inspire

4 Ways to Find Inspiration Daily

As a writer and yoga teacher, I am constantly on the lookout for inspiration. I love watching people in creative yoga poses, passionate discussions with friends (using apps like the new Conversation Starters by Danielle Laporte) and sitting at cafes with large floor to ceiling windows to enjoy the view and people watch for the afternoon.

Inspiration is something I always need as I never want my well to run dry, so I’ve created a quick list of places we can find inspiration in a pinch.

1. Pinterest. My favorite place to draw in inspiration would be Pinterest! It is such a creative hub full of everything you could need. In the past few months I have used it to style my newly PINK and blonde hair, create a few fun vegetarian dishes for our family and grab fun quotes for my Facebook pages. I have also used it to create a bit more style in my life. As I LIVE and breathe in yoga pants, it’s nice to have a few “days off” outfits.

But here’s the trick my boho friends – some days you need to re-inspire yourself. This is when you need to look at your own pins. What inspired you weeks ago, or yesterday? Instead of constantly searching for the new, see if you can find some inspiration from a few days past. The same goes for old notebooks, blog posts or emails – check it all out and see what inspired you in the first place.

2. Get outside! In nature. In the city. By the ocean. People watch. Listen to others stories. Sit in an urban garden. Watch the stars. Hear the stillness of the lake or the crunch of the leaves underfoot. Tune in and be present to the world around you. Step away from your computer. Go LIVE, connect and breathe into each moment. Or as Emerson says in my favorite quote: “Live in the sunshine, Swim in the sea and Drink the wild air”

3. Write a bucket list. This is one of my favorite things to do! I LOVE writing lists and do so for everything: to-do lists, Core Desired Feelings, a themed word for my year ahead, seasonal goals and intentions etc. I am constantly finding inspiration by plotting out what it is I want to do and how I want to create a life I love. By digging deep every few weeks or months, I am able to connect to how I want to feel and what it is I truly want in life.

The biggest key here is visibility. I always use a beautiful card each year and create a list of fun goals, intentions, to-dos and wishes. I place this card on my desk at work, or my meditation altar in order to see it all the time! This is why I choose a beautiful card; it’s something I want to view often to connect with my own inspiration and intentions.

4. Go on a date. You can go on a date by yourself or with a loved one. If you’re alone, bring your notebook. Record musings of your day, conversations you’ve overheard and drops of the chai tea you let loose over your thoughts. If you’re with a friend get creative: think outside the box, bring along that same notebook and make some BIG plans. Instagram your delicious lattes and promise one another that you have #bigthingsbrewing. Dream big and then talk about those dreams OUT LOUD. If you’re out with your honey, do something unique. Go pumpkin picking. Explore Six Flags in the fall. Drink lattes after a late night movie. Watch the stars as you hold hands and fall back in love.

Your life is truly yours to live. You get to choose whether you want to snuggle in with a delicious mug of chai and use Pinterest for hours on end, or if you’d like to explore the world as you watch it spin around you. Get out there boho babe and CREATE inspiration by being you. Live life out loud, have FUN, connect, breathe and play.

Jenny Ravikumar is a yoga teacher, blogger and studio owner of Barefoot Yoga Shala. As a teacher and self-proclaimed boho mermaid, Jenny has been bringing her yoga lifestyle knowledge to the online world for years through her blog, jennyravikumar.com. She specializes in helping women dig deeply into self-love & care, while also explaining yoga philosophy and love on her blog and through her courses/private online groups. You can catch her teaching 6 days a week in Massachusetts or pouring love all over the internet 24 hours a day.

Five Ways to Turn Your Dream into a Reality

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1. Get Clear. Whose dream are you chasing? Is it really yours? Or something your mother/father/society expects of you? Understand that whatever dream you’re chasing is actually a desire to feel a certain way. How do you want to feel? An excellent tool to discover and embody these feelings is The Desire Map. Once you’re clear on how you want to feel, you’ll be best poised to pursue the dreams that truly matter.

2. Start Before You’re Ready. Just begin. Perfectionism is on a continuum with procrastination. It’s much more important to have forward motion of any kind over waiting until all the pieces are lined up. Because, guess what? They’re never gonna line up. There will always be something that isn’t quite right, some bit that you don’t know how to do, some other task that’s competing for your attention (the dishes! The kids want dinner! Facebook!!) But your mantra is: “I’ll figure it out.”

3. Relax & Focus. Remember that on your deathbed, you won’t wish you had really spent more time working and less time being creative. At the same time, it’s helpful to know that in a thousand years it likely won’t matter, so there’s no need to take it all so seriously. Chronic stress — whether from a job, a relationship, or the inner critic that just won’t let you be — must be addressed. Commit to just 15 minutes per day of uninterrupted space to work on your dream.

4. Disappoint Some People. As most of us are busy people who tend to multitask, so finding the time to devote to a new project will almost always mean having to say no to other people’s agendas a lot more often. This can be very challenging, but it becomes easier with practice. My coach says one sign of success is saying no to cooler and cooler stuff. Haha! Remember that saying “no” to other people is really saying a much bigger “YES” to your dream.

5. Connect to Others. We live in the golden age of the Internet, and it’s easier than ever before to surround yourself with mentors, experts, and a tribe of people who are all blazing the same type of path as you. Seek out relationships on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Have conversations. Ask questions. Offer support. Collaborate with people. But do it choicefully. Allies can also be plants, animals, natural objects, tools and the Earth itself. Pay no mind to critics, and solicit feedback only from those who are in your arena, as Brene Brown has famously recommended. Read books. Immerse yourself in gratitude for all the tools and advantages we have that support the opportunity to make your dream a reality.

Rachael Rice is a writer, teacher, musician, and online art marketing maven. She’s devoted most of her life to teaching others how to move through fear and confusion into creative expression.