Looking for inspiration

When it comes to personal growth and development there is nothing in the world from which we can not draw inspiration. Whether we take positive or negative lessons from an experience a piece of art or a video game they all teach us whether we are looking to be taught or not. When we want inspiration we start to search for it high and low when instead of searching all we need to do is open ourselves up to the inspiration that is already there.

The true power of inspiration is that an idea hits our brain and sets off a change reaction of ideas that lead to new and original thought. When we are inspired our world looks different and we feel as if any problem we encounter is nothing more than a speed bump. So what are some ways we can open ourselves up to state of inspiration?

Ask for it: Watch your cat for a few minutes and ask "what can I learn from him?" Watch a movie and ask yourself "what is it trying to tell me?" Everything has some value and message it is trying to communicate to you. When you listen for that message a new idea is put in to your head and can start the chain reaction of inspiration. Interacting actively with our sense and reasoning about the data we take in on a conscious level is a great way to be inspired.

Turn your head: We all have a way we see the world, a series of filters that we use to interpret the data that we take in. If we become aware of these filters and how they influence our perception we can begin to shift them to see things in a different light. Think of the filter like a grid and we line up items we see with the grid, these grids may have names like technology or religion or Saturday morning cartoons. Each of these grids calls our mind to different details about things. One way to look at something from a different angle is with this question "how does this relate to that?"

Save it: When you see something that starts an idea smoldering in your head play with it, get it together with other embers of ideas in your mind, add a bit of kindling and let the fire burn. Even if you do not have time to play with an idea right then take a moment and jot yourself a note, text it yourself or find some other way to save it for latter. I have mentioned in the past my love for role playing games now I have another confection to make, when it comes to game notes and maps I have drawn I am a hoarder. I love being able to go back through those old ideas and search for new inspiration. My partner keeps all of his old art so he can go back and look for inspiration in it.

Inspiration is there in the world around us and every little thing can inspire us to grow, to change, or create a work of beauty. Every bit of data we take in has the potential to chang us and to change how we see the world if we just find the inspiration in it. Where do you go to find inspiration in your life? As always I love to hear what you are thinking so leave me some coments, have a great day and don't forget to fallow the feed.

When the possibilities are to much

There are many things that can stop us from ever getting started on chasing our dreams, doubt, worry, and low self confidence come to mind easily, but one area that is not often mentioned or thought about is the overwhelming issue of possibilities. Some times the problem is not what is my dream or how do I find my passion but instead we are trying to decide which passion should I fallow or which dream should I work on. I was talking to a friend about this very problem and we hit upon an interesting way of handling it.

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time you may have figured out that i like lists as a way to organize my thoughts and that is were we will start off once again. Get your self three sheets of paper and a pen and we will get started. On the first dheet of paper write out every idea you want to pusue every dream you want to fulfill and every passion you wish to explore. When this is done go through the list and on the second sheet of paper write out the top five ideas from your first list giving your self plenty of room between each item.

Next we are going to look at each idea and start to make an actionable list of what needs to happen to make the dream a reality. this does not have to be a point by point plan just five or six things that could be done to get you started. Now that this list is complied start to look at what is practical and achivabul from your curent situation.

Now with the field narrowed down and the proses laid out before you turn to the thrid sheet of paper. At the top write out your long term goal in life. Below that write out your values, and your commitments numbering the values and lettering the commitments. On the second sheet next to the description of each dream place the number of the value and the letter of the commitment that each idea satisfies. Now do the same with the values and commitments that the idea goes against but this time cross out the number.

This proses not only gets the ideas out of your head, it allows you proses your passions and dreams again your values and commitments so we can live in a manor that is responsibul both to our selves and to the world around us.

Letting it go

We have all been hurt, rejected, and mistreated by others and ourselves. These incidents leave scrapes, scares, and bruises on our emotional self that can cripple us on our journey to our happy little valley. We say to our selves that we could get over it if only so an so would apologize or take us back or whatever but the truth of the mater is the only one who can heal these wounds is ourselves.

The way we do this is truly forgiving those that wrong us, weather it is ourselves or another person. Just telling them that we forgive them is not enough we must understand in our harts that we are over the hurt. Easier said then done right? Here are some ideas on how to make forgivnes real.

The past is the past. No matter how much we might wish to be able to change things that have happened in our lives we can't. What is done is done and we can either agonize about the outcome of a situation or we can move on with our lives. If you are dwelling on things that can't change you are doing the mental equivalent of trying to knock down the Parthenon with one hand. You can push all day but in the end nothing will have changed except you will be tired hungry and defeated. It is better to look at the situation pull what lessons you can from it and walk away. Your effort is better spent on the things that can be changed and the lessons we gain from our injuries help us to avoid the same situations in the future.

Let it all out. Some times we hold on to painful memories because we have never talked about them. The burden of emotional pain is sometimes greater then what we can bear on our own but we try because we don't want to be perceived as winy, week or bitchy. Sometimes the best thing to do is sit down with the person who has wronged you and let them know. Do not attack them but just quietly tell them how what they did made you feel. Make them understand that this discussion is not about them it is about you and your feelings on the matter. And then offer them forgiveness for what they have done.

Forgive your self. The ability to forgive ourselves is one of the most important tools we have. We make mistakes, we don't reach the goals we want to, we hesitate and fail to take an opportunity that life present us. If we dwell on the times we have betrayed ourselves we will find ourselves curled up in the fetal position rocking in a corner crying. We must stop pulling out all our old failures and abusing our selves with them when ever we have a dark moment. The only trick I have found that works for this is to apologize to my self and make the commitment to do better in the future. The I accept the apology and move on from there.

The bottom line is that we must focus on what we can change in our lives and not dwell on the things we can not. We must learn from our actions and the actions of others and use this knowledge to create the life we want to live. Let the hurt go, let the emotional strains of the past relax and move on. Turn your face to the sunrise and press on towards that happy little valley.

Putting an end to procrastination

One of my goals last week was to stop putting things off. Procrastination has been a bad habit for me for a long time. While it took some effort it was interesting and fruitful to spend a week focusing on it. The liberation I felt when I stopped saying I will do that latter was immense. Why did this have such a big impact on me? First we need to look at what causes procrastination and the effect it can have on your life.

I personally procrastinate for two reasons laziness and fear. I do not want to stop doing something that I am enjoying to work on a chore, and I can always find something I want to do to fill my time. The other aspect, fear comes in to play when I am entering a situation where I am looking for an answer and know that when I find it I will not like it.

Even though procrastination is prompted by two different stimuli the results are the same. I find excuses not to do something that needs to be done. If procrastination only meant things did not get accomplished it would still be a problem but the situation is even worse than that. By putting something off we create a negative thought process associated with that task making it that much harder for us to do it the next time we think of it. Most of the time we put something off the problem we are avoiding gets worse. For example let’s say you decide to leave the dinner dishes until the morning to clean then you wake up have breakfast and have more dishes to clean. The problem grows. This is still not the full impact of procrastination. Knowing you have to accomplish something is tiring in and of its self.

When we set aside our tendency to put things off we accomplish more, we attach small projects when they come up and do not let them grow in to larger problems. Most importantly we do not sit around thinking about all we have to do. When the time comes to relax we are not burdened thinking of chores we have to do latter, instead we can truly enjoy our free time without distractions.

So how do you beat procrastination? Here are some suggestions:

1) Look for your stall phrases. I know when I am asked to do something I often hear myself say "I will do it in a moment." Which used to mean: I will do it when you remind me a few more times. Now when I hear those words come out of my mouth I try to pull myself away from what is going on and get to work.

2) Be honest with yourself The problem with procrastination is that we make excuses to ourselves to justify it. We tell ourselves little lies that reinforce the reality we want to be true and disregard the reality that is. When this happiness the only way to deal with it is to call ourselves out for being dishonest and look at the situation as realistically as we can.

3) Face up to your fears When you know bad news is coming avoiding it will only make it worse. Unpaid bills just get bigger and the emotional pain we may cause others just gets harder to forgive. When you are afraid to face a situation and you avoid it not only do you live with the dread of facing it every day but you make the chance of a negative outcome greater.

One other benefit to putting aside procrastination is the feeling of accomplishment that completing projects brings. We have talked about small victories in the past and how they help prepare the way for larger victories. If you want to fill your day with these small wins then stop procrastinating. Every time you do something now instead of latter it is small victory and will help teach you how to be successful.

When you find yourself mired in a swamp of procrastination what do you do to pull yourself free?

Reclaiming the battle field

In all our lives we have suffered failures that have left our self image laying limp and lifeless on the muddy battlefield. Sometimes the scars of these battles have become the seeds of low self confidences or shyness or another defeatist attitude. No matter what the attitude is it will hamper our growth and stops us from living the life we want. Today we are going to talk about going back and gaining victories on that battlefield, taking back what has been taken from us and using that energy to reclaim the life we want.

Before we go any farther I want to make it clear this is not a fix for every problem and every failure in your life. As tools go this one is more of a hammer then it a multi tool. It will do one thing and do it well so it is up to you to know when to use it.

As I announced last week I am going back to school. I have decided to start my course work at my local junior college for a few reasons, it is convenient to where I live, it is cheap to go there (comparatively) and it is a good school. While all those were factors in my decision they were not the main reason I have chosen to return to the JC. This school is one of the places where I feel I have been defeated in the past and I want to get a victory there in order to help build my scholastic confidences.

When I did my first few trips to collage I was there for the wrong reasons: It was what you did after high school, my parents wanted me to go to school and it was better than working full time. However I went in with no real idea of what I wanted to get out of the processes so instead of getting an education I sat in the student lounge and learned to play bridge. Because of this I never left the junior college for a four year school and I have spent my life drifting from jobs that require more training then education. These jobs have left me feeling unsatisfied and rather unworthy of many of the things I want in life.

Now I am going back to school and I am starting were I have faltered before to prove to myself I can win on this battlefield. This time I am coming armored in purpose, armed with a set of goals I wish to achieve and with my life map and personal compass ready to consult should I find myself drifting off course. When I win this battle I know that I will be able to use the momentum I gain from it to bring me to the end of my studies and out the other side to a job I want and can take pride in.

So how can we generalize this tactic? This idea is simple but the execution can be hard or downright scary. Think of a situation that went badly solely based on your action. Now try to recreate that situation and relive it in a positive way. Use the self understanding and growth you have undergone since your defeat to not only take the field again but to win. Part of this process is knowing when to pick the fight, do it on your terms and your own time.

This advice may seem general at first and it is each battle we face will require different tactics but at the same time if we do not choose to refight our old battles then we are left with the defeat. Taking up arms and challenging the events in our lives that have created our negative attitudes will help us create a new positive mind set. If you have any thoughts or questions I would love to hear them in the comments below. Be valiant, be brave and have a great day

Not dwelling

In the past I have advocated analyzing our mistakes and failures so as not to repeat them. There is a flip side to this as well: it is important not to dwell on our defeats. When things start to go bad it is easy to keep saying to one’s self I wish this was not happening to me. When we do this we create a negative mood, a feeling of defeat. This feeling can cause us to fall in to a whirlpool that will drag us away from the solution to our problem. Dwelling on the negative aspects of a situation we create the breeding ground for self defeat. So how do we stop dwelling on the negative?

1. Take stock of what you do have. Focus your thoughts on the tools you have available to change your situation. By doing this you not only start thinking about solutions but you shift your inner gaze from the negative aspects of the situation.

2. Focus on past accomplishments. If you tend to dwell on the negative when you have a quiet moment or when you can't sleep start making a mental list of achievements. When you find yourself starting to dwell on the negative run through your list and find a positive to dwell on. When you do this don't make excuses for your successes. It does not matter if you had help doing something or if the success was the result of another person’s idea it is still your success as well.

3. Look for the opportunity. When plans fall apart and we find ourselves at loose ends it is time to look for the open doors. Life is full of opportunity to change our path but we so often disregard them. When you are dwelling on how bad a situation is look for what it opens up to rather then staring longingly at the things that you are now cut off from.

4. Give despair its moment but no more. Sometimes we have to give in to the regret and negativity. This can be the only way to process it. When this is the case give yourself the time you need to feel down take ten minutes and wallow in self pity but when those ten minutes are up you are done! Now it is time to refocus and make change.

While it is important to look at our past actions to teach ourselves better ways of acting in the future we must not let the past become an anchor for our present. When you catch yourself dwelling on the negative how do you get back on track? Let us know in the comments and have a great day!n the negative how do you get back on track? Let us know in the comments and have a great day!

Resource and obstacle card

Some times when looking at the problems of life I start to feel overwhelmed. It fells as if there is no clear solution when this happens. I do have a tool I use in this situation: Resource and obstacle cards. These are a great way to get a handle on the problem. The cards are easy to make and the process helps to calm me down and focus my energy on the problem at hand.

I start by making a list of the resources I have for dealing with the situation. I jot down every little thing that I can think of that will help me. Once that is done I start on a list of obstacles that must be overcome. Now I go back to the first list and start to categorize my resources making a new list were each category has its own color. Categories vary widely from problem to problem but some examples from situations past are time (resources that take up my time to use) money (things I could buy to help with the problem) and people (friends or family who have offered to help out with whatever is going on).

All the prep starts me thinking about what I have to work with and what I need to overcome. With my mind focused and ready to create a solution I begin the next step: cutting up my lists. Each color coded resources and obstacles are placed on the table. I can now begin to move them around, seeing how they may relate to one another. I jot down any interesting combinations that arise and keep going.

Now with a list of possible solutions I begin to think through each one and see which makes the most sense to me. Is it practical, is it realistic and how much of each plan I can do without having to burden others. Then I start to take the steps to put the plan in to action.

While I do not resort to this very often it is a physical model of my thought process when trying to solve a problem. When I find myself stuck on where to begin this definitely helps me focus and find a bit of firm ground on which to stand. What do you do when you feel there is notsolution for the problem at hand? Let me know in the comments and have a great day.

Disciplanner

So I have to say that I love my gadgets and web apps and when I find one that helps me meet my goals I am even happier. So I was quite exited this morning when I came upon Disciplanner. This little website lets you set goals and milestones you wish to reach and then track the time you are actually putting in to working on these goals.

One of the nice things is it lets you track both positive and negative goals. What is a negative goal? Well for example I play way to many online flash games. By setting a goal of reduce time playing games online and setting it as a negative goal on Dissiplanner I can see how the time I spend playing games compares to the time I spend actually pursuing my goals.

The other feature of the website that I like is it lets you set milestones or mini goals to help you stay motivated and focused on completing the bigger goal. In a way it almost feels like real life video game achievements to me. When I do something I am trying to do I get to earn the badge to celebrate. Simple motivation is sometimes the best.

So what tools or websites do you use to help keep yourself motivated and to track your achievements? let me know below in the comments.