The Hedgehog Collector Breaks Free

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Trevor Hill

Jenny collected hedgehogs. Every shelf and window ledge was crowded with them. Some were hand-carved in wood, others were cast in bronze or pewter. She had a whole cabinet of limited-edition porcelain. A few special ones were silver and she even had one in gold, though she wore that on her neck chain. 

It didn’t stop there; every wall carried hedgehog pictures. She had them in pastel, pencil and watercolours. She had engravings and lithographs. Hedgehogs appeared on tablemats and tea towels. Even the bathroom mirror was shaped like a hedgehog and in her bedroom the duvet matched the hedgehog curtains. 

Jenny was proud of her collection. It had started with a single souvenir from a holiday in Devon and she had added to it over time. When friends and family saw that she was collecting, they gave her birthday and Christmas hedgehogs. Colleagues at work joined in and soon every present Jenny received was some kind of hedgehog. 

This went on for many years until one day Jenny realized that there was no more room for hedgehogs. Even the box under the bed was full of them. That day became a turning point. 

She decided to slim down the collection. Because she was now an expert in hedgehogs, she knew that not all her collection was of the same high quality so she was able to sort out some to sell. Others she would donate to charity shops. 

When friends came to call, they remarked on the space on the shelves and walls. They were shocked to see the bathroom mirror had changed. Jenny got the impression that they thought she had faded into a half-hearted collector. That decided it – Jenny resolved to remove all hedgehogs from her life. 

It took several months until they had all gone, even the one on the neck chain. The surprise was that she felt a deep sense of relief. There was a lightness of being which reminded her of childhood. She had more space – both physically and mentally – for exciting new possibilities. 

No longer did she see herself as a hedgehog collector – she was going to claim a new identity. She made it clear to all those around her that hedgehogs were the past. At her next birthday she was delighted not to be given a single hedgehog. 

While it is unlikely that your life is dominated by hedgehogs, the chances are that you have some habit that has outlived its usefulness. It might be something that is taking over more of your life than you intended. It could be yesterday’s dream. What was once a good idea that’s now a burden? 

The beauty of Jenny’s story is that it shows the way to become free does not mean extra work – it means letting go.

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Get A Load Off Your Mind

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Trevor Hill

I know you don’t get asked this very often but humour me for a couple of minutes. The question is – have you ever used a wheelbarrow? 

The reason I ask is because – believe it or not – there is a link with our quest for inspiration. You see, when we’re searching for inspiration, we can get bogged down by trying to figure out how to make the most difference.

Now, if you have used a wheelbarrow you’ll know that it can move much heavier loads than you could by simply carrying them. This is because of the seductive principle of leverage: with the right lever you can gain a big effect with a small effort. 

So let’s apply this principle in our search for inspiration. Where can we get the biggest effect for the smallest effort? 

To answer this, let’s agree that all our experience of life starts with what is going on inside our heads. Our thoughts create our experience. 

Before you point out that no amount of thinking can actually make Penelope Cruz materialise in my living room, the power of imagination is an amazing thing. When Ms Cruz appears on television my thinking can translate the image on the screen into a real person. 

It can work the other way too. I expect you have had the experience of walking past someone or something that was as plain as day but you didn’t notice because your thoughts were elsewhere. 

Going deeper, our emotional lives are created by our thinking; our feelings come from our thoughts. When you think a happy thought, you feel happy. Rerun an embarrassing episode in your mind and you feel the toe-curling humiliation all over again. 

This means, returning to the wheelbarrow principle, that the thinking going on inside your mind is the point of leverage. Changing your thinking is the way to make the most difference. 

At this point, forget all about suppressing certain thoughts – that will simply give them more attention and hence more energy. Also don’t bother with trying to insert ‘positive’ thoughts either because this will take you into analysis and judgment. Instead, just be open to new thoughts.

Given that most of the thoughts we think are repeated ones, it will be new thoughts that bring inspiration. Making space for new thoughts is simply a matter of watching for them. New thoughts are flowing all the time but we tend to devote all our attention to the familiar ones. Now you are aware of this, you can watch for new thinking and, if you like it, you can put your attention there. Otherwise you can let it pass and continue watching. 

This is the essence of being creative. You were born as a creative being and you can rediscover your brilliant creative self anytime you like.

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Life-Energy and You

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Trevor Hill

There has been an unexpected outburst of life-energy. Although it is supposed to be the middle of winter, there has been a long spell of mild days and nights. The birds and bees have been performing a preview of spring. 

Snowdrops and primroses have woken early. Song-thrushes and woodpeckers are breaking their silence and squirrels are scurrying around like March. I’ve even seen a bumble-bee venturing from hibernation. 

The surge of life-energy will soon make the sap rise in the trees as they start to grow again. Yet even knowing this, it still amazes me that what look like dead twigs will actually burst into blossom! 

This life-energy is global – it pulses through the rain forest and it powers the food harvest. It saturates the oceans and is discovered in the desert. But here’s the key point. 

This same Life-energy flows in You!

1. The clearest sign is the physical one. Your body runs on life-energy and is always giving feedback on the flow. This is most obvious during exercise yet I find that even when sitting quietly, I’m aware of latent strength permeating my body.  

2. Life-energy is evident in your stream of thought. Healthy curiosity and a thirst for learning reflect the flow of life-energy. Creativity springs from thinking new thoughts; fresh connections you make in your mind open new possibilities for the future. 

3. Feelings that nourish you (as opposed to those that leave you drained) come from the flow of life-energy. You may feel this in heart-felt responses to beauty, music or art. Because life-energy is universal, you are inherently connected with all other life. You can feel a sense of oneness with other people and the world at large. 

How are you using your Life-energy?

In your heart, you know what makes life really worth living. And each day the universal energy of life flows into you. The question is how are you using it?

  • Are you using it in a worthwhile way or wasting it? 
  • Are you keeping the channel clear or are you blocking the path? 
  • What would you love to do with it? 

We can take our cue from nature. As life-energy flows, the natural world becomes full of excitement and productive activity. So can you!

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Your Personal Sunshine for 2012

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Trevor Hill

At Christmas, Santa kindly brought me an outdoor jacket. The label said there is no such thing as the wrong kind of weather, only the wrong kind of clothing. 

There’s more than a grain of truth in this because although we can’t control the weather, we can control what we wear. In other words, we can choose how we respond to the weather. 

Sometimes this is easy – when the sun shines, we respond by feeling good. This may well be the reason that you like your holidays where sunshine is guaranteed. 

We have the opposite response when the clouds hang low and dark in the sky; there is no sunshine and our mood drops. It seems that there is a connection between the meteorological conditions and our state of mind. 

Yet there are exceptions. You may remember sunny days when you didn’t feel so great. And other days when you felt like singing in the rain. These exceptions are the clue to what is really going on. 

While we can’t control the meteorological weather, we create our own personal weather. In some sense we already know this – you’ve probably seen the type of cartoon with a figure followed by an individual black cloud to depict their depressed state of mind. 

But let’s look at the full implications. This could make a huge difference to you in the year ahead. 

When you have a strong sense of well-being – when you are inspired – your personal sun is shining. In contrast, when you feel negativity – and this can take many forms (eg. lethargy, confusion, anxiety, lack of inspiration) – the clouds have got in the way. 

When this happens your sun is still there. There is nothing wrong with it; it’s not broken but the clouds hide it. The negative feeling is a barometer telling you that the weather has changed. To restore the sunshine, you need to blow the clouds away. 

How do you do this? 

You change your thinking. Feelings come from thinking. Negative feelings come from unhelpful thinking. So to dispel the clouds, just let go what you have been thinking. There is no need for great effort, no point in forcing ‘positive thinking’. All you need is to become aware of your unhelpful thoughts and let them go, and your sun will break through. 

Very best wishes for an inspiring 2012

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Inspired By Beauty

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Trevor Hill

Something unique has just passed over our television screens – a huge technological achievement that is also a major work of art. Above all it revealed the most incredible beauty. 

I’m talking about the BBC series Frozen Planet - the outstanding result of four years filming in the Arctic and Antarctic. Headed by legendary naturalist Sir David Attenborough, a dedicated team has given us the privilege of exploring the polar regions that are otherwise accessible to very few. 

But I’m not simply writing a review of an excellent piece of television. Millions of people have been inspired by the beauty it revealed. It was truly inspiring to see the polar extremes pass through the four seasons: the midnight sun over glacier and sea ice, the play of shadow across ice floe and tundra, the star-studded winter sky and the ethereal display of the northern lights were all absolutely stunning. 

When, for the first time, you see snowflakes forming in front of your eyes or ice-crystals growing in the depths of ice caves, something changes within you. The link between beauty and inspiration can enrich our lives. 

Beauty like this reminds me of my first flight above the clouds. Then I was captivated by the sunlight playing on the billowing mist, how a whole mythical landscape of mountains and valleys was laid out below me. Later, back on the ground, whenever all was grey because the sun was blocked, I knew where it still shone. 

In the same way, when you experience beauty, it leaves a legacy of greater possibilities. Afterwards, you will know beyond doubt that there is more open to you than what appears obvious. Life is never the same again; the world is a bigger and more exciting place.

If indeed ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ then cultivate the eye. What do you find beautiful? Look for beauty, seek it out. It will reward the looking.

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How To Get Inspired In A Hurry

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Trevor Hill

Imagine you are sitting quiet and relaxed in a familiar room. What would happen if you thought about something sad? 

The inevitable result is that you would begin to feel sad. It’s a similar story if you remember a time when you made a fool of yourself. As you think about it, you can feel again the toe-curling embarrassment and the blush returning.  

These examples give us a big clue to how we can become inspired, simply and quickly. All you need to do is this: 

Remember what inspires you 

Yes, it’s that simple! Just recall the things that inspire you. If you want to magnify the power, jot down what comes to mind. 

You can boost the power still further by sharing what inspires you because sharing encourages you to be clear in your own mind. And by happy coincidence, a good place to start is right here. You can pop a comment below :-)

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Inspired By The Forgetful Elephant

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Trevor Hill

Jake was travelling in India, absorbing all the exotic sights and sounds of a new land. He loved the food, the culture and the wildlife. When it came to animals, none impressed him more than the elephants. He watched how the mahouts handled them as they worked. He was in awe at the way an animal weighing 4 tons and able to shift huge loads could also move so delicately. When it walked, it placed each hind foot exactly where the front foot had been. 

When it was time for the elephant to stop work, it was tied to a small tree or a handy fence post. Jake was intrigued – surely the elephant could easily uproot these and wander off. He asked one of the mahouts about it. He was told that the elephant had been tethered like this ever since it was young. Back then it didn’t have the strength to get away and, as we all know, an elephant never forgets. It still believed that it could not free itself. 

An elephant has the biggest brain of all land animals and typically lives to about 70 years old, a coincidentally similar life-span to humans. Yet through most of its life, it forfeits its freedom because of a mistaken belief. This can be a warning for all of us. 

We can be tethered by out-dated beliefs. Conditioning that we inherited years ago can still limit our achievements. We can be shackled by a misguided sense of consistency that dictates we must behave the same way as in the past. To liberate ourselves – to get out of the rut – we need to forget the stake we are tied to. We have the power to break free. 

Freedom is only a single thought away. When you switch your attention to what you can do – your full repertoire of strengths and talents – you will find exciting new possibilities where previously there had been only impossibilities. If you had that freedom, what would you do?

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Inspiring Stories

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Trevor Hill

Last week I was working with a small group and one of the individuals was a bright young woman in her twenties. It turned out that a couple of years earlier she had suffered a stroke and had spent many weeks in hospital. Although she had made a remarkable recovery, she still had residual health issues. 

What I found inspiring was that she was so full of life! She loved her job and was thoroughly engaged and conscientious. In her leisure time she drove rally cars and did sky-diving. She was also an accomplished singer who performed for audiences of several hundred people. 

When we hear about people who overcome adversity with such courage and achievement, I believe that it finds an echo within each of us. It’s like when you strike a chord on a piano; other notes that have not been struck resonate too. Certain harmonics sing quietly in recognition. 

We can choose to ignore this but if we do pay attention to the way we respond to an inspiring story, it can tell us more about ourselves. In my case, it told me that I have the latent courage and determination to overcome major adversity. This I find both surprising and reassuring. 

So I invite you to share a story that inspires you. It can be short or long, or it may be a link to another blog or website. It may be a recent story or one from long ago. I’ve come up with some categories (I’m sure there are more) which may be useful: 

  • Overcoming adversity
  • Awakening to new possibilities
  • Discovery or invention     
  • Loyalty to a cause
  • Generosity or self-sacrifice
  • Love
  • Reform or making good
  • Leading others
  • Rebelling
  • Sharing a vision
  • Following a passion 

When you think of a story that inspires you, listen for the echo in your own life. Whether you share it or not, look for the reflection in yourself. 

If you do share your story with other readers, you will bring something very valuable to them. Each story is a springboard, not only to greater inspiration but fuller self-understanding and confidence. You can simply add a comment below.

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Your Potential Is Bigger Than You Think

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Trevor Hill

Falling leaves are the obvious sign of autumn. They are already ankle deep in places. All through the growing season the leaves convert energy from the sun into energy for the tree. The result is that the tree increases in stature and it bears fruit. Every leaf contributes something to the character of the tree. 

Trees are simple compared with human beings. Our growing seasons are longer and more varied. Our leaves are the experiences we live through. Some are still fresh and green, helping to sustain us. Others are on the turn, changing to glowing bronze as if to celebrate the contribution they have made. The rest are shrivelled and dry, ready to fall. 

The tree is made by all its leaves. This includes the strong and healthy leaves and the diseased and misshapen ones. In a similar way, all your life experiences have shaped who you are today. Of course, we have all had experiences we would never have chosen. But because of the human capacity to learn, nothing needs to be wasted. We can distill useful lessons and then let it go, like a leaf at the end of its life. 

Now look closely again at the tree. As the leaves are shed and the structure of trunk and branches is exposed, tucked into the wood in their thousands are the buds for next year. Poised ready to break out in the warmth of spring, next season’s potential is embodied even as the leaves are falling. 

Your potential is bigger still. Even when some experiences are falling away, the buds are there for an explosion of growth. And you have an advantage over the tree – you have the power of choice. You can chose to tap into your wisdom acquired over past seasons and you can decide what fruit to bear. 

What buds do you know are ready to break out?

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Making Something

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Trevor Hill

There’s no doubt that inspiration leads to action. But interestingly it works the other way too – action can lead to inspiration. 

A couple of days back, I did some woodwork. I made a sawing horse – essentially a cradle to hold firewood while it is sawn into smaller pieces (see photo). It took just an afternoon and I became inspired cutting, drilling and bolting wood. 

I’ve always enjoyed making things and perhaps I don’t do it enough these days. It set me thinking that so many of us spend our professional lives in some kind of service industry that the physical act of making a tangible result is rare or even absent altogether. 

This is a sad loss because making something can be truly inspiring. Exactly what the something is will depend on you – it certainly doesn’t have to be woodwork.  Think here of something that can be finished in one go rather than a lifetime project. A few examples that come to mind are: setting a table for a dinner party; cutting a hedge; arranging some flowers; drawing and painting. 

In every case you get a tangible result which will act as a reminder of your efforts each time you see it. But it is the actual process of making which is inspiring, for three key reasons: 

1. It positions you in the present moment – not worrying about the future or pre-occupied with the past. Indeed, you can enter the State of Flow when you become so absorbed that you lose all sense of time. Your mind is focused in concentration while the physical materials you are working with impose a connection with the here-and-now 

2. It is a direct means of self-expression which means that you put something of yourself into the making. How you are making becomes more important than what you are making. If you have ever watched your mother make a meal, you’ll know how she did even simple tasks in a way only she would

3. It goes beyond the ordinary, everyday perspective. Indeed, it can touch upon beauty. As I made my sawing horse, I was drawn in to notice the wonderful patterns of knots and grain in the timber. I could feel the drill bite as I made the holes and hear the wood creak as I tightened the bolts. When we make something, all our senses are engaged and heightened – we get an extra-ordinary perspective 

So if I have convinced you that making something is an inspiring option, what do you like to make? What practical, hands-on process do you enjoy? What tangible result do you want to produce? Please share your suggestions with a comment below.

If you’re not convinced yet, then ask me your questions, also below.

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