Wednesday, August 05, 2009
When was the last time you got inspired?
I'm an introvert by nature. And being an introvert in a compactly dense society, you need to be creative in order to find your alone time. For me, my alone time comes when I go for a jog. That's probably the only time when I'm stripped of my worldly possessions (gadgets) and distractions (work and people), and I can simply be silent. These days, I even make it a point to leave the watch at home so I don't have to keep track of time. You'd be surprised how different the world looks when you're focused on nothing but your breathing.
Today, I noticed the yellow flowers blossoming from a tree. I smelled its sweet natural fragrance. I saw a precious tinge of blue in the cloud-covered sky. I stopped thinking of whether there's urgent work to be completed, or what's my next tweet going to be. And if I had to describe the experience - apart from being hot and sweaty - I felt pure freedom. I felt what it means to be worry-free, stress-free, and joyfully innocent - The way God had intended us to be. And the thing is, the longer I jogged, the more refreshed I became. I've never noticed this about myself before, but some of my best ideas come during a jog. Yes, scientifically, our body releases endorphins, and we become happier and more alert after exercise. But if we just leave logic at the door for a moment and strip it all down, what I really felt was utter bareness. I felt like I was running my trash away, detoxifying my system, and in that void, something fresh enters - God takes over without me even realising it.
All of us need to be inspired. Some find it in books. Others through a conversation with a friend. But seriously, how often does that happen these days? The only form of inspiration we get really, is seeing money being cashed into our bank accounts every month. For me, I've had the privilege of meeting many people in my line of work, and if there's something I'd learnt, it's the fact that beyond wealth, beyond the successful career, we are all looking for that one thing that makes life meaningful. Sadly, we seem to have forgotten to even want to look for that anymore.
So what is my point? (Man, I swear this long-windedness comes with age.) My point is that we all need to have our alone time, be it through a quiet jog in the park, or sipping coffee at Starbucks. And we need to be inspired every once in awhile. You'd be surprised how much more exciting life will be when there's a little spark of hope. You may even start to see a mundane matter or solve a long outstanding problem through a different light.
Today, I'm inspired to rethink my priorities. There are certain things and people high up on my priority list, and ironically, I spend the least time on them. It's little things like these that we need to sort out, and once that's done, life will hopefully, make a little more sense. That's when we can move on to bigger, better things in life.
So give it some thought - Find your alone time, embrace your bareness, and be inspired!
Posted by Jo at 10:34 PM
