IFC S1 R38 - Motivation/Inspiration ---> Finding Your Life Purpose!
Motivation - Inspiration
Here we are with another @ifc entry and what I call the contest of all contests. I came in late to the game but that's okay since I am meeting some amazing people. The subject for this entry is anything to do with motivation or inspiration. For me, I chose to write about both since they are interrelated and the work that I do in assisting those break free of their blocks.
As I was putting this post together I found a great quote that expresses the difference of motivation and inspiration clearly. At least to me. It reads:
"Motivation is of the ego and Inspiration is of the soul." ~ Natasha Dern
This writeup came from the Huffington Post of all places but hey sometimes we can find a treasure in a pile of you know what. Anyhoo, Ms. Dern was right on when she explains that motivation forces us to keep up with others and then wonder why we are so unhappy. There is something missing and we can't quite put our finger on it.
However, when we get to inspiration the expression got a bit dim but the gist of it is that when we listen to Spirit, Creator, God, and listen to the whispers we get our answer regarding our life purpose. When we hear then act in fulfillment of our life purpose we are then inspired.
Understanding the difference between motivation and inspiration, hopefully many of us would choose to find our inspiration, and I found this lovely article that discusses three important factors in finding our inspiration.
Three Keys To Finding Your Inspiration
Listen - instead of listening to others listen to your own soul. What do you tell your self?
Awareness - notice your life in more detail, moment-to-moment. The power of awareness is an intrinsic part of being human.
Intention and Focus - being focused will open many choices as well as having positive intentions.
If anyone has received a medicine card reading, energy work, or read my blog know that I use many of these key phrases quite a bit. Finding ones life purpose is essential in order to finish out any agreements we may have made before coming here. Motivation to figure out our life purpose is one thing but to find our soul voice is the inspiration we need to finish out our work.
In order to be truly happy, this is where we need to begin and that is by finding our inner inspiration. This is not to say that hard times do not come to people or that obstacles are not in the way. Many times this happens because one of the above is not being followed. The beauty about all of this is that we have free will and personal choice. We can choose not to listen to our soul voice and live this life out without having motivation or inspiration.
When this happens, we may have to come back and relive it all over again so the choice is truly up to whether or not we want to listen, be aware, or focused. There are those who are truly suffering either by mental or physical issues and this can be hindering and/or debilitating. When this occurs let us remember that we too have a choice.
Lately, I have been thinking quite a bit about books I've read, poetry, and quotes. When I think about inspiration I think of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his poem:
A Psalm Of Life
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!—
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,—act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
Longellow expresses life so wonderfully in that we live and die here on this plane yet we still keep listening to our life purpose by achieving, pursuing, and waiting for the outcome. When we listen and act is when we succeed.
To go a step further Harvard Law Review agrees that inspiration matters. They define inspiration as ".. awakens us to new possibilities by allowing us to transcend our ordinary experiences and limitations." Additionally, they state that inspiration has three main qualities: evocation, transcendence, and approach motivation.
In fact, two psychologists Todd M. Thrash and Andrew J. Elliot created a frequency inspiration scale that measures what inspired people put out. In their study they found that inspired people are open to new experiences and reported more absorption in their tasks, stronger drive to master their work, belief in their own abilities, creativity, self-esteem, and optimism.
Another great point to remember is that inspiration happens and cannot be willed to happen. Take a look at this video for further clarity.
As we delve further into the subject matter we can see that the theme of inspiration and life purpose are intertwined. Remember, when we listen to the whispers of our soul voice is when we find our inspiration and life purpose. Peace.
To find out more about this amazing contest hosted by @ifc and led by @apolymask, click here.
Greetings,
Thank you for stopping by to read my blog. I’m a First Nation member of the Hopi & Apache Native American tribes, Medicine Woman in training, first time blogger since November 2017, right here on Steemit, paralegal, researcher, and writer based in the Mountains of Colorado, USA. I work closely with fellow planktons and minnows in a few groups by helping them adjust to Steemit and curate quality content. I’m especially interested in finding others who love natural medicine originating from ancient practices, gold and silver, energy work, and the spirit world. If that’s you, please say hello!
See you soon, @eaglespirit
Original by @yeszuzia and modified by @charisma777
Hmmm.. That's interesting. Going to have to ponder on that a bit..
Really loved the longfellow poem!
Also that TEDTalks video was really fascinating too! That lady is a great speaker! She kept me glued and helped me laugh a bunch too! Sorta similar to you. :) I think you have great messages to convey, but you also have a good sense of humor and often have me chuckling as well. I appreciate that! :D Life can get a bit serious, so it's good to laugh at times.
Well said! When I tap into my arts, I think I'm tapping into a similar place as you do when you do your card readings, I definitely often feel like it's not even my own thoughts, that I'm somehow just like a radio receiver pulling it from elsewhere. It's kinda bizarre.. But that's the truth.. It does seem like there's a place a lot of artists and peoples pull from.. The "soul voice" as you call it, perhaps a window into our divinity.. If only we could tap into it with more control and awareness as a collective, I think the world would be a better place!
Another great entry eaglespirit! Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us. :)
@apolymask yes its not the typical way people think and not always easy to digest. thank you for your thoughtful reply.
Amazing. I love how you've combined well and explain the much needed thoughts on inspiration and motivation. Absolute good read!
oh i'm so glad you liked this, and very happy you thought it good. :)
I love how you emphasized on intention and focus here in your post! Definitely a good read for me today. Thanks for sharing!
oh thank you so very much and i'm happy you were able to receive great positivity from this. thank you for reading.
STOPThank you for the great post.
thank you for stopping by
My pleasure..
mine too and much happiness to you.
Great work mam, you are such an amazing writer. I wish you the best in this contest.
oh you are so kind and i thank you very much. :)
Awesome post @eaglespirit, will check out this contest that's inspired you to write this. I just love how you ended with:
We all need to slow down so we can listen.
Thank you!
@lizelle yay yes ma'am you got it!! i'm almost proud of you if that doesn't sound condescending. i hope you take it from love. thank you for reading and sending me your sweet confirmation. hugs.
Thank you😇
@lizelle you are very welcome
Inspiring post @eaglespirit. It is important is stop a minute and listen to that small inner voice.😊
@redheadpei oh i'm so happy you stopped by to read this and thank you. i appreciate your comment, truly. :)
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