Today’s Brilliance from Jack James
At first when I was asked to write this article, I was nervous. I mean, Jack Canfield, the coolest guy on the planet has written one. But then, I started thinking, I have a good idea for the world I live in and this will be a good way for me to help it. The thing I want to spend my 500 words on is Self-Esteem. Self-Esteem is simple. It is how you feel inside about yourself. It is simple to define, but it is hard to keep. It's hard to keep because there are always people who try to…
Harvesting Happiness: Small Steps to Happiness Even When You’re Anxious
Here is a truth: you can be happy, even if you feel sadness, anger or suffer from anxiety. Happiness is an inner state of being that does not get lost. It stays with you even in dark times. How can you achieve an inner state of happiness? It starts with small steps. Gratitude. Many of us on Inspire Me Today have talked in the past about gratitude journals. Just look for a few things in each day that you are thankful for. It isn’t as hard as it seems. You can be grateful for so many things. Just the fact…
Growth through Writing… Empower Yourself!
Since man formed his first vocabulary, family and tribal news was carried from tribe to tribe, village to village by a storyteller. They would be welcomed in each cave, hut, or council house as an honored guest and nights would be spent around the fire listening to the latest news from family members living afar. Famine, a good harvest, movement of wild herds, warring tribes, births, deaths, alliances, all were carried by the professional storyteller. After a few days passed the news had been told and the storyteller, rested and refreshed, would move to the next tribe or settlement. While…
Using Our Innate Power
"I like the dreams of the future, better than the history of the past." - Thomas Jefferson "To hold fast to history is to be swept aside." - John F. Kennedy I’m not psychic, but I’m pretty sure that 100 years from now (hopefully sooner), future generations are going to look back at our belief in separation and limits and wonder, “What were they thinking? How could they be so misinformed?” They’ll scratch their heads at our refusal to use our innate power, our natural energy in much the same way we look back at the Roman Circuses. “Are you kidding…
Bouncing with Style: Old Sayings Prove True
It is said that old sayings prove true. When I was writing the title to this blog post, I was thinking to myself, "Could it get any more cheese ball than this? I’m starting to sound like my mother." But I realized today that she was right and most of those hokey-dokey sayings have a lot of truth to them. You are what you think about all day long. Recently I have gone through separation, divorce, death, foreclosure, custody battles and a financial upheaval in my personal life. Most of these things were out of my control and I had…
Celebrating Inspire Me Today’s 5th Birthday with Gifts for YOU!
Today, InspireMeToday.com celebrates our fifth birthday. Since our launch in 2008, we've featured nearly 1000 different Luminaries and have inspired millions of people in more than 150 different countries around the world. We receive thank you emails from folks telling us the difference that a particular inspiration made in their life... and that makes us smile. We are proud of the difference we are making, and wanted to express our appreciation to you, for we couldn’t have done it without your continual love and support. In appreciation to you, our loving community, we want to celebrate our birthday by giving…
Today’s Brilliance from Sondra Clark
I'm a young woman who loves my yellow VW Bug, is excited about being in college and has a perpetually messy room. Basically I'm a typical teenager with one difference. I've found that it's important to share what I have with people in need. Since I was 8, I've had seven books published with major publishers and traveled around the world, encouraging people to volunteer. My latest book gives step-by-step directions on how kids can participate in 77 volunteer projects. It's so important that kids and adults look beyond themselves and try to help other people, animals or the environment.…
Harvesting Happiness: Taking In Every Moment
Are you trying to take in every moment, however how big or small, every day? Are you finding happiness in those moments? Here are some things you may find joy in: Take and make time every day to play with your kids. Give some extra love and attention to your pet, if you have one or more. Find at least one thing that was wonderful about your day. Take in the sunset and enjoy its beauty. Savor the loving glances from your spouse, whenever they happen. Enjoy the simple things your kids say and do. Sit on your patio or…
Do You Doubt Yourself? Life Lessons from Great Authors
I ran across a description of one of my enemies... DOUBT! Author Jacqueline Winspear wrote: "Doubt. Was it an emotion? A sense? Or was it just a short stubby word to describe a response that could diminish a person in a finger snap?" And while I most times write my blog and how it relates to the art of writing, I had a thought. THIS COULD APPLY TO LIFE [AND HOW WE LIVE IT] AS WELL! I've written before about my being in good company. Regardless of whether we writers are obscure or famous, we all doubt ourselves and our work. What if Henry Charles…
What is Inspiration?
Inspiration is one of the indefinables of life, like love, talent, creativity and happiness. And like love or happiness it is not ours to own or possess. It is part of something deeper than our personality. Firstly, we have to be able to recognise it! Once we can recognise it we need to invite it in, seize the moment when it happens and go with it. This implies a couple of things: that it is helpful to have a lifestyle and attitude conducive to inspiration. This is what is meant by an attitude of 'Yes!' and one of adventure. Saying…
Bouncing with Style: The Inexhaustible Resource
By Sandra Beck. I am not an inexhaustible resource. I didn't say these words until I turned 40. I really thought before that if I put my mind to it, if I just did a little each day, if I wished, prayed, manifested and poked voodoo dolls I could muscle it and make it come true. I really think that before my life collapsed, I really truly thought I could do anything I set my mind to, that I would find the time in my day to do the things that were important to me and I would somehow find…
Forget Criticism – Choose Positivity and Joy!
There is a lot of criticism in the world, but we are our own worst critics. It's easy following the negative path and going down the harmful road. But it's even easier choosing positive choices. My greatest value to the world is leading other peers that have been in my situation or worse and letting them know that "this is our story, this is what we've been through, but we can contribute so much more." We let others put us down so much, but we can make choices to prove them wrong. Life is what you make it. Yes, we…
Harvesting Happiness: Happiness and Beauty Start With You!
By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Accept yourself for who you are! In a world where value is placed on how you look and what you wear, it can be difficult to try and “fit in”. Here’s something to think about and seriously ask yourself, did you know that your beauty and happiness start with you? Think about nature and all the varieties of plants and trees as well as flowers. They come in colors, shapes and sizes. It is the same with humans. So ask yourself, How could we judge nature and say that one flower looks more beautiful than another?…
Growing through Writing
By Trisha Sugarek. Last year I updated my website and discovered blogging. Now, you may ask, what has that to do with self-growth, self-love, or well being?? Writing a blog about what I love most in my life: writing. In doing so I have grown as a writer and as a person seeking self truth. In some strange way (and even though I am writing fiction), my writing keeps me honest... about life and about myself. I believe that if just one person starts writing, because of my blog, I have succeeded. I will probably never know if anyone was…
Bouncing with Style: Forgiveness
Nearly everyone has been hurt by something someone said, did or didn't do. It's just a fact of life. It's just the way it is. The sooner we understand that and the sooner we understand that it's not always about us, the faster we can deal with it and move on with our lives. When my husband left me with two small children while my mother was dying of breast cancer, the word forgiveness did not enter my vocabulary. I was so busy managing the day-to-day chaos of sickness, a premature baby and an ornery toddler that I didn’t have…
What’s Your Tiger?
By Gail Lynne Goodwin. If you've ever been chased by a saber toothed tiger, running madly for your life, you've probably experienced fear. If you've ever been summoned to your boss' office to be reprimanded, you probably think you've experienced fear then too. However, I think that life-threatening situations, like being chased by a tiger who wants to eat you, are legitimate things to fear. Situations that are not life-threatening can sometimes seem scary, but I’d like to invite you to see them as nothing more than something that causes discomfort. For anyone who’s ever gone bungee jumping, paragliding or…
Harvesting Happiness: Two Quick Tips to Happiness
By Lisa Cypers Kamen. Choose A State of Happiness. Remember that happiness is mostly dependent on our state of mind, not on our social standing as a member of society or how much money we make or have. As long as we have the basic necessities in life, things are pretty good. It also depends on what are focus in life happens to be. Is the glass half-full or half-empty? We need to get back to living in the moment and experiencing everything, just like we did when we were young. Make time to treat yourself like you would a…
10 Quotes to Chase Away the Winter Blues and Make You Think of Spring
By Erin Steiner. William James once said, "In the dim background of our mind, we know what we ought to be doing but somehow we cannot start." That's sort of how the end of winter feels. You can sense the change coming, but it isn't here yet and it is intensely frustrating. Here are some more quotes to help you remember that spring will come and, with it, a release from the cold, gray, extra-layers-of-sweaters existence you’ve been plodding through for the last few months. “Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance. Autumn…