I stumbled across the following line in Thomas Hardy's
The Woodlanders:
It was one of those sequestered spots outside the gates of the world where may be usually found more meditation than action...
This reminded me of the wonderful links between language, creativity and inspiration. A friend of mine was particularly struck by one of the quotes on my website from E.M. Forster:
We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us
My friend realised on reading this that she had been holding off on aspects of her life because she was waiting for things to go according to the plan.
When we think of 'self help' we usually think of gurus and programmes and expert advice. But personal inspiration and development has its moments in all areas of life and culture. For me, nature is a rich source of self help, from finding those spots described by Hardy as 'outside the gates of the world' to hearing the blackbirds start to sing at this time of year, a sound that instantly evokes a feeling of Spring and warmer days around the corner.
And great authors seem to sum up self help issues so well:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff - William Shakespeare
