It seems we all hear so often how important it is to become successful. It is what drives many people through their life journey. How do you define success? Does it relate to becoming wealthy? Gaining prestige? Building a business from nothing into something of great value? Feeling important? Creating a respectable image? These are certainly noble aspirations. It's normal to desire prosperity and recognition, but is that what is really important for life to be successful? There are several ways to view the journey of life so let's examine these three ways: being motivated, being inspired, or being stagnant. Motivation is an ego-driven process of making things happen in your life. We've been taught the principle of an indelible determination that makes you climb right over the obstacles, never giving up. With this drive, nothing gets in the way of your goal! We've been taught this is the road to success and it is vital that we envision what we want and go after it with all our gusto. There are thousands of motivational seminars, books, audios, and videos that share the secrets to getting motivated and accomplishing your dreams. With motivation a person grabs an idea and works and perseveres until they achieve their goal. Many individuals have been incredibly successful from this approach. It does take a lot of extra work to accomplish, but the end result is what counts in this approach. An inspired journey is quite different. In this journey the individual is grabbed with an idea so that it takes hold of them and leads to an inspired end result. Inspiration is the reality of Spirit working through you. In other words, you are being led in the direction that Spirit knows is good for you and the benefit of others. Inspiration always flows from the universal energy of love. It is not something that is forced or pushed in any way; it simply flows effortlessly. Most of the time, when moving from inspiration, the ultimate goal or outcome is unknown. It is a guidance that comes from within, spirit-driven, and simply asks for faith in the move into unknown territory. It always involves surrendering your will - something very difficult for most people to do. All of my books come in this way. My second book, The Realness of a Woman, was not even in my thoughts, but one morning while I was showering I heard a voice that said I was to write that book. I simply said "okay" without having any idea what would be in the book. Every word on the 340 pages came through Divine guidance and it would often surprise me what I had written. This is inspiration. It also means simply agreeing, or surrendering, and waiting for the next step to unfold. Yes, it takes a lot of faith and trust, but every time I allow inspiration to flow, the end result is better than I could have ever imagined. It allows you to live in a state of total bliss and inner happiness, and it always requires that you get out of the way so Spirit can work! Stagnation is another way people live their lives. Webster says that a stagnant life is one that is lacking in activity and interest, that it is sluggish and dull. This is the life many people live when they allow their job to control their life. There are bills to pay and commitments to others, so they work day after day in a job that doesn't fill them up. So this person drifts along, existing in their life similar to a robot, doing what they know to do. A life of stagnation is not a happy life. You may find external things that make you feel happy for a while, but the novelty soon wears off and you're on to another pleasure, or at least wishing for one. In a stagnant life there is often a feeling that something is missing, or perhaps the feeling of not enough. The reason is that this person hasn't found their passion in life and therefore cannot feel fulfilled no matter what they do. This lifestyle is where most people live and eventually die. It is as if they are coasting through with life happening to them. This life is one of smallness. Everything in life is about choice. If you don't consciously make a choice, a choice will be made for you. Many times an individual doesn't even realize they actually can make a choice, and so often I've heard the comment as someone is offering a defensive explanation, "I had no choice." My friends, you ALWAYS have a choice! So I ask you to review the three ways you can live your life - through motivation, through inspiration, or through stagnation. The choice is yours and yours alone. Your greatest power is the power of choice. Which direction is the path you want to travel? One of these lifestyle choices is how you are living your life right at this moment. Maybe you like your life and maybe you don't, but if you want it to be lived differently, you have to make the choice to do it. Right now, without doing another thing, think about these three ways to live. Which one do you think will bring you the greatest rewards, give you peace, and the most happiness as you show up for it? I live my life through inspiration. I tried stagnation for many years but was miserable, restless, unfulfilled, and disenchanted with life. I made a choice to become motivated, and I did that too. I reaffirmed with positive affirmations every day and both read and listened to motivational information. I even worked with a motivated person, and I can tell you from my personal experience that it was a lot of hard work with little compensation during that time. In recent years I chose the inspired lifestyle, and my life became extraordinary. Things flowed into my consciousness that sometimes elated me and other times scared me, but I listened and followed the guidance that came. The end result? I am happier than I've ever been. I've written three books and more are on the way. I overcame my fear of speaking in public. Money has showed up in just the right timing to pay for whatever I was guided to do. I am at peace every day and know everything is working in Divine order. Amazing things keep showing up in my life that I could never have orchestrated. I work hard when I know I've been guided to do something, but there is always balance in my life now that didn't exist before. I have found that by focusing my thoughts on what flows to me with ease, I have time to complete everything that is important. My life has become extraordinary and every day is a joyous experience. I wish this for you! Take a moment and decide what you want your life to be like: motivated, inspired, or stagnant. It's your choice! |
