On Staying Inspired and Grateful
“Stay positive.”
“Keep your chin up.”
“Look at the bright side.”
“Don’t lose faith.”
How many times have you heard one of those phrases and thought to yourself, “Easy for you to say.”
It’s difficult in this digital era to let true human emotion reign; often times we are apt to only show the shiny, happy, picture-perfect moments rather than the real ones that are in fact a part of life. We then tend to criticize ourselves and compare ourselves, wondering why our lives don’t reflect those of the flawless ones that we see on social media.
As a woman in business, a portion of my job is staying abreast of digital trends, cross-cultural communications, humanitarian issues and cultivating ideas to promote both my ideas as well as the messages of my customers and clients.
I’m being honest when I say that there are many times when I have struggled to stay inspired, since, like you, I often encounter news stories and situations that can bring a heaviness to your heart and have shared some of those thoughts previously.
STAYING INSPIRED: IT STARTS WITH GRATITUDE
One of the biggest factors for me in staying inspired is to practice gratitude each day. I start my mornings by breathing deep and inhaling all of the good that I have around me, both physically and in spirit.
I’m thankful for so many things that recalling of them overwhelms me in a good way. My family, my friends, my health, my employees, my homes on both continents…there is so much that I am grateful for. Embracing that appreciation is key to making it through the days that are more difficult to get through than others.
We all have our trials and tribulations, and perhaps not all of us are comfortable sharing them. That’s understandable.
I’ve found myself incredibly inspired by reminding myself of David Foster Wallace’s This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life essay. Often times when I find incredible levels of stress rising within and I need to replenish my gratitude and inspiration, I take a deep breathe and try to carve out the nine minutes needed to watch this powerful version of his words (and strongly encourage you to do the same):
Thank you, friends, for taking some of your precious time out of the day to read my words.
I’m grateful for you, as well.
