Finding Inspiration

Enjoy this famous poem by Dr. Angelou!

As I'm sure everyone knows, yesterday, beloved activist, writer, poet (she wore so many hats!), Maya Angelou, passed away at the age of 86.  I tweeted that I'm certain everything she's ever said is quotable, and I'm not lying.  She has spoken so many inspirational words that have helped many people in different ways.  She has written memoirs and autobiographies about her life, and trials as a young woman.  And yet she was able to push through those hard times and create an amazing, rewarding life for herself.  She's truly someone to admire.  One of her many quotes that spoke to me today is:

"You can only become truly accomplished at something you love.  Don't make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off of you."

What do I love to do?  What is my passion?  I think those are questions that everyone has or will ask themselves at one point or another.  But seriously, how do any of us figure that out????  My advice is to think about what your most perfect day would look like after you've left your house.  Where would you go?  Who would you see or talk to?  What would you do?  What would you surround yourself with?  What would you eat?  If money or distance wasn't an issue (while still being realistic...), how would you spend that day?  Now ask yourself why you chose that.  Is it because it's something you've never done before, or is it because it's something you do all the time, and gives you the most peace and happiness?

If you chose more than one "perfect day" that's cool too.  I know I can see myself doing multiple things and still being happy with my life.  The problem is, I've never tried any of them.  I mean, we can visualize our perfect situation all we want, but if we don't try it out and see if it's truly what we want to do, what good is that?  So the next step would be to put things into action.  If you see yourself helping children with poverty in third world countries, plan a missions trip or contact a relief organization and see how you can get involved.  If you imagine your perfect day in a designer gown receiving an Oscar, take acting classes or enroll in theatre school, and try joining an agency.  If you plan on being an entrepreneur, create a business plan.  And if you want to travel, book a ticket (I totally understand that a lot of the cool destinations are reeeaal pricey, so maybe save up for that one).  Many of us look at the people who take action and think "wow I wish I could do that", but in reality, why can't we?  There are so many practical ways to take that first step towards living fulfilling lives, so why don't we take it?

Of course there's a lot of fear that comes with following your dreams...fear of failure, of going against the norm, or even the fear that you won't be satisfied once you get to where you envisioned yourself.  First of all, failure is necessary and makes success all the more rewarding.  Secondly, doing what everyone does will never make you stand out for being great.  And thirdly, who said you had to do one thing for 50 years?  No one.  As Dr. Angelou said, you can't be truly accomplished unless you love what you're doing, so if you're unhappy, it's okay to change your mind about the direction you're going in!  Once we get over our fears, whatever they may be, we'll have a clearer vision of what we need to do to accomplish our goals.

Seek inspiration.  Don't wait for it to come to you.  Go out there, make your own experiences, and challenge yourself.  I have yet to hear an inspiring story that begins with "I was laying in bed one night..." (although being in bed is important too).  You don't always have to go far to be inspired, either.  It can start in your community, with your friends, with strangers, with anything and anyone!  Try not to limit yourself by only paying attention to the big things, because you may miss out on the little things that actually turn out to be the big things (pretty sure a quote like this already exists).  And if you're religious like me, pray about it!  Be still, and listen to what you're being told about your calling toward a particular profession or way of life.  I discovered this song called "Am I wrong", that just happened to fit the message of striving for your goals no matter what other people are doing or saying.  As long as we have integrity, follow our hearts, and stand up for what we believe in, we should always be proud of what we've done and where life has taken us!  Be your own person and you can't go wrong!  Click here to listen.

xx

As I said in another post, I'm not a psychologist and I'm not trying to be.  I consider this blog as a way to communicate with you all as friends, so I'm giving advice and sharing my thoughts as a friend.  I don't expect everyone to agree because we all have our own opinions, but if this helps you or you know someone who has been in a rut lately, why not pass it along?  I know I'm not this famous blogger or anything, but it really means a lot to me when people message me and let me know that my blog helps or entertains them in some way.  So thank you!!!

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