Inspiration Archives

How Are You Today?

If I were to ask you, "How are you today?", the overwhelming majority of you would say, "I'm fine". Our society has trained us to think that is the right answer. But when you think about that response, it has little meaning. I believe that when someone asks "How are you today?", they are looking for a way to start a conversation. Sometimes they sincerely want to know . The problem is the question has lost it's meaning and people expect you to answer with "I'm fine, thank you". A few months ago I wrote a blog sharing how I…

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You Are Not Your Problems

It's an overcast Spring day in Montana, as I'm sitting here by the lake watching the wind create waves on the surface of the water. Clouds are blowing by, slowly. Patches of blue sky can be seem intermittently through the passing clouds. It's dark, gray and a bit dreary. Raindrops are beginning to fall. If I were just looking at my immediate surroundings it could be quite depressing. But... in the distance I can see the sun shining brilliantly on a mountain peak. Just at that one place, the clouds part, the mountain breaks through and the peak glows in…

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Life is Like a Carton of Eggs

My son teases me about my blog and when something happens he'll say, "Oh no, she's going to blog about this". He's even made a game out of it when we're hiking where he'll point to a tree or some other object and say something like, "What would your tree blog be about...", and off I go. He affectionately makes fun of me, but in a playful way. He seems to think I could write a blog on just about anything. I'm not sure it that's a compliment or not, but regardless, it did get me thinking about the question-…

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The Wisdom of Koda

For many of us, our pets are an important part of our life. Almost every day I spend time with Koda, our 2 year-old Samoyed pup. His favorite thing is to go for a walk or a hike with me. If I don't take him in the morning, by early afternoon he walks into my office, sits in front of my desk, looks up at me as sad as can be and "talks" to me. He makes this pleading noise that sounds like he's talking and which is quite difficult to ignore. I know what he wants and more importantly,…

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Perspective- As Compared to What?

Yesterday we took Koda, our big white fluffy fur ball of a dog for a hike in the newly fallen snow by our home in Montana. Being a Samoyed, Koda loves the snow and went bounding into the forest and fields jumping, rolling in it and playing in every way possible. I had to laugh at his unbridled enthusiasm. What struck me the most was our big white furry dog was no longer white- he was cream colored against the backdrop of the stark white snow. I smiled and wondered how many other things in my life I automatically judge…

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Today’s Brilliance by Max Ehrmann- The Desiderata

This morning I wanted to share one of my very favorite poems with you, called the Desiderata. It was written more than 50 years ago by a man named Max Erhmann. If this sounds familiar as you're reading it, this was turned into a recording and was quite popular on the radio in 1971. I just purchased the recording on iTunes this morning. This powerful little poem was the inspiration behind our Today's Brilliance on InspireMeToday.com. As you know, each day we ask a new Inspirational Luminary, "If today were your last day and you had 500 words to share…

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Thank You For Being Part of Our Community

Dear Friends, My blog today is a bit different in that it's a personal letter from me to you. Let me start by saying, "Thank you" for being such a valued member of our InspireMeToday.com community. I personally appreciate your support. I wanted to talk with you today about several things that we've been working on for the last few months. Recently you might have noticed a few minor changes to the site where we implemented your recommendations for improvement. We asked, you answered and we responded. We greatly appreciate your input which allows us to constantly improve our site…

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On the Wings of Desire

We hope you enjoy this guest post from Perry Hicks! Most of what we think we need can really be resolved down to one thing: Love. Blind to the lush garden of affection all around us, too many wander alone, thirsting as if they we were in the midst of a barren desert. Succombing to our fears, love becomes as elusive as a mirage shimmering on the horizon; a destination to be despaired of ever attaining. The truth is that we need not trudge on through a life of emotional desolation. Love does always find a way. Furthermore, it will…

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Valentines from the Universe

Yesterday afternoon I took a break and went for a walk with my dog Koda along the shore of Flathead Lake, where we live in Northwest Montana. Flathead Lake is the largest lake west of the Mississippi- about 12 miles wide by more than 30 miles long. The shoreline of this alpine, mountain lake is very beautiful, covered with rocks of all shapes and sizes. I needed a break from what could have been a stressful situation, so I went for a walk to play on the beach with Koda and reconnect with nature. Walking along the beach I started…

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Timeless Brilliance- This Too Shall Pass

As a global society, we're going through some tough times. Some days it feels like we're in a rut and we'll be stuck here forever. I want to remind you that whatever difficulty you are experiencing in your life- this too shall pass. On this day, March 4th, 2010, do you recognize these words below? "In such a spirit on my part and yours we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds are faced with serious curtailment…

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Don’t Settle For Anything Less Than Everything

Where in your life are you settling? This past weekend I had a long conversation with a friend who unexpectedly announced she's getting married. Usually that's cause for celebration but in this case it isn't. My reason for saying that is this- she's getting married for the sake of not being alone, rather than because she believes this man is the love of her life. As she says, "We're good friends and I don't believe I'll ever find bliss, so it's better to settle than be alone". While I understand her not wanting to be alone, part of me is…

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Lessons Learned From an Eagle

Yesterday morning a bald eagle came to visit me at our home on Flathead Lake in Northwestern Montana. I saw him on a tree just off our deck, as I opened the door to let our dog, Koda, outside. It was a chilly morning and I was still in my robe. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, I quickly grabbed my camera and ran back out to the deck, only to find it covered with a thin coat of ice. (I almost went flying.) It was disconcerting how this eagle just sat there in the tree looking at me. I…

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The Community Speaks: Your Answers to ‘If You Could Know the Date of Your Death, Would You Want to Know?’

Earlier this week in response to Today's Brilliance by Michael Bungay Stanier, I asked our InspireMeToday.com family the question, "If you could know the date of your death, would you want to know?" The reactions were very interesting. Almost 2/3rds of those who commented on the main blog and on Twitter said "NO", about 5% said maybe, and the remaining 1/3  responded with "YES". The average age of those who responded with "No" was more than 10 years younger than those who responded with "Yes".  Perhaps as we age the date or our demise would be easier or more advantageous…

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My Top Ten Ways to Find Your Magnificence During Tough Times

Times are tough. We hear it all around us everyday... another business going under, another bankruptcy being filed, another job being lost, another home going into foreclosure, or another pension disappearing into dust. Worry takes a toll as stress builds, creativity suffers, health is compromised and relationships are threatened. To keep with my transparent blogging style, I want to share this with you that this is one of the most difficult financial times of my life. I have always been an independent businesswoman and my background is in real estate, so all of my assets were in what I thought…

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If You Could Know The Date of Your Death, Would You Want To Know?

When I first read Michael Bungay Stanier's Today's Brilliance, I was surprised to see the date of his death included. "September 15, 2043 is the big date", according to Michael and his statistical analysis, predicting the exact date of his death. Seeing it in writing stopped me in my tracks. If we could know the exact day of our demise... would you want to know? While it might be great for financial planning, how would knowing the date affect the quality of the days we have here to LIVE? I have friends that have gone to Nadi astrological readers in…

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Reconnect to Who You Are

I woke this morning to the chirping of a bird. Not just any chirping, but a vast array of sounds from one little bird. He sang ten different songs and then started his repertoire all over again. It was as if he were inviting me to get up and come outside to play with him. I tried to bury my head under the pillow and go back to sleep, but he was insistent that it was time to rise and shine. This noisy little bird was a reminder of my connection to Nature. And sometimes with me it has to…

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How to have fun with cancer: 5 basic steps to joy

Immerse yourself in the terror and fear of that horrible "C" word that was just thrown at you. If you're not there yet, just let the doctors tell you about the treatments and statistics and you'll be there in an instant. Trust me. Cry from all the pain, sorrow, and yes - more fear, until you're pretty sure that no store will be able to keep up with your demand for tissues. Be furious over this injustice - after all, you don't deserve this, you're a good person, and you try to live as healthily as possible. Laugh at yourself…

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You’re Invited to Embrace Crazy With Me

Today I want to talk with you about something crazy- your ideas. Everyone has had a crazy idea at some point in their life. Perhaps it's the urge to start a new business, move to a different location or to do something outrageous to make a difference in your world. But very few people actually 'Embrace Crazy' and take the first step to implement their crazy idea into their lives. (Embrace Crazy is the name of my new book.) In order to understand what I'm talking about, I want to first define what I mean by the word "crazy". I'm…

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The Heart Is The Home of Wonder

By Edie Weinstein Breathe in the warmth of this place, allowing yourself to feel a sense of welcome It is your own love, your own beauty that beckons you inside How long has it been, since you have crossed this threshold? The door has always been open, the invitation always extended Will you accept it now? Through the windows streams sunlight, casting rainbow designs on the walls As prism glass reflects the scattered sparkling illumination The floor beneath your feet is soft Caressing your skin as you tap your bare toes on its surface Daring to dance upon it to…

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Happy Valentine’s Day: Give the Gift of Love and Life!

Happy Valentine's Day to our global community! For more than 1500 years, we've been celebrating Valentine's Day in one way or another. Since the middle ages, it's commonly been a holiday celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. According to History.com, one legend contends that Saint Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform…

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