How To Get Inspired

“If we look at the world with a love of life, the world will reveal its beauty to us.” ~Daisaku Ikeda

We all want to feel moved, and then to use that to create love, joy, passion, and purpose.

If you’ve been feeling stuck or uninspired, these ideas may help you find inspiration:

Find Inspiration in Nature

1. Go for a walk in nature, practice mindfulness, and lose track of time for a while.

2. Meditate or practice yoga in a nearby park.

3. Watch children playing at the park then make a point to carry their spirit with you throughout the day.

4. Watch your cat or dog in nature and try to emulate your pet’s mindfulness and playfulness.

5. Take a camera outside and photograph everything that looks beautiful to you.

6. Practice deep breathing while listening to nature sounds.

7. Draw or paint a scene outside your window.

8. Watch Planet Earth DVDs to experience beauty of the oceans, forests, jungles, Great Plains, and caves.

9. Get lost in nature photos online.

10. Spend some time contemplating nature-based art.

Find Inspiration on the Web

11. Watch a TED video to learn about inspiring ideas.

12. Search for tweets with the hashtag #inspiration using the Twitter search functionality.

13. Post an inspiring video, like Validation or The Tutu Project. Then be an active part of the conversation in the comments.

14. Read blogs written by people who have overcome adversity.

15. Join a forum of people who can relate to your challenges.

16. Browse through inspirational quotes on Tiny Buddha.

17. Share yourself vulnerably and authentically in a blog post—give inspiration to receive it.

18. Learn about ways to change the world through social media.

19. Watch 40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes.

20. Search Facebook for new inspirational pages to follow.

Find Inspiration in Possibilities

21. Try something you’ve always assumed you can’t do but secretly wanted to try.

22. Teach someone to do something and tap into your potential as a leader.

23. Immerse yourself in learning something new and allow yourself to forget about the limitations of time.

24. Write a bucket list of all the things you’d like to do in your lifetime.

25. Create a vision board with pictures of all of those things.

26. Brainstorm for ideas for a new project.

27. Think about the challenges you face and identify possibly solutions.

28. Submit your resume for a dream job instead of assuming you can’t get it.

29. Attend a conference or retreat to connect with like-minded people.

30. Read 50 Ways to Open Your World to New Possibilities and pick one to try today.

Find Inspiration in People

31. Ask someone you love what they consider to be the most important thing they’ve ever learned.

32. Ask everyone you see today what they’re grateful for.

33. Ask someone to tell you about the thing they love the most in life, and watch how they light up sharing their passion.

34. Ask your parents to tell you what you were like as a child, and remember what mattered to you then.

35. Notice what matters to someone and focus solely on how they experience it.

36. Join an organization of people making a positive difference in the world.

37. Read an autobiography by someone who has marched to the beat of their own drummer.

38. Listen to music that moves you and think about what the songwriter felt when s/he wrote it.

39. Make a list of all the ways your friends and family members are your heroes. Odds are, there’s a lot of inspiration around you already.

40. Spend time with children and see the world through their eyes.

Find Inspiration in Yourself

41. Disconnect for a while and write in a journal.

42. Make today the day you embrace a new healthy habit that can change your life for the better.

43. Give yourself a pressure-free day with nothing to do except the things you enjoy.

44. Try something new and revel in the sensation of stretching beyond your comfort zone.

45. Express yourself creatively in a way you never have before, by sculpting, for example, and see what comes in your mind and heart.

46. Enjoy something you created in the past—a blog post, a video, a drawing, or a project.

47. Sing in the shower. Put your heart into and release your feelings through music.

48. Recognize in yourself the strengths you see in other people.

49. Make a conscious decision to let go of something that doesn’t serve you.

50. Reflect on everything you’ve learned and accomplished and how you’ve made a positive difference in the world.

What inspired you today?

Struggle with Letting Go

The phrase “let it go” used to really irritate me because I didn’t know what it meant or exactly how to do it. And there are times when I still struggle with it a lot. I thought I have been freed but not until I made decision myself last week, I think I wouldn't be free.

That’s some serious let go if you’ve never experienced it.

But the kind of letting go that involves a conscious choice versus a physical action, can be extremely challenging and scary. It can also be painful as hell if it’s not something you’re ready to do: especially if your heart and mind are singing two different songs.

Letting go in this sense is releasing all doubt, worry, and fear about a situation, person or outcome.

It’s releasing anything that disrupts your happiness and no longer serves you on your journey.

Letting go is a choice to decide that you will no longer ruminate on things that are out of your control, and focus on what you can control, instead.

Letting go creates space for fresh beginnings: stripping you of what happened yesterday, and enabling the doors of brand new opportunities to open today.

Letting go is about accepting what is happening right now and not worrying about what will come up tomorrow.

It involves much more than just saying you have let go. It’s an internal process that must happen for you to truly feel better and get on with life in a healthy way.

Last week, when I really had a hard time letting go and separating between what's on my mind and what I really feel, I finally decided to just visit a psychologist. Even though I knew the answer on my mind, I think I might need a closure, just a word from her to really treat my wound, anxiety, curiosity, anger and also fears.

What surprises me is that she could really understand what I feel. I know exactly that this cannot be considered as closure from him. But she told me, that things could work if you force it to happen. But what's the point of forcing something into your way? Do you want to make effort for the relationship when it is you, the one, who make the one-sided effort?

That's when I realize, what was the reason when I decided to turn back last time?
It was because out of my character. I do not want to chase someone just to make it work, but I am the one who lead the relationship and make effort to make it work. Never. I won't.
I believe relationship should be two sided and I want someone to really cherish me and our relationship.

That point really make me realize, that I really have to let go so that better things could come. I should really cut myself out of that unhealthy relationship and be on my own way.
Loving myself and understanding where I want to be.

That's when I feel calm and really happy for being free from the feelings.
It's not a complete closure I know, but I do not care anymore, because it's me who decides to leave, not him. It's me who choose to stay away from things that do not deserve my existence. And I really would like to thank my dear friend Hana & boss J who are by my side, supporting me to not giving up my life and believing that there would be more blessings in the coming days!

Cheers

Glaukoma: Slow Progress Disease

Today, I decided to run a check-up for my eyes after my last visit in 2015 at Klinik Mata Nusantara (KMN). I had such a long history with KMN since 2006 where I first came as their patient. This time, I thought it is only for a regular check up as I do not have any problems with my sight so far.

I met my old Doctor, Dr Soeharnila SpM, who is very glad to meet me after three years. I complained to her the first time I met her again, because the eye drop make my eyes feel a bit weird and explained to her about what I worry about but she ensured that everything is fine and my eyes are very good indeed since the degree of my minus is stable enough since 2015. 

Since I did a regular check up, she suggested me to take OCT scan because it seems the pressures in my eyes are a bit high, but she thought maybe it was because of high degree of myopia (minus lenses needed) . Because I have never taken one, I had my right eyes to be scanned and checked on the Pachymetry (thickness of the cornea) and Ophthalmoscopy (shape and color of the optic nerve). After they run a test, my Doctor found the pressures is indeed is high but can be compensated with the thickness of the cornea, but then she would like me to visit another Doctor who is specialized for glaucoma to be more specific and precise. 

I was very lazy to make an appointment for the other time so I had the second appointment straight away with Dr Martin Sondak, SpM. He is a very friendly doctor who is good at explaining about glaucoma. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases which result in damage to the optic nerve and permanent vision loss and is also categorized as a slow progressing disease. He said that based on my OCT scan, the first impression is that there is a little bit of suspicion for glaucoma. But there were so many tests to be run first before concluding it. 

Risk factors for glaucoma include increased pressure in the eye, a family history of the condition, and high blood pressure. But I had no family history for glaucoma and I have a low blood pressure. Usually, he explained for eye pressures a value of greater than 21 mmHg or 2.8 kPa is often used with higher pressures leading to a greater risk. However, some may have high eye pressure for years and never develop damage. Conversely, optic nerve damage may occur with normal pressure, known as normal-tension glaucoma.

So, he ran few tests on me, which is Tonometry (to check inner eye pressure through pressure applied by a puff of warm air or a tiny tool). Fyi, eye drops may be used to numb the eye. Gonioscopy (a hand-held contact lens with a mirror is placed gently on the eye to allow the examiner to see the angle between the cornea and the iris). He then put all together the pieces, saying the normal pressures for normal eyes is about 10-21 mmHg, which mine is around 14 and 15 for both eyes. 

But, since glaucoma is a slow progressing disease without any symptoms, so it is very difficult to say at this moment because we need to observe it for another 3-7 years from now. He suggested to take another OCT scan test for the left eye and also Perimetry (Visual Field Test) as the base data to observe in the coming years. And so after his suggestion, I took those tests (which is very tiring of course) and come back to him again. 

With those results in his hand, he said that the result for mine is very good, even better than normal eyes, which indicate very low risk for glaucoma, even though my OCT scan test has a suspicious shape to indicate the risk of glaucoma. But, it may be because the shape of my eyes normally is like that. He then checked on the thickness of my cornea and adjust the pressures in the eye, saying that after an adjustment compared with my cornea's thickness, the pressures is only 10 and 12 mmHg for both eyes, which lower number is even better. It is not a 100% free from the risk of glaucoma to be honest he said, but it is at least 99,...% is sure enough I had low risk for that. But, to be more precise, he suggested to take another check up a year after this check up. 

To be honest, I am pretty shocked to run those tests for glaucoma because I never thought there is a risk for that. I don't even know what Glaucoma is in the first place. The modern goals of glaucoma management are to avoid glaucomatous damage and nerve damage, and preserve visual field and total quality of life for patients, with minimal side-effects. Intraocular pressure can be lowered with medication, usually eye drops and medication. There are also alternatives like laser and surgery to minimize the intraocular pressures. But in my case, there is no treatment needed as of now. 

Thinking about that, I mean, I know this is just a saying, and hopefully everything is gonna be fine, but what if I had a vision loss, what would I do? Would someone even be there to accompany me later on when I got older? It is scary just to think about that. If I lost my vision, it would be like losing my life, no meaning when you couldn't even see anything. You can't even enjoy the beauty of this world. I had never imagine about me taking a screening for glaucoma, but those tests open my eyes, that precaution and early screening is very important. 

Glaucoma is very common disease after Cataract but does not have any cured. It can only be prevented so far and usually accounts for Asian & African. I just want to share about it, take a regular check up at the Doctor. We may think if we do not have any problems with our eyes, why is there a need to see ophthalmologists? 

But in cases like Glaucoma, there is no symptoms with daily activities because Glaucoma has been called the "silent thief of sight" because the loss of vision usually occurs slowly over a long period of time. Glaucoma can only be detected with screening (tests I've mentioned above) and check on the intraocular pressures as an indication in the first place.  But, if treated early it is possible to slow or stop the progression of disease with medication, laser treatment, or surgery. 

Values in Life

What is your value in life? Difficult question.

It takes me quite a while to really answer that question. Maybe it's even better to restate the question, what are you looking for in life and in what kind of situation you would like to live? What can you tolerate and what you cannot even compromise?

For me, I wish to be able to stay true to oneself. In the world full of opinions and judgment, being true to oneself is hard. There are so many platform, especially social media which can influence our life, either in positive and negative way. We tend to compare our lives with those we see in social media - which to be honest it is not entirely true. In the end, some of us lose ourself in the process of living a fulfilled life - trying to imitate the life in our ideal mind.

So, I would like to stay true being my own self and follow my heart - to learn how to find a healthy balance between listening to the world and listening to my own heart. I would like to stand strong to what I believe even though world is fighting against my belief.

I believe our purpose in life in the end is to find happiness and for me, happiness is not only a material kind of thing. Happiness is a state of mind. I wanna live this life without regrets, pursuing my dreams and have goals in life, which ultimately lead to a happy life. A happy life means I can have a peaceful life. But life is complicated and wishing to have a peaceful life without any problems is impossible. So I just wish to be able to stand up everytime I fall, being present in the moment and enjoy little things in life.

Ofcourse, I do not wish to see myself in the future working on something I don't like. I want to be financially free and be able to do what I am passionate about. To build a happy family and living life to the fullest. I do not wish to see myself in the future regreting the choice I didn't dare to take, like spending my youth working on something I do not like or do not even have time to appreciate myself by going extra miles to gain experience either by travelling or learning something new beyond my comfort zone or my boundaries.

I believe, I need to be able to live my life to the fullest and make use of my time wisely.

But, these days I've been wondering what kind of job I would like to do. Sometimes it pops up to me that I need to focus entirely on makeup job - pursuing what I really like, but to be honest, I still live in a reality, meaning, I cannot lose my 9am to 6pm job without any financial comfort. I do believe that money would come as long as you do your work passionately. That's what I believe - because at first, people would only pay me small amount for my makeup job, yet slowly, as I build my portfolio, there are few who believe in my skill. Yet, I cannot lose my job that pays well every month to my bank account stupidly. But when my corporate job seems difficult, the urge of resigning is too much to hold, but God arranges another path for me, which today I believe it makes sense to me that God really loves me. He always lead me to a better path which I couldn't imagine before.

So for now, I would just let God do what He wants with my life. Believing it will be beautiful in its time and stick to what I belive.

Today Only

Actually I've been wanting to write from months ago, but I end up delaying it day by day. Sometimes it's hard to start writting something. But today feels extra special with rain pouring down, romantic song plays on the corner of coffee shop with a cup of roasted green tea on my table. 

Society these days seems a bit too much sometimes. We are very used to certain kind of questions, "When are you getting married?", "Do you have boyfriend?", "Are you married?", "How many kids you have?". It really sounds like a normal question when we greets each other, or perhaps it was like a daily conversation to talk about. But let me tell you, you could have asked anything else, "How is your day?", or perhaps talking about something else, what happened in the newspaper or anything else. Well, I know it sounds stupid because we could ask anything about it. But for me personally, I wish they would stop asking until the person they ask that question is willing to share their life. Not because you are curious about them. It hurts their feeling and I know how that feels, because I've been wondering when and where the right person for me will eventually come. 

Stop asking women whether they are single or attached. Some of us choose to be single. Some of us are struggling to find the one and some of us are happily married. Stop asking when they will have a baby. Stop asking if they are pregnant. Some of us want to travel first. Some women want to hit career goals first. Some of them are struggling to get pregnant or having children at all. We all have our own time. Stop comparing and asking. It's rude and not your business at all.

I've been saying that my goal for 2019 is to fall in love and be in a relationship at least. It's not because I am picky and such type. But I do want to meet with someone who connects with my soul, feel attracted to his personality and as a person as a whole, rather than be with someone just because I want my goal to be fulfilled. I do know that I have some boxes to be checked before I consider them in the first place. Sometimes, it's hard to even give it a chance because certain area doesn't meet my expectations. I know I should have been more open about dating and knowing more people. I should.

There were few who come suddenly when I don't expect it most and it's confusing when the only thing I want is to focus on healing and loving oneself. I kept thinking whether I should give it a chance or cut them off completely from my life.

Some of my friends even colleagues gave my several advice which I think it makes sense and I should give it a try at least. Otherwise, I won't be able to know the differences. But my heart is heavy and this one person keeps bothering my mind, specially today. 

I kept thinking what the reason for us to meet at that time. Does it mean passing each other only? Or we are meant for each other? In this lifetime or another lifetime? Funny, but that's what I thought. I should have let him go and move on. I thought I did it, but sometimes that person just crossed my mind without even ask for permission. I tried to cut our connection as well, but sometimes he would just suddenly appear in my mind when there are things that connect me with the memories. Despite all the feelings, I still thank God because that person freed me from my past. 

They said, when it's meant to be, no matter how far we are, there is nothing can break the connection. Irony. I feel it's unfair to be honest for both of us. I really think it cannot end like this when we don't even start in the first place. I just can't give up like this. It's unfair for me to give up on that feeling when we both don't even know each other that well or maybe it's the wrong time.

Maybe we should give it another shot. But things, once broken cannot be mend. I know it. If things are meant for us, that person should have come to me, not being like this for almost a year. I know we are both in the process of healing, in the process of finding the right person and that's what attracts me most, because I feel like I saw my other self in that person.

I just hope time can turn around and make it possible for us to meet at least once more, so that we both know the true feeling. This is what I regret most, maybe it's really the wrong time. 

Even though I kept thinking how unfair it was, there is a pride I need to protect. Stop projecting. You meet a guy and you like him. You start to project your own thoughts on every little thing he does. You try really hard to look for signs if he likes you the same way. If he really likes you and wanna be with you, he’ll let you know. So stop projecting and avoid being disappointed when things don’t turn out the way you expected. You deserve all the love that is sure of you from the beginning. You deserve someone who is into you in the first place. That's what I kept telling myself. 

There is noo closure for sure, but yeah, I will learn to forgive him, let him go and move on. Healing takes time, sometimes I may bump into small memories like this but I should stand up and keep moving on. 

And if that's what best for me, I will surrender to God and let Him take charge of my life. It's only something that cross my mind today. I promise, only for today.