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A Kick up the Proverbial

Wednesday 6th May 2009 | 4 comments

It's easy to fall into a stoic, martyred place at the moment, thinking everything is tough, and we just have to hunker down, believe everything we read in the papers and bite on our stiff upper lips til the pain stops (or til we don't feel it any more...).

It's reminiscent of that great British war slogan aimed at those left back at home: 'Keep Calm and Carry on'.

That's not for me.

I prefer the inspiration of 'Get Excited and Make Things' (thanks to Dumbo Feather for the reference).

Now is such a great opportunity to make something new. Right now, when everything is up for grabs, is a perfect time to dust off your dream - whether it's a job change, starting your own small business, having a baby, writing that article you were always too busy to write, even learning Moroccan cooking...

What have you had on hold?

What dream was a place too far?

Where do you find your inspiration? I find mine in:

• TED talks. (If in doubt, watch Elizabeth Gilbert, but really you can just follow your whimsy and you're bound to find treasures.)
• Some Twitter posts and links (but not all, definitely not all...)
• Stories (fictions, non-fiction, clients, friends, anything that rings true and speaks of possibilities)
• The poetry of Mary Oliver. Look for The Wild Geese or The Journey, or most anything else. My most resonant quote is 'Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?'
• The need to pay the mortgage and keep food on the table - sometimes it's the prosaic which spurs me more than the ethereal...Hollywood style mush just doesn't cut it for long in my world

Ultimately it's about listening to that little voice somewhere deep inside (some days very deep inside) saying 'Oi, remember your vision? What can you do about it today?'.

Rumi as always puts if far more elegantly than me, but the sentiment is the same:

'The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don't go back to sleep. You must ask for what you really want. Don't go back to sleep. People are going back and forth across the door sill where two worlds touch. The door is round and open. Don't go back to sleep.'

So, what inspires you?

Tags: change, dream, challenge

Comments

1. Great post Joanna, exactly what I needed this morning thank you, and your timing was simply incredible ! Been agonising on what's next, wot if? / where to stuff, and then going back to sleep, to quote Rumi ...bow I just need to step through the door.

   Posted by Patricia Reed | Wednesday 6th May 2009 @ 9:50am

2. Thanks for the post, and yes, I think this stuff is very timely for lots of us. Good luck!

   Posted by Joanna Maxwell | Wednesday 6th May 2009 @ 10:22am

3. Thanks Joanna, this is definitely very timely!!

   Posted by Danielle | Wednesday 6th May 2009 @ 9:38pm

4. If enough of us refuse to go down without a fight, we can turn this around and seize the moment to make something positive...like the French Revolution really, though hopefully minus the barricades and the guillotine!

   Posted by Joanna Maxwell | Wednesday 6th May 2009 @ 10:04pm