Sunday, October 30, 2011

Do what inspires you and be happy.

If there's one thing I'm not short on it's ways to be inspired. Those moments when I see or hear something, or meet someone that gives me that heart pounding, idea creating, smile inducing, want to shout from the roof tops moment. A lot of the time I feel as though I live off of these moments. You know the ones... when you see that something somewhere and you're like "Holy Crap, it all makes sense!" The moments where something clicks in your head and you just HAVE to do something with your new found inspiration, And If you don't have inspiration, it's a must do to to find it. For me, it could be anything from a song, a quote, a smile from a stranger, God, my son, a beautiful ocean scene or a sunset, the list could go on.  


Find your happy thought(s) and think them daily. Keep adding to your "happy thought repertoire" everyday. Meditate on them, live them and believe them. You owe it to yourself to feel nothing but stunning everyday. After a while with all these happy thoughts and inspirational moments, the negativity in your life begins to disappear. Positive thoughts are just so wonderfully, deliciously huge and powerful that they beat negative thoughts up like Chuck Norris would beat a bad guy (and we all know how much of a bad a** Chuck Norris is) But you really have to focus on it. Wake up EVERY morning being thankful you have a new day to live, and that right there folks should be your very first inspiring happy thought for the day! After that it's really up to you to be aware of the thoughts you're thinking and stop those negative thoughts dead in their tracks and send 'em packin'. Those inspiration killers have no place to be setting up camp on your dome.


Next step is to act upon your inspirations. Say for example you meet someone who's amazingly in shape, you see them happy, healthy and lookin' good. You're inspired suddenly to go to the gym. DO IT. Don't let your inspiration slip through your fingers. (this was a poor example, but your get the idea) It could be anything, but the one thing that's EVERYTHING is acting upon your inspiration. It's a GIFT, not a coincidence. There are NO coincidences. God puts these moments directly into your path, wrapped up in glittery paper and bows, perfectly catered to you and your soul. Soon, you'll start to realize how inspiration leads you to your happy place. And keeps you there.


 I started to realize quickly how inspirational could be to to people, and how through being legitimately happy every minute I possible can, rubs off on every person I come across, whether they like it or not. I get asked "WHY are you so happy!? It's a new guy isn't it!?" (ha! I wish. But even still there's no person but myself that can give me the happiness I want) No. "I just AM. I CHOSE IT. Every day." Is my usual response. And thus, the seed is planted. They want in on the happiness, and good thing there's plenty to go around. (Infinite amounts to be specific)  People who know me, know that "bad days" are few and far between, and if my entire day is going badly, my "choice-o-meter" is broken. Because it's absolutely a choice to have a bad day. I know it's a hard thing to swallow, but I speak the truth. You have a choice as to how you react to the happenings in your day, and how your react will have an effect on how your day continues. 


One way I started to continue inspiring myself and help me create amazing days for myself was inspiring though trying to help others be inspired. I started an "inspiration board" at work. Just a small coffee cup shaped black board that I write little messages on for my customers to read. There's a new one, carefully and lovingly picked each and every week. After a while I had people taking pictures of them, asking who put them there, telling me they were going text/email it to a loved one, or hollering to their friend "Hey come check this out!". My regulars  all know where to look for their weekly inspiration and they look forward to it. Such a simple concept, and so amazingly effective for both sides.  Who knows how many hearts have been inspired for people who might have walked into the store in a slump or a bad mood... maybe feeling brokenhearted or hopeless...read my sign, felt like it was meant for them and then in turn left in a different and inspired mood. Then, they go and spread their happiness with just ONE person, and that person goes and shares it with another, so on and so forth. 


It's a domino effect that makes my heart explode with joy... literally has the tendency to almost bring me to tears sometimes.... And that my friends is what inspiration is made of.