There are seasons in life, where troubles and trials appear to be overwhelming. These times of struggle are not age, race or gender-specific. For some individuals, they fortunately have a small cadre of supporters to help them weather these temporary storms. For others, they are forced to play solitaire and deal with these times alone. In either case, inspiration is an essential process to help take off the blues and to replace them with garments of joy and happiness. Inspiration is a very robust term, but I think that most would agree that it is a process whereby our minds and/or emotions receive provocation to perform at a higher or a more creative level. Genuine inspiration can lift our spirits and enable us to do things out of the ordinary.
Oftentimes, individuals think that they cannot find any inspiration in life, but there are many small things that you can do to brighten your day and to reach toward new heights. Here are at least eight little, inexpensive things you can start doing to inspire yourself. Importantly, this is not an all-inclusive list of actions.
Go for a nature walk. Taking a walk along a peaceful nature trail, especially with beautiful autumn colors manifesting across the country, can be very refreshing. Alternatively, a stroll to a nearby botanical garden can also prove helpful in enlivening a sore soul. When you’re feeling down, brisk air and the beautiful aesthetics of nature may be just what you need.
Visit some new places. Sometimes, the busyness of life prevents individuals from experiencing new places. Whether it’s a museum, art gallery, health foods store, outdoor theater or restaurant, give it a try. Visiting new places can certainly prove beneficial in lifting your spirits.
Read inspirational literature. Whether it’s reading a sacred text or inspirational literature from one of your favorite authors, take a little bit time to read some pages to improve your pensive state of mind. Alternatively, a book of daily inspirational quotes may prove beneficial. If you are not into inspirational quotes, then motivational poetry can prove helpful.
Meet new people. Oftentimes, certain individuals in our everyday microcosm can try to bring you down. Hence, it could prove profitable to remove toxic people from your life and replace them with positive people who will exhort you toward a better life. Meeting new, encouraging people at a place of interest can be very rewarding.
Encourage others. Even when you are feeling down, it is still beneficial to try to offer someone else an encouraging word or a smile. Sometimes, seeing how we have positively impacted another person’s life is just what we need to lift our spirits as we endure our trials.
Pray for inspiration. Prayer is often forgotten as an excellent weapon to combat the blues. Spending some time by yourself and praying for inspiration and a better disposition and countenance can be just what you need. Countless individuals from around the world can attest to the wonderful power of prayer.
Listen to some inspirational music. Whether it’s John Legend, Common, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Beethoven, Mozart, John Coltrane, Nina Simone, Marvin Sapp or Yolanda Adams, music is a powerful force relative to inspiration. Taking a few moments of your time to listen to beautiful musicianship and profound lyricism can certainly boost a weary soul. There is probably a song in your library that pertains to your situation.
Watch inspirational and/or humorous movies. Laughter is good for the soul. Oftentimes, watching one of your favorite comedians- whether it’s Kevin Hart, Cedric the Entertainer or Mike Epps- can help lift one’s spirit. If you are not into comedy, then watching an inspirational movie may prove profitable.
