Living an Inspired Life Read online

  To this day, whenever I see Renée in a movie or an interview, I recall the extraordinary, gentle kindness that she displayed toward everyone who approached her, and it inspires me. My moment or two of extending service to her was a gift to me, not because she’s a celebrity, but because of that dual reward of being in-Spirit.

  Gratitude Inspires Others

  Without exception, I begin every day of my life with an expression of gratitude. As I look in the mirror to begin my daily ritual of shaving, I say, “Thank you, God, for life, for my body, for my family and loved ones, for this day, and for the opportunity to be of service. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  If we practice gratitude as opposed to maintaining an attitude of entitlement, we’ll automatically extend inspiration wherever we go. Being grateful helps remove the influence of our ego, which is certain that we’re better than everyone else. An attitude of gratitude allows us to adopt what’s called “radical humility,” a trait that’s very persuasive in helping others feel inspired.

  Most of the people I’ve met or observed who are at the top levels in their chosen fields have these attitudes of gratitude and radical humility. After all, when so many high achievers reach for their statuette or championship trophy, they say, “First I’d like to thank God.” It’s almost as if they can’t help themselves—they’re so grateful for their accolade, but even more than that, they know that there’s a Force in the Universe way bigger than they are that allows them to act, sing, write, compete, or design. And if we adopt this kind of an attitude, we’ll inspire others. It’s that simple.

  Pomposity, on the other hand, will never inspire anyone. When we encounter someone who brags and uses the pronoun I excessively, we’ll find that we want to get away from them as quickly as possible. Vanity, conceit, and boasting are all signs that a person has edged God out of the picture.

  Gratitude and humility, on the other hand, send signals to all who meet and greet us that we’re all connected to something larger than life itself. This reminds me of the wisdom I discovered many years ago reading the Kena Upanishad: “At whose bequest does the mind think? Who bids the body live? Who makes the tongue speak? Who is the effulgent Being that directs eye to form and color, and the ear to sound?” When we know the answer to these questions, we not only become inspiring beings to others, we also gain immortality.

  Generosity Inspires Others

  It doesn’t matter if we call It God, Krishna, Atman, Allah, the Universal Mind, Ra, Yahweh, or even Anna or Fred—I think we’d all agree that the All-Creating Source of Everything is the most generous Being there is. Along with life itself, It offers us unending abundance in the form of air, water, lungs, heart, kidneys, liver, and all we need to sustain life. On just this one tiny planet hurtling through space, Whatever Name We Want to Call It provides the ability to feed all of us and dispose of all of our waste, which then gets used to fertilize new life—and then repeats the process over and over again. . . . And remember, this is only one planet in an endless Universe of heavenly bodies. Talk about benevolence!

  Generosity is obviously one of the ways to be more God-like. I know that I’m inspired when I see evidence of it on the part of others. Very often it’s manifested during or following times of crisis, almost as if God gets our attention and reminds us to be more like Him when we face devastating circumstances. A tsunami diverts our aircraft carriers away from killing each other and into a zone where food and shelter are offered; an earthquake motivates us to risk our own lives to save strangers who days before were called enemies; and hurricanes bring out the best in us. Such so-called disasters lead us to the inherent God-like generosity that’s latent within all of us. However, we don’t need a crisis to remind ourselves to give—we only need to be in-Spirit to be reminded of the joy of donating our energy, time, and possessions to others.

  For example, my brother Jim and my sister-in-law Marilyn are inspiring because of the time they give to our mother. Days spent going to movies and playing Scrabble are more than just entertaining activities—they’re inspiration in action because Jim and Marilyn are giving their time to lovingly be with a person who lives alone. While I’ve been blessed to be able to give to Mother financially, they’ve been blessed to give of their time.

  Generous actions are always inspirational if we just spend a few seconds to notice and appreciate them. The message is that we must give whatever it is we have that will benefit others. It’s how our Creator conducts Itself—always giving and providing. When we emulate our Creator by giving, we become sources of inspiration to others.

  When Oprah Winfrey visited Africa and vowed to give all that she could, including money and time, to help eradicate the poverty and disease of that continent, she inspired me and millions of others. When she said, “Now I know why I have been given so much. Now I know why,” I also began saying to myself, “Now I know why I’ve had so many financial blessings. I feel so grateful for all that has come my way that giving back seems to be the only avenue available.”

  I was inspired by the generosity of a woman I’ve known for many years, who also came from an impoverished background, to set up a scholarship fund at my alma mater, Wayne State University. Oprah’s philanthropy inspired me, and I hope that I in turn will inspire young people to do the same with their lives. Think of the incredible good that would come if people who read this book also became inspired to give. Of course we don’t have to be wealthy to give, but we might need to remember this: If we’re not generous when it’s difficult, we won’t be generous when it’s easy.

  Listening Inspires Others

  As ironic as it may sound, we’re far more inspiring to others when we’re willing to listen than when we’re giving them advice. That’s because conveying to others that we value what they have to say is a way of demonstrating that we care. It’s a way of being inspiring, a way of listening like God. People who find it difficult to listen to another person without bringing the conversation back to themselves are convinced by their ego of their self-importance. And as you’re well aware by now, that ego is an illusion that’s convinced us to pay attention to a false self.

  There’s no higher compliment than to be told we’re a good listener. Everyone loves a good listener largely because it makes them feel loved, cared for, and worthy of being heard. When we leave any encounter where we feel we’ve been heard, even if we know the listener strongly disagreed with us, we’re still inspired. Why? Because for a few moments the listener has emulated what it feels like when we pray. In deep prayer, we’re not looking for the resolution of conflict or answers falling from the sky; we just want to feel as if we’re in contact with someone who cares enough to hear us out.

  This brings to mind something Mohandas Gandhi, one of the truly inspirational beings of our time, once said: “Silence of the sewn up lips is no silence. One may achieve the same result by chopping off one’s tongue, but that too would not be silence. He is truly silent who, having the capacity to speak, utters no idle word . . .”

  In addition, these words from Ralph Waldo Emerson have always reminded me to be a listener: “I like the silent church, before the service begins, better than the preaching.” It’s a good idea to keep this in mind if we wish to be a source of inspiration.

  Being at Peace Inspires Others

  Lecturing or demanding that others live peacefully is one of the least effective ways to inspire them; however, when we simply demonstrate that we’re living peacefully, we offer other people a large dose of inspiration by our mere presence.

  During my first encounter with Swami Satchidananda, for instance, he emitted such an aura of peacefulness that I felt inspired by merely standing next to him. It would have been impossible for me to feel anything other than peace in his midst. That day I purchased his wonderful book, Beyond Words, and on page 21 was given an inkling as to why I felt so inspired merely by being in his company: “If anybody asks me, ‘What is your philosophy of God?’ I say, ‘Peace is my God.’ If they ask, ‘Where is
He?’ I reply, ‘He is in me and He is everywhere. He is all peaceful; He is all serenity. He is to be felt and experienced within oneself.’”

  Being at peace with ourselves is a way of going through life eschewing conflict and confrontation. When we’re in a state of tranquility, we actually send out a vibration of energy that impacts all living creatures, including plants, animals, and all people (even babies). And, of course, the reverse applies as well: Belligerent individuals who live in turmoil and revel in hostile encounters send out nonverbal energy that adversely impacts those around them. The immediate impulse is to remove ourselves from these low-energy, nonpeaceful people because sticking around means tension and a lowering of our energy. Moreover, we become a counterforce to what we’re experiencing, meaning that we become angry at their anger and arrogant toward their arrogance.

  Practicing a peaceful approach to our life on Earth is a way of returning to where we came from. At the same time, it’s a powerful source of inspiration to all living creatures.

  Living Passionately Inspires Others

  Did you know that the word enthusiasm originated from the Greek language, signifying “the God within us”? By definition, then, living our passion is the way to convey to others how to be in-Spirit. Being excited about life is infectious—it rubs off on others and is wonderfully inspiring. I’m reminded of a recent whale-watching trip I took, where I observed a young woman I know named Beth as she spoke to a group of people about humpback whales. Her enthusiasm was palpable to the entire group aboard the boat, and the more passion she displayed, the more she seemed to inspire her audience. I’ve been aboard other boats and seen the impact of guides who merely go through the motions: People in this low-energy environment don’t leave the experience feeling inspired.

  Beth, on the other hand, feels a passion that she conveys to others every single day during the whale-mating season. Every day! You see, she studied marine biology in college and has always been fascinated by humpback whales and their amazing ability to travel between Alaska and Hawaii, to go six months without eating, to give birth in warm waters, and then navigate to cold waters on the return. For Beth, these whales are a part of God’s mysterious, miraculous creation. She’s living her passion, and she inspires others by her enthusiastic way of being. In fact, everyone in this vicinity knows that expeditions with Beth are almost a guarantee that you’ll not only get to see the whales, but that they’ll dance and breach and even swim under the boat for you. It’s as if the whales themselves are inspired by Beth’s excitement!

  When we’re enthusiastically living our passion, whatever it may be, we transmit spiritual signals to those around us that we’re in-Spirit, loving who we are, what we came here to be, and whoever comes into our field of vision.

  Truth Inspires Others

  Finally, and perhaps most urgently, we need to live and breathe truth because nothing inspires other people more than being in its energy field. Years ago I wrote an article called “Who Do You Trust?” in which I explained that the trust issue rests on who we seek out when we want truth. Are we drawn to those who’ll tell us what we want to hear or those who are unafraid to be honest with us, even if it might be unpleasant or difficult for us to hear? The answer is obvious: We prefer to hear the truth.

  Honesty is a necessity if we’re ever to live in harmony with Spirit and become a source of inspiration for others as well. When we shade the truth, a part of our brain registers this incongruity—it shows up as a disconnect from God, and we’re out of balance. Our body reacts by becoming weaker in the face of any falsehood, including our attachment to the false self known as ego. As we practice living and speaking from our truth without being hurtful or arrogant in any way, we reconnect with the energy we emanated from in the first place.

  In kinesiology there’s a procedure called muscle testing, where the body is used as a veritable lie detector. In other words, if a person isn’t telling the truth, their muscles are weaker than when they’re answering honestly. They can’t hold their arm up or their fingers together against applied pressure when they’re thinking a falsehood; yet when they shift to a truthful thought, with the same pressure applied, they’re able to withstand the same force. Try it, and you’ll be amazed. It turns out that experimenters have discovered that the body, an instrument of God’s creation, is stronger when it’s directed by honesty. Since Spirit creates only out of truth, a thought of truth is in harmony with God’s truth. (The entire procedural blueprint, along with instructions on how to use the body as a “lie detector,” is readily explained in Power vs. Force, written by David Hawkins and published by Hay House.)

  So let’s remember truth as a means for inspiring each other. We must be unafraid to live and speak our truth—think how inspiring we’d all be for each other if honesty was a prominent feature of our interactions. By demonstrating 100 percent commitment to truth, with no exceptions, we send out a signal that we’re in accord with our Source, and we’ll do more to inspire others to live and breathe from their own truth than a thousand readings of the Ten Commandments or any other written document.

  Truth and God are one. We don’t have to preach it, only live it—by doing so, we’ll radiate it to everyone we come into contact with. As an ancient Hindu saying reminds us, “The name of God is truth.”

  Some Suggestions for Putting the Ideas in This Chapter to Work for You

  — Work on becoming more peaceful, and start noticing how you’re perceived by others. Practice daily meditation to become more peaceful, and then watch as others who previously engaged you in confrontation are less inclined in that direction. Decide for yourself that you’re an emissary of peace and that that’s precisely the energy you’re going to radiate wherever you go. By lifting your thoughts upward so that they resonate with the peace that divines your origination, you’ll automatically become a person who inspires others to do the same, without having to adopt any new strategies and with an absence of “effort” on your part.

  — Actively work at reducing your inclinations to interrupt others with an I reference in conversations. Just “stifle yourself,” as Archie Bunker used to say. Make a concerted effort to be silent when you’re about to interrupt. See the words stifle yourself flash on your inner screen, and remind yourself at that moment that you inspire by listening and encouraging, not by self-reference or sermonizing.

  — Before speaking, consult your inner “truth barometer” and resist the temptation to tell people what they want to hear if that feels untrue to you. People do respect those who are willing to speak their truth, and even more, to live the truth they feel. When I write an article, for instance, I know precisely who to show it to for comments if I want a guaranteed set of compliments to come my way—but I also know who’s unafraid to come from their truth, and this is where I seek feedback. Not that someone else’s truth will automatically match up with mine, but at least I’m hearing from a person who lives and speaks from their own inner fidelity. This kind of person inspires me by being aligned with our place of origin, which is, of course, pure honesty. You can be this inspiring kind of a person by abandoning your need for approval and replacing it with authenticity and integrity.

  — Let everyone you meet know that there’s one thing about you that isn’t up for discussion: You are going to live your passion, and there’s absolutely no room for compromise on this point. Carry yourself proudly and show your enthusiasm in all of your waking hours. Be passionate about all of your activities, and keep reminding yourself that you will never elect apathy or ennui. Never! By refusing to concede this point, you’ll become a model for others to live out their lives in-Spirit.

  When I speak to audiences, I’m always aware that by my being in-Spirit and conveying this vibration to them, I’m offering everyone there an opportunity to do the same for themselves. When beginning speakers ask me for advice on how to become an in-demand lecturer, my answer is always the same: “Talk from your heart authentically and be enthusiastic.” Passionate, truthful commun
ication is always inspiring.

  — Practice being generous as often as you can. Promise yourself to extend some kind of unexpected generosity to someone, preferably a stranger, every single day for two weeks. This will not only help you develop a habit of giving, but you’ll also discover how wonderfully inspiring your generous nature feels. The more you practice being charitable, the more you’ll impact others in an inspiring way. By letting others know that you’re willing to give of your time as well as your possessions, you’ll serve as an inspirational model. Who isn’t inspired by those who’re willing to share their time, money, and possessions? We name cities (San Francisco) for such people and we nominate them (Mother Teresa) for sainthood . . . you too can inspire by being a benevolent soul.

  Also practice tithing (giving 10 percent of what you earn in a given period to support teaching that provides you with spiritual uplift) and see if it doesn’t return to you tenfold. This has worked for me my entire life, and continues as I practice my natural instinct to be generous.

  In an exceptionally inspiring book titled Season of Life, Jeffrey Marx, a Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, chronicles a high school football team in which a former player with the Baltimore Colts named Joe Ehrmann is on the coaching staff. His coaching philosophy is to “help boys become men within the context of sports”—that is, without threats, screaming, or violence.

  “I expect greatness out of you,” the team’s head coach tells his players, “and the way we measure greatness is the impact you make on other people’s lives.” As the ten coaches and assistant coaches huddle with the team on game day, one of them asks, “What is our job?” “To love us!” the team yells back in unison. “And what is your job?” the coach asks. “To love each other,” the team responds. This is the philosophy that these boys were exposed to every day—at practice, on the field, and during and after the games—and so it goes for all of us who wish to inspire others. We must love all others and teach them to love each other. After all, in the Talmud we’re told that “God said: you must teach, as I taught, without a fee . . .”