Does Your Future Inspire You?

Does Your Future Inspire You?

What goals are you working toward in 2006? Is there something exciting on your horizon that your working toward? And beyond the year ahead looking out to the rest of your life, what do you have a long term goal or vision that excites and inspires you either personally, professionally or both? Having a compelling vision for yourself and your life that inspires you makes your experience of living your life each day that much meaningful, rewarding and purposeful.

Often those who are least content with their lives are those who feel most uninspired about the direction their lives are moving in. They live each day resigned that their future, a future that holds little they are particularly looking forward to and which looks nothing particularly different from their equally uninspiring past.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Far better it is to dare mighty things, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat” To rise above the mood of resignation which envelops so many people you must take the to honestly reflect up what would need to change in your life to make it one that truly inspired you. Then, when you are be clear about what it is that would really lift your spirit find the courage that lies innate and untapped within you to step bold into action toward it the direction your spirit beckons you.

So what direction could you be moving your life toward that would inspire you? Do you have an immediate answer to that or does it leave you pondering “hmmm¡K I don’t know”. Or let me ask you another way, if you could do anything you wanted with your time, energy and talents, what would it be? Are you still pondering?

Often we humans resist even dreaming about such things, chastising ourselves immediately, with “what’s the point? It’s stupid to get carried away with such fantasies”.
Well, to that I would answer, if you cannot find the courage to even dream of having the kind of life that truly inspired and excited you, then there’s a snowballs chance in hell that you will ever be able to actually have it. The fact is you have all the courage you need inside you to not only dream inspiring dreams but to step into action toward making them a reality. If it weren’t in you in the first place, you wouldn’t be able to dream it!

So why resist? Because you’re scared it’s not possible for you and if you think about it, much less verbalize it to others or, shudder shudder, write it down, then you are making yourself vulnerable to the possibility of failure. That is, where will that leave you if it doesn’t all just ¡¥happen’ for you.

Well that is where choice comes into the picture. Your choice as to how you move forward toward your goal and whether you process the obstacles and setbacks along the way as ¡¥failures’ or permanent inadequacies on your part or, as what they are, obstacles and setbacks. Nothing more.

So, back to my original question: what goals could create in your life that would make your daily living not only more inspiring, but also more purposeful, more meaningful and a lot more fun? Whatever your answer, it doesn’t have to be anything that others would ooo aaahh over (but it might be!). All that matters is that it really makes you feel a deeper sense of purpose and excitement just thinking about it. It could be being anything that just touched you deeply. For example:n« being a better parent in which you’d make an effort to spend more 1:1 time being present for your children each day n« going back to study in a new discipline that has always fascinated you but which you’ve always had so many reasons which now wasn’t the right time (but if not now, then when?)n« leaving your uninspiring job/career/industry/business for one that excites youn« spending more time with special people in your life that you just haven’t made time for because having deeper and more intimate relationships with those people inspire you n« planning that vacation/adventure to some part of the globe that has always captivated you and starting saving toward it

Ultimately it could be anything under the sun. What it is that inspires you doesn’t have to inspire anyone else for what you are capable of doing and what you would enjoy doing is different to anyone else on the planet. In the words of Charles Gill, “There are many wonderful things that will never be done if you do not do them”

One of my dad’s favourite sayings is “You’re a long time dead”. As unpoetic as it is, you can’t argue with its truthfulness. As it does for me, I hope it gives you pause to ask yourself “what am I doing whilst I’m alive that makes me feel I’m making the most of what life has to offer and which fills my life with a deep sense of fulfillment and meaning?”

Remember if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got. If you choose to continue on in a job that you loathe, in a relationship that drains you or living a sedentary existence where the most exciting thing on your horizon is tonight’s rerun of Seinfeld, then go right ahead. Just know that whether you live a life that not only inspires you, but inspires those around you (and if you’ve got children, what greater gift can you give them?) is 110% your choice.

Robert Browning once said, “The aim, if reached or not, makes great the life”. Your choice to begin taking action toward goals that inspire you will make all the difference in the world to how you feel about yourself and your experience of living each day. Given that you’ve only got one shot at living the life you have, it seems an awful shame not to make the absolute most of your time, your energy, your talent and passion; to create a truly great life. The choice is yours to step out of your comfort zone or live a life of mediocrity. Make the courageous choice to set your sights on that which inspires your spirit and provides a path for you to become all you are capable of being.