Inspiration, The Dream Thieves, and You

Inspiration.

It comes from Latin inspirare ‘breathe or blow into’ from in- ‘into’ + spirare ‘breathe’. 

The word was originally used of a divine or supernatural being, in the sense ‘impart a truth or idea to someone.’

We have all at some point in our lives been inspired by a speaker, a leader, an artist, or musician.

When you listen to a singer or musical artist you often will close your eyes and “breathe in,” your favorite song.

If you are a fan of Andrea Bocelli for example, you can feel your soul inhale the inspiration from his voice.

You view majestic scenery like the Swiss Alps, Grand Canyon, or the Eiffel Tower and at that moment they are alive and breathe into you a feeling that “takes your breath away.”

This is the inhale of inspiration.

Your Ability to Inspire:

Did you ever stop to consider that you inspire others?

It’s true.

We are however, conditioned to feel inspiration from the outside.

And because of this, you may not use this description of "inspiring" to describe many of your friends and family.

You might say, “Well you know, I have a couple of friends who are truly inspiring. I call them or have a coffee with them when I know I need a lift.”

I am sure we all have friends, family, or colleagues like this.

But you know, if you take a look back when you were a child I am quite sure you inspired your parents, yes?

And not because you were cute or adorable.

You could have finger painted a picture and they were inspired.

You could have played the piano and it didn’t  matter that you hit a wrong key, you inspired them.

When you said you wanted to be an astronaut or a ballerina, trust me, they did not relegate this to you just having childish dreams.

I can tell you having raised two kids, that what you saw or even better yet, what you inhaled from your kids made your heart warm. 

It reaffirmed your basic knowingness that if there is truth to the derivation of the word inspire being “from the breath of God,” your children were truly this.

What Happened to Your Own Inspiration?

So, what happened after the talent shows as a dancer in the 7th grade or the big dreams to be a professional baseball player?

The very seeds of those dreams were created by your own inspiration.

And yes, most likely inspired by others.

JFK. Billy Graham. Anna Pavlova. John Glenn. Martin Luther King Jr.

When you exhale or give life to another or others, unfortunately there will be a few, that just don’t like the way “you breathe,” if you will.

I was in grade school at recess when the news of the John F. Kennedy assassination came out.

Talk about taking your breath away.

It stopped my breath like I’d been shot as well.

There are others who actually are dream killers or inspiration thieves that covertly imply that you, “Are foolish to chase such things.”

But see, it’s never overt.

They never tell you directly.

Their attitude toward your dream or what inspires you comes across with a wry smile and a raised eyebrow.

While they look right at you, they insert their dream killer blade into the spine of your soul.

Like the bullet that killed Kennedy, it seemingly comes out of nowhere, but there’s no question you know you’ve been hit.

And how do you know you’ve been hit?

Simple.

You inhale but hold your breath.

The only perception you have is your heart hammering on the inside of your rib cage.

You feel your heart pounding all the way up to and through your ear canal.

Because blood is pumping in to alert you to the sound of the bullet entering and exiting your soul.

Your eyesight is heightened.

Your adrenaline is a speed train with no brakes.

You look over at your “friend” or “colleague” and everything just went into slow motion.

He or she is “smiling.”

But it’s the smile of someone that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. 

You feel the intruder because shockingly he or she is standing right in front you.

And while your attention is riveted on them, your body is conditioned to respond to threats to survival.

An “ALL SYSTEMS ALERT” is flashing internally.

WARNING: THERE IS AN INTRUDER. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

The really eerie thing is they know when they fired their bullet.

They know exactly when they inserted their knife.

Because bullets and knives whether verbal or real have a deep, deep fingerprint on our soul.

Every single cell in your body goes on DEFCON 1 alert .

But we have evolved.

When we hear a word or even remotely get the feeling we’re under attack we know, as James T. Kirk would say to, “Put your tasers on stun.”

When John F. Kennedy rode through Dallas on his motorcade in November of 1963, he had the very inspiration and dreams he envisioned blown out of him before he knew what hit him.

But see, it didn’t just happen to JFK.

It happened to all of us collectively.

When you are inspired by another or others, you feel the breath taken out of you when it leaves their soul.

The same happened with Martin Luther King Jr.

Inspirational beyond a doubt.

He even came right out and said, “I have a dream...”

And when was the last time you heard a real inspiring leader?

Martin Luther King Jr.?

Billy Graham?

There are many inspirational leaders and speakers out there, but my point is this.

What happened to your own ability to inspire?

Was there a "shot" that rang out in your life? 

Or possibly several over time?

The truth is even if you have not fulfilled a childhood dream or goal, you still inspire people today.

You may not think about it in these terms.

But I’m bringing it to light here because the world and the people around you need you to breathe into it and them your own inspiration.

You inspire your husband when you come up to him while he’s working, kiss him tenderly, and tell him you admire him.

You inspire your wife when you hug her, tell her she looks beautiful, and that she’s the best thing that has ever happened to you.

What?

Haven’t done this in awhile?

Because you think he or she "knows it already?"

If Billy Graham knew people believed in the scriptures he wouldn't have done over 400 crusades in 185 different countries across six continents.

That man kept breathing inspiration like nobody's business.

Billy Graham knew that people needed to be inspired.

He also knew the Devil and those who would seek to push drugs or some other agenda on his congregation would be there after his sermon, doing what people do who hide in grassy knolls.

Listen.

Life has a soul of its own.

It also has a heartbeat.

You and I are filled with this Life and everyone of us can take a bullet and not let a soul know it almost stopped us in our tracks.

Inspiration has almost been banished by those who wish to steal the elan vital that is the very substance of every dream or goal that you have had as far back as you can remember. 

You don’t see inspirational leaders standing on balconies preaching pure truth and not politics anymore.

And open air motorcades are the thing of the past.

Your Inspiration Counts:

Have you ever said something to your son or daughter or spouse with the intention to imbue them with your own inspiration?

You know what happens when you do this?

They tell you in a Mother's’ Day Card or a Father’s Day card or on your birthday that it is you and your love and inspiration that has made a difference in their lives.

All of us have received cards like this.

They include a note written in their own handwriting inside the card.

And these handwritten take your breath away cards don't necessarily come that often.

But when you do get them they make you inhale with tears in your  eyes. 

Why?

Because they took that breath of life from you and while inhaling your love and inspiration, they exhaled it right back to you.

And you know what you do with those kind of cards?

Yep.

You keep them in shoebox or scrapbook in your closet.

Because they are not cards.

They are Life itself.

Continue to Inspire:

When you tell your son or daughter something positive and they give you a shoulder shrug and a short, “Thanks,” do not discount what in truth your inspiration does for them.

The reason why they give you a shoulder shrug and a short “Thank you,” is because they too are inhaling and holding their breath.

With as many dream thieves in their own environment, they are for this brief moment acutely aware that what you just breathed into them was in fact something extraordinary.

It was the breath of Life from you.

And when you’ve been married awhile and you let things go a bit too much on automatic pilot, remember this:

Automatic pilot has no life in it.

Autopilot is not “Life Pilot.”

They fly 747’s on autopilot.

But that’s not flying a 747.

Flying a jetliner or creating a relationship requires the very divine in you to make it fly.

So never lose sight of the fact of how powerful and uplifting it is to your partner, friend, or family member when you take a moment to inspire them and tell them how much you appreciate them.

Yes, they will look at you a bit like your teen.

Like, “What brought this about?”

And that reaction is because the rarified air that comes from your soul is indeed unique.

And what did bring this about?

It was simply you breathing more of the breath of life into those you know and love so inspiration and their dreams see the light of day.

Everyday.

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