Just as we’re all students throughout life, we’re all teachers. In fact, we learn best by offering what we desire for ourselves to as many individuals as we can, as frequently as we can. So, it’s imperative that we make a deliberate effort to increase our inspirational energy, as this will lead us to being both a spiritual learner and teacher simultaneously. Today we are exploring ways to inspire others.
Spiritual teachers have raised the vibrational frequency of their daily life to a point where they’re able to provide inspiration to others merely by their presence, and this is the standard to which you need to aspire. It isn’t necessarily a scholarly undertaking—there are no lesson plans or report cards for the kind of teaching I’m writing about in these pages. Rather, I’m talking about the things you can do each and every day to inspire your fellow humans.
You can be on the lookout for opportunities to be a source of inspiration. For example, when I board an airplane, I tend to look for the chance to extend some sort of service to “strangers.” (I put the word in quotes to emphasize that there aren’t actually any strangers anywhere in the Universe.) Helping vertically challenged passengers place their carry-on luggage in the overhead compartment is perfect because others noticing this act of kindness may be inspired, while, at the same time, I’m heeding my own calling to be both inspired and inspiring.
I know that someone who needs my assistance is really a Divine emissary who’s right there in front of me, offering an opportunity for me to be in-Spirit—for instance, when I flew from Maui to Los Angeles and then boarded an all-night flight to New York. On the way to L.A., I’d watched the fabulous movie Chicago; once on the plane to New York, I noticed one of the stars of that film, Renée Zellweger, getting on. Vertically challenged with heavy luggage, she certainly met all of my criteria for being both a source of inspiration and becoming inspired. I helped her with her baggage and then gave her a copy of one of my books.
Many people on the plane approached her, including the flight attendants, and I watched and felt inspired by the kindness, patience, and personal concern Renée showed toward everyone she talked to. As we left the plane, she handed me a note thanking me for both the book and my help. To this day, whenever I see Renée in a movie or an interview, I recall the extraordinary, gentle kindness that she displayed toward everyone who approached her, and it inspires me. My moment or two of extending service to her was a gift to me, not because she’s a celebrity, but because of that dual reward of being in-Spirit.
Without exception, I begin every day of my life with an expression of gratitude. As I look in the mirror to begin my daily ritual of shaving, I say, “Thank you, God, for life, for my body, for my family and loved ones, for this day, and for the opportunity to be of service. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
If you practice gratitude as opposed to maintaining an attitude of entitlement, you’ll automatically extend inspiration wherever you go. Being grateful helps remove the influence of your ego, which is certain that you’re better than everyone else. An attitude of gratitude allows you to adopt what’s called “radical humility,” a trait that’s very persuasive in helping others feel inspired.
Most of the people I’ve met or observed who are at the top levels in their chosen fields have these attitudes of gratitude and radical humility. After all, when so many high achievers reach for their statuette or championship trophy, they say, “First I’d like to thank God.” It’s almost as if they can’t help themselves—they’re so grateful for their accolade, but even more than that, they know that there’s a Force in the Universe way bigger than they are that allows them to act, sing, write, compete, or design. And if you adopt this kind of an attitude, you’ll inspire others. It’s that simple.
Pomposity, on the other hand, will never inspire anyone. When you encounter someone who brags and uses the pronoun “I” excessively, you’ll find that you want to get away from them as quickly as possible. Vanity, conceit, and boasting are all signs that a person has edged God out of the picture.
Gratitude and humility send signals to all who meet and greet you that you’re all connected to something larger than life itself. This reminds me of the wisdom I discovered many years ago reading the Kena Upanishad: “At whose bequest does the mind think? Who bids the body live? Who makes the tongue speak? Who is the effulgent Being that directs eye to form and color, and the ear to sound?” When you know the answer to these questions, you not only become inspiring beings to others, you also gain immortality.
Lecturing or demanding that others live peacefully is one of the least effective ways to inspire them; however, when you simply demonstrate that you’re living peacefully, you offer other people a large dose of inspiration by your mere presence.
During my first encounter with Swami Satchidananda, for instance, he emitted such an aura of peacefulness that I felt inspired by merely standing next to him. It would have been impossible for me to feel anything other than peace in his midst. That day I purchased his wonderful book, Beyond Words, and on page 21 was given an inkling as to why I felt so inspired merely by being in his company: “If anybody asks me, ‘What is your philosophy of God?’ I say, ‘Peace is my God.’ If they ask, ‘Where is He?’ I reply, ‘He is in me and He is everywhere. He is all peaceful; He is all serenity. He is to be felt and experienced within oneself.’”
Being at peace with yourself is a way of going through life eschewing conflict and confrontation. When you’re in a state of tranquility, you actually send out a vibration of energy that impacts all living creatures, including plants, animals, and all people (even babies). And, of course, the reverse applies as well: Belligerent individuals who live in turmoil and revel in hostile encounters send out nonverbal energy that adversely impacts those around them. The immediate impulse is to remove yourself from these low-energy, nonpeaceful people because sticking around means tension and a lowering of your energy. Moreover, you become a counterforce to what you’re experiencing, meaning that you become angry at their anger and arrogant toward their arrogance.
Practicing a peaceful approach to your life on Earth is a way of returning to where you came from. At the same time, it’s a powerful source of inspiration to all living creatures.