Day 22: Where Do You Draw Inspiration?

Posted by Bytta on March 7, 2010 · 17 Comments 

Somewhere in Thailand. Photo Courtesy of Wilson.

A boy and a girl cheekily posed next to a red Ferrari while their mother took a picture. They were so enthralled by the first take, both insisted to have a couple more. The other adults, who were part of the group, stood a cautious distance from the excitement, probably slightly embarrassed. It was an adorable moment, mostly because they’re only 4-foot tall. No self-respecting adult would submit themselves to such vulnerable situation… especially when the owner was closely watching his prized possession two shops away. I wonder what the kids told their mum when they caught a glimpse of the shiny red sports car, “I want it when I’m big”. Oh, the innocent optimism.

A man and his wife sat next to our table in the Auckland airport business lounge. As a birthday gift (from me to me), I managed to snag a couple of business class tickets on our way back to Melbourne three weeks ago. Unlike most of the patrons there, we were neither rich, holding important job titles or over 30. Through the virtue of anal-retentiveness, I collected enough frequent flyer points to upgrade our cheap internet economy tickets to business class by adding another couple of hundred bucks. Not a bad investment considering the comfort (sleeper seat with massager), free-flowing premium brand alcohol, five-star gourmet food and free chauffeur-driven ride home. But wait, that’s not the most memorable part of the trip.

Back to this man.

Eavesdropping is a skill I’ve developed ever since my classmate whispered the exam answers on my first grade. He mentioned about his business venture in Dubai (we flew with Emirates, my favourite airlines) and his motor-cross hobby. “I want to create my own destiny”, he said to the retired couple with whom he shared the table. “One time I was invited for a motor-cross event and I had to sit in the economy class because that’s what the organizer gave me while my wife sat in the business class.” Well, that’s not the kind of conversation you would overhear in the cattle class.

Despite the snobbish latter comment, I found his first comment compelling, even inspirational. It’s much more compelling than the preach blurted by many rich self-help gurus out there because he didn’t say it to sell any products and I know how expensive international long-haul business class tickets from Emirates are.

In my early 20s, I was an addict to self-help get-rich seminars and programs. I spent thousands of dollars buying their products (while getting into debt as well… how ironic) which helped me to reach a certain point, but not to the point they sell. You know the hype; Ferraris, house on the beach, yacht, super gorgeous yet faithful and supportive partner (ha! Cognitive dissonance, anyone?), etc, etc.  It’s amazing how much money these people can make by selling out dreams and inspiration.

Thankfully, I no longer draw inspiration from material riches. Like productivity, it’s a never-ending uphill battle. After you get a BMW, you’ll want Porsche; and then Ferrari, then Bentley, then Maserati (please excuse my lack of knowledge in exclusive cars hierarchy). Where do you stop? Don’t get me wrong, I won’t snub the opportunity to create more wealth, but if the end result is to simply be rich, I would give up easily.

I find passionate people working for meaningful cause to be inspirational. I find cutting-edge artworks by random high school students inspirational. I find the innocent joy of those two kids inspirational (when was the last time you had that?).

Writing a blog has similar condition too. Some people have the talent and skills to write so eloquently every time. My husband is one of them. The rest (myself included) need boost of inspiration, time to develop skills and plenty of courage to keep going. Luckily, I discovered a couple of blogs that would do any writers a great service:

• Theboxcarkids’s Blog: A journey of a single mother living in an RV with her four children. Don’t let that fool you. Her writing is wise and intelligent. I savour each and every sentence.
• Misha Adair on Books: A fellow Melbournian, an avid book reader and a beard-keeping enthusiast. Check out his 10 “rules” for writing a blog. My favourite line is about the type of music you should listen to while writing, “Bach is good, but he’s so good that he makes you lose confidence even in breathing, let alone writing.”

So, now it’s your turn. Where do you draw inspiration?

Filed under Mindset, Other · Tagged with Emirates, Ferrari, Inspiration