A Matter of Inspiration

Legend has it that Robert the Bruce of Scotland was losing the battle and he barely escaped with his life. His soldiers were hard pressed to keep up the fight as many were wounded and dying. The Bruce, tired, dismayed and broken-hearted found a hidden cave where he took refuge.

He threw down his sword and sat to rest a while. Gloomy thoughts filled his mind and he reflected on the insurmountability of the task he had tried to accomplish. Perhaps Scotland would never be free ... at least not in his lifetime. Perhaps he should abandon all efforts, give it up and lead an obscure life as a fugitive.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a tiny spider trying to climb a strand of web that extended from the top of the cave almost to the floor. Up went the spider and just a few feet from the top, it slipped and fell all the way down.

Over and over again the spider repeated the process as the exhausted Bruce watched, fascinated by the perseverance of the little life form. Once again the spider climbed, this time almost reaching the top. Again it slipped and fell to the floor of the cave.

Now with rapt attention, Robert the Bruce watched to see its next move. A few more tries and finally, with one quick dash, the spider reached the ceiling. The Bruce slowly got up, picked up his sword, cleared the depressing thoughts from his mind and went back into the battle, inspired by the strength, will and perseverance of such a tiny creature as a spider.

The rest is history. The battle was won and the Bruce was, once more, the triumphant, gallant leader of his people.

There are times when everything in life seems dark and dreary. There are those times when we feel we're totally unable to take the next step or to even move one inch. These are precisely the times when we most need inspiration.

Why inspiration? It helps recharge our energy when all seems hopeless. It gives us encouragement when our "spiritual well has gone dry".

The dictionary gives different meanings to the word, "inspiration". But I think "inspiration" actually means divine messages from the Universe. In our lives there are many sources of inspiration. someof the ones I find most ... inspiring are:

Nature
In the middle of the worst crisis, a little walk in the park or on the beach does wonders for the body, mind and spirit. Breathe in the fresh air, watch the ripples on a pond or even in a fountain; take a few minutes to clear your mind by looking up to the sky or the stars. Get inspired by the sheer magnificence of Nature.

Music
Listen to some music you really like. Whether it be the vibrant, upbeat sort that your body simply moves to almost inspite of itself or the soft, melodic sounds that take your mind to another place. Either way you'll find that miracles can occur.

Books and tapes
Spend some time absorbed in a good book. And I don't mean just self-help or spiritual books. It could be any book that engages your mind and thoughts. When things seem really gloomy to me, I likeot read stories about magic, there's a part of me that knows it's only a story but it feeds that belief in miracles. For me, that works. For you, it might mean a totally different type of book.

And audio tapes, CD's, video tapes and DVD's have been a wonderful gift from technology. There are so many wonderful movies out there, the one I loved most recently was Sandra Bullock's 'The Blind Side' was fabulous, Richard Bach's 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' on my video player. Recharge yourself in fanatasy land and come out to face the seeming impossible and smiling.

Friends
We're fortunate indeed, if we've got a few good friends. Connect with the people around you. Real friends are such a bonus in life; whether if be sharing a laugh or handing out the tissues.

These are a few of the simple things in life that help to lift us when things around us aren't the way you want them to be.

There's stack of things you can do to give yourself inspiration to move forward and I'm sure you can come up with a list that works for you.Things like taking a drive, going fishing, paint a picture or making something.

So what is it that does it for you? What do you do to give yourself that lift when life has lost it's bounce?

Remember, the Universe is on your side. Just give it a chance to show its magnificence in your life. Lift up your eyes and look to the horizon ... Perhaps you'll see a whole new, beautiful day dawning for you. It's there. Go for it.

Love life and live it creatively and on purpose!

Leanne
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