What Inspires You? Who Do You Inspire?
What inspires you? We all have different answers to this question. At times, I find it so valuable to reflect on those exceptional glimpses of influence and action that give me more moxie.
Inspiration can encourage us and enhance our lives. It can make the impossible seem possible. It can help us to overcome fears and it can kick start our creativity.
While I am not religious, I have always had this optimistic notion that we all have something to offer the world. It can be one monumental act or daily, simple consistencies which brightens up others' days ... but there is no denying that everyone has something important and beautiful to share.
I made a list of some of my inspirations:
- Inner Beauty: It seems that some in our society idolize people based on superficial attributes, like money, possessions, beauty, or fame. But I doubt that any of these characteristics really add any substance when it comes to what matters underneath it all. I find that inner beauty, kindness, and sincerity are much more meaningful and inspiring.
Photo by P0RGNature: The grandeur and phenomena of nature is beyond amazing to me. After long days at my desk, nothing relaxes me more than just stepping out on my front porch and admiring the sky, watching the birds in the trees, seeing my cat roll around in the grass, or looking at the stars. Really paying attention to the vast scenery and elements that nature has to offer is extraordinary, not to mention FREE.
- Art: This is one form of inspiration which I feel extremely lucky to have so much of around me. Whether it is gorgeous tattoo work, paintings by friends, lowbrow artwork at a gallery, photography on sites that I dig, illustrated pages in books, jewelry creations, graffiti and street art, and the list goes on & on... artistic inspiration can always make me sigh and smile.
Photo by screamstMusic: Oh music, how I love you so. The art of sound; the rhythms, melodies, harmonies, and beats that fill up my days are beyond inspiring. Music is my muse and I often ponder just how much music there is to listen to (and lack of hours in one lifetime) to enjoy it all.
- Love: What can warm your heart and inspire your life like love? The comforting hug of the person who lights up your life; a kind smile and kiss when you need one the most; the butterflies that flutter when you know they will be there soon. Love conquers all. Love is inspiring.
- Words: It's no mystery that words give me great inspiration. In poems, in books, in letters, in emails, in magazines, in CD inserts, in newspapers, in life ... words captivate and inspire me. I love putting words together and I adore reading how others express themselves through the little units of language that we call words. Endless inspiration indeed.
We all need inspiration in our lives. Acknowledge it, embrace it, and inspire others TODAY!
What inspires YOU? Be general, be specific...tell us what makes you tick.
Friday, October 2, 2009 at 9:18AM
Reader Comments (7)
Music and reading would be tops for me. Haha, I love reading the cd inserts too!
Oh, and this blog is pretty damn inspiring too!
Thank you for writing this, Jinxi. I needed some inspiration and sometimes all it takes is looking around at what life has to offer. <3
very agreed. photographs online are really inspire to me. a community on livejournal called "pleaseinspire" is good for that, as well as a lot of blogs on tumblr with those creative photos floating around the net. inspiration is lovely, glad to see this.
Had to add another one....dogs. All animals really, but when I ask my dog if he wants to go outside and play, it's like he won the lottery. That inspires me to be happy about the small things in life.
Oh, and one more....the government/banks inspire me to start a revolution, but that's a whole other subject, lol.
My boyfriend Inspires me, when days get tough he helps me to get over it and see the better of things.
Great topic! My faith in Christ inspires me to be a better person every day. He also inspires me to keep going when things get rough and I just want to throw in the towel and quit. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Music also inspires me. I play the piano and when I hear music it makes me want to sit down at the piano and practice, practice until perfection! And lastly, my 27 kindergarten students inspire me to be a better teacher and keep on going even when society says teachers' are not worth their pay (which, by the way, is so wrong!)
YOU inspire us all! You are an amazing writer; you cover such diverse topics and touch many various lives. And, I must say, my grandchildren inspire me, as do all children. They, children, enjoy and see the little things in life--they haven't been spoiled yet by life's worries. Thank you, Jinxi, for your inspiration--you definitely have a purpose in life!