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Many people ask me how I find so many topics to write about.
Or
where I get my inspiration from. And I tell them it could be
from just about anywhere.
Those of you who read my articles closely may have noticed
that my ideas emerge from everyday
incidents - other articles,
videos, talks, my own conversations with
people
...just about anywhere.
Something somewhere strikes a chord and you decide to give it
expression. The question, then, is why do
you feel the need to
give it expression?
Giving expression is the ultimate end of the logical or
creative discovery process. But the process
itself is largely subconscious, built over a period of time.
I believe that we are all always looking for something. We are
seeking answers, trying to understand
the origin of things,
questioning creation, or simply wondering how
to enjoy and
celebrate life better.
Sometimes you train yourself to see things outside of you.
At other times, things that you didn't set out
to find come
to you naturally. When they do, you have no
choice but to
assimilate them and try to make sense of
them.
In all this seeking and questioning, you realise you have to
switch
on your light of reason every now and
then. Some
things
just need to be felt. Others require intellectual analysis.
Still
others simply dawn upon you.
For instance, you could be at a party, peacefully observing people,
listening to
conversations,
and absorbing the atmosphere, when
a certain understanding hits you...it's that
moment of knowing
...knowing
what's happening, understanding the group dynamics,
and
glimpsing a picture that only you can see.
You've reached an understanding with your own little
light
of knowledge within. All your previous knowledge
and
experience comes into play. They are moments
of
realisation.
But then there are times when a sharp focus on something you've
witnessed
has a much larger impact on your mind. It's almost like
bright
rays of light made visible certain angles of a topic or situation
that
you've been waiting to discover.
The important aspect though is to keep our eyes open and to focus
and
assimilate what that bright light brings forth. This then is
an
aha moment, when patterns and trends become clearer, when
you're
able to form links in your understanding, when you're able
to
back something by proof.
And once we have that aha moment, the next step is to bank on
our
skill. To merge our knowledge with our skill set.
To
incorporate our learnings into our lifestyle.
To
'experience' knowing, to live with those
ideas,
nurture them,
give them wings.
To
experiment with them, to write and delete, to construct and
destruct
as we go along.
As you keep your eyes open, mind open, heart open, and
allow
that external light to fall upon it ever so often,
moments of illumination will happen
again and again.
We will have soaked our ideas in the
light of reason and experience. We will be illuminated from within.
The next step then is to transfer this knowledge and experience for
the benefit of many more. To tell them what
you know, to help
enlighten them with your own experiences, to
see how you add
value, spread your own light.
When ideas have the ability to throw light on the lives of others,
to help eradicate the darkness of mind and spirit, to uplift
and
transform, that's when they become
inspiration.
Inspiration leads to action. It brings together all the
resources you have and knows no other
option but to
bring your ideas and thoughts to light,
through
whichever medium you know best.
As Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, said in a video: 'As soon as you
have that moment of clarity, you start to
manifest it, explicitly
and implicitly... And it's not in some New Age
way. It's very real.
It's a very real thing.'
I started out wanting to write about Diwali, a festival of lights
and illumination. But I would have probably
said the same story
of good over evil, lighting up your homes,
celebrating with loved
ones, etc.
The fact is that the story has to change. Illumination has to happen
within. It's not about lighting some exterior
lamp. Rather, it's about
lighting our minds and eradicating
the internal darkness and
ignorance.
How does this happen? By being aware, by being still,
by being in peace. By being receptive
to moments of illumination...by constantly lighting the lamp within.
Because the brighter your light shines, the more it will illuminate
and inspire others.
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