Why Inspiration Is The Breath of Life

The thought that inspiration is the breath of life is not new. In fact, it's embedded in our social consciousness as an artifact that dates back to the root of the word itself. The word holds a tremendous amount of power that has been diluted over time reflecting the transition of human consciousness from oneness to individuation.

When we think of the word(s) inspire/ inspiration, it often means we're looking for something outside of ourselves to give us that push, extra nudge, or spark of an idea that will lead to some sort of accomplishment. Sometimes the words are used in reference to another, as if some behavior you exhibit might be the motivating force for someone else.

This is where things get tricky. There is a tendency for people to want to use the words "(to) motivate" and "(to) inspire" interchangeably. The desired outcome is to change a behavior, either in oneself or in someone else. The critical difference is that motivation is an energy that comes from inside the self. In other words, you can become motivated to do something with the right energetic force, but you cannot motivate someone else because you are standing outside of his or her internal energetic system.

The Root of Inspiration

Inspiration, on the other hand, is all about moving energy in the direction of another being. In fact, the English word inspiration originated from 13th century Old French inspiracion "inhaling, breathing in" and Late Latin inspirare "blow into, breathe upon," as in- "in" + spirare (spirit) "to breathe."

This sense of the word is the underlying concept behind some of the metaphorical phrases we use involving "breath."

• When we are stressed we need a breath of fresh air.
• When we are frustrated, we don't hold/ waste our breath.
• When we are excited, something or someone can take our breath away.
• When you feel pressures, you might feel as though someone is breathing down your neck.
• When you want to make something anew, you breathe new life into it.
• If you want to keep something secret, you don't breath a word.

Inspiration is Spirit Inside

The connection between the word inspiration and the relationship to "breath" as the source of life and flow of energy can be found in several Biblical references as well. For instance, the Hebrew word for inspiration is "nish'mat", pronounced [nesh-aw-maw] and is used several times throughout the Old Testament with the first occurrence appearing in Genesis 2:7.

Hebrew:

waYiytzer y'hwäh élohiyim et-häädäm äfär min-häádãmähwaYiPach B'aPäyw nish'mat chaYiymway'hiy häädäm l'nefesh chaYhäh

English Translation:

And (Yähwé) God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Many scholarly interpretations of this verse suggest the significance lies not just in the notion that God is the source of life, which is sustained through breath, but that the energy that comes through breath is the inspiration that gives us both a connection to and understanding of spirit.

The Shift in Meaning

A quick look at the Merriam-Webster dictionary demonstrates how the meaning of the word inspiration has shifted from a divine right (re: the breath of life) to something that is acquired. In fact, the dictionary even notes the sense "to breath into" is an archaic meaning.

The modern interpretation is:

• A divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation;
• The action or power of moving the intellect or emotions;
• The act of influencing or suggesting opinions.

(Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inspiration )

This shift in meaning is a reflection of a collective thought system that embraces separation and worthiness. The emphasis is no longer on the life force and spiritual energy of breath. Rather, it focuses on the specialness of receiving divine intervention, which is only available to individuals who have the "quality" to receive it.

An even more common meaning, though, is that of influence (force) on one another.

The Need to Re-Align with the Source of Life

The word inspiration holds the vibrational energy necessary to re-align human consciousness with the source of life and breath is the medium through which it can be attained. Those who have a daily meditation practice know that focusing on breath is the key to self-awareness and accessing the higher self.

Guided breathing is also a powerful tool for calming an anxious mind and bringing the physical body back to a state of homeostasis.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Inspiration-Is-The-Breath-of-Life&id=9717081

Stay Humble, Work Hard and ‘Never Ever Quit’

Jeff Banister, manager of baseball’s Texas Rangers, has triumphed over illness, grief and naysayers to reach his dream.

He fought bone cancer, osteomyelitis, fractured vertebrae, paralysis, multiple surgeries and grief. He was told—twice—that he might never walk again. But Jeff Banister, the rookie manager of the Texas Rangers, wouldn’t quit baseball.

His first health crisis began with a simple twist of his ankle while playing in a football game for La Marque High School in Texas in 1979. Banister stayed home with flu-like symptoms and agonizing ankle pain that caused him to collapse. The teenager had developed bone cancer and osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone or bone marrow, which had spread to below his knee. After surgery and several weeks in the hospital, Banister got the devastating news that, during a follow-up surgery, his leg might need to be amputated.

The leg was spared, but his condition went from bad to worse after returning home. The flu-like symptoms recurred. Seven more operations and weeks of recuperation followed. “I was given an opportunity to lie in a hospital bed and think about all of the things I would do when I got out of the hospital,” Banister, 51, says in a video on the Texas Rangers website. “For me there was no choice other than to push forward.”

He surprised everyone by returning to baseball, going on to play for Lee College, a community college in Baytown, Texas. And that’s where Banister would face a terrifying new injury.

He wasn’t originally penciled into the lineup for the last game of the 1983 fall season, but New York Yankees scout Deacon Jones wanted to evaluate Banister, so his coach, Rod Soesbe, agreed to play him for five innings. In the fifth, a base runner sprinted toward home plate, where Banister was playing catcher. As the runner tried to hurdle Banister and score, his knee slammed into Banister’s head. As Banister writhed in pain, Soesbe placed a catcher’s mitt on each side of his neck to stabilize it until paramedics arrived—an action that may have saved his life. The collision fractured three neck vertebrae and paralyzed him for 10 days. Banister underwent two more surgeries.

Eighty-five pounds lighter when discharged from the hospital, the young athlete asked his doctor, Lee Roy Lockhart, when he could play baseball again. “Jeff, you’ll never play baseball again,” Lockhart responded. “You get hit like this again, and they’re not going to repair you. They’ll just bring a bag out, put you in the bag, zip it up, and we’ll put you in the ground.”

Banister smiled as he told Lockhart, “Doc, I will play in the big leagues.”

Banister channeled Lockhart’s dire prediction into a motivating force. He relearned to walk during a year of rehabilitation. In 1985 he resumed playing baseball for Lee College, well enough to earn a scholarship to play for the University of Houston. And in 1986, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Banister in the 25th of 28 rounds of the MLB Draft, the 621st pick.

He would face tough times again as a minor leaguer: His grandfather and his 48-year-old father died a few weeks apart in 1988. His father, on the last day of his life, told Banister that people would want to know his story—words that have echoed in his ears throughout his coaching career. Banister does share his story, but his style also includes an appreciation for what his players have gone through.

As Eric Nadel, the Rangers’ National Baseball Hall of Fame radio announcer, says, “He seems to have the ability to get to people and motivate people. He wants to go to great lengths to get to know each guy as a person rather than as a baseball player, to know what makes these guys tick. With all he went through to get to the major leagues as a player, he has a very special inner strength that some people don’t have. He didn’t need somebody to motivate him.”

That drive led Banister to prove his doctor wrong. At 27 years old—an elderly rookie by baseball standards—Banister was called up from Triple-A Buffalo to play for the Pirates against the Atlanta Braves.

He made it to the big leagues on July 23, 1991.

Banister was not in the starting lineup, but manager Jim Leyland used him as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. He hit a ground ball that Atlanta shortstop Jeff Blauser picked up and fired to first base. Banister said it seemed like forever as he “fought like hell” sprinting down the first-base line, counting every step. He beat Blauser’s throw by a fraction of a second. He had fought for—and achieved—his hit just as he had battled to reach the major leagues.

That single would be his only hit in his only at-bat of his only major league appearance. Banister’s stint in Major League Baseball would last five days before he was sent back to the minors. But he will forever hold a perfect major league batting average of 1.000: one hit in one at-bat.

Banister stayed in the minors a couple more years before ending his playing career and joining the Pirates organization as a minor league coach in 1993. He spent 29 years with the Pirates as a player, minor league manager, major league field coordinator and major league bench coach.

Last October the Texas Rangers signed Banister to a three-year contract as manager. At his introductory news conference, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Banister’s experience, work ethic and attitude made him the ideal manager to right the struggling team.

His attitude has carried over from his playing days into his coaching career. Banister’s Twitter page is filled with motivational quotes, such as, “Focus on the only two things you can control. Your attitude and your effort.” He signs his tweets with his hashtag “#nevereverquit.” The phrase is the slogan for the Rangers’ 2015 season, adorning everything from their website to commercials and even apparel.

“I’m not going to show up at 7 o’clock every night and go, ‘Well, we’re down two in the first [inning]. We might as well throw in the towel and walk away,’ ” Banister told fans at an event earlier this year. “The game’s not done until it’s over. You’re focused in until the last out is made. That’s my never-ever-quit attitude.”

Rangers fans and players have bought into his philosophy. “Every time I hear him talk, I want to kill someone,” 28-year-old pitcher Derek Holland jokes. “Sorry, I’m not going to murder anybody, no. He’s just got that voice. He’s a strong leader. He’s very passionate about what he wants to do. He’s one of those guys that I’m very excited to come in and play for. This guy is into the game.”

Veteran starting pitcher Colby Lewis agrees: “Once he started to talk, I was just locked in,” baseball-ese for being totally focused.

Banister carries his work ethic from the field to his home. His wife, Karen—whom he met when he was playing for the University of Houston—shares a story with fans about a night when they were watching TV, and she admired the painted walls in an infomercial. She casually mentioned the possibility of painting their daughter’s room. When she came home the next day, the walls were perfectly outlined with tape. Banister told his wife to pick the colors. (Karen Banister adds that he’s also handy at building things and doing yard work.)

Banister believes it’s important to stay humble and work hard in life and in baseball. “I’m still learning this game. I’ve had a lot of great teachers in the past. I believe that if you’re not learning, you’re not growing. If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” 

http://www.success.com/article/stay-humble-work-hard-and-never-ever-quit