A thoughtful quote says: “Aspire to Inspire before you Expire”. Isn’t it cute, as well as interesting? Do you also perceive the great wisdom behind it? Let’s see. What does aspire mean? It means to direct one’s hopes or ambition toward achieving something. Do you wish you could do something special in your life? Do you have a worthwhile goal? If you have the tendency to “lie back” and avoid thinking of new possibilities or trying new endeavors, be open to possible surprises. What about inspire? This word refers to creating positive feelings in another, and/or the desire and ability to do something in particular. Don’t forget that there are people in your life who – either you are aware of it or you are not – look up to you, listen to what you say and notice what you do. Therefore, it’s a must for you to become aware of your responsibilities towards … the rest of the world. You are not alone, you are not separated. You are connected and you matter. Finally, what is the definition of expire? Quite simple: it means to come to an end.
We are not referring here to the end of some canned food or of a piece of cheese. For that it’s enough to check the expiration date and then… you know what to do. Here we are talking about something much more serious: “your” end. I know, you don’t want to think about it right now. No one does. It’s understandable. But it is a reality that, in a way or another, this thought is always present in the depth of your soul. So? Don’t you think it would be worthwhile to manage your own life in a way that, beside making yourself (hopefully) happy — as you deserve — it could also serve as an example for somebody else? Imagine the fulfillment you will experience when a relative, a friend or a simple acquaintance tells you: “You inspired my life”, “You gave me the courage to go on”, “You provided me with the strength I needed to dare”, or “You said something that helped me make up my mind”. Wow. This is something worth thinking about.
A cherished belief of mine is that one of our main goals in life is to do good to ourselves and, as an immediate consequence, to do good to our fellow human beings. If we think only of ourselves, we become selfish, we remain bound inside our petty little “box” and do not care to lift our head beyond the edge in order to expand our horizon. Also, the perfect love of ourselves cannot be separated from the love towards others. Don’t forget that we are all connected to each other. The good must be shared, because it belongs to all. And those who have a greater awareness are the ones more directly responsible for the sharing. The water must flow to remain pure, transparent, fresh, safe for the fish to swim and thrive in, for us to drink and to bathe in. If it stops moving, water begins to deteriorate, it becomes murky, muddy, dirty, poisonous. It does not bring life any more, it brings death. The same with a person who stops growing spiritually, who is careless, egotistic, self-centered. The desire to inspire others can be a wonderful tool for our own progress. Let us grab it and make use of it. It will also be to our benefit. Anyone who extends their hand to offer a perfumed rose to another, will keep some of its wonderful scent on their own hand.
— Elsa Franco Al Ghaslan, a Saudi English instructor and published author (in Italy), is a long-time scholar of positive thinking.
E-mail: [email protected]
Blog: recreateyourlifetoday.blogspot.com
