UA&P I AM S.T.R.O.N.G. : Inspiration- Finding it, using it and loving it. (Part II)

By Shirin Eugenio

So how does one find inspiration?

Get out of your bubble. If you have defined your inspiration to be your boyfriend who is also your classmate, carpool-mate, movie-partner, org-mate and neighbor, then inspiration will be as predictable as a Disney fairy tale. To find true inspiration, the range of experiences you must allow yourself must be wide enough. This is precisely because, the inspiration will jump from the myriad sources you are attuned to. And the surprise of an inspiration will animate you like you’ve never felt before. So, burst that bubble, and join bigger bubbles.

Embrace the brilliant, the unique, the unexpected, the different. We often get intimidated by somebody more brilliant than us, or stay away from the unique – because it’s just hard to accept it. Being inspired by something completely unexpected (example, those funny Japanese products) does not mean you’ve found the ultimate solution to your mental block. An inspiration can spark your own idea, or open your eyes to new possibilities. From there, you will be surprised that you can twist, modify, add, minimize, exaggerate or reverse your first thought after one teeny-tiny dose of inspiration.

Don’t put a high price on inspiration. There is a huge expectation on inspirations, like time has to stop when it happens, or a choir of angels will signal the moment. Anything short of this is not inspiration, it’s just… wala lang (a technical term now). If we continue to think this way, we fail to see the little things that are actually big sources of inspiration. As a teacher, it would be fantastic to have geniuses to inspire lecturing for three hours straight. However, I was surprised to realize that it was the little things from my students that excited me – the reactions to my corny humor, the crazy ideas they throw, the understanding that registers in their eyes. These are easy to miss if expectations block your view.

Look for diversity. When you are with the same kind of people 24/7, chances are the inspiration bursts are next to none. Because everything is comfortable, convenient and conventional. If you are an advertising major, hang out with engineering students once in a while, and be swept away by all that technical genius. Take a break from your whiny friends and get new conversations from older, more mature people. Sit down where you can view a crowd and a place at the same time. You’re good at math? Enough with the advanced calculus already and study a new language. Read good quality magazines. It’s like listening to the most fascinating minds talk. Having diversity in your life is like planting seeds of inspiration. Soon these will grow into new passions that breathe life into you, everyday.

Find the real good thing. Let’s get one thing straight – there is no inspiration in a guy who smokes pot all day. Or a girl who sleeps around. Or a corrupt boss. Unless, you are inspired to be their total opposites. Even then, it takes the most enlightened minds to figure that out. So, if inspiration is meant to awaken you to be better at something, then the source of the inspiration has to be a good thing. So, find the real good thing in the things and people around you. I believe that goodness is in abundance. It just hard to see them through the haze of apathy and bad reviews. Is your mom naggish? They all are, but that’s not the only thing they are. They love us unconditionally. Be inspired by that. Is schoolwork so exhausting? Of course, but that’s not all it is. It is your source of conversation with other people. Be inspired by that too.

Inspired people are fearless. Deadlines, break-ups, bad grades, tight budgets, crazy families, moody friends – these things don’t intimidate them because they find inspiration to rise above all these. Inspired people are both thinkers and doers. That’s why they accomplish more. Lastly, inspired people inspire others. Without their knowing – they let other people experience that smile in the mind, that tug in the heart, and the tiny miracle that changes them forever.

What do you think about Ms. Shirin's blog entry? How do you see inspiration?

UA&P I AM S.T.R.O.N.G. : Inspiration- Finding it, using it and loving it.

By Shirin Eugenio

Inspiration is like a smile in the mind. A tug in the heart. A tiny miracle that lasts a moment, but it changes you forever. When inspiration happens to you, suddenly you can write better, or the things to do are just clearer, or the desire is a tad stronger.

It’s surprising that we usually attribute the need for inspiration only when in the throes of producing something artistic (like a mural or a song), something substantial (like a story or a reaction paper), or something revolutionary (like designing the iPod to end all iPod fantasies). For anything else ordinary, we feel inspiration is unnecessary because all we need is to know how to do it, have the time, and just be done with it. Do you really need inspiration to clean that closet you can hardly close? Can inspiration help you when you’ve screwed up your Calculus exam? Why find inspiration if everything comes with a manual these days? It’s quite easy to disregard the need to be inspired, simply because either we reserve inspiration for the times we think it is desperately needed, or we think looking for it is as cheesy and corny as a childhood crush.

No wonder most of us approach some of life’s mundane activities with such apathy. We have defined inspiration so narrowly as a push button. Time for a more liberal look at inspiration.

I fell in love with the origins of this word. Inspirare, a Latin word that means to inflame, to breathe into. Generally, it means to influence or animate with an idea or purpose. To inspire is to breathe life into something – like a stuck mind, a lost soul, a tired team, or a humdrum life. An inspiration is meant to awaken you. To be an inspiration to somebody means you move them to do something, or everything that they feel they couldn’t. If this is how inspiration really is – then, all the more we need it everyday, in huge doses! You need it in art class, as much as you need it when your mom asks you to clean your bathroom for the nth time.

Now we know what it is. But, why do we really need it? I realized that doing the right things like being a responsible daughter/son, studying for an exam, apologizing for a mistake – they are difficult to do because so many things get in the way (like ego, television and more ego). But if something inspires you to be better everyday, then doing the right things are all that matter to you. The right things might not be easy-breezy for you, but you are inspired to do them all the time.

Upholding the values we believe in like integrity, honesty, excellence, and respect can be challenged everyday. The opportunities to sell yourself out come in irresistible packages: cut and paste somebody else’s work on the internet so you can sleep now; tell your parents you’re studying in a friend’s house so you can go to a drinking binge secretly; add an extra P500.00 to the cost of your books so you can keep it and avoid asking your parents for more allowance. To continue believing in values, one must be inspired by something greater than oneself. It could be anything – your father’s magnanimity, the concept of heaven, or the maybe the whole pay-it-forward ideal – we all need to be inspired by something that convinces to never sell our souls.

Lastly, we need to find inspiration to discover who we really are. If we leave it to chance, we might end up conforming to what’s easy, current, or even wrong. Each time we encounter an inspiring life-story, or a creative idea, I believe part of the elation comes from the pleasant discovery of what is good for us. Soon enough, after unfolding a piece of ourselves little by little, we find out the things we love or hate; what we can give up and what we can’t; what makes us happy and what doesn’t. The right inspiration could be your own key to self-discovery.

So how does one find inspiration?

Watch out for the continuation...

UA&P I AM S.T.R.O.N.G. : Head's Up, It's Ms. Shirin!

Jewelz says,
I would like to introduce you to my favorite teacher Ms. Shirin. She was our teacher (the best teacher) in Marketing Management. This was the day we got our first taste of what it was like to be in IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications). On our first day of class, we were all scared, anxious, and excited to see what our teacher was like. All we knew was that she was a graduate of UA&P as well. It's not that she was just a graduate of UA&P which made us curious about our teacher, she graduated with HONORS in the IMC program! Whew!! That's really tough work, believe me!

One of the most memorable moments is our first QUIZ!! It was a surprise quiz too.. No one reviewed the presentations and lectures... or even took a glimpse at our notes. We thought we were all doomed! It was a quiz from numbers 1-50 on....

"Name that brand!"

She flashed us logos of different brands and we had to name them... This lesson taught us that we had to be more aware of our surroundings, especially brands since we were marketing students.

Another important lesson is the definition of marketing management. I'm sure all her students remembered "managing profitable customer relationships."

I definitely enjoyed class and always looked forward to the next meeting. We enjoyed Ms. Shrin's company inside and out of the classroom. She always helped us even after marketing management and into 4th year. Ms, thank you for all the support... We couldn't have done it without you!

Ms. Shirin was not only our teacher, she became our friend. :)

Head's Up! We will be posting an article by Ms. Shrin... Don't miss out!

I really want to get some feedback from Ms. Shrin's class this year and also from her former students! :) or tell me about your favorite teacher!