or call them and tell them how they inspire you. You are giving them an amazing gift by doing so. In fact, we should be doing this on a regular basis. Think of the difference you would make in other people's lives.
Inspiration can be a true source of transformation for those seeking balance in the mind, body and spirit. It motivates, energizes, generates passion, to learn and grow - to feel better, to be better. Isn’t it time to find that peace, inspiration and joy you so richly deserve?