Notes

Finding Inspiration in the Exotic and The Mundane
Have you ever noticed that when you finally pay attention to your intuition and invest in something that may not actually be so convenient or an easy task to do, you somehow unleash creative and synchronistic energies that move you forward in your mission in life? The sheer trust that people invest this unseen support from the universe takes courage, nonetheless it brings so much meaning and connection to our lives. Unforeseen events happen which once you look back, make perfect sense in the scheme of things, but you are not sure how at the time. I remember such an experience not so way back when, when I felt I was at an unknown and frankly unwelcome crossroads in my life.

Wanderlust invariably precedes many journeys, and this was no exception. Occasionally the destination you've chosen to explore, beckons you in a daydream or a captivating thought. I had an unusual episode of restlessness that needed attention. The months preceding this trip were flat and uneventful and I was just plodding on, struggling to complete my debut book Corporate Head, Spiritual Heart. The flow of creativity was blocked by a razor sharp inner critique that stifled any progress with the taunt, 'it's bad enough' which grew louder and louder until I couldn't even put pen to paper.

Strangely as I sat looking forward to my very late client, I experienced an extremely powerful connection, a sort of inner knowing, that the answer to my difficulty lay in the photo of the hush remoteness of the backwaters of Kerala which grabbed my attention as I flicked through a yoga magazine. A gentle tug within my soul, which defied any logical explanation. Yet I did not question it.

On the face of it, I could not need chosen a worst time to travel as my coaching schedule was so hectic and I had meetings lined up with important movers and shakers in my industry which had taken so much energy to set up. It all seemed a little crazy, this whim of mine and ordinarily I would never have imagined cancelling so many careers. Yet I was sure that it was the right move to make and I hoped a change of scene would give me a respite from this feeling of despondency.

I was not disappointed. The large thatched boat was my sheltering shepherd on the soothing backwaters. The talented resident cook on board thoroughly spoiled me with delicious South Indian meals, looking forward to me to devour after my leisurely visits to the compact villages on the banks. One encounters the deepest the main night here - bright stars abound to the unadulterated splendour of a moonless darkness. A feeling of being naked is not uncommon. The contrast during the day was beautiful. The river and sky were all one colour - the shade of moonstone. All over the palm trees surrounded the paddyfields. Over everything hung a vast silence and in this space my mood was deeply reflective and quite unexpectedly joyous. As my spirit soared, those stiff, creaky floodgates opened and refreshing ideas just flowed out from my grateful soul as I wrote chapter after chapter forever using several white wicker candles.

I marvelled at the product quality and depth of thoughts and insights I received concerning the far removed subject of corporate masks and executive stress in this sacred realm. It really is as though everything comes alive when you utilize this heightened consciousness - for creativity and spirituality are synonymous. Whatever its form, spiritual awareness stuns the curious mind using its brilliance, its kinship with the supernatural. It was a really profound experience. Perhaps there is some truth in the common mention of India as a 'land of magic'. It is as if there's an actual energy zone that's conducive to mystical experiences. Hard to spell it out, but I got a solid sense in me of several worlds in precarious co-existence: the partition between your seen and the unseen worlds could very well be paper thin. What managed to get even more remarkable, was how this natural connection we all have with the healing forces of nature and even the divine, had unlocked the barrier gate that had slammed shut inside me. It had lovingly melted that inner critique that was blocking my path and holding me back my work. Because the boat drifted along in a slow, steady pace, I was gently letting go layer by layer all those niggling doubts and draining fears and came to a location of peace within myself. A comforting trust in the universal plans for me personally begun to take direction and I knew I was given what I needed probably the most at the moment - equanimity. Additional hints had occurred in an exceedingly short time.

I left with a feeling of deep respect for life on the planet, a love of God and a renewed sense of purpose holding a completed manuscript in my own hand. Something had stirred in my blood, awakening my senses to the inspiration around me. This is exactly what I so desperately wanted to get back with me and I wondered how I could possibly adjust now to the ordinariness of my life, after this type of rich sensory and spiritual discovery.

Actually, it would be a grave mistake to believe that we need to travel for miles to exotic lands to track down and seek out inspiration. You can find gifts and clues all over - we simply need to open our eyes and senses to opportunities for creative inspiration. It really is helpful to be familiar with where we get our resources of inspiration. I have a child like fascination with things or individuals who are completely different from me or my world. Meeting people who have a unique ancestry, meditating by a river, exploring Egyptian historic artifacts in the British Museum and trying on ornate and exquisite antique jewellery, are some of the items that refresh and stimulate my mind. As does playing football with my three year old nephew and enjoying a white tea ceremony with my Japanese friends. I see it being an investment of my time because my spirit is worth nurturing. It is a form of celebration, gratitude and receiving from the universe, otherwise we can feel burnt out, jaded and even cynical about life.

It is critical to our well being to search out new ways of staying fresh also to be a possibility thinker so that we are able to manifest rich and fulfilling life experiences. Have you noticed that if you are inspired and deeply touched by something, your spirit grows bigger than the obstacle or problem? Once we follow our inspiration, which in many ways is really a call to growth and learning, we get transformed because of it.

Often our inspiration comes in a size too large for us and resistance and excuses appear like uncontrollable weeds in our fertile minds and we find yourself rationalizing away our best ideas. One's convenience of scepticism is endless, and I've learned to risk relocating the suggested direction; I've found that when I have a risk, providence moves in with incredible speed, and there also seems to be a noticeable guidance which people might call the "still, inner voice". I then discover that my hunches, urges, intuitions become far more acute and uncanny coincidences start showing up. Like I simply 'happen' to bump into my long lost student friend at a party, who became my fabulous editor. After rejecting several book cover designs by 'experts' in the field, my 16 year old niece 'happens' to require a favour and mentions a name of a fellow student who's a whiz kid at graphical design and who ends up producing probably the most surreal and eye-catching, book cover design for me personally.

I have been blessed with the support of creative friends around me who'll endorse that synchronicity is actually happening; otherwise it is amazing how selective amnesia in our busyness can bury the true creative gems. In a way, I regard these 'coincidences' as forms of subtle, yet powerful interventions of the divine hand helping us find our purpose in life. A loving nudge in the proper direction.

I also remind myself of how good I felt when I've followed through with my ideas during the past and how things just fell into place when I took that first step. Just like when I booked my flight to India. It had been easier to enjoy the journey as I was not caught up in focusing on a successful outcome. I never really expected to be writing anything on that trip; anything but going right through the torture of writers block. Funny how switching off, actually switches on our creativity. The 'lets just see what happens' mind frees you up to discover new ideas.

We all have been inherently connected to divine creativity. I don't really feel that people are separated from the divine. To be human after all is to be a natural creator. We all have been blessed with this particular gift to co-create with our maker. The most valuable question we are able to be asking ourselves regularly is 'How am i going to inspire myself next?. The answers will start unexplored vistas so that you can enjoy. Your fertile imagination will cause you to so many possibilities that could powerfully transform you and this phenomenal planet we reside in. Of course, there are those visionary, caring individuals nowadays that are called to harness this creative force for the greater good for all. To make a real difference that may last for generations to come. Could that person be you?
Kahlil Gibran, the Prophet, guides us beautifully when he wrote," Work is love made visible." For those who have not already done so, it is time for you to speak to your purpose as well as your inherent creativity and make your projects, your love made visible.

Shilpa Unalkat is the Managing Director of Staflow Ltd, a corporate coaching and personal development organisation. She holds a Diploma in Psychotherapy & Hypnotherapy and is a certified Master NLP & Time Line Practitioner. E-mail; [email protected]

She is the author of the much acclaimed book ?Corporate Head, Spiritual Heart? obtainable in all good bookstores and directly on her website [http://www.staflow.com]. It is a must have book in case you are wondering if there is more alive than this; if you wish more meaning and satisfaction in your work; in order to change direction, but just can?t find out what else you can do; if you need to make a difference in this world, but don?t know where to start; if you are sick and tired of the mind games, greed and the corporate mask; and if you want to be true to yourself as well as your values in life.

Shilpa offers powerful one-to-one coaching together with group workshops that focus on developing leadership skills predicated on emotional and spiritual intelligence. She also delivers high impact talks to organisations worldwide.
Here's my website: https://studenttcareerpoint.com/could-beat-4-cancers/