I wrote those words to a dear friend as I sent her the link to a YouTube video, The Sounds of Space, and instantly fell in love! Part of my reawakening has been to fill my days with inspiration; whatever it may be. Earlier that day, over lunch I was explaining how my life has changed because of my Red Tent experience. How the shift in perspective it brought about has touched every single part of my life and filled me with such peace and joy.
How do you do that, she asked; her sadness as palpable as the dolmas and hummus in front of me. She had been struggling in her career for a couple years as she was given project after project. It seemed her superiors no longer cared that she was pushed beyond her ability to perform well on any of them. The stress of it was spilling over into her home and personal life so that even getting to yoga seemed a chore. She confided that it had been so bad some weeks that she’d forgotten to tell her husband, I Love You.
I remember vividly how that felt. I too was there in the months leading up to the Red Tent. The stress in my life was part of what led to the dis-ease that culminated with the hysterectomy. It made me think, would I have made such radical changes in my life without my Red Tent experience? The truth is, I don’t know. I can’t help but feel deep gratitude for my experience because it changed my life in so many ways!
What do I do differently?
I started with social network sites; after all I give them much of my attention. I changed up my friends list on Facebook. I unfriended those folks who are a drain on my energy. You know who they are because you have them too; the “friends” who elicit a “ugh” feeling in you when they come up in your newsfeed. If you can’t seem to unfriend them, at the very least hide them. I promise you though, enforcing that personal boundary, choosing consciously who and what you allow into your sphere is extremely empowering.
I changed my Twitter feed to only include people that consistently post stimulating, spirit-filled, growth promoting tweets. It has become my new obsession, I must be honest. Need a five minute inspirational pick-me-up but it’s too busy, noisy, etc for meditation? Twitter, as I have it structured, does that for me. Whether it’s at my computer or on my phone, I can read through the last page or two of tweets and I’m encouraged and uplifted. It’s one way to bring about that shift in perspective I need when the world gets to me. Again it’s about consciously choosing what information you allow in. It isn’t about the numbers … it’s about what you find inspirational.
Do something that encourages your creativity. I began The Artists Way by Julia Cameron and absolutely LOVE it! Writing my Morning Pages, honoring my Artist’s Dates, and exploring my creativity and removing the blocks life has given me has been one of the best gifts I’ve even given myself. Maybe it would work for you; maybe not. But I highly recommend you find some way of indulging your creative spirit. It brings you closer to your inner child and with her/his help, you begin to see with child-like wonder and rediscover the magic of the world.
Connect to Spirit in whatever way is appropriate for you. Go to church, spend time meditating in nature, talk to Godde in your dreams, hold ritual, join study groups, go to meet-ups it doesn’t matter. Just Do It. Having a connection to Source energy helps you remember who you really are, a spiritual being having a human experience. From that perspective anything is possible!
Learn something new! Stimulating your brain is vital to feeling alive. What is that secret thing you’ve always wanted to do? What would it take to make it real in your life? What step can you take this week to set you on that path? Allow yourself to learn more about it. Even if it’s only in internet searches and a visit to the local library. Learning inspires growth! The more you know, the more you want to know!
There are many, many ways and places to find inspiration. These are a few of mine. Where do you find inspiration? How have you changed your life to allow for growth an inspiration?
Quote of the week:
Love the Godde of all, drink the wine, and let the world be the world. ~ anonymous
