‘Inspiration is might,
Aspiration is light,
Realisation is life.’
Sri Chinmoy
Inspire!
To inspire in a literal sense, means to breathe in. Yet the word inspiration conjurs up so much more than that. For me, it’s a receiving of life force in some form. We might think of that as something like fresh air, prana or chi.
When we’re feeling de-motivated, we might feel tempted to resort to old paradigm habits such as going along with someone else’s agenda. Or we might allow ourselves to be coerced through fear into proceeding in a way that’s not quite in alignment with what’s authentic for us, but which at least gets us taking action! So, instead of inspiration, which supports our unique purpose in this world, we are seduced by external motivators.
What can we do to cultivate inspiration? Sri Chinmoy, in the quote above, speaks of ‘might.’ This sounds like some kind of fuel or power. But my sense of this is that it’s an internal and universal power we need to tap into. We can do this through feeding and fuelling ourselves with regular doses of whatever it is that we individually find inspirational. That might be music, art, literature, community, poetry or something else. I would suggest that to operate from an inspired place we need to be aware of and acknowledge what those inspirational practices are for us and allow ourselves these wholesome treats.
Aspire!
When we’re feeling de-motivated, we might feel tempted to review our ambitions, to-reignite them, or even chastise ourselves for losing sight of them. In the new paradigm, for me, ambition is superceded by aspiration. Whereas ambition is all about what we can acquire or achieve and relies on us yearning for the future, and maybe also seeking the approval of others, aspiration seems to be more about owning and living by our internal compass in each moment.
What can we do to cultivate aspiration? Sri Chinmoy describes it as ‘light’ and so maybe this is what we use to guide us on our life path. For me this is about aiming high (light as the ultimate) in terms of being as authentic as we can be and allowing our personal values to make evident what decisions need to be made. So, it’s more of a process and a way of being than ambition and as such it’s something we can employ right now, every day.
Realise!
When we nourish ourselves with the might of inspiration and allow ourselves the light of aspiration, then realisation is the next natural step. It might take one of many different forms, for example a new idea, project or relationship might emerge. A work or other opportunity might become apparent or maybe you will find a solution to a long-standing problem.
What can we do to cultivate realisation? Sri Chinmoy states that realisation is ‘life’. So, maybe we just need to live what we’re being presented with. We can evaluate the ideas, seeds of projects, new relationships, solutions that we’ve become aware of and proceed, one step at a time. Life is a gift, a process of creativity and evolution. We might choose to see some of our realisations as the culmination of years of effort, while some might result with greater speed and ease. Such is the adventure!
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Hi Sally, WOW! Your blog is one of the few online things that consistently makes me feel good. I pasted the quote on my office door, and I forwarded this post to my friends.
I must admit to feeling demoralized to some degree for what I am perceiving as my own failure to complete a personal project of mine. We are about to start our Thanksgiving holiday here in the US,and I keep feeling like I should work harder during my free time to get my online project back on track. However, I am wondering if I haven’t set up a atmosphere for myself that is too negative. I get a feeling of joy from working on my computer programming, but it might be the pressure I am lumping on myself to get this project done (on top of my full-time $$$ job, family, church and other commitments). I have never heard of Sri Chinmoy – maybe I need to read a little. I really liked your commentary – maybe I am trying to force a solution to my “problem” without looking at the opportunities that may be presenting themselves. What I really want to do with the rest of my life is unfold myself as a more feeling person – more in touch with what is really meaningful.
I wish I lived in the UK – I would love to have you as a coach :-)
Peace, Jamie
Hi Jamie, This post seems to have struck a chord with you and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the commentary on the quote. The quote is a snippet that I’ve found very inspiring recently and hence why I felt drawn to writing about it, I think. Sri Chinmoy was a prolific writer (and musician) so I can imagine you being able to find other material of his that you enjoy.
I do like what you say about unfolding yourself. With regards to the coaching – actually geography need not be a barrier as I work mostly by phone or skype. I have worked with clients in the USA and Canada, for example, and currently have clients in other European countries as well as in the UK. End of shameless sales pitch! (…and thanks for raising the question.).
Wishing you a peaceful holiday weekend.
Sally,
I look out for your blogs and thanks for sharing them. This piece is as good as the previous ones.
cheers
Thanks Rajiv. Your encouragement is always appreciated.