Hello,
What's On My Mind is a weekly newsletter where I share some of my thoughts, stories, and ideas to raise awareness; enable personal growth; nourish an open mind; encourage self-discovery; and empowering myself and others with individual responsibility.
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity" - Martin Luther King, Jr.
I hope you find them of any use.
Inspiration & Motivation
"Where there is a will there is a way”, is an old saying that motivates and inspires us to work and stay committed to our lifetime goals. All of us need some motivation and inspiration at some point in time in life. Many people might think that these two disciplines are more or less the same thing, but they are entirely different concepts. While motivation is always from an external source in an external environment, inspiration comes from within.
Definition of motivation
Motivation is a psychological concept, which is described as a stimulus or force, that impels people to take an action. It is something that persuades people to behave and act in a particular way. It is also defined as the process of giving a reason to someone to do or achieve something. Motivation compels us to set our goals, on the basis of the things we feel we should be doing. It involves diverse forces such as psychological, biological, social, etc. that intensifies one’s emotions like needs, desires, hopes – stimulating them to take an action which will result in the achievement of a short-term goal.
Definition of inspiration
The term ‘inspiration’ simply refers to an influencing or arousing process that stimulates people mentally and emotionally, to do something creative or extraordinary. When someone really wants to do something different, the desire of doing it comes from within. The urge is based on the value system, beliefs, life experiences, preferences imaginations, aspirations and similar other sense that makes us feel better if we do or achieve it. In inspiration, you truly want something for which you have an enduring desire to achieve it, you are continually interested and committed to having it, you make time for it and makes it your priority. It is a spontaneous impulse.
Looking at these concepts as a coach you can say that motivation is used when you want people to act in a particular manner and act immediately, whereas inspiration is when people want to achieve something great, which will make them better than they are at present. It is easy to get people motivated by giving them a short-term goal or a motivational speech. Inspiration is different and to obtain it requires a different proces. Here are some tips I tell my clients to get the inspirational juices flowing.
Change your environment
Learn something new
Create a vision board
Get back to nature and observe
Visit your local bookstore
Try a new creative art form
Try meditating
Go beyond your comfort zone
Watch an inspiring TED talk or podcast
Sometimes to get inspired, you just need to start and try different things! Keep trying until it lights your inner spark.
Teachings & Insights
Tao Te Ching - 81
True words aren't eloquent;
eloquent words aren't true.
Wise men don't need to prove their point;
men who need to prove their point aren't wise.
The Master has no possessions.
The more he does for others, the happier he is.
The more he gives to others, the wealthier he is.
The Tao nourishes by not forcing.
By not dominating, the Master leads.
Video - Society and the anti-life ideology
Quote to contemplate
"Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle" - Lewis Carroll - Alice in Wonderland
Fundamentals - curiousity, thought, breath, water, nutrition, nature, rest, movement, relationships.
Pranayama is one of the main components of yoga. This is a breath regulation technique which promotes both mental and physical wellbeing. It can roughly be translated from Sanskrit (original language of the founders of yoga) as the “control of life energy”. Practically speaking, it is a set of breathing exercises and patterns. During this technique people control their inhalation and exhalation while following a specific sequence of breathing and holding of breath. Many people use pranayama not only as a part of yoga, but as an independent practice as well. Renewing and enhancing the connection between your mind and body is the main aim of this technique. Pranayama has a healing effect on your mind and body:
1. Promotes healthy and high quality sleep
2. Boosts your daily mindfulness
3. Helps to lower stress levels
4. Improves work of your body systems
5. Normalizes your mood and helps to maintain balance
It does have different styles, and so you can choose the one that will be the most suitable and effective for you. Below you can see a quite popular outline for pranayama breathing.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
You can practice it either in sitting or lying down position – choose which will be more comfortable for you. First, you should block your right nostril with your right thumb. Now inhale as much as you can through your left nostril. It is critical to inhale not as though into your chest but rather into your belly. Close your left nostril with the ring finger of the same hand. Release the right one and exhale through your right nostril. Inhale deeply through your right nostril, while keeping the left one closed. Repeat – block the right nostril again with your thumb, release the left one and exhale. In this way you return to the starting position. Start by repeating the cycle ten times and gradually increase this amount. Make sure to breathe slowly and deeply. When you get used to this exercise you can hold your breath for a moment after each exhale and each inhale. Don’t hurry and take your time until your body gets used to the new practice.
Podcast - Money, power and the collapse of empires
Did you know...
Most cigarette filters, the part that looks like white cotton, are actually made of plastic fibers (cellulose acetate) which can take up to 10 years to decompose!
Thank you for your spending your valuable time on reading this newsletter. Your support is much appreciated.
Self-awareness = self-learning = self-knowledge = self-healing = self-realization
Joey van Tilburg
