Finding Inspiration

Inspiration. There's not exactly an endless supply of it. Its been over a week since I have been able to spit something out that I thought would be worthy enough for anyone to read. Things often happen in life that send our minds in a whirling dervish of confusion. This past week was full of dervishes that were thrashing about dervishly for me.
I love writing on my blog. I love the fact that people actually take time out of their day to listen to my thoughts and my feelings. I am so thankful for them. When I can't write, I feel like I'm missing something in my life. I guess it's my way of releasing all of my racing thoughts. I don't care what anyone tells you. Writing is therapeutic.
Back to inspiration. Since things in my life were going askew, I decided to look for the beauty in my surroundings considering other situations seemed to be lacking in such. At about 1 o' clock in the morning on Tuesday, I went outside to look at the stars. I couldn't get a great view of the sky so I put my camping chair on my dad's deep-sea fishing boat. The view was gorgeous! I LOVE stargazing. While I was sitting there pondering, I saw a shooting star. In my seventeen years of existence, I've never seen a shooting star. When I told someone that I saw a shooting star, they asked me if I made a wish. At the time, that thought never even crossed my mind. I was so ecstatic to have finally seen one.
Which leads me to my next thought. We are given so much beauty on this earth and how often do you hear people praise and breathe in the beauty that is given to us? All that is said in these days are down-putting and depressing. We can make the best of any situation by finding beauty in all places. When I feel down and I experience something like that, I feel love from my Heavenly Father (especially when I'm having a rough time).
I realize that to some, finding beauty in disaster is hard, so I have some suggestions to encourage that search.

• Open Your Heart.
• Be open to things that you wouldn't normally do or try. Give the unknown a chance. Go in on both feet even if you expect to come out on the ground. The only way to grow and change is to experience things other than your norm.
• Listen to Your Feelings.
• If you feel something inside you, and it is strong. Listen to it. It's trying to guide you somewhere. Don't try to suppress it, because it will only grow stronger until you do something about it. You will never know what would have been if you didn't take the chance. Who knows, it could change your life?
• Follow Your Instincts.
• This is the next step of listening to your feelings. Think about what you feel and put it into action. If you feel you should do something, DO IT! You will never know what would have been if you didn't take the chance. Who knows, it could change your life?
• Live Without Regrets.
• Regret is to think with a sense of loss. When you act on your instinct or use your intuition and the scenario doesn't quite work out as well as you have planned, don't be upset. What have you lost? If anything you've gained experience and learned something that you will have the opportunity to use later on in life. 
• Find and Embrace a Passion.
• When you find something that you're passionate about, your soul can escape from the binds that the world has over you. Your passion can help you solve problems, feel better, make you think in depth, and  forget about worries if you utilize it correctly. 
• Listen to Music.
• Music is what makes my soul escape. I love to listen to it while I'm taking a shower. It combines my thinking time with the free spirit I get when I listen to music. The combination is what keeps me going. Without it, I'm sure I would have exploded from stress by now. Sometimes, when I don't sing along and I just listen to the music I perceive lyrics differently than I had before and at that time it helped me out a lot. 
• Give to Others.
• Giving will ALWAYS make you feel better. Selflessness is A fundamental of life. If you cannot give of yourself, would you expect others to give to you? Giving is one of the (few) things that restores hope that I have for mankind. You don't always have to give money. Giving of time and yourself is always appreciated. Little acts of kindness here and there are also ways that you can give. Also included in that group is SMILING :D Smiling can make a big difference on people at the right time of their life.
• Appreciate Small, Simple Things.
• Expensive and extravagant things only give you temporary happiness. I heard someone on the radio today say that she loved to blow money on clothes. The thing about clothes, cars, jewelry, money, and many other things is this: They can be replaced. Find things that don't have money value but still offer you something. Sunsets, stars, friendships. Nothing in this world can replace the love and care of a true best friend.
• Don't Worry About Other's Opinions
• If you spend your life worrying about what others think of you, you will NEVER be happy. You will spend your whole life seeking the approval of the ever-changing and unappreciative world. The only way you can be truly happy is to be yourself. There is no one out there that is exactly like you. You have so much to offer and may even change someone's life through your example. You have something that NO ONE in this world can offer. You are so precious. Let the world see how precious you really are. 
• Don't Over-think Things.
• This is my downfall. I definitely over-think things to the point that it keeps me up at night. If I would listen to what I feel and act with my instincts, my life would be so much easier. Once I finally let things fall into place and say and do what I feel, I was soooo much happier. I wasn't worried anymore. I didn't have to regret not taking the chance. This rule has definitely helped me appreciate and follow all of the above rules.