Category: Inspiration

Inspiration

Inspiration – Who Needs It?

By on April 1, 2015

If I want inspiration, I’ll look at my checking account balance. That will certainly inspire me to get busy and earn some more money this month! And I am not a fan of the latest self-help, self-discovery books, the titles of which marketers keep posting to my social media accounts and sending to my Spam folder. They are guaranteed to do many of the following:

  • Get my body back in shape by summer
  • Find the inspiration to give my home a makeover
  • Discover the benefits of kale and spinach
  • Adopt a more serene lifestyle
  • Adopt a more socially active lifestyle
  • Find my inner, hidden beauty and talents
  • Live on less and be happier

Inspiration, 2015 Style

Recently, however, I did have occasion to visit Amazon to find a gift for a friend (who kind of likes inspirational books, by the way), and I began looking through the new titles, clicking into the preview pages, and reading reviews. 2015 may be a good year for these books, because the subject matter is more realistic, relevant, and, I admit, a bit inspiring. I bought two of them, actually. While I have only read one of the books on this list so far, I will go back for more, and I’ll borrow the one I bought for my friend.

My 2015 Picks

  1. Happy is the New Healthy (Dave Romanelli): The Brief lead-in on the book cover was bad – “31 ways to relax, let go and start enjoying life.” But then I perused the first few preview pages, and read things like “find a little vacation in every day,” and the wise advice of a 110-year old who said her secret to happiness was, “sex, vodka, and spicy food,” and I was hooked. Romanelli’s style is humorous, satirical, and witty – my kind of book.
  2. The Leap: Launching Your Full-Time Career in Our Part-Time Economy (Robert Dickie III): With a name like that, I had to read some pages. Now I know what a “Black Swan” event is and how our economy has been forever changed. This guy has great advice on how to generate multiple income streams, and that inspires me!
  3. Not Impossible (Mick Ebeling): O.K. Now I am really officially inspired. Here is a film producer who has actually used his own ingenuity to build homemade appendages for people who have lost arms, or the use of them, and has changed their lives. His message is that we humans have within us the creativity, the persistence, and the know-how to do some pretty cool things that can change the lives of others, and that’s his challenge to us all.
  4. The Power of Thanks (Eric Mosley and Derek Irvine): Here’s an entire book devoted to the concept that we need to say “thank you,” and say it quite publicly, to those who have had a part in our success. Sounds a bit mundane, I agree, but after previewing the first few pages, I know this will not be a boring read.

Are There Others?

Yes, of course, because really, what inspires me may not inspire you. All in all, however, as I researched the offerings in what I call the category of “People who have something important to say to us all,” there are some pretty good choices this year!

About the author: Having a Master’s degree in Journalism and love for travelling, Julie Ellis is financed by her freelance writing to investigate and explore exotic places of the world. Being a Chief Editor at Premier Essay she, as well, features articles for journals and magazines around the world.

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Inspiration

Ten Signs You are Truly Happy

By on July 2, 2012

How can you say you’re truly happy? What are the ‘standards’ that measure your happiness? Doesn’t it involve any of these things:

  • money?
  • fame?
  • attention?
  • number of ‘friends’?
  • able to buy everything we want?
  • success in your work/business?

Yes, you might have a lot of money to spend or have a lot of ‘friends’ that give you attention for the wrong reasons. Yes, you might be successful in your work or business, but you spend all of your waking hour in it – no breaks, no me-time, no time for friends or family. Where’s the happiness in that?

We’re used to the concept that when we make a lot of money or when we get to buy everything we want (not need), that makes us happy. So what are the signs of true happiness then?

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Inspiration

An Old Email: Quarter-life Crisis

By on May 9, 2012

Up until now, my old email accounts that I don’t use are still active. I check them once in a while and get rid of spam messages. Sometimes I look over old messages and read them. Yup, those messages our friends pass us like they do in SMS. Some are funny, some are inspiring.

Here’s one that I’ve found worth sharing. It now makes sense to me 🙂

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn’t know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.  You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren’t exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don’t recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren’t really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.  You look at your job… and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.  Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn’t. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.  You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can’t meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know them better. Perhaps you love someone who doesn’t love you back, or worse yet, loves someone else. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren’t a bad person.  One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic.  You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself… and while winning the race would be great, right now you’d just like to be a contender!  What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it.  We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

Worth reading and still rings true. 🙂

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Inspiration

My Dream Work Space #1

By on

One of the factors that affect our productivity is our work place. Whether as a student or a professional, we aim to be in an environment where our imagination and creativity is heightened, a place we are comfortable to stay even in long hours and a space that clearly spells “This is me!”.

It is not all the time we get to choose where we work or decorate it. Freelancers and virtual assistants do get to choose though.

Being location-independent, here’s one of my dream set-up:

Looks very productive for writing. A great view, the calmness of the sea, the weather. Perfect ♥

Lots more of these coming. What’s yours? 🙂

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