Inspiration Archives

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Corporate America

This morning I woke from a bizarre dream that seemed so real. In my dream, my husband Darryl and I went to go play miniature golf. I was given a pink ball, but the outer coating of the golf ball was peeling away rendering the ball unusable. When I asked for another ball, the woman at the counter gave me a telephone number and told me I had to call this number to get another one. Reluctantly, I called the number, only to have someone answer the phone, "Hello Zappos- How may I help you?" Obviously I was taken aback,…

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When Intention Meets Condition

By Edie Weinstein-Moser Still reverberating from a wondrous experience , the seeds for which were planted a few months back and perhaps eons before. When I was asked to offer my PR and Marketing Services to promote an event withMichael Beckwith and Rickie Byars Beckwith from Agape International Spiritual Center based in Los Angeles, my initial thoughts were "Oh goody! Piece of cake!" Little did I know that it wouldn't simply be a light and fluffy assignment...well, I sorta suspected. I called the group of us from Common Ground Fellowship, (an interfaith community in the Philadelphia area) working on the…

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The Brilliance of Twitter (in 140 characters or less)

Each day on our website, InspireMeToday.com, we ask our Luminaries to share the greatest things they've learned in life, in 500 words. Yesterday, I wondered what folks would say if they have to pass on a lifetime of wisdom in just 140 characters. So, I asked this question on Twitter and here are some of the responses. This is also a great list of interactive real people that you might want to follow. We made all of the names live links to make it easy for you. If you like the wisdom, follow them, or just follow them all. Either…

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Adaptability

The one thing constant about life is change. Just when we think we've figured out how to make life work, often we are thrown an opportunity to grow in a different direction. It's our ability to adapt that makes the difference between a life of frustration or excitement. Nature is our best example of adaptability. Dogs know when to shed their excess fur without someone telling them to do so. Birds know when to fly south for the winter. Squirrels know when to gather and store nuts. If the cold weather comes early one year, Nature adapts without thinking about…

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The Perfection of Imperfection

Yesterday I shared with you that I'm planning to write a blog each day for the next 30 days. That brought up all kinds of stuff for me. What if I don't have enough material? What if I don't have the time? What if they're not perfect? I even received a blog comment yesterday from a man named Scott, who also had the same concern for his blog- "What if they're not perfect?". Can you imagine things in Nature asking that? Look at some of the most bizarre creatures and think, what if a pelican looked at an eagle and…

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A Personal Note from Gail

The past two weeks I've really thought long and hard about my InspireMeToday.com  blog. If you've been reading it for some time, you know that I used to write much more frequently. When I started writing for the Huffington Post last April, my own blog - this blog, suffered. That's not meant to be an excuse; it's just that my focus was divided. The insight that I just had yesterday was that the two blogs are different, or at least they should be. I want this blog to be a reflection of who I am, what I'm thinking and how…

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The Cosmic Yes!

Spent much of the weekend floating on the gently healing ripples of sound offered by a trio of musical devotees Deva Premal, Miten and Manose as they descended on Philadelphia. I was enticed by the music from the very first note of the Gayatri Mantra which is a sacred Hindu chant, that flowed from my radio 5 years ago on a show called Echoes. The sweetly heart-penetrating voice of Deva carried me to such a state of transcendent bliss, that I knew I wanted more. And there indeed was more to be had this weekend. My friend Mahan Rishi Singh…

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Two Doors, One Fly, and Much Imagination

Somehow, a fly became trapped between the screen door and the glass sliding door in my home, and I decided I was going to save his life. I managed to slide the screen door open while preventing him from flying into my apartment. All he needed to do now was zip a few inches toward the left from where he currently sat. He would be free and I would feel like a hero. I was so proud of my humanitarian efforts that I imagined him yelling, "Thank you, kind lady!" in fly-talk, of course, as he soared home to live…

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Unlimited Possibility

We live the majority of our lives trying to fit into boxes that our society has created. We base our education, our friendships, our careers and the vast majority of our decisions on what is "expected". What we believe may be possible gets pushed aside by what we believe is probable. But what if you didn't know any better? What if you believed in unlimited possibility? What if you were an alien that just beamed onto Earth and you didn't know the rules?  What if you didn't know the way things were done and you were free to create a…

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Hello: An Introduction from Julie Okuma

Hi everyone! My name is Julie Okuma and I am proud to be a guest blogger for Gail whom I recently met at a workshop in Calgary. When people meet me in person, they are always surprised that I am dealing with an issue that rains terror on even the strongest. I suppose my bouncing happiness, giggles, and smiles do not fit everyone's ideas of how a person living with cancer should behave. I was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer back in May - my body's second attempt to play out this story - the first was in 2007…

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On Becoming Valuable

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather to become a man of value.” ~Einstein Like almost everyone and their mother, I lost my job this year. In all honesty, it wasn’t a big shock or blow. I’ve worked in 5 different industries for over 75 companies since I graduated from college in 2001. Change is my security. But it was different this time around. When MyThings.com laid me off—and both my freelance employers gave me the shaft, as well—I realized I didn’t have the same opportunities I’d had in the past. It didn’t matter how many feelers…

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Sweat Lodge Deaths & Self-Help Gurus: A Question of Accountability

By Jonathan Ellerby, PhD A Tragic Call To Attention The recent and tragic events that involved three deaths and more than 19 injured and emotionally traumatized at a James Ray “Spiritual Warrior Retreat” deserves to be treated with some gentleness for this is more than a news item, but a horrific experience of loss and suffering that is impacting far more people than only those who were there. It is also a criminal investigation and a man’s career under scrutiny. This “event” brings up some critical issues in our society, and this is one of those important times where we…

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Love is the Answer (Always!) : The Secret to Surviving Divorce

Divorce is one of the most difficult transition periods in life. Not only is it losing the dream of something that once was, it's also dealing with anger, rejection, failure and an incredible fear of the unknown. That uncertainty can cause our inner defense mechanism to kick into high gear and have us think thoughts of revenge and destruction that we wouldn't normally think. Yesterday I talked with my friend Rob (not his real name), whose parents are going through a very nasty divorce. I felt somewhat qualified to listen and help him, for ten years ago I too went…

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Water – Our Most Precious Resource

Last night I watched OneDrop.org's Poetic Social Mission streaming live on their site. Celebrities from around the globe shared their talents and gathered together to bring attention to the worldwide problem of water.  I was touched in a very deep way and feel connected to the world right now in such a profound way. I was fortunate enough to interview Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil for InspireMeToday.com and for my blog in the Huffington Post and also fortunate to connect with his staff at Cirque du Soleil and at OneDrop.org. I have been touched by these great people…

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Guy Laliberte’s Interview from Space!

Yesterday I was asked to send questions to Guy Laliberte, in space! Guy is at the International Space Station to promote the cause of All for Water, Water for All. For more detail, please read yesterday's post. Many of you were generous enough to help us compile a list of questions for Guy which we forwarded to him. Today, I received this audio file back from his team. It is a part of the interview where they asked Guy seven questions- and two of them were from InspireMeToday.com! Here's the audio file for you to listen to. Please keep in…

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Out of This World! (Seriously, I mean literally!)

WOW, I am jumping up and down excited and had to share this with you! I just got an email from Guy Laliberte's team- from space! Guy is currently with the cosmonauts at the International Space Station. I hope you listened to my interview with Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil and OneDrop.org. I was one of my best interview ever. If not- check it out! Anyway, I've been invited to submit three questions to Guy WHILE HE'S IN SPACE! He'll answer the questions and we'll post the mp3 file here for you to listen to his answers. I'm…

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