HOW I FIND INSPIRATION

For me, inspiration is something that gets me out of bed, that makes me do things and be active, instead of being passive. It’s joy. Pure joy,

I do feel it the most when I get inspiration and this need of sharing the idea I come across or something that I want to create because I need to express myself.

In my view of things, inspiration brings joy. I was seeing something funny the other day on Instagram, Frassy Audrey on her Instagram account posted a picture with each zodiac sign’s idea of wanting to “kill someone” figuratively speaking. For Aquarius, which is me, it was ‘being forced to work a desk job’ and this really made me laugh, both in happiness and tears alike. The reason, is that, I have worked all my life a desk job, and sure, it is comfortable and nice, and at the same time, it is something that kills me deep down, and of course, when your soul dies, you become very sad, mean and you weaken your love for people in general, because you are so consumed by what you despise that it is hard to find the joy. So, you can see, I am in this cognitive dissonance and I do not know how to get out of it and my only escape is, at the moment, the dream I have with this blog. So, I write.

Some years back, I read 2 important books that truly captivated me and made me see the fundamental meaning behind using your talents and passions to serve others, which is to inspire other people to do the same. I believe that if we, all, work and do with joy and passion and positive energy all that which we were created and planted onto this Earth to work on, we would truly make the world a better and peaceful place. When everyone is going to a job that they only do because it pays the bills and helps to maintain a certain lifestyle that we have all created around us and that is comfortable and secure, we do become numb to experiencing joy and passion, or the real, real interest and perseverance in something exciting, lively and creative, inspirational and motivational for others. When we inspire others to do beautiful things and to share their amazing talents, we grow humans and we expand our consciousness and we attract good vibes and abundance. I think, we lack the faith that, that is a very likely possibility, that’s why we keep our secured jobs. But anyhow, I am getting off track here. Those 2 great books are Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” and Elle Luna’s “The crossroads of should and must, find and follow your passion”.

Those books are very inspirational and motivational and make you feel like you can touch the sky. They are so positive and uplifting. I madly recommend you read them. I would need to re-read them to get a confidence and mood boost.

When I usually want to write on the blog, I am thinking what to write about, what to share, how to write it, when in most occasions, this fails to fulfil the purpose of actually sharing stuff. I have few people actually reading this now, and if you are reading this now, can you please leave me a comment? So, having a little following or maybe none at all, is in a way, useful, because I do not need to stick to content. However, the main reason, I am still in this situation is because I do not push myself to go further with this and leave it for tomorrow and so on. It’s been 4 years like this! With content going up every couple of months, whenever my inspiration strikes me and I want to put that idea online now, I mean, in that place and moment in time, that it happens to me. And because, I have a rather stressful and soliciting job, I use up all my energy for work purposes and I forget about myself. In rare occasions, when I actually find the time to “love myself” (take time to myself and to browse all those websites and fantasies online to get inspiration or to bring joy to my fade life) I get a shot of inspiration and I either use it straight away or wait until the next day, write something down in relation to it, and I say to myself, “I will write on it tomorrow”. And tomorrow, I never do. Some pieces of content make it to my blog, some end up on other blogs (because the idea is worked on by others more diligent in their passions who are more focused people). That is also true, because ideas don’t just come up to me or you. They are in the air waiting for someone to pick on them and act on them. A lot of the times, if you are the first one to collect it, you get a push from the universe and you are recognised by others for your idea because you dared to pursue your passions and the universe makes sure you are rewarded, one, to make you an inspiration for others to follow the inspiration or your vibe and energy of action and second because you deserve it. You have done something no one attempted to, even though they too, had all the ingredients.

So I guess, me attempting sharing stuff on here is a way of keeping track to myself and obtaining a result at the end of December. This result consists of being able to follow through something with no immediate reward. Being able to persevere. Being able to be consistent. Being able to divide my energy and attention or to keep part of the energy I give at work, to myself, to use it up along with my focused attention for something I enjoy more. Being able to be true to myself and just do it (blogging) and see if this is actually for me or not. Although, my thought is, it is. I am drawn to this. I feel this is where I feel at my best, so comfortable and so uncomfortable at the same time.

I am really curious about your blogging journey. Tell me, how have you discovered your path or have decided to stick to it?

For me, it’s always been about being inspired. As mentioned, energy creates this inspiration, not just photos or articles or stuff you discover online or hear offline or you read. You have a certain amount of energy and you have to make use of it in a sensible manner. Meaning, BALANCE. As much as I know I have read a lot and probably even shared a tone on the subject by now on the blog, I actually think, balance is what we need to actually achieve our goals. It is not sustainable to work non stop even though you have a vocation or job or career you are in love with or married with. You also need time off. In that time off, a lot of inspiration can occur. A lot of new things happen and the brain just gets a getaway from all the to-do lists and goals to attain and it’s able to be more productive after a vacation.

So, because I was mentioning in other posts about my health concerns and my little obsession with healthy lifestyle, I have actually come to the extreme of it, and attempted too healthy, if that makes sense, with my daily intake of garlic, weakening my iron levels, which in turn is affecting my daily routines, making me very dizzy and tired all of a sudden. This also highlights the chaos I live in. Because, the truth is, it’s been quite hectic this year. Therefore, I strive for balance and mindfulness regarding equilibrium in life. The journey has to start with something I get joy out of, and this is coming from this blog. I am also getting inspiration from simply writing, sharing and then reading my old blog posts and realising, how much I still like them. And trust me, I am so critical, I mean, remember, I am a perfectionist!

But I think, I have covered this before, I want to let myself to just write, with no fear of doing it, in the end, there’s not many critical voices here (since I have a little following – jokes!!!) with no judgements on myself, with no strings attached. Just explore this new “kind to myself” version a bit, since it’s also December, the kind month, jokes again. Explore my writing style, which I think it’s optimistic, positive, uplifting, introspective and funny, but can also be reflective and knowledgeable, useful but at the same time enjoyable.

Where else do I find inspiration? In nature, in new spots I have not explored yet, in different areas than the ones I am normally interested in. In conversations with people. In what people tell me about myself. I am actually scared of asking people their opinions on me. It may steam from childhood trauma because I was quite a shy girl and being introverted, only made it worse in teenage years, but, I think the main reason is that I fear people will say things about me that I fear facing, which are true, but deep down do not want to be associated with of embarrassment, because while growing up, those characteristics or traits were regarded as a deficiency in some way or another, as a weakness that defines me, as a stigma and it hurt. But, a lot of the times, sharing information about yourself to others, to new people, not just people that know you very well, can give you a different perspective, can heal the past trauma, can reveal a different side of yourself that you did not know you owe, and can turn your life upside down. As an example, the fact that I am shy and introverted can be seen as a disadvantage at work nowadays, because you need to have the leadership skills to progress on the job, you need to be vocal about your accomplishments, all of which is not my style. It’s very difficult for me to portray something I am not deep down, because it feels I am letting myself down, or better, I betray myself. And another cognitive dissonance appears. How can you obtain a position you know you are good at and can handle well, but the interviewer wants you to showcase attitudes and behaviours that are opposite of yourself ? That’s another blockage which stimulates your inner self to think, “oh, that job is not for me”. My manager recently said to me that, if she had a visitor, she would not feel confident in me explaining my job to them because she does not see me being vocal or visible as that type of person to be able to handle that “opportunity”. It hurt. But at the same time, this shows something about myself which is more profound and I should not be upset with my manager for making it visible to me. I am lacking confidence in my abilities. Because I do not have a good enough self esteem (being damaged through my perfectionism quest and self critique) I was not able to defend myself and stand up for myself and say “Hey, you are wrong, I am actually very sure of what I am doing here and the fact I am not telling everyone I am so good at, does not mean I am not, it simply means, I focus on my job, not on what other people think of me, but I will definitely be able and not just able, would love to have this chance to prove you wrong”.

I lack confidence in my own strengths. Writing it makes it feel like I will fix it, like it gets healed. But we all know it does not happen that fast. When I get inspiration, I feel extremely confident of myself and I am pure joy. I do not think of what others think of me, I simply am, I simply live. I love that feeling. It’s a lovely energy that is just love. So, to me inspiration is life. It’s the core of life balance. It’s like water or air. I cannot live without it.

Inspiration is my joy. And joy, I actually read a full article on this in the January magazine of UK Psychologies. And I would like to quote some insightful words on the matter of joy: “Research indicates that joyful moments are really powerful. Joy can improve our performance at work as well as change the way we interact with others, and it can make us 12% more productive because it improves our working memory, the part of the brain we use for complex tasks during which we need to focus. The truth is, if we allow ourselves to experience joy during difficult times, it helps us to combat stress. Joy allows us to develop more resilience and find more meaning and purpose in the midst of challenges. Research by psychologist Barbara Fredrickson reveals that if you allow yourself to experience small moments of joy, such as buying yourself a bag of sweets, you will be more likely to see the bigger picture when solving complex problems, as well as coming up with creative solutions.”

I really will like to include much more of this motivational article, because it helped me see how I mistakenly believed that if I limit myself and my joy, I will have time in the future to feel it. Well, not if you get dizzy in the meantime – :)))) I want to include this “joy research” and copy paste parts of the article because a lot of the times to experience the inspiration, we need to allow ourselves to be joyful. And the following paragraph will debunk it in more proper words to understand what I want to say:

“Society dictates that the busier we are, the more successful we are. And we sometimes confuse achieving our goals with joy, or mistakenly believe that one will necessarily lead to the other. Unfortunately, this leads us away from a state of being into constantly doing, and also comparing ourselves to others on social media. But it is only when we learn to spend time in the present moment and can be with ourselves that we are able to feel truly joyful. Joy isn’t about the fancy car, it happens on the inside.”

“Dwelling on how happy you were in the past or fantasising about how happy you could be in the future if a certain set of circumstances comes about … neither of those mental states is properly joyful. On the other hand, joy isn’t about having to create an Instagram moment of, say, a holiday with access to an enormous swimming pool. It’s about savouring the little moments, the small details. Another immediate issue when it comes to creating more joy is that it’s an emotion that is frequently used interchangeably with happiness, even though there are distinct differences between the 2. Happiness is a broad evaluation about how we feel about our life over time and it encompasses a complex range of elements. At times, the concept of happiness can feel quite vague. If someone, were to ask you how happy you are right now, on a scale of 1 to 10, you would probably struggle to come up with an answer. You would have to ask yourself – how do I feel about my work, family, health and relationships?”

“Joy on the other hand, can be defined as an intense, momentary experience of positive emotion. We can measure joy through direct physical expression – laughter, a feeling of wanting to jump up and down. It differs for everyone but what’s important is to start to pay attention to what it feels like in the body. It creates a physical reaction just as, for example, we can identify when we’re anxious because we have butterflies in your stomach and clammy hands. The more we notice that joy is a physiological experience, the more we can start to catch hold of those moments in our day. It’s a chain reaction that unfolds in the moment instead of being this far-off thing.”

“According to the American Psychological Association, there are 2 recognised forms of joy: passive and active. Passive joy involves tranquillity and a feeling of contentment with things just as they are. Active joy involves a desire to share one’s feelings with others. Both are associated with an increase in energy and feelings of confidence and self-esteem.”

These last words, cited, conclude my points. Inspiration brings me joy. I will stop postponing my joy and so should you. Inspiration is everywhere and sometimes it is the actual joy in the small detail or random stuff you come across or words you hear or thoughts you share with people.

But, what does inspire you, deeply?

Regarding the difference between a quiz and a test, well, a test is usually something that is testing your abilities in something and it gives a percentage of how much you scored based on a majority percentage. A test is usually something that is more connected to our capabilities, whereas a quiz is reflecting something we know about ourselves but it is putting the spotlight on the actual things that we fail to see. A quiz is based on multiple answers and they are all right, they just highlight your personality at that point in time, your thinking and your mood. To be completely honest, from a psychological point of view, a quiz isn’t really that reflective of yourself as it is a test, but a test can only be completed in presence of a psychologist, someone specialised in this area, compared to quizzes that are open largely to the public because they are not clinical, as tests are. So, a quiz will capture alternatives which you choose and they reflect your inner being and mood at that point in time. If you take the same quiz in 10 years worth of time, the outcome could change, because , we as persons evolve every day, who you are today is different from whom you will become in 1 year. Your perceptions and ideas will have altered in time and formed you as you are into a more mature human being.

This quiz is very fun and I really wanted to include this disclaimer, it was not made up by me and it is solely taken from the magazine with the purpose of serving you as my reader and help you in your life, especially at this time of the year.

What you need to do: Select one option from each question and add up at the end of the 10 questions, the number of symbols you have selected, the more symbols of one category, the better, because that’s where you will discover you find your joy, as the outcome will also be included in here. Why is it so accurate? Because you are giving answers very close to something you already feel or know about yourself and adding it all up, the psychologist creating it, made sense of certain traits for the person choosing those particular options. So, let’s begin.

1. To you, truly joyful people seem: a)alive and switched on b)calm and focused c)confident about the future d)clear about what really matters

2. Which of these activities would you find the most therapeutic: a) a walk somewhere beautiful b)doing yoga or meditation c)laughing with a good friend d)listening to an inspirational ebook or podcast

3. At the end of a challenging day, you often feel: a)numb b)frazzled c)worried d)restless

4. On a group holiday, you’re the one who: a)feels disconnected from the group b)wants to try everything c)plans for all contingencies d)suggests a group activity

5. You feel at your best when you: a)feel engaged by something new b)know you are making a difference c)are doing something that you are good at d)are doing something creative

6. For you, joy is something: a)uplifting b)clarifying c)liberating d)spiritual

7. You will feel more joy when you feel less: a)isolated b)fragmented c)anxious d)directionless

8. What’s been your biggest time-waster this year? a)scrolling on your phone b)doing too many things at once c)fretting about things that never actually happened d)comparing yourself to others

9. Your go-to mood lifter is: a)escaping into your fantasy life b)setting yourself a new and exciting challenge c)venting to someone who is supportive d)buying something new

10. To you, a life well-lived means: a)making the most of every day b)making a difference c)taking every opportunity that comes your way d)being your best self

The outcome shows you what will help you feel more joy

If you scored a majority of a) -CONNECTION : Joy often comes in tiny packages that are easy to miss if you spend a lot of time on autopilot. Tuning into joy starts with being present. You may disconnect due to feeling overwhelmed; getting through the day rather than experiencing it. Low mood can be a trigger for retreating into a protective bubble and disconnection can be a survival strategy to make stressful situations bearable. Even daydreaming can mean disconnection if it’s a way of dealing with tough feelings. Designate regular times of day to be in the here and now. It might be on your journey to work, at mealtimes or when you go for a walk. Instead of clicking into distraction mode, bring your mind to the present and notice what you experience through your senses. What can you hear, see, smell and taste? When your mind wanders, bring your attention back by asking “How do I know what I am feeling?” At the end of the day, do a mental review of positive experiences, no matter how small. There are joyful moments everywhere but sometimes you need to train yourself to notice them.

If you scored mainly b) – SIMPLICITY – Your capacity for joy is diluted if your life is fragmented, or you feel as if you don’t have time to do things properly. You may postpone joy, telling yourself as soon as you’ve caught up, you can enjoy yourself. However, as soon as you get over one hurdle, another appears. If you feel as if you have lost direction, you react by seeking new challenges, when the solution is to do less, not more. Creating a more meaningful life can mean saying no to things that you want to do, as well as those you don’t , to allow space for joy to flourish. Embracing simplicity starts with a switch from living reactively to being proactive and thinking about how you want to spend your time. Happiness is under your control! Start small – swap an hour a day spent on an activity you feel indifferent about to one that you love to enhance your contentment. It can be a simple change – maybe go for a walk at lunch instead of looking at your phone. Bring your daily habits in line with your values and joy will follow.

If you scored mainly c) – OPTIMISM – Joy can feel uncomfortable and unsafe, as if you are tempting fate. Joy can be fleeting or may be followed by disappointment, but moments of joy will remain elusive if they are always countered with negative thoughts such as “this thing won’t work or won’t last”. Anticipating the worst is protective but undermines confidence. Trust that allowing yourself to feel joy won’t lessen your resilience. You deserve joy! If you have an insidious inner critic, it will find a way to make you feel guilty for feeling happy or pleased. Try to nurture your inner optimist. Make a decision to treat yourself with compassion and spend time with people who uplift you rather than drain you. Each day, think of 3 or 4 good things that could happen over the following week, however tiny – a conversation with a friend, reading something uplifting, enjoying a walk. It’s about being grateful for good things in advance. Experiencing joy is about training your mind to expect positive things, and to notice them when they happen.

If you scored mainly d) – PURPOSE = You may seek joy in all the wrong places – external validation, possessions or achievements – but it’s hard to feel joy if you’ve lost sight of what gives you meaning. When you are driven or conscientious, you can do what’s expected of you, rather than what makes your heart sing, so live becomes a series of milestones. You will never feel joy if you are stuck on an achievement treadmill when what you really care about is being part of a community creating something meaningful or helping the world become a better place. Be sure your values and aspirations are truly your own and not imposed on you by others. Start by making time for awe and wonder. Immerse yourself in beauty, the environment or art. Find a way to explore and express your creativity and spend time with like-minded people who inspire you. Nurture the brave part of you that seeks a life less ordinary and try to consolidate your spirituality. Living a life of meaning is always a work in progress but there is much joy to experience along the way.

All 4 options actually are great ways to start embracing your life and be more grateful so you can let yourself see the joy all around you. I think from each section, we can all take something and feel more mindful, peaceful and calm.

What score do you think I got the majority of? Which did you?