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Tag: inspiration

The power of sadness

Life can throw curveballs. Disappointments can destroy the strongest resolve, even the most focused among us shaken by a series of bad luck and failure. Like fire, heartache can spread.

Yet too often it is easy (and in the most difficult darkness, completely forgivable) to forget the positive, creative power of sadness and grief.

Instead of trying to distinguish or contain this anguish, use it. Find the cause worth caring about. Solve impossible problems. Turn fury and rage into calculable action and make your tears count for something.

What does ease look like?

What does an “easy life” mean to you? What would you have time for? Do you see friends more often? Are you able to create, read, play? Do you eat differently, sleep better, take different care of your body? Are you more patient, relaxed, or kind?

Ease.

Dream about a life that feels like swimming through air. Meditate on it.

Then act.

Get rid of unnecessary stuff. Clean your house, clean your schedule, clean your body and mind. Slow down. Focus on one thing at a time (making lists can help with this). Wake up earlier and give yourself an extra twenty minutes to get to the office. Surround yourself with beauty: place freshly cut flowers on your desk, change your desktop photo, take morning walks, look up at the stars.

Inviting ease into your life opens the door to expansiveness, creativity, wonder, magic — and the unexpected. No, you won’t stop encountering difficult situations or irksome people, and your schedule won’t magically empty (you’ll have to do some work to clear out what is taking you away from your priorities). But you’ll start to move through life in a different way, and people will respond.

What does ease mean to you? Tweet me at @redheadlefthand.

Choose your new year

Of course resolutions don’t need to happen only once a year, but the turn of a new year provides prime opportunity for reflection. Are you where you want to be? Are you who you want to be?
Do you want to become more generous? Click here for a 52-week challenge.
Do you want to become more thoughtful? Click here for a step-by-step guide to meditation.
Do you want to become more informed? Sign up for an online course.
Do you want to become more creative? Find a copy of The Artist’s Way in your local bookstore.
Do you want to become more adventurous? Click here to get out of your daily rut.
Do you want to become more kind? Click here to find volunteer opportunities near you.
Do you want to write a novel? Click here to get started.
Do you want to get healthy? Tackle daily challenges.
Do you want to be a better cook? Consider a meal plan to get started.
Do you want to meet someone new? Attend a dinner (or host one of your own).
Do you want more variety in life? Try these 30 challenges.
How lucky we are to be able to reassess, recreate, and redefine our goals! How lucky we are to have the choice to change! Here’s to a fantastic 2017. Tell me what you choose.

Feel lost? Do what excites you.

“Find your bliss” has become the cliched guidance for those trying to find purpose in life. Bliss can be just as elusive as trying to identify your life mission. If you’re feeling lost or uncertain, try following your excitement.
Watch movies that quicken your heartbeat.
Read books you can’t put down.
Immerse yourself in company and environments that are stimulating.
Talk to people who are passionate about living.
Do work that you like.
Soon, the answers will come. You will know which path to choose and the decisions you need to make.
Take pressure off of finding eternal happiness and choose adventure instead.

Do that thing you think you can’t

A small voice whispered, “Don’t bother, it’s a waste of time, it will never happen.” I listened. But thankfully, just for a day. My mind kept swirling, dreaming, going back to the idea. After last summer at the Byrdcliffe Artist in Residence program, I have been fantasizing for more uninterrupted time to devote to my manuscript.
My fingers hovered over the application. Why should they pick you? What are your chances? I revisited the site again and again, closing the browser, reopening the page, googling pictures of the area and reading reviews of past participants.
This tiny voice often appears. Sometimes I listen, other times I ignore. But it seems when I risk those scary words — EXPOSURE, FAILURE, REJECTION — beautiful things happen.
“Apply,” I told that voice, “You will regret it if you don’t.”
Do that thing you think you can’t. Even if you fall short and your efforts are flat, you’ll be glad. You’ll always wonder “what if” if you don’t at least try.

What if nobody knows?

What if nobody knows you’re the one who dropped the ball?
What if nobody learns about the mistake you made?
What if nobody finds the great work that you’re doing?
What if nobody compliments you?
What if nobody knows you failed?
What if nobody clicks “like” or responds to your email or answers your call?
What if nobody sees the progress you’ve made?
What if nobody buys your product?
What if nobody recognizes your worth?
Would you switch your goals? Would you make different decisions? Would your behavior change?
You’re the one person who knows all of your mistakes, all of your successes, all of your growth and progress and milestones.
Remember whose opinion matters most.