Sources of inspiration in different corners of life are many; like grains of sand on a beach varied in size, shine & outlay depending on where exactly you may be. What’s measureless can be beautiful & what may not resonate with one person may well be celebrated by the next.
I was once asked ‘who inspires you?’ in a job interview. This caught me cold because the grain of sand that grits with influence in my mind’s eye glimmers by means of ‘what’ as opposed to ‘who’.
Creativity inspires me. When an artist exhibits a painting, it’s comforting to admire the finished work. It’s not difficult to appreciate the time & effort that he has put into such a creative past-time.
Similarly, when we hear a singer with an incredible voice, it can stop us in our tracks. Deep down we know she has placed trust & belief in her talent to project it aloud & share with others. The melody & tone of our favourite songs can have a remarkable effect on our feelings confirming that this particular art form has implicit & explicit therapeutic value.
The second form of inspiration is ‘sincerity’. Just like the artist or the singer, we all know someone who gives it absolutely everything to a cause they believe in, committing wholeheartedly & sincerely & whilst it may not be a subject matter that you like or understand yourself, their attitude & drive in their own endeavours are a pleasure to applaud.
In sport, everyone loves the unexpected advance of the ‘underdog’. Perhaps we take joy in watching the ‘little guy’ achieve because we pieces of our own untapped ambitions in their journey & when their efforts hold integrity, there’s no shame if David eventually bows down to Goliath. When there’s sincerity in the execution to overcome the odds, it is once again easy to admire & equally inspiring.
The final prompt of inspiration in my life comes in the form of ‘necessity’. An unrelenting excuse in my own life is resting with an afterthought of what I ‘should’ have done or what I ‘should’ do moving forward whether it’s a career choice, sporting commitments or my own personal development.
When people act on what they ‘must’ do with action over words, I take notice. There’s a fine example of this from an unlikely source: a plane crash in the Wicklow Mountains in 1946.
In the aftermath of World War II, a group of French girl guides were inviting to Ireland as part of an exchange trip. On 12th August 1946, the plane carrying them to Dublin was sent off course due to stormy weather & as the pilot dipped below the clouds the plane crashed i to the side of Djouce Mountain despite all efforts to steer clear.
The engines were ripped from the plane as the fuselage tumbled to the ground. Amazingly, with 5 crew & 21 teenage girls on board, no one killed.
The pilot & the oldest girl (who was 17) decided to leave the wreckage to find help. Both scaled over the mountain top in agony from the impact & after 6 hours of searching in the darkness they found a hotel where they sought help from the locals.
Over 12 hours after the crash happened, the wreckage was found by a search party comprising of those within the local community.
There’s many outstanding factors in this incredible story; the courage of the pilot & the oldest girl to leave the wreckage in search of help despite not knowing where they were & also whilst nursing their own injuries.
The resolve of the remaining survivors (mostly aged 14-17) left injured, cold & hungry for over 12 hours waiting for help. And finally the compassion & commitment of the locals to come together & navigate difficult terrain in treacherous conditions throughout the night in search of the plane wreck. Each and all acting in necessity of must be done.
It’s that necessity that has inspired my latest mental health challenge. On Sunday 13th of October 2019 I will be hiking up Lugnaquilla in Co Wicklow with a weighted bergen to fundraise for A Lust For Life.
In climbing the 925m peak, the 30kg weight on my back is representative of the burdens we carry in our minds everyday & the pressure we often put ourselves under on a daily basis.
The positive angle to the negating baggage is understanding that we all have the ability to slow things down, to take our time & to carry on step by step with care & patience. This is the approach I’ll take for this challenge.
You can help me fundraise for A Lust for Life here
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