Learning To Inspire Ourselves First

Inspiration is a funny thing indeed. One moment we can have a flash of genius only to return to our day to day mundane thoughts the next moment. We all want to be " inspired," or to find our muse. Why is it we never look to ourselves and aspire to be our own muses? Once again it goes back to the way society programs us to look outward for everything. As children we are encouraged to put others first and we begin to equate satisfying our needs with something bad. We are told that to put ourselves first is not what good people do, and putting others before us is the key to lasting happiness. I would argue that while being a thoughtful person is valuable, putting others before our own needs creates inner turmoil and perhaps even resentment. It creates an unnatural inner environment.

For true happiness to ever exist within any of us, we must re-program the way we were taught to place others before us. When people first hear this, many are shocked, because to even entertain the idea is wrong and they are instantly guilt-ridden. There is a reason when you’re on a plane you are instructed to put the oxygen mask on yourself first if you’re a parent. You cannot save someone else, if you don't save yourself first. Why do we not look at that as selfish? Perhaps because it makes perfect sense. If we feel uninspired or stuck in our lives, perhaps we are spending too much time looking outward for the answers. There is a reason why we begin and end our life journey alone. We have to learn to be separate above all else. It is not bad to place ourselves and our needs before others. Imagine if you will that everyone's life is like a garden. If you spend all your time in other people's garden, then you have no time to cultivate your own. It will be full of weeds and dead flowers. Who wants to be in a place like that? If we all tended to our own gardens, then we could all enjoy the splender of one another's sacred gardens and life would be richer.

Learning to inspire ourselves first means taking the time to get to know ourselves. We live in such a fast-paced world that many argue they simply don't have the time to slow down and smell the roses. The Italians have one main creed they live by. " dolce far niente." Translated that means the sweetness of doing nothing. They close up their businesses and schools every day at lunch, and the families spend several hours enjoying the sweetness of doing nothing but eating, laughing and loving. As Americans we have much to learn from them. We never stop going. Everything is fast. faster food, faster internet speed, faster phones. We never slow down long enough to even smell the coffee we bought at Starbucks. If we are to be happy, we simply have to slow down and make the time to put ourselves first. We have to make a conscious decision to make inspiration a part of our daily lives and that inspiration must be a calling from within.

Meditation comes in many forms. Not all of us can sit patiently for long periods of time and go into a deep trance. Unfortunately for many, they have a misconception of what meditation is. For years I tried to meditate but having ADD can really make sitting and focusing a challenge. I have re-defined the idea of meditation for myself to make it realistic and applicable to myself. I encourage others to do the same. Meditation is simply dedicated time to going within. It doesn't have to involve chanting or mantras. It can be as simple as closing your eyes and taking several deep breaths. Not putting a time constraint on it, or any expectations. It can be creating a refuge where there are no problems,or people that demand anything of you. It is a place where you can be the star. Most importantly it is your space. it belongs only to you and if you spend the time developing it, it can be a place you look forward to retreating to. We have to recharge as humans. Our spirituality is not some new age concept, it is an integral part of our existence Learning to find a way to seek out alone time will inspire you to become the person you want to be, and in time it can teach you to become your own muse. Namaste!