Inspired Means Having No Regrets

Today was a looooooog day, and I’m feeling it.

Well, at least I was feeling it until I picked up the little journal I’m keeping in which every morning I take a minute to write how I want to feel each day. I try to come back to that original intention throughout the day.

So, anyway, I was thinking about how I never did get to the gym today, and after much discussion with myself (Ever talk to yourself? I do! Often.), I had all but decided that I would just go tomorrow because I’m just too tired.

To give you a little background, the journal I’m writing in is "Every Day Journals" by Compendium, a publishing company based in Lynnwood, WA — a city about 90 or so miles south of where I live.

I’ve actually coveted the little books for a time now, and what a surprise when I received one as a gift from Regional Director of the Washington Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC), Dianne Greene, for volunteering on some committees.Compendium offers many inspirational products, including the "Every Day Journals." They have different kinds. Mine is the "EXPLORE every day" journal.

So I opened to today, 28 July 2006, where I had written a short, little something:

"7/28 Today I wish to feel unhurried, yet productive, focussed and calm."

Below that was a pre-printed quote from Compendium by Zachary Scott:

As you grow older, you’ll find that the only things you regret are the things you didn’t do.

Well, one thing’s for sure. If I don’t go to the gym tonight — this very minute — I will regret it tomorrow.

So, off I go.

What are you putting off that you know you’ll regret if you don’t just kick yourself in the butt and do it right now?

Inspire yourself, and get going!

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Questions that Inspire Yield Answers that Inspire

Have any of the following ever crossed your lips?

• Why does this always happen to me?
• Why am I so stupid?
• Why can’t I ever seem to make ends meet?
• Why can’t I learn anything?
• Why am I so fat?

Do you really want to know the answers to those questions?

If you ask them, you’re going to get them — and I have to say, it won’t be pretty.

The thing is that embedded in these questions are presuppositions. They presuppose that bad things always happen to you, that you are stupid, that you never can make ends meet, and so on.And because you asked it, your brain comes up with the answer. Not exactly inspiring.

The reason they aren’t inspiring is the questions are of poor quality, and as the saying goes "you get what you ask for."

The truth is that life sometimes throws us curve balls, just to see if we are still on our toes. Are you on your toes?

I just came across a cool saying that I had written down at some point, but I don’t know where I got it from. It’s so cool! I think I’ll type or write it in BIG letters and put it on the dream board I’m in process of creating.

The saying is: "Don’t get mad at the dark; light a candle."

Isn’t that great?

One way to light a candle when the going gets a tough is to reframe, rethink, and reword the questions you ask yourself.

Asking a better quality, inspired question can only yield an inspired answer. So, what’s an inspired question?

One example might be "What am I grateful for?," or perhaps, "What am I excited about?"

These questions also have embedded in them suppositions, but this time they are empowering. They presuppose that you have things for which you are thankful and grateful. They presuppose that you have things for which you are excited.

Doesn’t that feel so much better?

"Who do I love the most, and who loves me?" How fun is that one to answer!

"What makes me feel powerful?"

To illustrate how easy it is to instantly shift your focus by using a little creativity, take the very poor quality question, "Why am I so fat?," for example. What an awful question!

Presumably you do not want to remain fat, so a better question to ask yourself might be "How can I become thin and healthy and at the same time completely enjoy the process?

Isn’t that refeshing? It’s a better-quality, more inspired question, guaranteed to generate an inspired answer.

Now, it’s your turn. Direct the power and focus of your mind to create the life and circumstances you desire by asking inspiring questions.

What empowering questions can you come up with right now?

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Is “The Secret” Really a Secret?

You have probably heard of the recent inspirational movie, The Secret. For $4.95 US, you can view the film right on your laptop or PC. The catch is that the $4.95 is for one viewing only, after which you can either pay another 5 bucks or purchase the DVD for $30.

I have to admit that there is a bit of commercialization around both the web site and the film itself. The packaging, the promotion, and the feature-length film are all pretty slick — technology at its best.

I have to say, though, that I was a bit surprised at Andy Wibbels’ ("the original blogging evangelist") critique of the movie’s content, and by extension, the motives of its promoters.You can read his thoughts and comments by clicking HERE.

I highly respect Andy. He is articulate, smart, and not afraid to share his opinion. My surprise is not that he was disappointed with the movie and expected something other than what it delivered. Personal preferences are valid.

My surprise is that rather than seeing it as an inspirational call to action, he viewed it as a reductionist, simplistic think-and-grow-rich touchy-feely type of movie masquerading as a legitimate way to improve your life.

The two points Andy makes that jump out at me are:

1. The Secret is no real secret at all. There’s no thrill or excitment in learning that the secret is the same ol’, in his words "law of abundance. Or the priniples of attraction or whatever we’re calling it this week," and
2. The film offered no post-inspiration call to act. According to Andy "I almost feel like the suffix should be "and then you work your a** off. That always gets left out of the picture".

Now, Andy is a very intelligent person, but I think this time he may have written his post as an initial gut reaction (which most of us would do well and accomplish more if we were to listen more often to our intuition and not overthink everything all the time) rather than think this through.

(First, I have to put out there that I found the movie very inspirational and so I am clearly speaking from a biased point of view. I am a member of The Coaching Institute, and one of the other members has a saying that is apropos here that goes something like, ‘My comments here are like throwing spaghetti at a wall. If it sticks, great. If not, let it fall.’)

To the first point, I just want to say that nothing is a secret if you already know it. That doesn’t negate the fact that for others — perhaps the majority — it is a secret.

To go a step further, there really is nothing new under the sun. It’s simply repackaged, reformulated, restated, or reshaped. And that’s OK.

None of the concepts and ideas we discuss here at The Inspiration Nation are new concepts and ideas. However, I hope that they still resonate with you in their way and that you receive tremendous value and inspiration from this inspirational community.

As far as The Secret is concerned, I’m of the opinion offered by Kirsten Harrell, Psy.D., who left a comment about Andy’s rant:

• I think most people can appreciate the power of positive thinking. We know that thoughts affect our emotions, mood, and actions. So if the movie helps people pay closer attention to what they think about and choose their thoughts more wisely, then I think it was a success!

Regarding Andy’s second point, I am wondering whether we saw the same movie.

First, the movie is about more than positive thinking; it’s positive thinking coupled with passionate feeling. Secondly, the film clearly articulated that once your intuition gives the nudge to act and you are clear on what you want achieve, then act — and act without hesitation.

The film quotes MLK, Jr., "Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step."

There clearly is a second part of the equation. This does not negate the necessity of first part– i.e., getting crystal clear what you want. I’m sure you’d agree that it is also possible to "work your a** off" on unproductive activities or on the wrong thing entirely.

Jodee Bock of Bock’s Office also offers insights in response to Andy’s blog post that I think offer balance to Andy’s impressions. You can check out her response, as well as responses from others who share Andy’s point-of-view at Andy’s blog.

Incidentally, The Secret is not just about attracting wealth or material things into your life; it’s about attracting or achieving whatever you desire in pursuit of a happy, productive and holistic life experience.

I am very glad Andy brought up this discussion. If you haven’t seen The Secret it really is worth the $4.95 (and more) to view it on your desktop, and then form your own opinion of its inspiration value.

I, as you know, think it’s brilliant on many different levels. It certainly is a tool to keep me orientated toward how I wish to create my life.

Let me know what you think.