Inspired :)

I learned quite an important concept at a workshop over the weekend: Knowing when you are truly inspired and when you are dealing with an impulsive emotion, stirred on by ego.

I have often felt truly inspired, almost like this is the only thing you want to do at this moment and nothing else matters. Time and money becomes irrelevant, as this thought sanctions all your senses. An amazing amount of energy whips through your body and you can clearly see where you are going....absolutely focused and really in a zone!

According to our course leader, this is when there is divine intervention, when you are in divine flow with spirit and you absolutely have to act on it, in order to use the window of opportunity created by the universe. I know this is true from deep within my heart.

So...in true spirit of embracing my inspirations, I made a list of what always manages to inspire me:

Obviously....accompanied by....

It does not matter what I feel like first thing in the morning. Meditating or doing a yoga practise makes me want to embrace life....

Travelling....I soooo love going to new new places, tasting new flavors, seeing new faces....I have wanderlust in the worst possible way.

If the destination is by the sea, so much more inspirational!

Then, lately a seem to be inspired by body art, although I am too much of a ninny to put some ink on my own canvas :)

And how can I ignore the bouts of electricity when I encounter these amazing creatures!!!

Then, anything that sparkles and gives light...candles, fairy lights, yes, even a crystal...or better still, a diamond definately makes me light up....

Like all fellow goddesses, a nice piece of clothing...or shoes, or even just a handbag is right up there on my inspiration list.

And last, my favorite!

I love love.....

Not unique or very original. My course leader would probably cringe as I do not think he had a ready made list in mind?! I know, I am a simpleton....an inspired one though!?

Perspective please!

And Tamund and Jung many others throughout history concurred!

But why is it so difficult to see other people's stories and their truths? For me, this is one of the most important steps in becoming mindful: To be able to see the different sides of the picture.

I have worked with many great people, but very few great leaders and one of the things that always pops up (except for ego - we are talking power here!) is lack of perspective.

Without perspective at work, we lack the ability to truly appreciate and harness diversity. We become less of what we can be, by only surrounding us with like-minded individuals, who see the same problems, issues and risks and maybe not all the opportunities out there. It makes us less likely to be inclusive in decision making, less able to feed back why we chose one course of action above another. And definitely out of touch with many of our employees, and more importantly, our customers. Perspective is key when dealing with change. It is the one thing which enables us to answer the WHY question, as it can clarify the reasons for the decision from every angle. It is the basis of systems thinking, it helps with strategy in creating scenario's etc. etc.

At home, perspective is all about assisting to really connect with friends and loved ones. By having their perspective on things, we are able to really communicate effectively in the way that makes us "get" each other. It helps to move from emotional states to a place where we can engage on the issue whilst witnessing each others points of view... It makes us better human beings.

It is just so hard because perspective suggests letting go of our own, to take flight and see the picture from above, rather than standing on the ground and voicing our own perspective only. There is the misunderstanding that perspective means loosing our own opinion. I think we definitely still need to make up our minds about which way to go, but in those initial stages of evaluating our options, it is invaluable to have perspective on the issue. Not to make impulsive and hasty decisions based on emotions and ego only. It also means we have to be open to listen...it is very difficult. And even worse, able to take true feedback from others! All very scary stuff, but in my experience, very, very much worth it.

So, this morning I open my eyes with expectation...my meditation for today....perspective please!