Get by With a Lil Help

The topics of life coaching, self-improvement, and personal development have become extremely popular in the past decade. And rightly so, as our mental health, quality of living, and personal success, as well as our ultimate survival, are based upon our ability to grow, adapt, and evolve as human beings. When we seek to improve on a personal level, it also has a far-reaching catalyst effect. It affects those around us, our children, our communities, and eventually spreads at a global level and spills over unto future generations. The human potential phenomenon is an indication that we as humanity are starting to recognize the need for serious change and a better way of directing our lives and we are more productively channeling our energies. The scale of this rapidly growing movement signifies that we are indeed evolving towards a more enlightened view of ourselves and the world around us.

Another reason why this movement has so quickly expanded and continues to blossom is because personal development is an on-going and life-long process. One cannot just read a ew books and magically transform into the person we would like to be. The mind is like a garden which requires continuous cultivation. It is not difficult to lose motivation, fall back into old patterns of behavior, get discouraged by others or overwhelmed by the multitude of stressors and demands that tug at us daily. The weeds of defeat and self-doubt are quick to spread if we are not continuously pruning them away. One of the keys to remaining optimistic and focused on any goal is repeated exposure to that which is uplifting. For this reason, we benefit immensely from regularly seeking out new sources of inspiration so that we don’t lose heart.

 Finding Inspiration; Setting the Tone

How do YOU find inspiration? Is it triggered by visuals of a flower, a sunset, an ocean scenery? Is it brought about by scents and smells? Creating a supportive environment, an environment that is conducive to serenity and balanced thought, is one simple way. Are you surrounded by clutter? Do some of the images on the walls of your living space or office have a theme or make any sense? Sometimes something as simple as surrounding ourselves with memorable photographs, images of beautiful passages or images that symbolize peace, as in the case of Zen decor, can go a long way. Clearing up the clutter in our living environments helps our minds to reflect the same, but there are other simple things that you can do to bring about a sense of calmness and inspiration. Setting an online radio station to classical or meditative music and allowing it to play in the background while you go about your tasks, lighting a few candles, burning sage or incense can also bring about a sense of tranquility that allows to us to feel uplifted and harmonized. Take a moment to look around you and evaluate if your environment could use a change. What can you add to make it more inspiring?

This Months Challenge:
Assembling an Inspiration “Tool Box”

In addition to recreating our environments, another thing I encourage is to put together what I call an inspiration “tool box”; or set of strategies that generate inspiration.

• Affirmations: positive affirmations are a great tool to quickly distract our minds when we get stuck in a loop of negative thinking and help us reframe or views about our circumstances. Writing a few inspiring quotes or affirmations on index cards or small slips of paper and placing them in visible areas around your home can be very useful. Your refrigerator, bathroom mirror, and work space are a few examples. You can create your own or gather some from the internet which contains a wealth of samples.

• Motivational Books: keeping one or two inspirational books on your nightstand is also a great practice. At times, our lives can become so busy that it’s challenging to find the time to sit and read just one. At the very least, always having a book by your bedside and reading just a paragraph or two before turning in can help set the stage for starting your day on a more positive note.

• Motivational CDs: Put your time on the road or commuting back and forth from

work to good use. Listening to CDs by motivational speakers while driving can also help keep you uplifted, especially if your commute involves getting stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. If you have an Ipod, load it up with motivational audio tracks you can also listen too while jogging or cleaning up around the house. Again, there are tons of resources online. Some of my personal favorites are by motivational speaker, Tony Robbins.

• Inspirational Blogs: Subscribing to personal development blogs, which are delivered straight to your inbox, can also be an excellent source of daily inspiration. The Daily Om is just one of the few I read consistently.

All of these strategies are part of my own personal tool box. Diversifying my channels ensures I am never at a shortage of material from which to draw inspiration. It also ensures that no matter where I may be, I can “pick out a tool” to help me stay focused. I challenge you to put these strategies to work for you and hope that they have the same transformational impact they have had on my life. They are definitely worth the try.

Dear America,

We are all flawed. Although the world pumps products that make you think that it you obtain it you’re gonna to be fixed. It’s not about being fixed. Its about entering into conversations and relationships knowing that, we don’t know everything. And even if we did, we can’t do everything by ourselves. See we were made flawed for a reason, it’s because we need each other.

Signed,
A Flawed American Male   ~Gill Sotu