Inspiration

I feel that inspiration is the only thing that triggers real change, personal growth and true empowerment! You hear people say, “This book/movie/person/add infinitum is so inspirational” but how many of us think about what makes that person/place/thing inspirational in the first place? What is “inspiration” anyway? Where is the source that it comes from? I pondered these questions for a moment and came to the realization that the qualities in this world I find inspirational are really not of this (physical) world at all! The people I find inspirational in essence, are living in accordance with their authentic self; living with an animated life force, which isn't tangible, and living from a place of knowingness.... well, as much as humanly possible. They aren't afraid of what people think; they stand up for what they believe in; and they exude this aura that is attractive beyond measure. It's almost like they are living from a place of spirit. Like Wayne Dyer says, they are literally “in-spirit.” And if you think about it for a moment, we all have the ability to live from this place. When you realize that you are this beautiful, boundless spirit, or source energy, or divine essence, or consciousness, or whatever name you feel comforable using; When you realize that ever single person, animal, tree, plant, and bacterium comes from the same source and eminates the same light energy, then finding inspiration in this world is easy. Simply look around at the beauty and perfection of nature; People helping one another; Children laughing and playing; A spider spinning it's first web; Scraping your arm and then witnessing your body heal itself... these things seem so simple, yet they are all sources of inspiration... or really, they are all part of the same source; the only source. There are so many occurences in our lives that are truly “miraculous” if we only slow down and shift our perception slightly. When we slow down for a moment and choose to keep our eyes and heart open to receive, we're able to see and feel how wonderful this world really is, and how much inspiration is all around us.

At the most fundamental level, I'd have to say that I find my inspiration within myself. Think for a moment about what you find inspirational, whether it's a person, say you saw some lecture that Anthony Robbins did, or an artist/ band that was truly an inspiration to you... What is it about those people that gave you that inspirational feeling? They didn't create that feeling- You did! The feeling came from within you, from within your spirit. You felt it. Perhaps they were the trigger, but that feeling already resides within you! Nobody can make you feel anything but you!

I feel the reason why we often look to other people for inspiration is because we live in a very materialistic world. Of course there are people who try to look beyond this materialism, but let's face it, if we're on this planet, good chances are we have an ego (unless you're someone like Eckhart Tolle) and what does the ego love to do? It loves to make you feel less than you are; it loves to instill fear and is never, ever satisfied! It wants you to search externally to find the answers to your so-called problems (that are essentially illusions.) It doesn't help that we are bombarded with images about what beauty supposedly is, what success is, what our relationships should be like, and so on. And we're told to look to others for how to achieve these ideals. If you think about the people you are truly in awe of, I think you'll notice a few commonalities. They are people who are living from the guidance of their spirit, or consciousness, or whatever you want to call that “essence” that is shining through their humble bodies. You'll find that a lot of inspirational people are very humble and/or average looking people but they radiate this immense beauty that's attractive to us all. If you really think about it, this beauty that we're so attracted to is really our own beauty. It's a mirror. Everything in the universe is a reflection of yourself- the so-called good, bad, ugly, beautiful... everything! All of the “inspiration” you witness around you is really a reflection of the inspiration within yourself. When you realize this, that what you see in others is really what is within you, it switches a light on in your brain and makes you think, “Hey, I don't need other people to tell me that I have the ability to be great, successful, healthy, happy, etc. I already know that I'm capable of greatness, success, happiness and fulfillment.” We all have all the creative potential and genius that every great inventor, thinker and spiritual leader ever had. Where do you think Einstein or Galileo or Gandhi or Shakespeare got all their ideas from? At the most fundamental level, they came from consciousness. They came from the same consciousness that you and I come from.

You already have all the answers. You simply need to remember. Now, I'm not saying that looking to others for guidance, knowledge and wisdom isn't a good thing- it's a fantastic thing! The more positive and uplifting people you surround yourself with, the better! Even though there is massive amount of information that supports the idea that we are powerful beyond measure, unfortunately, most of our wordly systems and beliefs still fall into that dualistic, reductionistic, deterministic sort of paradigm. Our Health “Care” system is a perfect example of this thinking. So even though we're moving into a more enlightened age (I'm hoping) we're still deeply programmed by this Newtonian paradigm. So many of us still believe that we need others tell us what to do and think. If this were not the case, religion would cease to exist in my opinion. I think that “inspirational” people are needed in this day and age because they help us remember or at least have glimpses into our true nature, but at the same time, we need to remember that we are our own best teacher. Sure, these 'inspirational" people may give us a little push in the right direction, but we each have the ability to be the inspiration in our own lives. Seriously! I'm talking about you! Yes, you reading this right now! You are amazingly increderifically fantastic! (Ok, so maybe you're not "increderifically" anything... I know I am, but that's because I'm "special" in a helmet kid kinda way... Anyway, what I'm saying is that we all have the ability to go out on a limb, push our so-called boundaries, and reach new heights. We all have this ability and it come from within us- nobody else can do it for you. It is within you. It's always been within you!

Remembering that we are these powerful, infinite beings and that we live in a world of abundance and infinite possibilities is what creates “inspirational” people. The only difference between someone who is perceivably inspirational to you and someone who's not, is the fact that the inspirational person knows that he/she is essentially perfection, beauty, and infinite wisdom and let's the world see this! Like Deepak Chopra occasionally says, “God writes the books. I collect the royalties.” Everyone has this ability to connect with their “God-self.” Every single person on this planet is blessed with an exuberant amount of gifts to share with the world. Our egos may try to convince you that you're not as powerful and amazing as you are, but always remember that the ego is the ultimate trickster and needs a little spanking every once in a while! Bad ego, bad!

I feel that the first step to remembering who you really are; to living a truly inspired life is to take some time to quiet your mind, or simply become mindful of your body. Something as simply as being present in your body while you're on the subway is a good start. Rather than looking around at all the people, wondering why the man across from you is sporting a Mullet, or why the little old lady over there with red choo-choo trains on her sweater won't stop staring at you, or whatever silly thought you have based on your model of the world, simply become present in your body. Close your eyes and breathe deeply for a few moments and feel that beautiful, powerful energy within. Feel how beautiful it is. Feel grateful for being alive and thank the universe for the many blessings. If you're uncomfortable with the word blessings, say something else! Whatever makes you feel really good, do it! Do it right there on the subway! Or do it right now, where ever you are, beside your laptop or computer! And through focusing on this feeling of love and gratitude, you'll start to feel your mind, body and soul unite. Open your eyes and look at the people around you. Send the intention to each and every person that you recongize the beautiful spirit within them. When you do this, become aware of how you feel....or don't. It's your choice. It is a fun little exercise though. I know that whenever I do this, I feel calm, at peace, yet.... extremely powerful! When you remember that you are this infinite powerhouse, and that everyone else is, you realize that you don't need anyone else. In essence, you are everyone else. We're all powerful beings, so there's no need to be afraid, to feel guilt, to feel anxiety about the future, to feel like you're not good enough, or to feel greed. All of these feelings stem from the ego which is an illusion. You are not the ego. You are infinite, divine consciousness which is eternal, endless and beyond anything the ego could ever conceive of! The ego lives within a pathetic little box! You're not a little box, you're the universe and everything in it!

Most of us identify ourselves with our minds. Many of us think that since we have the ability to think thoughts, that these thoughts must define us. We develop personalities, and then we define ourselves by these “personalities.” We quite often forget that the only reason why we have thoughts is because our “consciousness” is the power through which our thoughts become "things" in the first place. We are essentially pure consciousness that has the ability to create the life that we want through this consciousness. Consciousness creates. Nothing is stagnant. We are all works in progress. We can literally rewire and change the shape and structure of our brain. By focused awareness and attention, we can let go of old thoughts and belief systems that no longer serve us and choose new ones that do. We have the power! Neuroscience says so, Quantum Physics says so, I say so! And you can too! You have the power to choose an inspired life! You can be your own guru! “We are the ones we've been waiting for!”

So where do you you find your inspiration? What truly inspires you? And if it is something in your external environment, can you see what's within that person, place, book, movie, etc. that is a reflection of your own true nature?

Speaking on inspiration, I'm going to head to the park near my house where there are big, beautiful, "inspirational" trees everywhere and soak up all the beauty that I already know is within myself! But before I do that, I'm going to make myself a big organic mango, strawberry, blueberry, apple, kale, baby spinach, marine phytoplankton, hemp seed, goji berry, bee pollen smoothie which is sure to keep me feeling inspired all day! When you eat food that you know deep down is the best food for your mind, body and soul, it's a lot easier to live from a place of inspiration. When you eat organic, raw, living foods, you are literally eating food with life-force, "spirit" energy.... Why wouldn't you feel inspired eating all this raw (living) food?

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, and I hope I've inspired you take a few moments out of your day to look within and find the inspiration in your perfectly wonderful, beautiful and powerful self! Namaste :)

Yours In-Spirit,

Leija