One universal truth that we all learned in elementary school is the theory of equilibrium.   Later we may have learned how this theory applies to biology, chemistry, economics and physics, but it doesn't seem that anyone really told us how this theory applies to life.
The easiest way to explain how the theory of equilibrium applies to life is to take a closer look at the patterns of weight loss in an individual.  A person may diet for a week and lose between one and five pounds.  That is a result that leads to immediate gratification and the individual is inspired to keep going with their changes.  The next week, however, the person may have kept to their changes exactly, yet they are disappointed that they only lose one pound, or even do not lose any weight at all.  This frustrates them, the immediate gratification is not evident, and many of them lose all hope.

To visualize the theory of equilibrium at work in the above example, think about an anal-retentive, perfectionist kitchen gnome maintaining the kitchen cupboards.  If you were to go into the kitchen, open the cupboard and take out five cans of soup from the middle of the stack on the top shelf and two cans of vegetables from one of the ends, as soon as you leave the kitchen gnome would run right in, probably curse you, shake his head, say something like "Oh dear, why can't these people learn to keep things organized!"  Then this gnome would proceed to re-stack the cans so that they are all in rows of exactly the same height, labels facing forward, and move things around so that they are alphabetized by category –yet again.

I always say to my friends who are trying to lose weight when they are actively dieting and exercising to keep track of their progress both by the scale and by tape measurements. 

When they find themselves on a week where they have lost no weight they can then measure themselves and find that there still is progress… that little kitchen gnome is re-organizing the cans in the pantry, so to speak, and they will find that they have lost inches instead of pounds.

The same theory also applies in achieving any goal in life.  You may be a video game programmer, a writer, a musician, an inventor, and you send your product around to any place you can think of for the first two weeks.  You will find that you may get some immediate gratification, but then after a week or two of doing the same thing, you start to see no results.  That little kitchen gnome is re-organizing the cans in the pantry, so keep doing what you are doing.  You have sent a snowball rolling down a hill.  You will start to see the results of your labor again real soon, and the second wave of results is always bigger than the first!

Finally, this same theory also applies to emotions.  Let's say you have a weekend where things are really going great for you.  If you are sending out your "product" you are getting positive responses,  if you are trying to lose weight, things are successful, perhaps you went out and socialized all weekend.  You are on an emotional high.  Then what happens?  Some balance-obsessed perfectionist gnome comes along and sees that things are out of balance.  He throws an elephant on your see-saw just to make sure that there is balance.  When your positive emotions diffuse one by one, you find that all that is left is a gigantic elephant on your see-saw.  Hang in there for a day or two.  The balance gnome will come along and lead him away with some peanuts.

-Rebekah Faith

Just before nodding off to sleep the other night this question whispered its way through my mind.  "How long can you run while holding your breath?"  I quick, wrote it down,  and then went to sleep.   When I awoke the next morning, I gave the question a second glance and thought to myself, "Well, I've never actually tried, but I'll bet only about 20 paces or so… probably not even down to the corner!"   Then I happened to think about my goals and what "my breath" could mean in the way of meeting or failing to meet these goals. 

I can draw a parallel between my breath, and my inspiration.  The drive that keeps me living and breathing and walking the road which I have chosen to travel.  If the air that I breathe is all around me and keeps me alive, then I could say that the air that I need to take in to meet my goals is the external inspiration that I will feed upon to reach my goals.  Let's say my goal in life is to run three miles.  I certainly wouldn't be able to accomplish my goal while holding my breath.  In order to reach my goal, I need to be able to provide the internal drive – the work that comes from the self, but I also need to be able to periodically refresh myself with breath; I will need to be able to see the road ahead clearly, and know when there is someone who has appeared to help me along in my journey.

The external inspiration could be provided by just looking at something and forming an idea, or it could be provided through my friends, my family, the news, the random man on the street, etc.  Anyone who I come into contact with when I am networking towards my goals can provide new insight and inspiration; they could be the one to let me know when there is a rock in my path, provide me with a clear direction, or let me know when I need to dodge right or left for a bit to get to my destination. 

  Some people are raised to believe that it takes exceptional amount of hard work to meet their goals. They believe that they can work 24x7 and if they do not falter and do not fail and keep trudging along begrudgingly, working day and night towards their dream, never resting for a second, that they will attain success.These people believe that attaining their goals in life should be a difficult chore.  To those people, I would like to ask, "How long can you run while holding your breath?"

Life doesn't have to be that way.  Life was never meant for you to do nothing but work, work, work.  It doesn't have to be that difficult!  If you keep your mind, eyes and ears open, you will find a way to reach your goals with a balance of work and fun.

Just by listening to the universe and listeining to my internal intuition I can know when I am on the right path.  If I feel the urge to talk to someone at a club, I usually find that this person has something to teach me that will be useful within the next few weeks.  If I keep hearing a single word or phrase from the mouths of several different people, then I pay attention and think about what does this word or phrase mean to me when I apply it to my current situation. 

Listen for words that you do not hear every day.  For example, if two or three different people say the word "mule" in conversation to you for no apparent reason, pay attention to that word.  It could let you know to prepare for an upcoming move. Do not be afraid of change, and do not hold your breath.  Keep your eyes and ears open; take in whatever the universe will give to you, be grateful for what has been given to you, and you will be on the right path towards your goals.  If someone comes to you and offers you a hand, do not be afraid to take that hand.  Do not feel you need to do things all on your own.  Do not refuse the help that comes your way.  You will find that what you want in life will come easier if you keep breathing while you run.

-Rebekah Faith

I have always inherently believed in the limitless potential of every human being. If you are a reasonably able bodied and able minded individual, I believe that there is nothing you cannot accomplish. Sure, we all have our obstacles, we all have our own demons to fight, our own battles to wage, and we are all given our own set of handicaps, and this is part of what gives us our own flavor, our own depth, and our own individualized wealth of knowledge and experience. I have always believed that obstacles are placed in our paths to create our specialized array of experiences; and any obstacle that one truly desires to overcome, can still be and always will be surmountable.

The case of the injured athlete learning to walk again is no stranger to our medical journals, however sad that it may be that it is no longer considered newsworthy. The body has a single job; and that is to maintain itself.

Yes, I said, “Create yourself.” You did not think that you were a static being, did you? Every day that we live, every second that we breathe, every thought that we think, and every person with which we share experiences are actually all forces which contribute the active building material and solidifying plaster of our growing, malleable essence.

Our soul is, as it always will be, a work in progress. Just as you are always re-working your webpage to show a current accurate picture of the person you believe yourself to be, every day that you live, every thought that you think, every thing that you do, every experience that you have is actively creating the person that will one day be you.

-Rebekah Faith

If you are looking for inspiration, you need go no further than your backyard. Simply go out and talk to people or call your relatives and call your friends. Talk about THEM for a change, and listen.  If you listen, the universe will speak to you.  Inspiration, your muse, is hiding just around every corner - waiting for you to ask your questions and to open your ears to hear the answers.

Usually, I find that profound inspiration comes in threes. Today’s inspiration was cleverly disguised as one of my physician’s nurses, an exhausted checkout clerk at Home Depot, and with no surprise, my grandmother.

To me, the nurse represented OPPORTUNITY. Here was an older woman navigating her way swimmingly through life; going to back school, studying for and passing exams (despite being plagued with terrible exam jitters, as she admits) and still putting in practical hours at the local doctor’s office. The nurse represented the idea that it is never too late to become what you want to be. If only you can overcome your fears and commit to working and putting in the time, believe it or not… you find that you can still achieve your dreams.

To me, the Home Depot clerk represented the LABOR. A young clerk was putting in extra holiday hours and working two jobs. I thought, “Well, he must be doing it to support his children.”  So I inquired further and asked him, “WHY?”

He replied, "Just to make a better life for myself."  He said he wants better things in his life, a nice apartment, nice clothes and furniture, and so he has decided to put in the extra effort to work hard for what he wants.  

I asked, "You don’t have any kids? No wife? There is no one that you are supporting?"

"No," he said "Only me."

He was working so hard simply because he WANTED to. Not because he was forced to do it, not because there was some court order that mandated a payoff amount for some judgment; not because of some guilt complex.... He was working for himself, simply because he had the desire to get what he wants in life.

Finally, a third façade of inspiration presented itself in the same day from my grandmother. My grandmother represented the ideal of TENACITY.  Let me tell you, if you ever want to feel like the sorriest sod in the world, then just listen to what your elders have to say.

My grandmother told me about a time when she lived in a wooden house, a shack more or less, with no insulation, in Minnesota. She said that their children slept in a back room while she and my grandfather slept on the porch, in the winter.  She said because the porch was her bedroom, she would wake up some days with FROST on her blankets.

Now, after listening to that story, don't I feel like a sissy? I’m worried about getting a little bit cold as winter approaches while we are living in a one-hundred year old fixer-upper house where we have just put in insulation, we're starting to seal up the drywall, and we're using two kerosene heaters for heat.  My grandmother’s words made me realize that we are pampered little crybabies compared to our elders.

Now, if I could just invoke a little bit of what I learned today... I'm sure I won't have any more trouble with motivation, optimism or tenacity while working my job or piecing together this little house.  If indeed I still falter and end up stuck in weak moments, I certainly don't have any right to complain about it.

-Rebekah Faith

Rebekah Faith, author of  “Picking up the Pieces” is the founder of RecessionFighters.org -  a grass roots movement to band together to fight the recession, one project, one day, one transaction at a time. 

You can find samples of her other literary works and inspirational pieces at http://www.RebekahFaith.com and inspirational gifts on sale at on sale at http://www.TurtleIslandPA.com and http://www.cafepress.com/RebekahFaith.