Friday, September 14, 2012

Daily Inspiration 9-14-12

"You can't wait for inspiration.
You have to go after it with a club."

-- Jack London

I've had many people ask me how I do a daily inspirational message that I actually write myself every single day, 365 days a year, and now for several years. So, I thought that I would spill the beans and expose my strategy and methods to critical scrutiny.
 
First, I have many answers that I've given, but I have to sort of go along with my friend Jack London in that waiting for inspiration is a hit and miss proposition. I don't agree with the club part, but I agree with his sentiment behind it because that comes down to one word: commitment. I committed to doing it and so I convince myself to do it whenever I think I would rather not today.
 
Second, it is practical. I NEED the practice! I want to be a better writer, have always wanted to be a good writer, yet only in the last five years have I seriously practiced it. Before that I wrote a lot sporadically, never consistently and I think that the only way to get better at it is to practice it. Just like a baseball player who wants to hit better needs to go to the batting cage every single day, or as often as possible and practice hitting balls.
 
It's also practical in that I want to learn to express myself better, to have clear thoughts that can be expressed. To be myself and yet someone else at the same time is a good way to put it. But, it's more than this. I believe that the Universe can speak through me when I really am in tune and get myself out of the way, and when that happens, I feel it and others do too. That is fascinating.
 
Third is having a passion for sharing ideas, thoughts I've learned from others being reworded through my own understanding, and being of service. Some have said that these daily inspirations hold meaning for them and I am appreciative and in awe of that at the same time. So that helps keep me moving.
 
I have so much more to do in my life now than I did when I began this experiment, and yet I stick to this through thick and thin because it holds great meaning to me for the reasons I've expressed above.
 
As to how it gets done and where the stuff comes from--well, that is sometimes a challenge and always interesting. I think about my day and see if I have any lessons I've learned, things that stood out and so on. I reflect on books I'm reading, people and ideas I'm studying, things in my businesses, sometimes even my closer personal life. I always use a quote and sometimes I look at quotes and get inspired and other times none of the thousands that I have on file do anything for me, so I might even make one up. When I do that, I don't like putting my name, so I made one up: Albert K Strong. It's a bit of fun.
 
Other times, I know what I want to say and then find a quote that goes with that idea. Some have even commented that the quote I used and the story I told they would not have thought they went together but after reading it, they did. I know how they feel. . .
 
So, it is labor and usually at the end of the day between 10pm and midnight, almost always the last thing I do before going to bed. But it isn't really hard labor. Some days it flows very well and other times it is a struggle, but it must get done until I make a different decision some day.
 
There it is. All my secrets!
I Forgot To Mention That I Am A Better Person For Doing It--To Myself Anyway. . .
 
Spread Some Joy Today--Practice your passion. Get passionate about your practice!

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