Category Archives: Daily Inspiration

A Description of Creativity

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When Einstein was asked how he made his great discoveries, he said, “by using the imagination.” Creativity, then, could be described as using the imagination to move forward. This is something that we all do, all the time. In other words, we are all creative.

There are two generally accepted forms of creativity:

1. Creating something from nothing

2. Giving a new character to something

Of the two, I personally prefer the second. ‘Giving birth’ to something is often too violent. I prefer to think of it as ‘giving life’ because the process is incremental. Creativity is most often slow work, even though an idea does sneak up on us every now and then. But in general, everything is based on something else. Very little is completely new. From the moment we are born, we are bombarded with experiences which ultimately inform our creativity.

Business as Creativity

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“I find business – it’s a cliche – absolutely as creative as anything. Business creates ideas. Around something as dry as a boardroom meeting there can be a confluence of ideas that creates and promotes more ideas.” – Terence Conran

Indeed, business is just as creative as songwriting, albeit not as personal. While the idea behind the business is often personal, the business plan itself is not.

Low Expectations

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expectations

“Nobody rises to low expectations.” – Calvin Lloyd

The Dreamers and Visionaries

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“The visionaries and dreamers of the world are the driving force behind it. These are the inventors, artists, philosophers, educators, business people, designers, scientists, leaders, and so on…

The world lives in their ideas and ways and it cannot let their ideas die fruitlessly.

The world is beautiful because of the dreamers and visionaries.”

–I am Wealth. I am Abundance. I am Joy. 

The Calm Within the Storm

Posted on by under Christian Spirituality, Daily Inspiration

I received this message in my email recently and was quite touched by it. Wanted to share it here in hopes that it might touch some of you as well.

The Psalmist wrote, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” PS 55:6

dove

Have you ever felt that way? Sorry, there’s no escape! Wherever you go — there you are!

Peace is “an inside job.”

Oceanographers tell us that even the worst ocean storms rarely extend more than twenty-five feet below the surface. Gales can rip the ocean, causing tidal waves one hundred feet high, but just twenty-five feet below the surface the water is as calm as a pond.

storm

The point is this: The only place you’ll ever find peace in the midst of life’s storms, is through an in-depth experience with God.

Korean Christians have a saying: “We’re just like nails. The harder you hit us, the deeper you drive us; and the deeper you drive us, the more peaceful it becomes!”

hammer nail

Part of God’s purpose in allowing the storms of life to blow, is to drive us deeper. Deeper into dependence on Him and deeper into relationship with Him.

Someone said, “God takes life’s broken pieces and gives us unbroken peace.” When you focus on the God who never meets a problem He can’t solve, instead of focusing on the problem you can’t solve, you’ll experience in-depth peace. And you’ll carry that peace with you wherever you go. Others will notice it and seek your advice when they too face trouble.

You see, when you know that the God within you reigns above you, you won’t succumb to what’s around you.

Dream Big

Posted on by under Daily Inspiration, Quotes

“Dream big. Hold the dream high enough, consistently enough, and the dream must manifest into form, by law. By universal law, it cannot fail to do so. Do not worry about how. It is all taken care of for you as long as you do your part of thinking, acting, speaking, and being in accordance with that dream. Just dream, visualize, and then start doing something. Do the next thing that you feel you should do in accordance to that dream, and keep on moving. The little that you do triggers something else that you had not foreseen and on and on this goes until it completes.” –I am Wealth, I am Abundance, I am Joy

Whom Shall I Fear?

Posted on by under Christian Spirituality, Daily Inspiration

Consider our most common fears. Almost always they revolve around an imagined future projection of our reality.
fear
The problem is, as we create this imaginary scenario and ponder the bad things that could happen, we forget to include God. Not only is this troublesome for us and hurtful to Him, but it’s also unrealistic. As our future stretches into eternity, there is not even one second of it in which God will be absent. Already, our fears are unfounded.

Fear doesn’t exist in the present moment, because that’s where God is. And with God, there is no fear. Therefore, we must do all we can to stay present and not be afraid.

When our mind begins to creep ahead of us, we must make the conscious effort to include God in our imagery of the future; helping us, strengthening us, encouraging us in all things. So that rather than being intimidated by tough times ahead of us, we will see them as the wondrous adventures that they are- times that God and us will get through together.

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Always Do Your Best

Posted on by under Daily Inspiration, How To/Advice

It’s a guiding life principle with which we’re all familiar: Always do your best.

Of course, your best is a fluid concept. It will be different, for example, after a sleepless night than when you wake up refreshed and energized. The idea is to do your best every day, no matter the quality of it.

But this seems a somewhat daunting task, doesn’t it? I mean, to always do your best feels like an awful lot of pressure.

What if we starting looking at our life through the lens of moments, rather than days?

In this case, we need only do our best in this very moment. Now that doesn’t seem too hard, does it?

If we can commit to doing our best in this moment, that act alone will inherently put us in the best place for the next moment. And on it goes…

Self-Acceptance

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Self-acceptance is a way of viewing oneself compassionately, without condemning or justifying yourself. It is the starting point in life that opens the door to all other things.
Open-Door

Interpersonal Issues

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relationship issues
It’s easy when we’re having interpersonal problems (and how often are our problems not interpersonal?!) to look for someone to blame.

Sometimes we blame ourselves and nearly drown in guilt that may or may not be warranted. Sometimes we blame the other person, searching for flaws, being quick to point out what we find, and often creating an even bigger issue than the original one.

But what if we took a new approach to our many interpersonal issues? What if we stopped brooding over them and instead began to praise God for them?

Interpersonal issues reveal our weak spots, as well as our strengths. They present an opportunity to pause in awe of the delicate patterns which God has woven into our very existence. They ask us to look with wonder at the detail with which each person is carefully crafted; differences, imperfections, all of it.

Rather than trying to “fix” each other, we can instead marvel at just how complicated a species we are, and praise God because He is good and gives us grace.