inspiration

The Moment of Inspiration

August 29, 2019 By Kat

I think we all have creative and spontaneous ideas that would be SO COOL if we just had the courage to go for them.

In recent years, I can recall very strong moments of inspiration where I felt called to create or write or draw or say something. The inspiration is so strong that it almost feels real. It feels within reaching distance. It feels within my abilities of that day, of that moment. It feels like THIS THING MUST HAPPEN. How could it not happen?? I must make it happen!

Life Happens

Despite this very strong urge or calling or nudge (which can last for hours or days sometimes), I end up getting distracted. There are things on my TODO list that are of higher importance or higher urgency. Something else is on fire. It must be taken care of first before I sit down to focus and go off into imagination land with my creative muscles.

So reluctantly, I take care of the tasks that need to be done to keep my life running, while in the back of my mind, I’d rather be working on my cool idea. Then life creeps in, the way it always does. Commitments come up. It’s time to sleep. It’s time to wake up. It’s time to cook a meal, but wait I need groceries first. Then I need to fill up on gas, and etc…

The energy and excitement of that idea just gradually dissipates. The idea doesn’t seem as urgent. The idea seems too fanciful. The idea seems like it can wait. The energy dies down to practically zero – where it becomes an idea shelved in the back of your mind as something you never got to because you were too “busy.”

Even if you did finally have a breather from all your tasks to clear some free time to work on your idea, you would probably get too antsy sitting down with a blank page. You’d find something else to distract yourself with – looking for a snack, cleaning up the house, laundry, etc…

These are all the ways we avoid working on our ideas.

Ideas Look for Human Bodies

From reading the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (the acclaimed Eat, Pray, Love author), she talks about how these ideas float around from person to person looking for someone to carry it out in tangible form in the real world.

For example, she talked about a very specific book idea and storyline that came to her. She was going to write it out because it was so clear in her mind. For some reason, she didn’t have a chance to write it. Then over time, the idea became less and less important to her. After a while, she forgets about the idea. Then out of nowhere, another author pops up with this published book with the eerily SAME storyline.

By tracing back the timeline with this author, she realizes that the idea magically tried to come to her to be written, but when Elizabeth didn’t take action on it, the idea floated over to some other lady who did end up taking action on it. Hence, if you don’t act on the idea, the idea will probably get executed by someone else.

The Time to Act

That’s why it’s so important to act on that moment of inspiration – to just get up and start working on it. It’s a bad idea to sit there and start contemplating the pros and cons of whether you should take action or not. Overthinking the idea gives your ego room to discount the idea and rationalize why you shouldn’t act on it. So, no questions asked, go act on it and see what happens.

I wish I could say that I act on my ideas so perfectly every time, but of course, that’s not the case. But I wanted to write this article as a reminder to myself and all of you that those moments of inspiration are so important, yet so fleeting. So best to act when these magical moments descend upon you.

What an idea that’s been nagging at you?

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

A Poetry Book By Dean Jackson for Returning To Yourself

June 2, 2019 By Kat

If you enjoyed my documentary Finding What’s Real (all videos out now! you can watch here), I think you’d enjoy this book of poetry by Dean Jackson called The Poetry of Oneness: Illuminating Awareness of the True Self.

I found out about this writer because I was watching Kim Kardashian’s Instagram Stories, haha! She gets a lot promotional gifts from her other celebrity friends who are coming out with new products and such. Anyhow, her friend Adrienne Bailon sent her a gift of new jewelry pieces from Adrienne’s new collection and included a note with this quote.

She dances to the songs in her head. Speaks with the rhythm of her heart and loves from the depths of her soul.
Excerpt from Dean Jackson poem

It’s such a moving quote! I started looking it up and reading more quotes from Dean Jackson on Google Images, and then I stumbled on some poetry books that he had written. Hence how I ended up buying The Poetry of Oneness!

When I first opened the book, let’s just say, it was not the most beautiful in terms of graphic design. But then I read in the forward that he intentionally designed the book with a lot of white space so that readers could write down their own thoughts and inspirations as they read the poems.

So yeah! Once I got past that part, I really enjoyed the poems! Don’t let the appearance of the book fool you about what kind of gems are inside the book.

I can’t express how deep some of the poems are. Sometimes I felt like “OMG! The poem’s talking about me!” Or you feel like the poem describes a relationship you have with someone. I found the perfect one to describe my relationship with my fiance and it literally made me cry. The jist is that these poems are about life, love, truth, and what really matters.

It’s great to read right before you go to bed – in solitude. It’s quite calming. Much better experience than looking at your phone right before sleeping.

I was thinking it’d be a nice gift idea for someone who may appreciate a good poetry book or some nice words of wisdom. Hmm *wheels turning in my head.*

Anyhow, my favorite poems in the book are “Butterfly,” “Self-Acceptance” and “Only You Know.” If you get it too, let me know which ones you like!

The Poetry of Oneness: Illuminating Awareness of the True Self

Other recommended books:
Grace Over Grind
Love Warrior
The 10X Rule
The Miracle Morning

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. And of course, I would recommend this book regardless.

October Favorites: Children’s Books & More

November 2, 2017 By Kat

Lately, I’ve been reading more children’s books for inspiration.

It’s become a bit of scavenger hunt to find great books. They’re like hidden gems – hidden among the stacks of books available in libraries / bookstores, or even buried within random book discussion threads on the internet.

And when you find a magical book, it feels amazing!!! So here goes my favorites for the month of October.

1. You are Special by Max Lucado

This is the book I’m the most excited about!! Thank you to my dear friend Ines for suggesting this gem to me. So touching, with such an important message for kids and adults. The symbolism in this book runs deep (Max is a talented Christian author), and his writing here is quite masterful. I hope that you get a chance to read this one at some point in your life.

2. Toot by Leslie Patricelli

On the opposite end of the spectrum, this book is completely silly and fun. Toot is a book about farts, which is always a topic that makes people laugh. The format is in a board book for babies. Warning: the word “toot” will get stuck in your head. 😛

3. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Little Chester the raccoon doesn’t want to go to school. He would rather stay home with his mother, but she tells him a family secret to soothe his worries. 😉 This book gave me warm fuzzies. Would be perfect for kids who are feeling anxious about leaving home to go to school.

4. Doctor De Soto by William Steig

This book turned out to be a suspenseful page-turner for me, haha! Doctor De Soto is a mouse and he’s a dentist for other small animals. One day, a fox comes for help with his toothache, and the dilemma becomes: if Doctor De Soto fixes the fox’s tooth, will the fox eat the doctor and his wife??

5. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Turns out that this is another story about a mouse! There’s just something endearing about them – in paper form (not in real life). From the time she was born, Chrysanthemum loved her unique name. Until she went to school and the kids relentlessly teased her about it. I could feel her blushed cheeks and embarrassment, poor girl! The charming book uncovers how she deals with this and comes to terms with her name / identity.

6. I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

This is an entertaining tale about a bear looking for the hat that he’s lost. Even though the bear is in such an unfortunate circumstance, I couldn’t help but laugh at his expressionless face. 😆

7. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Harold has a purple crayon that he wields with great power! (Don’t you just love crayons?) On his walk in the moonlight, he is able to draw what he imagines and wants. Oh the possibilities! This is a fun bedtime story about the power of imagination. Thank you to Chris and his aunt for the book recommendation! And P.S. this makes me want to draw on my plain boring walls. 😛

8. My last favorite for the month are my pink slippers! Fall is upon us and it is getting chill-ay! I like to keep my feet cozy as I read books, hang out on the couch, cook, or write this blog post. And despite this image, note that they come in a pair, not just one slipper lol.

Alright, that’s a wrap! Hope you enjoyed this post! Did YOU discover any new favorites in October? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

I also want to mention that I am part of the Amazon Affiliate program, so if you make a purchase from here, at no extra cost to you, I will receive a small commission – which I’ll be using towards my living expenses as I write my first book! Regardless of this though, I would honestly recommend these items. Thank you for your continued support and awesomeness!!

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