Tweet

Inspiration for troubled times

Written by: Andrew Campbell-Watt

Article Overview: In troubled times we all need some inspiration to lift us out of the hole we may find ourselves in and give us hope for the future. Words of inspiration shine a light in the dark corners of our mind and dissipate the fearsome shapes and shadows our imaginings have created.

Inspiration for troubled times

In troubled times we all need some inspiration to lift us out of the hole we may find ourselves in and give us hope for the future. Words of inspiration shine a light in the dark corners of our mind and dissipate the fearsome shapes and shadows our imaginings have created.
The poem, “Ulysses” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, is such a one and has inspired many. It can be relied on to provide words of good cheer when there is a general lack of harmony or balance in life. The words of the poem are a paean of praise to the indomitable human spirit; of the beauty of love for one’s fellow beings and the knowledge that Man can always aspire to, and achieve, greater and grander things. They remind us we are all free to seek for and arrive at that moment in life when peace, harmony and contentment fill our hearts. That we are better than we could ever imagine.
Now, for sure not everyone likes or appreciates poetry but poets often get it right, as in this case. The poem’s last six lines are the important ones:
“.....; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

“... but strong in will to seek, to strive, to find, and not to yield.” – powerful words.
In the context of the poem, Ulysses (as the Romans called him, his real Greek name was Odysseus, was immortalised in Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, the chronicles of the siege of Troy and his epic journey home to his long suffering but faithful wife after a twenty year absence) – is now an old man. But he is still fired by the thought of greater things to do and greater feats of endurance. He is still seeking something, but unsure what.
Ulysses (Odysseus) was not only a brave and fearless fighter, but also a brilliant tactician – it was he who devised the famous Trojan Horse that was used by the Greeks to finally overcome the defenders of Troy and break the siege, some thirty one centuries ago.
The words of the poem attempt to portray the thoughts and emotions of a man who had achieved more, seen more and experienced more in his lifetime than almost anyone in recorded history; someone who still sought more. He was seeking, as we are all ultimately seeking – peace of mind. This is the most difficult goal of all because it means that we have to really know and understand ourselves. No one likes to delve too deeply into their memory bank – this can be very confronting. We all have memories that we would rather never saw the light of day; that we would prefer to be kept hidden, even from ourselves. But true peace of mind will never be achieved unless we do acknowledge and accept them for what they are – our own memories and thoughts. They have made us what we are, here, now. Seeking self knowledge and understanding, and peace of mind is appropriate today.
Ulysses may have been renowned for his guile – he was well known as a trickster, but he was a highly intelligent, courageous, tough and an amazingly tenacious man. He was also selfless and always concerned about the welfare of the men he commanded. He held by his principles. He understood the importance of virtue. He had values which he would not transgress. His dealings with his fellow men were morally correct. He was ethical and true to his nature. Ulysses was what he was, and lived by that knowledge. He was certainly aware of the necessity to consider the greater good.
We are living in testing times and it may be comforting to know that others, such as Ulysses, have experienced greater trials and tribulations than most could possibly imagine and have climbed to heights of self awareness and fulfilment previously undreamed of and come through as stronger and better human beings. Most importantly they slept well at night!
We entrepreneurs and business leaders need to understand that peace of mind and having harmony in our lives; being true to our natures; finding our values; being morally correct and ethical in our relationships is not necessarily something that occurs overnight. It may have taken us twenty or thirty years to get to where we are now, troubled and asking questions about our life’s course. For this there is not going to be a quick fix solution. It will take a while. But there comes a time when it is necessary to stop, even take a step back, to reflect and ask ourselves the hard questions:-
What am I really seeking in life?
What am I really striving for?
What do I hope to find?
Have I the tenacity, the persistence and the wherewithal to hold firm to my dreams and not to give up – never to yield?
Answering those questions will lead to others, typically:-
What am I actually doing?
Does it satisfy me?
Am I happy and contented?
If the circumstances were different what would I LIKE to do?
What do I do to relax, to unwind - does this help?
Will what I am doing now fulfill the dream I had as a child or young adult?
Can I see myself doing what I am doing now in twenty or thirty year’s time?
Honest answers to these questions will give greater insight into your current situation. That is important – but the really the vital question, if you are not happy, is where to from here? Within us all are untapped strengths, unimagined courage and grand visions of what we would rather choose to be. Dream of that and ask, “Why not?” Always Seek and Strive to Find, but never Yield! Your peace of mind and happiness depends on it.

Related Articles
  DON'T LET THE RECESSION SCARE YOU.
  Finding Inspiration
  What To Do When You're Lacking Inspiration
  Leadership in Troubled Times
  Successful Entrepreneurs Stay Inspired

Article Tags: courage, dark corners, ethics, grand visions, greater good, imaginings, never yield, Odysseus, peace of mind, relationships, seeking, shapes and shadows, striving, troubled times, true nature, Ulysses, values, virtue, words of inspiration



Related Forum Posts
Describe Your Inspiration/Motivation - I'd like to open up discussion with the group to identify how us entrepreneurs keep you goals insight without loosing Inspiration for what got you going initially. Being an Entrepreneur can be a lonely road at times and I'd like to dig up and have people describe the fire they hold inside. I'm hoping that through this exercise I can acknowledge and become aware of my fire that I'm having trouble verbalizing.
Re: Franchise Australia - [quote="thebusinessshop.ie":4wcqhpfr]Typically, we've noticed that the IT service based industry is in a growth phase here in Ireland, especially for those focused on SME type companies; those type of businesses that have a few employees which need networks, database support, SMS text capabilities etc. but are not large enough to warrant their own IT department. There are quite a number of franchise based IT service brands selling territories at the moment over here.[/quote:4wcqhpfr] John i agree and that is what is happening in Australia right now, they have played with the whiz kids and are now realising that they need to step up to have a computer person with a wealth of knowledge and to be there for them for the troubled times as well that can help them enhance there business with products. It is called building a relationship. John Burns
How to Stay Motivated - There are times when you are up and times when you are down. As a life coach, so often my clients try to push through the times that they are down. They try to motivate themselves. Unfortunately this extends the period of time that they feel unmotivated. When you resist where you are, you amplify it and make it worse. They key is to relax into it and ride the waves of energy and they rise and fall. There will be times when you are hot and times when you are not. Times of great creativity and energy and times of no inspiration and you feel totally blah. If you will honor the times of blah and just rest, inspiration will come back sooner. If you panic and try to GET MOTIVATED, then you will just get more frustrated. What’s the moral of the story? Chill out, relax and rest when the body is going in that direction. Don’t worry. The waves of energy will return and you will soon be riding high again.
Re: What inspires you? - Inspiration is nothing it is what you called to do? Some work for money, some work for satisfaction, some work because they have priorities in life. It is the passion to do something for achievement or to show that you can do it by using one's talent. I know there are people who are doing great things with their limited skill sets. So, my view point about inspiration is to Dream Big and try to achieve it. I would rather add "Listen to your self". Listen to Inner guide and follow it. You will reach great heights. Robert
Re: Kevin. What happened to all others moderators? - Thanks Kevin for your reply, I will be fulfilling my obligation of a moderator from now on. I was going through some rough times in the past months, that was why I was not consistent. Thank God the rough times is gone and i am back. Tough times never last but tough people last.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Stress: What Causes It and How To Deal With It

How do I finance a franchise?

SEO Gurus, Software and Ebooks

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.