Notes

Finding Inspiration in the Exotic and The Mundane
Have you ever pointed out 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 we place in this unseen support from the universe takes courage, but it brings so much meaning and connection to our lives. Unforeseen events happen which when 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. Once in a while the destination you have chosen to explore, beckons you in a daydream or a captivating thought. I had a unique 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 not good 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 a very powerful connection, sort of inner knowing, that the solution to my difficulty lay in the photo of the hush remoteness of the backwaters of Kerala which grabbed my attention as I flicked by way of a yoga magazine. A gentle tug at my soul, which defied any logical explanation. Yet I did so not question it.

On the facial skin of it, I possibly could not need chosen a worst time and energy to travel as my coaching schedule was so hectic and I had meetings prearranged with important movers and shakers in my own industry which had taken so much energy to set up. It all seemed a bit crazy, this whim of mine and ordinarily I'd never have imagined cancelling so many work opportunities. Yet I was sure that it was the right thing to do and I hoped that a change of scene would give me a rest from this feeling of despondency.

I had not been 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, waiting for me to devour after my leisurely visits to the compact villages on the banks. One encounters the deepest portion of the night here - bright stars abound to the unadulterated splendour of a moonless darkness. A feeling of being naked isn't uncommon. The contrast throughout 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 massive 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 all night 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 if everything comes alive once 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 had been a profound experience. Perhaps there is some truth in the normal mention of India as a 'land of magic'. It is as if there is 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 the seen and the unseen worlds could very well be paper thin. What managed to get a lot more remarkable, was how this natural connection we all have with the healing forces of nature or 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. As 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 found a location of peace within myself. A comforting trust in the universal plans for me personally began to take direction and I knew I was presented with what I needed the most at the moment - equanimity. A wonderful internal transformation had occurred in an exceedingly short space of time.

I left with a sense 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 what I so desperately wished to get back with me and I wondered how I possibly could possibly adjust now to the ordinariness of my life, after such a rich sensory and spiritual discovery.

Actually, it would be a grave mistake to believe that we have to travel for miles to exotic lands to locate and look for inspiration. Additional hints 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 kid like curiosity about things or individuals who are very different from me or my world. Meeting people with an unusual 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 view it being an investment of my time because my spirit is worth nurturing. This is a form of celebration, gratitude and receiving from the universe, otherwise we can feel burnt out, jaded as well as cynical about life.

It's important to our well being to search out new means 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 larger 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 by it.

Often our inspiration will come 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 have learned to risk moving in the suggested direction; I've found that when I have a risk, providence moves in with incredible speed, and there also appears to be a noticeable guidance which people might call the "still, inner voice". Then i discover that my hunches, urges, intuitions become a lot 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 need a favour and mentions a name of a fellow student who is a whiz kid at graphical design and who ends up producing the most surreal and eye-catching, book cover design for me.

I have always been blessed with the support of creative friends around me who'll endorse that this synchronicity is really happening; otherwise it really is amazing how selective amnesia inside our busyness can bury the true creative gems. In a way, I regard these 'coincidences' as types 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 in the past and how things just fell into place when I took that first rung on the ladder. Just like when I booked my flight to India. It was easier to enjoy the journey as I had not been caught up in concentrating on an effective outcome. I hardly ever 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 are all inherently linked to divine creativity. I don't really feel that people are separated from the divine. To be human after all is to be an all natural creator. We are all blessed with this particular gift to co-create with this 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 that you can enjoy. Your fertile imagination will lead you to so many possibilities which could powerfully transform you and this amazing planet we live in. Of course, there are those visionary, caring individuals in this world that are called to harness this creative force for the greater good for all. To produce a real difference which will last for generations ahead. Could see your face be you?
Kahlil Gibran, the Prophet, guides us beautifully when he wrote," Work is love made visible." When you have not already done so, it is time and energy to get in touch with your purpose and your inherent creativity and make your projects, your love made visible.

Shilpa Unalkat may be the Managing Director of Staflow Ltd, a corporate coaching and personal development organisation. She holds a Diploma in Psychotherapy & Hypnotherapy and is really 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]. This can be a must have book for anyone who is wondering when there is more alive than this; if you wish more meaning and satisfaction in your projects; if you need to change direction, but just can?t find out what else that you can do; if you need to make a difference in this world, but don?t know where to begin; if you are tired of your brain games, greed and the corporate mask; and if you intend to be true to yourself as well as your values in life.

Shilpa offers powerful one-to-one coaching as well as group workshops that concentrate on developing leadership skills predicated on emotional and spiritual intelligence. She also delivers high impact foretells organisations worldwide.
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