Inspiration

by Belinda Munoz on November 12, 2010

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She spent years searching for it.
She went for broke, buying every
latest volume promising a lifetime supply.
She traveled continents, joining workshops where
gurus and groupies gathered.  She found
sparks but no lasting flame; failing
to connect the lessons learned with
something she always had all along
but never acknowledged: her spirit’s whisper.

sixwords_brown

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Linky time with Making Things Up as Melissa invites us to write six words about INSPIRE.  Meanwhile, G-Man posts his 1098th blog post over at Mr. Knowitall’s Friday Flash 55.

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How do you sustain inspiration?

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Image by Victor Bezrukov

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November 12, 2010 at 10:44 am

{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }

1 jennifer November 12, 2010 at 2:38 am

inspiration can pearce like a needle or be lost in the gentlest of breaths! My heart and eyes find inspiration together!
exceptional 55!

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2 Belinda November 12, 2010 at 7:21 am

…be lost in the gentlest of breaths…so true…

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3 joanny November 12, 2010 at 2:51 am

there is so much truth to this 55 word verse, searching the world for what lies dormant within…

profound,

joanny

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4 brian November 12, 2010 at 3:56 am

while it may be found in a book, i doubt she finds it until she gets outside of herself…nice 55…

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5 TheKitchenWitch November 12, 2010 at 4:45 am

Absolutely lovely, Belinda!

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6 Tessa November 12, 2010 at 5:12 am

aaaaah, YES! It’s so easy to search outside of ourselves, and sometimes hard to listen to that heart truth within. Beautiful.

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7 ayala November 12, 2010 at 5:22 am

There is so much truth here . Self doubt is a little mosquito in our ear….when all along it’s inspiration from within!! Beautiful, Belinda!

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8 Molly@Postcards from a Peaceful Divorce November 12, 2010 at 5:43 am

Oh my friend, you always stretch my mind in new directions. You ARE inspiring!

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9 Rudri November 12, 2010 at 6:07 am

Sustaining inspiration? That’s a hard one Belinda. Walking outdoors and trying to look at the events in my life with fresh eyes are some of the ways that inpsire me. I also think listening to my four year old’s chatter helps inspire me to view things with a newer perspective.

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10 Juliana November 12, 2010 at 6:11 am

Yes, the inspiration is always within us!

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11 magiceye November 12, 2010 at 6:38 am

we have the answer within us. only if we care to look….

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12 Meg November 12, 2010 at 6:47 am

Inspiration sustains itself–if it has room to do so. Any form of pressing anxiety can cramp it, and anxiety about the anxieties makes it even worse, to the point of snuffing it out. An example would be finances, that bugaboo of many an artist–worry about income, paying for supplies, responsibility to one’s family, and cultural/social concerns can really interfere with the creative spirit to the extent that when the artist DOES sit down to work, she chokes. There’s no more room inside of her for inspiration to breathe and manifest. Other examples would be self-doubt, bad teachers, and plain old rotten luck.

The solution is in making the decision to remove these intruding elements from inside your mind, to give priority to internal, mental, and spiritual health (aka flourishing). No guru can give it to you and don’t even let them try. Just empty yourself of everything that isn’t pure You–the same person you’ve been since you were very very small. Don’t impose any expectations on it–you might find that the means of expression is an entirely different one than you thought it would be. The writer may discover she’s an artist, the abstract artist may discover she’s a realist, the gardener may discover she’s a singer, don’t worry about it. In time you’ll find yourself immersed in something, and that something is exactly what you should be doing.

Some people need to overhaul their entire lives in order to be able to clear their heads enough to sustain inspiration–getting out of financial traps, getting out of toxic relationships, etc. Others are able to simply detach from the external world’s demands and distractions, doing what is needed without allowing it to be internalized. So much depends on what the distractions are and on your personal strength or fragility. But it can be done, and it’s the happiest place you can be.

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13 Belinda November 12, 2010 at 7:20 am

Yeah, Meg. It’s a real struggle for many artists and creative types i know. Seems to me you could teach a course on it. ; )

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14 Aging Mommy November 12, 2010 at 6:55 am

Great words Belinda – you Capture next week is about things that inspire you so since finding that out yesterday I have been thinking about all the things that inspire me. It is a good reminder of all that we have to be grateful for. Now I just need to see if I can capture some of them with my camera!

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15 Caroline November 12, 2010 at 6:59 am

Oh, her spirit’s whisper. I love it! This is my favorite of yours thus far. I can picture it.

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16 Akelamalu November 12, 2010 at 7:45 am

That ever elusive inspiration!

Nice 55

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17 Eric Alder November 12, 2010 at 8:32 am

Some things just become harder to find when we seek them, like Love.

Nice 55, Belinda!

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18 Alice Audrey November 12, 2010 at 9:01 am

We search the world over looking for the one thing only a mirror will show us.

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19 G-Man November 12, 2010 at 9:02 am

Belinda…
You are such a pleasant breath of fresh air.
You don’t know it, but you inspire even old farts such as myself.
I love the way you are so descriptive.
Excellent 55 My Dear
Thanks for playing, and have a Kick Ass Week-End…G

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20 Belinda Munoz @ The Halfway Point November 12, 2010 at 12:45 pm

Aww, you totally made me smile, G-man! And a kick ass weekend back atcha!

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21 Brook November 12, 2010 at 9:07 am

Yet again I am inspired by you.

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22 myrna November 12, 2010 at 9:22 am

This was lovely. Seeking the Truth, which is already within. Beautiful in 55 words.

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23 Claudia November 12, 2010 at 10:17 am

yes – sometimes inspiration is only a breath away….nice 55 belinda!

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24 Melissa November 12, 2010 at 11:18 am

Connecting outside lessons with internal spirit = lasting inspiration.
Wise words, Belinda.

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25 rob white November 12, 2010 at 12:56 pm

Another gem, Belinda.
That still small voice is always urging us on… turning within to listen provides infinite inspiration.

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26 moondustwriter November 12, 2010 at 8:19 pm

seeking and finding the inspiration can take a lifetime

An excellent 55

happy weekend

moon smiles

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27 Just Me November 13, 2010 at 10:02 am

Hmmm…I think I see more than just a little of myself in this one.

Great 55!
-C

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28 Mel Gallant November 13, 2010 at 5:37 pm

“her spirit’s whisper” if only she had stopped to listen! something we should all do more often.

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29 Tess The Bold Life November 14, 2010 at 2:41 am

Belinda,
Your poetry is unrivaled! Love it;)

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30 KB November 14, 2010 at 12:22 pm

It’s important to listen to those whispers of inspiration..

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31 Jannie Funster November 14, 2010 at 3:23 pm

This is kind of sad for her, looking so hard for what was always inside, but I guess we all do that sometimes, to different degrees.

I like what my buddy Chris Edgar says about inspiration, well, specifically writer’s block. That is okay to have it. Just listen to the silence and trust inspiration will be there again.

xo

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32 Christine November 15, 2010 at 4:30 pm

Holy!! Now that is inspiration.
You’ve just knocked me flat.

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