Inspiration Archives

Let Go and Live the Extraordinary Life

When it comes to letting go and living in the Now, no sincere effort goes unrewarded. In the long run, it is not our ability to succeed with some individual task that determines our spiritual success, but our willingness to learn what is new and true about ourselves. Within each of us dwells a being without bounds, but unless it is explored and exercised wisely we will never know the heights to which we may rise. Imagine a newly fledged eaglet whose home rests high upon some rocky cliff, and that today it rises for the first time to stand…

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Ask a Luminary

How Can I Let Go of Past Loss?

"How can I shed negative, debilitating memories of a job loss many years ago? These memories and thoughts affect me today." ~ Craig, Johannesburg, South Africa Dear Craig: Thank you for reaching out for insights into ways to release the hold the past has on you so that you can move forward. That tells me that you know it is possible. Good sign! One thing I would ask is that you consider the context of the job loss. Was it as a result of actions or inactions on your part or something over which you felt you had no control?…

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Apples

Bouncing with Style: Confidence Builds in Chunks

No, I am not talking about Chunky Monkey or Rocky Road Ice Cream. I am talking about the way confidence is built after a blow, a series of blows or just plain life disaster. When life runs you over like an out of control ice cream truck at a local park knocking over patrons and passerby alike, you have to recover. It doesn't matter if the truck was aiming for you. Good people get knocked down all the time. For some of us that means burying a loved one, moving on from divorce, losing a home or recovering from financial…

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Daisy in a Field

Are You Acting from Gratitude, Love, and Trust – or Doubt and Fear?

As human beings, we operate daily reflecting a wide range of emotions with a multitude of motivations fueling our behaviors. All too often, we react emotionally to what others say or do. If our reactions are preceded by the emotions of fear, anger, or sadness, we forfeit our ability to act with personal power and effectiveness in lieu of a knee-jerk response. This reaction is all too often sourced in fear and low self-esteem. We may focus on what’s wrong with us and our lives, fear being controlled, hurt, or taken advantage of. We may overlook the many things we…

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Ask a Luminary

How Do I Deal With Negative People?

"I have reached a high level of spiritualism in the past 3 years. I find it difficult to interact with family and friends. They don't seem to understand me. Their negativity makes me almost physically ill. I find myself enjoying just being alone. Not sure if that is good or not but I am extremely happy. Do others have the same issues?" ~  PJ, Parma Being alone is a very important part of the spiritual journey. In an overly noisy world it's difficult to find the quiet necessary to cultivate inner perception, and solitude is one way to do that. The…

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Share Your Light In the World Even if You’re Retired

A lot of my girlfriends are retired after many years of service in the workplace. Some play golf, others engage in card games, still others sit on boards of charities and have lofty goals. Some of them were teachers, saleswomen. doctors; still others held significant positions in corporations. And there are those whose jobs were to care for their families and those particular friends or relatives did not work outside the home. But it seems I get the same chorus from most of them, “so when are you going to retire?”  And there are times when I waffle back and…

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Ask a Luminary

Can My Thoughts Heal My Body?

"I have a chronic disease and want to be healthy. I have heard that my thoughts can control my life so I should be able to heal myself. How can I heal myself if I don’t have the energy to get out of bed?" ~ Elese, Paris, France Dear Elese, Healing chronic disease is a dual process… body and mind, physical and mental. Take one step at a time. Take charge of inflammation by utilizing a strict anti-inflammatory diet. Your body knows when you cheat! Eliminate foods to which you are allergic or sensitive. Consider strenuously limiting or omitting sugar and…

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Your Great Work MBA

What if you could do more of the work that matters - the work you care about, the work that really makes a difference - and less of all the other stuff? You can! Join us for Your Great Work MBA virtual conference November 10 - 15, 2013! Your Great Work MBA is a worldwide FREE streaming program hosted by Inspirational Luminary Michael Bungay Stanier that brings together extraordinary experts to focus on the 25 most essential skills you need to do more Great Work. If you are excited to learn specific skills to lift your game, have more impact and do more of the stuff that really matters - you’ve found the best place to start! Hear from Brené Brown, Scott Harrison, Danielle LaPorte, Chris Brogan and many others as they share what they know best about doing great work! Sign up online here. We'll see you there!

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Surfing the Spray in the BVI

Making Lemonade in the Islands

For the last 2 weeks I’ve been sailing the crystal clear waters of the British Virgin Islands. For the first 9 days we had nothing but bright sunshine, clear skies and blue water. Then the rains came, and came and came. It feels like it’s been raining forever- all three days of it. Yesterday, our crew was disappointed at not being able to go to the beach because of the downpour. We were disheartened with all the things we couldn’t do because of the rain. Reluctantly, we set our sails for a better place to ride out the storm. As…

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Meadow Stream

Finding Unexpected, Inexplicable Grace

“Paul, I’m on the way out.” Grandpa’s words hit me like a ton of bricks. I’d called him after hearing of his hospitalization. In my childhood, whenever Grandpa visited, it was thrilling as Christmas morning. Whenever he would leave to return to his Chicago home, it felt like something was being torn out of me as my sobbing grief erupted into a searing migraine followed by nausea. And now, here I was, a young man in my early twenties, talking to this beloved figure as he stood at death’s door. I was awestruck, for it seemed he was taking me…

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IMT Site Preview

Introducing The Amazing New InspireMeToday.com!

We are so excited to launch the new InspireMeToday.com! We've been working for the past few months to create this new and improved experience for you. We love the beautiful new design and think you will too! Some of the highlights of the new site include.... Great New Functionality You'll notice right away that our homepage has changed dramatically to highlight new inspirational content of all types! Each day's Brilliance will be posted front-and-center so you can access it right away. You'll also find a nifty slideshow of recent Inspirational Photo Quotes, this week's Inspired Interview, excerpts from our latest…

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Ask a Luminary

How Can I Stay in the Now?

"How can I stay present in the now when the world keeps pulling me into one drama after the next?" ~ Krishna, Amherst, MA First off, know that you cannot get pulled out of the Now. Even drama happens now. If you do not believe me, try getting out of the now. You will find that you can think about the past and the future but that only happens now. Life only happens now! If you find that feelings or drama is disturbing your peace in this moment, I would allow yourself to do the following: First off, allow yourself to…

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Ask a Luminary

Am I Making a Difference in the World?

"I want to make a difference in the world, but I don't know how." ~ Kristin, Des Moines, IA Dear Kristin, You already are the difference in the world. Literally, you being here at this time, in this place, is making a difference. Embrace that about you and learn to love and appreciate everything about this wonderful life you experience. Doing so will open your mind and fill your life with so many opportunities and experiences that you won't be able to do it all! Stop worrying about making a difference and start embracing your existence. The world would not…

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Rise & Walk: New Hips, New Knees, New Hope

I graduated from Harvard College and Stanford Law School, and I declined several lucrative corporate law offers in order to dedicate myself full-time to saving and transforming lives in Africa. Now I lead The GEANCO Foundation, which organizes medical missions and maternal and infant health programs in Africa. GEANCO is also partnering with Stanford Hospital to build a world-class medical facility in Nigeria. On October 24, our team of twenty skilled and selfless medical professionals will travel to Nigeria to give new hips and knees to poor patients and train local surgeons on the latest orthopedic techniques. These missions are crazy difficult to pull off. Qualified medical professionals from…

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Ask a Luminary

How Can I Control My Kids’ Backtalk?

"I'm sick and tired of my kids' mouthing off at me. How can I control my kids’ backtalk?" ~ Michael, Nashville, TN Backtalk is certainly something you don’t want to hear from your kids. It’s a surefire way to push most parents’ buttons! But can you control your children’s backtalk? I don’t think so. They ultimately control what words come out of their mouths. However, you can control your reaction to whatever they say. How you react will increase or decrease the likelihood that they will use backtalk in the future. For example, when your child uses backtalk, you might…

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