There have been several people recently, who have asked how I come up with ideas for what to write about on the blog.
Although it would be nice if all of my ideas were produced out of thin air, the reality is that sometimes inspiration comes from my observations of the world around me.
Yesterday’s post, The Titanic’s Sunken Lessons, was inspired by a Facebook status message of my friend. She recalled some of the major historical events that had occurred on April 15th, the day of her birthday. One of the these happened to be the sinking of the Titanic.
As I read more about it on Wikipedia, I came across the notion that people thought the Titanic was an unsinkable ship. The ship’s technology was cutting edge, and the luxury was unmatched. Then the unthinkable happened, it sank.
So, the idea what eventually came to mind, was that the pride and carelessness of the engineers, ultimately led to the ship’s downfall, and the rest was history.
Life is Like Changing Poopy Diapers
Life is Like Changing Poopy Diapers, was an article that was influenced by a mother’s expression of joy.
She said:
“I’m soo proud of my baby boy…he went ALL day today wearing big boy undies, and hasn’t had a poopy diaper or undies in 3 days!!!”
Now, I’m not quite sure exactly how I got the idea that life is anything like changing poopy diapers. If life were one big poopy diaper changing party, I think I’d rather sink with the Titanic and leave this world with hypothermia.
What it eventually came down to, was the recognition of the wavelike nature of life’s ups and downs. That is to say, there are good times and there are bad times. As a result, it is the bad times that enable us to rejoice even more during the good times.
Don’t Linger in Life, Just Keep Going
Finally, Don’t Linger in Life, Just Keep Going, was the result of a conversation with someone at a memorial gathering I held to celebrate my mother’s life.
After a gentleman had one too many glasses of wine, he kindly shared some of the lessons he had learned throughout his life.
“Don’t linger, just keep going,” was the line he kept repeating over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.
I think you get the picture.
Sadly, I started to think, “Oh boy, here he goes again.” On the bright side, however, after hearing this mantra about 20 or 30 times, I received a flash of insight which inspired me to reflect upon this mantra.
Finding inspiration in the world around you
Although finding inspiration in others is a way in which I generate writing material, it is applicable to everyday life as well.
For example, sometimes when we’re looking for a source of motivation, we may find that it’s not out of passion, that we are driven to do things. Perhaps it’s because we want to live longer to see our kids grow up, that we stay healthy and exercise regularly. Or maybe we don’t want to let someone down.
Even taking a job you hate, could bring a fresh perspective. Your unbearable experience, could provide the inspiration for making a life changing decision to pursue a career you are passionate about.
Everything is connected. A leads to B leads to C. We observe and build upon the ideas and works of both ourselves and others. Few things occur in isolation.
When inspiration cannot be found within, find it in the world around you.
