Discovering the power of Inspiration

Discovering Inspiration

Dance inspired me the way nothing else in life had. It supplied constant challenges and offered many rewards, the least not being a way to see the world and have enough money left over to pay the rent. Dance was my first passion, a love I still pursue, albeit without the vim and vigor of 40 years ago. 

When the gigs began to dwindle, I dropped into a blue funk. Try as I would, I could find nothing to replace the sense of completion and satisfaction dancing brought me. The depression lasted eight years. In that time, I tried everything to find a field of endeavor that could restore the enthusiasm and joy I felt when dancing. Nothing came close. 

Through much introspection, I discovered it wasn’t just dance that had kept me inspired, but also youth. Youth has a way of igniting the flame of inspiration even without our being aware of it. Which meant, until thirty or so, I’d never really been without inspiration. Everything was new until then, and newness sparks inspiration like nothing else. Which is the probable reason we shop, love Christmas and birthdays, and new love affairs.

 It’s why Capitalism works so well. 

But it is only a matter of time until I felt nothing was new. Been there, done that; s that all there is: a question that arose about the same time as the dance career dwindled. 

I’m sharing this as I am sure it is what many of us go through. Especially those of us who experienced the magic of dance.

Eventually, the dark cloud lifted as I applied myself to deepening and sharing my knowledge of yoga. The flame was rekindled and, although it has never burned as brightly, it supplied me with the enthusiasm to enjoy my life once again. 

At that time, I still believed my endeavors had to lead to a satisfactory end: a day of hard work to be enjoyed at the end of the day when the chores were done; a new career that might lead to something even more gratifying; a bright shiny light at the end of the tunnel; Heaven because I’d mastered the trials of life.

Oops!

Guess what? The goal is no longer the motivation to stay on the road; the road is the goal. Enjoying what I do has become more important than the outcome of my endeavors. 

I am writing this blog because I enjoy writing and sharing with others what I have learned, what I am learning. I read a book because I love to read, not to get to the end of the book, just to start another, then another, ad infinitum. I teach yoga, not to become rich or famous, but to see the look of confusion and pain in my student's faces. In short, I live to live, not to die.

The clue is to find something that so captivates us that the effort we put out becomes the inspiration we are seeking.
A list follows.