How Do You Find Inspiration?

How do you find inspiration?

Each person is different regarding their personality, morals, goals, and perspective. We each have different things that inspire us.

What inspires me may demotivate you and vice versa.

Only you can explain what inspires you.

Personal Inspiration

Inspiration is something that has drastically changed throughout my life.

Adversity has accompanied me along my journey. For this reason, my outlook is different compared to that of someone who does not live with a mental illness.

Bipolar disorder is my constant companion and will never go away. Adversity goes hand-in-hand with a mental illness such as bipolar disorder. This has given me a unique perspective and outlook that goes beyond materialism and what I see in front of me with my own eyes.

I can understand the appeal of a nice new home or a big car.

Many people base their success on the material possessions they acquire and how much money they have – money and material possessions are things that inspire. These inspire many, but not in my case.

The little things in life energize me and get me excited.

Family

My family inspires me more than anything else in my life.

It is through them that I find inspiration. My wife and I have our son living with us full-time and my daughter spends time with us on a part-time basis. We also have 3 cats and one medium-sized dog.

We have a full house with all the people and animals living under the roof of our two-bedroom apartment.

Time is such a valuable commodity.

I enjoy spending quality time with my loved ones and the online mental health community.

Raising kids in today’s society is extremely stressful. I am grateful to my core that I have such amazing kids and a supportive and loving wife.

We share in our triumphs and support one another through the struggles.

My Blog

I created The Bipolar Battle back in April 2017.

Around February and March 2017, I took a course on how to create a blog. I knew I wanted to write about bipolar disorder, but putting all the details together quickly became a logistical nightmare.

I enrolled in the blog course and learned the ins and outs of how to take an idea and create a blog from that inspiration.

Back in 1999, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder type 1. There has not been a day that has gone by where I have not directly dealt with my illness.

I am not a medical expert, and I don’t pretend to be.

Since my diagnosis, I have:

• Survived each day of my life (along with suicide attempts)
• Worked diligently to find the right combination of psychotropic medications
• Attended appointments for doctors, therapists, and other medical professionals
• Participated in various therapies, such as ECT and DBT
• And more

These decades of personal experience in the trenches have helped me find what works and what does not. Plus, I have formed many opinions based on the resources I have access to along with my experience.

The act of fighting bipolar disorder daily inspires me.

The Mental Health Community Online

I found an amazing mental health community on Twitter and the individuals comprising this community inspire me.

Sharing my experiences and journey with others is a great source of inspiration for me. Knowing that I could possibly help another person along their journey provides me great joy.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude when someone shares a story, an idea, or a fact.

There are so many of us around the world battling bipolar disorder. An online community gives us a platform to interact with and share our experiences. We can be real, raw, and transparent.

I love being a part of the online mental health community. These individuals provide me with great inspiration.

Writing

My passion for writing blossomed back in high school, but it fizzled out before I decided to pursue it.

I attended two different high schools. One was a private Christian Science school out in Missouri. I transferred to a different high school located in Boulder, Colorado, for my junior and senior years in high school.

During middle school, I discovered my desire to write. I enjoyed it and loved sharing my finished projects with my family and friends. Entering my high school out in Missouri, I enrolled in honors English class. During this class, my teacher criticized my writing and told me I would never go anywhere with it.

My heart shattered. Being a teenager with little to no confidence did not help me.

I got over the heartache, but the experience deterred me from pursuing any kind of writing ambition.

Fast forward two decades, and I began journaling and typing my ideas.

I even found that people enjoyed reading my written articles. How about that?

People always speak about what inspires them to write, draw, or pursue another creative endeavor. For me, the simple act of writing and creating inspires me. I do not need the inspiration to create, and I believe my earlier experience in high school molded this perspective.

Humanity

Let’s face it, there is a lot of bad stuff in the world.

People commit horrific acts and say horrible things.

For me, good people inspire me.

When someone fights for good, I find inspiration in that person.

It may seem like a far-fetched idea to find the good in today’s society. Trust me, it’s there. The good is there and you can find it.

Last Thoughts

What inspires you?

What motivates you to keep going on each day?

You can find inspiration anywhere. You just need to open your eyes and look.

Every person is different when it comes to personal inspiration.

Family, my blog, the online mental health community, and writing all inspire me. They fuel me with energy and desire to live the best life I can.

The act of finding inspiration is not that difficult.

You just need to determine what inspires you.