We all need ways to inspire ourselves to expand our lives.  We tend to reflect on this as something comes to a close or as we start down a new road.  But this is something we should think about regularly so that we don’t end up in a rut and that we can maintain the course on the path to our goals.

1. Your Vision for Your Life

Vision is the ability to think about or plan the future using your imagination with a bit of wisdom.  It is a creative process where we hone in on what we want for ourselves.  Wisdom comes in with truly knowing ourselves: our skill set, the amount of time we have, the commitment we are willing to make.  Here are simple steps to create a vision board to inspire us.     

2. How to Look and Listen to Create the Vision

It’s the visionaries that move society forward.  The vision we have for our lives, our businesses, and our families emerge from the situations we find ourselves.  The circumstances we find ourselves in can either be the routine of life, a crisis position, a financial emergency, or an administration problem- anything that requires our guidance.  You look and listen to assess the situation as best you can so that you can move forward with a plan of action; the new vision.

There are four separate steps involved in the process of becoming fully aware of not only the current situation but also understanding what you want the future to be.  We need to look and listen to evaluate where we are, so we can create the vision of where we want to go, to inspire us.       

3. “To Motivate or Inspire?” That is the Question       

To motivate or inspire others, which should I do and what is the difference?  It may seem like a subtle variation, but I have found that motivation and inspiration are very different.  When I try to motivate myself, I feel like I’m pushing myself.  Motivation is about psyching people up.  It’s about moving people to act in a way that achieves a specific and immediate goal.  

Inspiration, on the other hand, comes from a completely different place. The word inspiration means to be in spirit. Inspiration is about being called to act because you’re in direct alignment with the true potential that is you, your authentic self.

4. My Happiness Project

I read Gretchen Rubin’s book The Happiness Project and thought it was an inspirational way for me to create more happiness in my life purposefully.  Based on Gretchen’s research that she complied, the basic idea is that we can increase the amount of joy we have in our lives by consciously adding to our daily lives those things we enjoy doing.  We tend not to keep resolutions, so instead create a Happiness Project that you work on throughout the year. Each month we are inspired to work in one area to make your life happier.

5. How to Cultivate Gratitude and Love your Life        

Over the past three years, I have done an annual Happiness Project, and each year gratitude or thankfulness has been a focus for a full month.  I did this as I wanted to remind myself not to take for granted the many blessings I have in my life, it’s an inspirational process.

Last year, when I prepared for teaching the Artist’s Way class about unlocking your creativity, I re-ignited a journaling practice.  This kindling, in turn, became an excellent way for me to write about all the delightful things in my life that I am grateful. 

Every day we hear others, or ourselves, complain about something.  How the weather is too hot or too cold, the horrible traffic on our drive into work, or even that when we went to drink our coffee, it was cold.  So, how do we change this mindset of looking at the negative to being grateful for the lives we have? 

6. Five Reasons You Should Join A Book Club     

Reading was a requirement in school.  Lists of books were assigned, and reports were given on what was read.  Reading was something enjoyed or dreaded.  Do you like to learn? Many can remember how much enjoyment reading provided in high school and college.  Then life happens, and the amount of time spent reading declines.  A few years ago, I made a conscious decision to read more.  Reading was mostly non-fiction titles, to foster an expansion of reading different genres of books.  I decided to join a local book club sponsored by an independent book store in town, and it started an inspirational monthly adventure.       

7. The Journey to God is Merely a Reawakening to What You Already Know

Becoming our authentic selves is about rediscovering who we innately are.  The expedition we need to take for the reawakening to occur is the journey back to Spirit.  Only through our connection with Source can we unearth our innate selves that the egoic mind has forgotten.  We must remember who we really are. 

When carving the sculpture David, Michelangelo said he was only bringing out of the marble what was already there.  That is what we must do on this quest.  We, too, need to chip away at what the ego has built up.  Remove the beliefs that others put upon us.  And eliminate those things that no longer serve us or bring us joy.  

We base our spiritual growth on what our soul needs to expand.  For it to arise and be the voice we hear and follow its guidance instead of the egos.  It’s not about a particular religion, spiritual practice, or specific pathway because this journey is entirely personal for each individual.       

8. Inspiring Ourselves and Others

Responding with love instead of fear is an inspiring act in today’s society ruled by mass media feeding our egoic minds servings of violence in the news and entertainment.  But as we take this journey back to becoming authentic beings, we need to inspire ourselves to expand. 

What do I mean by this?  Well, if we aren’t enthused to continue our journey back to Spirit, then the egoic mind will retake control of our lives, and we don’t want that to happen.  Inspiring ourselves comes from getting quiet every day and listening to our soul’s voice as it whispers daily encouragement. 

We also need reassurance from others, but how do we find what we need?  To find people to encourage us, we need to inspire others.  Inspiring others is as simple as helping those around you discover their authentic selves. We do this by showing others our fearlessness by being our authentic selves.  In return, our seeing them begin their own journey back to Spirit inspires us. 

9. Be the Light

Are we a shining example of living our authentic selves?  Showing the world who we really are, a soulful being living from a place of love and not fear?  That is what it means when we are told to be a light for others. 

I want people to think of me as a safe place to be themselves.  No judgment, even if we have different opinions.  I will not allow another person to steal my joy or make me afraid because of what they believe.  Everyone has their own struggles to deal with, and everyone has to walk their own path. Our role is to respond with love when our paths cross.

When we are negative or venting our frustrations about other people’s opinions, we live in the dark.  We close our hearts and allow the egoic mind to focus our attention on life’s undesirable effects.  When we name-call, are violent with our words or deeds, we are extinguishing our light—hiding it from others and ourselves. 

Being the light means we take part in illuminating dark places.  Spreading hope and love everywhere we go and through all the social media we post. 

10. Withholding Causes Pain- How to Find a Better Way

Ultimately, pain in life doesn’t come from what we weren’t given in the past, but from what we’re not giving in the present.  Many of us were unwittingly taught that a way to hurt another is to withhold ourselves from them.  This behavior comes in many forms: silent treatment, not showing affection, or sharing information.  These examples are forms of rejection that cause pain to all involved.

Technically withholding is a form of emotional abuse and one that is, in my opinion, the most toxic. Why? Because this rejection means that authentic communication cannot occur. So, we can never resolve the underlying issues unless the withholder lets go of the controlling behavior. 

Rejection from another makes us feel we aren’t valued, because what we say is ignored.  Or someone refuses to communicate with us or share crucial information that affects us.  A person who minimizes our accomplishments is exhibiting withholding behavior.  If someone is isolating us on purpose is another example. 

It’s damaging because the target can’t stop the behavior. We feel trapped by the circumstances. The only way out is to remove ourselves from the situation or end the relationship with the abuser. Otherwise, we believe that this is how we deserve to be treated, which isn’t true. 

11. The Difference between Appreciation, Thankfulness, and Gratitude

The autumn season changes our focus on looking at our lives with thankfulness.  And as we enter the holiday season, many of us think of others. What our friends and family mean to us, and what ways we show them our admiration through a lovely gift.  But do we realize that thankfulness, appreciation, and gratitude are slightly different? They are, and despite the subtle similarities, the differences are meaningful.

We define thankful as a feeling of being pleased.  To appreciate means, we recognize the excellent qualities of something and see the item’s value.  Both terms are referring to feelings or ideas we have within ourselves.  Gratitude, however, is action-oriented.  It means we show our thankfulness or indebtedness to another through our deeds, not just our words.  It isn’t difficult to feel thankful or appreciative of others, especially during the holidays.  But taking loving, thoughtful deeds to express our gratitude is putting our love into action. 

In my opinion, gratitude is a state of being because it rises up from deep within our soul.  It’s through our gratefulness that we can change our vibrational frequency, and thus, change our lives completely.   

12. The Source of all Joy is Spirit

Do we know the difference between joy and happiness?  Happiness is a feeling or condition of pleasure, but being happy depends on our surroundings, so many feel that happiness is fleeting.  I believe joy is a state of mind, an attitude towards how we live our lives.  Joy is being contented with life despite the circumstances because joy comes from Spirit. 

We all say we just want to be happy and many work hard to accomplish this.  But maybe we shouldn’t focus our energies on being happy.  Instead of self-satisfaction, think about committing to a different state of mind.  A joyful state of being is the alignment of the heart with Spirit. 

Joy is a short word but contains many things.  It’s hopeful, peaceful, kind, good, faithful, gentle, truthful, patient, and self-controlled.  The Bible says these are the fruit of the Spirit.  The results others see from us living a conscious life.  Joy is an enduring emotion of contentment seeped in overall well-being and hope.

Once we remember who we are, a spiritual being of light, we know that it always connects us to Source.  This understanding gives us confidence in our future. Despite any negative thoughts, the egoic mind uses to hold us back or the situations we find ourselves. 

13. How to Keep Our Joy in Everyday Life

Are we joyful in our everyday lives?  Or do we allow the clouds of our day-to-day living to bury our delight?  The source of all joy comes from Spirit, so we always have it.  Just like the sun is always shining above the clouds, our joyfulness is always with us.

But many believe that the ordinary moments of our lives, the daily grind, contain no joy.  However, this is a lie from the ego.  We have to be aware of the small and simple pleasures in our everyday lives. 

This awakening can occur when we are more connected with our souls and with others.  Because we realize that searching outside ourselves for joy isn’t required because it rises from within us.  Every moment of our lives has the potential to be joyous if we open our eyes. 

14. Do You Want to Be Right or Happy?

I spent years defending my point of view or the decisions I made with those who disagreed with me or told me I was making a mistake.  It didn’t matter if the issue was big or small. I felt it was essential to stand up for myself and my thought process. 

I’m sure we’ve all done this and can relate to the feeling of defensiveness.  But many of us allow our egoic minds to fight for us to be right instead of being peacefully happy. 

My egoic mind enjoyed the activity of arguing my point.  It relished being calm and rational, while other people got emotional.  But over time, I realized I didn’t feel happy about the outcome, even if I won the argument.    

This angst got me pondering why my ego was trying to defend my perspective to others.  In reality, their opinion didn’t matter in how I would proceed forward.  And if the debating left me feeling unhappy, why do it?

The egoic mind doesn’t want others to see our flaws, and certainly not our outright mistakes.  So, it protects us by fighting for our opinion, even if our souls know we’ve taken a misstep.  The ego is lazy.  It would rather be wrong than feel the discomfort of growth by having to assimilate additional information. The egoic mind doesn’t care about our happiness as long as it protects its image to others. 

15. You can Never Make a Choice and Not Leave Something Behind

The nature of choice means that there is something we must leave behind.  The road we didn’t take may be one we later regret.  Or the item we left behind is bittersweet in our memories.  But when we choose, it means we let go of something.  To move forward in life, we must release the past because dragging it along with us is burdensome and keeps us from growing and expanding.

As we close out the year, we need to release the past and look forward to what we want to achieve in the New Year.  We also need to know how to make decisions we are content with years later with no regrets.  By doing so, we won’t feel like we’ve left something behind because it won’t matter.

16. Why You Should Consciously Choose To Expand Your Mind Each Day

Your brain is constantly active. It has to be to keep you alive. The brain is continually receiving information, even when you’re asleep. So if you want to expand your mind, you must exercise your brain like any muscle to build new neural connections. Don’t worry; you won’t have any muscle aches because the brain feels no pain. After all, it has no pain receptors. So move out of your comfort zone and consciously choose to expand your mind.

17. How to Expand the Serenity You Feel in Your Life

Peace, calmness, stillness, whatever you want to call it, is a soulful quality. It doesn’t come from outside of you. It comes from within you. So if you have it with you all the time, why don’t you feel it? Why does it seem elusive and strange when seen in others? The egoic mind says it wants serenity, but stillness is not an egoic quality. So, can you expand the amount of serenity you feel each day? Is there a way to have inner peace despite the stresses of everyday life?

18. See How To Expand Truth In Your Life

Truth is something you say you want in your life. No one wants to be lied to by others. You want to believe what’s on the news is real. But truth is a powerful concept. Many consider facts to be true, and they are. But experiences are genuine as well. So my experience differs from yours, but aren’t they still valid for each of us? See, truth is expansive, and you must expand your ideas of what truth is for you.

19. Expand The Gratitude You Feel In Your Life

What do you think about when some ask what you’re grateful for in your life? Did you know that the daily practice of gratitude produces a physical change in your body as it floods your brain with happy hormones of dopamine and serotonin. Therefore, you can pivot away from negativity to joy simply by being grateful. What a way to inspire yourself!

20. How You Can Expand Your Reach By Being Authentic

Just like influencing others isn’t about authority, expanding your reach isn’t about promotion. Many think they don’t affect others because they don’t think they or their opinions matter? But everyone influences someone. Does your life reflect how you want to affect others? For your words and actions to impact others, they have to align with who you authentically are. Others have to see you living from a place of passion and are not pretending to be anything but yourself.

21. Expand The Energy In Your Life By Adding Some Spontaneity

How do you feel about your life? Do you feel your energy level is good? Are you stepping outside your comfort zone regularly? Do you pursue adventurous activities and attempt new things? Or are you bored? Maybe you feel stuck in your routine instead of feeling like life is moving forward positively. Is there any spontaneity in your life?

22. An Authentic Life Is One Of Synchronicity With Accepting What Is

Being conscious of what is going on in your life allows you to move closer to your heart’s desire. Being fully present allows you to notice synchronicities and respond to them in a way that keeps you moving forward. Synchronicity is a psychological concept first introduced by Carl Jung, stating that events are “meaningful coincidences” if they occur with no underlying connection.

23. How to Share Your Enthusiasm to Make Authentic Connections

Enthusiasm is highly contagious, engaging, and incredibly powerful. It’s a force that makes new connections and builds relationships. It’s a lot more enjoyable to interact with people who are energized and inspired by what they do than it is to spend time with people who aren’t.

24. How To Expand The Synergy In Your Life

Is there synergy in your life? Do you feel something unifies you with those around you? Did you realize there is a difference between unity and synergy? So, let’s look at what each means. Unity happens when there is a combination of distinct things or people into an interconnected part or single resolve. Synergy, however, ensues when people work together and the outcome is greater than each person could have done separately.

25. Be Hopeful And Take A Leap Of Faith Every Day

Most of you are afraid of entering the unknown, you doubt yourself, are uneasy with the unfamiliar, and of not knowing what will happen. You are concerned things might not turn out as planned, things may go wrong, and situations might be uncomfortable. Therefore, taking a leap of faith isn’t something you do regularly.

26. To Be A Visionary It’s Helpful To Know Your Purpose, Do You Know Yours?

Visionaries use their purpose to inspire themselves. They are big-picture thinkers who want to grow and develop their dreams, yet they don’t mire themselves in details. You’re broadening your focus while encouraging cooperation and persistence in the face of adversity. The responsibility of a visionary like yourself is to foster innovation and a fresh course for building your dream based on your purpose in life.

27. Are You A Conscious Visionary Or Do You Feel Life Is Knocking You Around?

As a visionary for your life, are you conscious? Or are you reacting to life instead of responding? With awareness, perseverance, patience, and commitment, you can develop the abilities and talents required to lead your life by raising your consciousness. Visionaries choose to brave paths that others would be hesitant to follow. Making a difference is at the heart of the direction you want to go, which goes beyond simply achieving objectives. You need to be aware of the context of your responsibilities if you’re to be effective in achieving your dreams.

28. Visionaries Live A Powerful Life Based On Clear Inner Wisdom

Society undervalues wisdom, but it’s also widely misunderstood. The following are some wisdom myths: Wisdom is the same as intelligence. Either you have it naturally or you don’t. Wisdom only comes as you age. To live a wise life is to live a life of boredom. The development of wisdom “simply happens.”

However, these are untrue. The ability to act intelligently at the appropriate time and for the appropriate reason is the straightforward definition of wisdom.

29. Are You A Visionary That Thinks Big And Aims High In Life?

Successful people don’t have low standards for themselves or unattainable objectives. Instead, they aim high, dream big, and put in a lot of effort to get the best results. If you feel your vision for your life is feasible and dedicate yourself to pursuing it, the achievement is possible. Because you believe your goals are unattainable, you have low expectations for yourself, yet this is untrue. Setting low standards for yourself may lead you to believe that you have achieved something when, in fact, you have done nothing more than squander time striving for the wrong things and make minimal to no progress toward your real-life goals.

30. It’s Helpful to Understand The Myth of Being Fair

As humanity’s faith in reason replaced the adherence to customs and the monarchy’s authority during the Enlightenment, the idea of justice became a cultural ideal. Early proponents of Enlightenment thought that since humans are capable of reason, they should also be impartial and fair. Everyone likes the idea of justice. Furthermore, I’m sure that everyone would like to live in a just society where everyone receives what is due to them and there is fairness and justice.

31. Feel Unity with The World Is Influenced By Your Perception

Can we achieve unity with the World? Is there a chance for peace, or is humanity too polarized? Some international leaders, maybe because the alternatives are too horrific to consider, speak confidently of world peace as a goal that can be attained. History shows that prejudice and rivalry have long prevented any possibility of unification, and religion has frequently done more to stoke rather than put out the flames of strife. As many know, anything that divides people can spawn hostility.

32. It’s Powerful to Feel The Bounty Of Life As You Accept What Is

There is bounty everywhere. You’re surrounded by it. You can see it in everything. It permeates all that you do. This type of cognitive awareness enhances your ability to see the abundance around you and to identify opportunities to tag everything you see, feel, and experience as the bounty of life.

33. Understanding How To Live In Equanimity and Find Happiness

Many identify with the sensation of worry or dissatisfaction during uncertain times. Your life is planned out, and then suddenly it isn’t. But you don’t have to feel this way. The capacity for observation—the capacity to notice what’s going on around you without becoming emotionally invested in what you see—is the source of equanimity. And you can choose this over fear.

34. Why Do You Feel Stuck In Life And How To Move Forward

There are techniques to unstick yourself emotionally if you’re just going through the motions or operating on autopilot. Everybody has a sense of being stuck in life. This could be brought on by an unsatisfying relationship, unfulfilling work, or just a general sense of apathy. However, you can overcome a sense of being trapped by first determining the cause of your feelings, and then pivoting your life to enhance your mental, physical, and emotional health.

35. It’s Time To Reflect On Your Life And Empower Yourself To Simply Move Forward

No matter how old you are, you should pause at every point in your life to reflect and evaluate yourself. You should be aware of who you are and what you desire. You ought to question yourself honestly, taken a close look at yourself, and make any required corrections. Although it doesn’t ensure success, it does ensure that you will be content with the way you are living. Reflecting and reassessing oneself and one’s life can imply something different. In any case, reevaluating oneself can be a very effective process for personal development and transformation.

36. It’s Helpful To Understand The Meaning You Give to Life Events Is What Gives It Power

Everything you experience results from the meaning you have given to things. Individuals frequently assume that what they perceive is true. Actually, it’s not. It is what it is, your reality. Just yours. Although it’s difficult to accept this, it’s the truth. Your interpretations of events stem from a variety of sources, including your upbringing, past experiences, anxieties, objectives, hobbies, and dislikes.

37. It’s Powerful And Joyful To Create Equilibrium In Your Life

Being busy! It’s a great shield to keep you from having to cope with anything in life. Unfortunately, there can be major negative effects on your life if you are overly busy and overloaded for an extended period. In actuality, it can lead to stress, anxiety, and more widespread problems like discouragement and discontent. Fortunately, restoring equilibrium in your life can aid with this, which is why it’s critical to be able to work toward greater balance.

38. The Ability To Master Yourself Is Called Poise, And It’s Powerful

Have you ever noticed how certain people always seem to have such grace and poise? They are the ones who can manage challenging individuals with ease, maintain composure under duress, and always appear to know exactly what to say or do. Let me assure you, it isn’t because they are inherently intelligent or born with a unique DNA.

39. It Actually Helps To Define The Characteristics Of Everyday Heroes

A hero has dedicated their life to living in a way that uplifts and doesn’t disturb others. While heroes often have certain traits in common, becoming a hero depends more on the individual’s actions and how they affect others than on a set of ideals to aspire to. Even those without a title or occupation can become heroes via the way they affect others.

40. Stewardship Is The Commitment You Give To Living An Authentic Life

As a growth minded person, you’re familiar with techniques for efficiently managing your time, energy, and relationships. These tools should help you maximize every aspect of your life. However, if you’re too focused on any area, you may lose sight of the bigger perspective, which is the stewardship of your entire life.

Moving Forward

You can take some of these ideas and utilize them to inspire yourself and expand your life.  This way, you get out of a rut you find yourself in and attain the goals you set for yourself.  Becoming authentically yourself and making authentic connections one must have the inspiration rising up from the soul, thus living a successful life.

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