Inspired?

It's something that all of us should have in our lives...someone or something that lifts us up to what's next.  Lately I've been thinking about finding inspiration, so where do I look?  Where do all of us look for inspiration whether it be to further our work, deepen our relationships or uncover what we thought might have been unreachable?

As I delve into this arena of thought, I am driven to reflect back into my life and look for key moments that were particularly inspiring.  What I found was an array of people who challenged the way I thought.  I realized that what they stood for, how they acted and stood in their own life was something that I aspired to have in my own life.  Who were the movers and shakers in my own history?  What choices had they made along their own journey to enable them to stand so strongly in their own sense of self, in their own radiance?

Part of the answer is around purpose.  The people who I admire are focused on why they are here...in this body, in this life.  It's as though they have uncovered their personal mission statement and are doing everything they know how to enact it.  Study, persistence, grit, facing failure and being vulnerable are all part of the process.  Their attention is not only on what they are doing in life but how they are being in that process. 

People who our society might see as successful because of financial gains yet don't give back aren't the people I'm drawn to emulate. Neither are people who are so stuck in their own story that they seem to lay stagnant in life. The same issue arises time after time, they complain, yet are either unwilling or unaware as to how to make a different choice. I find that, for me at least, I'm drawn to people who take action 

Most of us have heard the saying, "if you want to be inspired, hang out with inspiring people".  This came fully into my life by undertaking the Global Seva Challenge to India in 2012.  It was in February/March of 2013 on the Bare Witness Tour to India with Off the Mat, Into the World that I was surrounded by inspiration.  Not only from the leaders, but from all of the people who made the trip.  Each of us had our own story of how we raised at least $20,000 for the cause.  Each person's story was different, yet each person knew how we all felt.  We were driven by passion and filled with the idealized vision to make a difference in the world. And we had.  I have never had such a deep experience in the company of such likeness...one of the apex moments of my life.

My thought of the week is who is in your circle that inspires you? Are the relationships you have with people lifting you up and allowing you to be seen for who you are and see what lights your fire? Or are they dampening your enthusiasm for what's next?  Is it time to seek out and expand your circle of inspiration?  If you answered yes, I would love to hear how you're choosing to make that happen.

I feel so fortunate to be able to readily identify those people who have supported my dreams even if they seemed impossible.  I hope you know who you are and I love you dearly.  Thanks for allowing me to not only begin to uncover my light, but to stand completely vulnerable within it.