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When Inspiration Fades

May 2, 2013 by Lamisha

It is an awesome feeling to following your inspiration into action.  The fire is burning and you just can’t help but feel energized and uplifted.  But what happens when inspiration plummets?  How can we invoke that inspirational spark that moves us in the direction of our dreams?

There are a number of things you can do to bring that inspirational spark back into your life as long as you don’t try too hard.  I have found that when I am feeling anxious about something and really feel like I need something to happen almost out of desperation, it makes it that much more difficult to grasp.

Here is what I have found to work for me:

  • Take a break- If you have been thinking about something or have been working on a project for a long period of time and are getting more frustrated by the minute, sometimes taking a step back from it can help you regroup and allow your ideas to breathe.  I find this particularly useful when I am writing or doing choreography.  Sometimes I am just not in the flow and leaving it for a few hours or days can make all the difference in the world.
  • Meditate-You may be wondering how slowing your thoughts can lead to more ideas and creativity, but when you give your mind a little break from thought after thought after thought, you allow the space that is needed for ideas to flow into your consciousness.  Not sure what your next step is in achieving your dreams?  Meditate with the intention to allow thoughts to come and go and if you don’t get the answer you are looking for, that’s ok.  It may come to you after meditation or on another day.  By giving your mind a break you are simply inviting inspiration to come.
  • Read- I love to read and am always reading other blogs, books, and articles for inspiration.  I don’t look for a specific idea, but I find I am drawn to exactly what I need to read at exactly the right moment (similar to the inspiration nuggets).  If you are stuck on a particular writing project, read the work of authors you enjoy.  If you aren’t sure where to move forward in your business venture, research others in your same business and see what they are doing.  This is not meant to replicate what they are doing, but it can often get the creative juices flowing again.
  • Get out in nature- Spend some time outdoors.  Go for a walk, a hike, or a run to get the blood pumping.  Allow the natural rhythm of the great outdoors to soothe your mind and feed your soul.  You may find that as you look at your surroundings ideas come to you easily.  Maybe Mother Nature will provide you with an idea or two as you revel in her beauty.  I love spending time outside and I find it helpful to just get away from the office and my computer for a while to refresh my thoughts.
  • Let it go- I often have a tendency to obsess over a problem until I have found the solution.  More specifically if I want to do something I need to know how I am going to do it.  I am learning that if I just let it go for a while and think about something else, I let go of the resistance that is keeping the solution from me.  Sometimes when you are searching for something you only find it when you stop looking.  (Ever lost your keys only to find them when you stop looking for them 2 hours later??)  This doesn’t mean let go of your idea, your goal, or your dreams, but sometimes we need to allow the Universe to work some magic for us.  So, let it go for a bit.
  • Get happy-Take some time to do something you enjoy.  Read a book, watch a movie, take a nap, or write a list of things you are grateful for.  Often taking some time to do something you utterly enjoy can take the frustration out of a creative block and you might be surprised where your next ideas come from.  I often get ideas or confirmations from things I read, movies, or in a conversation I have with someone.  It is amazing how easily inspiration flows when you are in a relaxed and happy state.  So, what are you waiting for??? Get happy!
  • Be open- You never know where your next inspirational nugget will come from so by simply setting the intention to be open to any and all forms of inspiration, you are inviting those nuggets to flow your way.  Go about your daily routine knowing that your inspiration will return and just be open to what may show up.  You may be surprised to find where your inspiration comes from.

What do you do when you need a boost in inspiration?

Filed Under: Goals, Inspiration, Intention Tagged With: dreams, inspiration, intention

The Life Force of Dreams

April 30, 2013 by Lamisha

 

Image courtesy of mobilebeat.com
Image courtesy of mobilebeat.com

I think many will agree that the best ideas, inventions, and creations are fueled with a good dose of inspiration.  You know the feeling you get when you just can’t help but act on a given task.  Often inspiration comes as a surge of energy as the mind is flooded with ideas.  Blood begins pumping through the body and there is an incredible excitement and liveliness in the room.  For some, this kind of inspiration gives a burst of energy and then tapers off leaving a very small portion of the initial surge.  Other times the surge is followed by consistent inspirational nuggets that keep the inspiration alive and well.

There are many times when I have had all three scenarios, but it seems lately I am falling into the third category as I follow the inspirational nuggets (as I like to call them) that lead me to my next step.

Before I go any further let me give you my definition of an inspirational nugget.

Inspirational Nugget–a bit of information, a quote, a word, a book, or anything that gives you an “aha” moment that ultimately leads you into action. 

Simply put they are the life force behind achieving your dreams.

I find that my nuggets typically come in conversations I have with others or in books, blogs, or other websites I am reading and they often come at a time when my surge of inspiration is dwindling.  They may be a quote that relates to exactly what I am thinking about for a certain project or I might read something and immediately come up with the perfect words for something I have been thinking about for several days or in some cases months.

The perfect example of this is came when I tried to name my blog.  Before I began my blog (for the third time), I had set the intention of creating something that would inspire others through my journey, but I was struggling to find just the right name.  I had mulled it over for months, making lists of words and phrases that I thought would be good to use, but none of them really jumped out at me.  One day without thinking about my blog directly, the words “Life Once Dreamt” came to me.  I couldn’t believe it, after months of working to find a name, the moment I let go of the need to find a name, it came to me.  And when they did, I didn’t have to think twice about it because I knew it was right.

Let’s look at another example (completely fictional):

Meet Suzy.  Suzy has a dream to start a little coffee shop with tons of character and charm except she isn’t sure where to begin.  She day dreams about what it will look like and every time she steps foot in a coffee shop, she imagines the day she will step foot into her very own.  Thinking she has to do things the “logical” way, she begins asking other business owners how they started.  Did they go to business school?  Were they the number #1 barista at another coffee shop first?  The “logical” way seemed so difficult, not to mention expensive and totally uninspiring.  Just when she was about to give up, she sees a sign for a workshop for new business owners (nugget #1).  The workshop is free and though she isn’t a business owner yet, she thought she might gain some insight into owning her own business.  While at the workshop she meets another attendee (Sid) that quickly becomes her friend(nugget #2).  Together they discuss their business ideas, dreams, and dilemmas.  During one conversation about getting the money together to start her business, Sid shares some information with Suzy about business investors and tells her about an investor she knows about named Jack(nugget #3).  Remembering information about business plans she just read on an entrepreneur blog(nugget #4), she puts her plan together to present to Jack.  Suzy and Jack hit it off and he agrees to fund her business…1 year and 100 nuggets later, Suzy walks into her coffee shop for the very first time and realizes she is now living her dream.

That’s how magical these inspirational nuggets are.  They come seemingly out of the blue at just the right moment providing you with the fuel you need to keep moving forward, often in a direction you never thought about.  Some call it Divine Intervention or the Law of Attraction bringing to us the tools we need to make our dreams reality, but where ever you believe these inspirational nuggets come from, one thing for sure, they should not be wasted.  So the next time you get an inspirational hit, savor it and milk it for all it’s worth, for if you do I promise you will make great progress toward your dreams.

When was the last time you received an inspirational nugget and how did it come to you?  I would love to hear about your experiences.

Filed Under: Blog, Inspiration, Intention Tagged With: inspiration

Gratitude: Abundance In All Things

April 26, 2013 by Lamisha

Photo courtesy of calmtoday.com
Photo courtesy of calmtoday.com

It seems like a common theme in today’s society for us to focus on the things that we lack.  We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for the latest fashions and gadgets that are just the “thing” to make us happy.  It seems those ideas have festered within us to a point that we feel so much lack in our lives, that we miss the magnificent abundance that exists in spite of the things we think are missing.

Today I wanted to take the focus away from the idea of “lack” and place it on abundance.  While I have often thought I needed more knowledge, information, training, or money to do various things in my life (including start my coaching business), I am realize now more than ever before that I have an abundance of all of those things and then some.

I live in an area with gorgeous trees, lakes, and wonderful weather most of the year.  I am close to the beach and the mountains and am blessed to have a beautiful home to share with my family.  We have enough money to take care of all of our needs and an abundance of love to share between the three of us.  We have great neighbors, jobs that provide for us, and dreams, goals, and inspirations that fuel our imaginations.  We have more than enough “things”, but beyond that we have each other.  We delight in time spent as a family and appreciate the quiet time alone.  We are blessed beyond measure.

Instead of focusing on the things that I sometimes feel like I need more of, I am focusing on the things that I have.  The things that mean the world to me and the things that make my life incredible.

Today I am so grateful for the magnificent abundance that is in my life right this very moment.  I hope you take a moment today or this weekend to take stock of the abundance that surrounds you too.  I promise it is an instant mood enhancer.

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!

Filed Under: abundance, Gratitude Tagged With: Abundance, gratitude

Flowing vs Forcing

April 25, 2013 by Lamisha

After my big announcement yesterday I had a difficult time sleeping last night.  I don’t know if it was the excitement of sharing the big news or if it was my mind running wild with all kinds of ideas and insights.  One thing is for sure though, my inspiration is high and I am so excited about moving forward with my dreams, I can hardly stand it.  I am trying to stay in the inspirational mindset and not allow myself to float away on a sea of questions that seem to be popping up here and there.

Questions like:

How are you going to get clients?

When will you start?

How much will you charge?

Are you sure you can do this?

How? How? How?

I am letting go of all of those questions right now and focusing on the current task…building my model.  Instead of worry about all the details, I am taking it one step at a time and allowing my inspiration to lead me and to be honest, my model is coming together faster than I expected.

I am allowing my inspiration to lead me as opposed to my logic.

I am choosing my dreams over what reality tells me.

I am choosing hope over doubt.

I am flowing with my ideas instead of forcing them and I must say it feels great!  Who knew letting go of the how could feel so good?

Filed Under: Goals, Intention, journey, Planning Tagged With: dreams, how, letting go

My Flying Leap!

April 24, 2013 by Lamisha

I love when I get messages from the Universe that catch my eye and provide a bit of meaning to my current situation…that is when I take notice.  Sometimes I don’t realize the meaning or impact of a quote, statement, or article until I look back, often kicking myself for not noticing it before.  But, as I am learning, everything happens for a reason, even if we don’t know what that is.

Looking back over the last few weeks I noticed I had an eery feeling of discontent upon waking almost everyday.  I didn’t have any particular worries on my mind and I couldn’t quite pinpoint the source.  I would meditate, write in my journal, and compile my gratitude list to help combat this feeling, but I was never really able to get rid of it entirely.  I have also been reading a lot.  Books, quotes, articles, other blogs, and newsletters all with a similar theme.  They became what I like to call “inspirational nuggets”, and while I really enjoyed the information, it didn’t really click.  At least not right away.

The first post was from the When I Grow Up Coach website.  It was about how Michelle Ward’s husband decided to quit his day job to venture into the freelance world.  It’s a really great post and you can read more about it here.  I read it and thought, “Gee I can’t wait to be able to do that.  Of course I will have to do x, y, z first and then…”

The second post was a post from Tiffany Han that discussed achieving your dreams Someday vs Right Now.  In my head my life coaching business has always been a someday kind of thing.  Sure I want to do it and I know that it is what I am meant to do, but there are so many things I should do first…or at least that is what I kept telling myself.  When I read this post, I was thought..”Sounds good but…” and I left it in my inbox to be read later.

I then received this post from The Green Bough which included the quote “I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument while the song I came to sing remains unsung.” by Rabindranath Tagore.  (Hmmm, do you see a theme here?)  It was this post that got me to start waking up a bit, but I still wasn’t there yet.

I hadn’t quite gotten the full message until a few days later when I was having a conversation with one of my co-workers.  She mentioned she had decided to go back to school to be a pre-school teacher.  She had mentioned wanting to do something other than the work she was currently in and just saying she was going back to school caused her to overflow with excitement.  I was so happy for her.  I congratulated her and told her how I wish I could move forward with my dreams, primarily the life coaching dream.  That is when she said, “You just gotta take the flying leap!”

The idea of a flying leap sounded freeing.  It sounded exciting.  It sounded like throwing my procrastination to the wind and finding another way for it to all work out.  But how???  From the time I decided I wanted to be a life coach the logical step was to get training.  In order to get training the logical step is to save for the training…you get the picture.  It was then I realized I have far more power and knowledge than I am giving myself credit for.

From the time I graduated from college I have been talking to, encouraging, and inspiring co-workers and friends to follow their dreams.  I started this blog for that very reason.  I wanted to continue to inspire others through my journey.  And while I thought there was something specific that I needed to learn in order to help people, I realized, I have been doing it for years already.  So why not take my own flying leap and create my very own model of coaching and do what I love?

I couldn’t come up with a good reason not to, so I took the leap.  I am currently working on a coaching model that I will use in my business.  I am no longer waiting for the “right time” or for someday to come.  I am choosing today and I must say it feels great.  I am inspired and challenged, but most of all proud that I am taking control of my dreams.

One day soon, I can help you take control of yours too.  (That sounds so good!)

Filed Under: Goals, Happiness, Intention, journey Tagged With: dreams, Flying Leap, goals

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