Not Just Other Worldly

It might sound when I write as if I’m almost entirely other-worldly, which is miles from the truth. I’ve always been a person who loves people, and I meet as many amazing human beings as I connect with incredible off-world beings.

For me both words and images are things I hold onto during the difficult times, so I thought I’d share three of my greatest inspirations with you. Although I love all the spiritual teachers and gurus that we humans had and have available to us, from the Buddha, through Jesus, Mohammed, to today’s modern humans doing their best to uplift and empower, my list of go-to people is a pretty long one for many reasons, the three people I want to share today are neither deliberately inspirational, nor teachers.

1 and 2 – needing no introduction

Yes our late Queen and her amazing man. The thing I love about these two, whose pictures are above my desk, is that they never lost their focus despite the very public hell they went through at times. They knew their duty and they carried it out no matter what. They pledged their lives to service and they served. More than that, they made each other a promise and they kept it, the love was still there for all to see 70 years later, and her face when he died will haunt me forever. How magical to have that and feel that way.

When people want to test me and find me wanting, when I feel like giving up my work because I just don’t seem to have the touch I need to do what I want to do, I look at their photographs and remember that they would not give up. I’ve dedicated myself to being there when people feel alone, to trying to share ideas that will help people live an easier life, and to uplift and encourage rather than the opposite. They didn’t give up, I won’t. I will try to follow their example of determination, pick myself up, dust myself down, and stay true to what I believe in.

An unusual wall buddy?

Yep, Anton du Beke of Strictly Come Dancing fame. He was my man from the word go, I loved his smile, his ballet training made him a compelling sight on the dance floor, and his cheerful attitude was always uplifting, no matter how challenging the partner he knew how lucky he was to be where he was, and he made the most of it. Then I met him.

Very briefly, at a charity fashion show in my area, and became even more impressed by him. In person he’s funny, but also gentle and polite, he cares about his fans and when he was dragged away from us by the bigwigs at the show for a photograph, he was extremely upset. He pointed out courteously that we were the people who put him where he was and kept him there, so he had time for 3 photographs and then he needed to get back to us. He apologised to us and we could see he was not impressed, although respectfully so.

Again, if I feel that I’m not getting what I want, that things are going wrong, that it’s one step forward and two steps back, I look at my photo of him (this one is stuck on my wall with white tac), and I remember that when he got challenging partner after challenging partner, he made the best of it. He also found outlets onto other shows, built his reputation as a presenter and guest worth having around. He did dance tours and still does. Again, he didn’t give up, but he also showed me how to take a sows ear and make a silk purse. Without complaint.

However, in line with all good inspirers, he appeared on Kate Garraway’s Life Stories this week, and knocked it out of the ballpark. He had suffered serious abuse and injury as a young man, disappointment in his career, but whenever he was asked to look back he kept repeating one thing. Just keep going forward. He dealt with the past by keeping his eyeballs to the front and keeping moving forward. I could really see watching him that he didn’t see any benefits to looking back to what you can’t change, only in looking forward to see what you can do.

He was very simple and clear in his approach, and it resonated with me. How do you let go of the past? Look forwards. How do you build a better life? Look forwards. You wouldn’t walk backwards or drive backwards, so don’t look backwards. If you’re looking backwards at what’s bad then you’re going to miss what is in front of you.

This attitude seems to have not just allowed him to be successful, it’s meant that he was taking notice when the good stuff was offered to him. Did he look back and wish he’d continued pursuing a world championship or won Strictly? He didn’t even answer the question, he simply replied ‘I just keep moving forward.’

It’s changed me this week, sorted out an issue for my husband who was also watching, and impacted friends who watched it in the same way. My Frister (friend/sister) and I had lunch together on Thursday, a true highlight of my week every week, and we did have tricky things going on, we chatted through them and after each one we worked out what we wanted to see/do/be moving forward. Thanks Anton…I mean that.

Obvious?

Perhaps what I’ve written here was obvious. You knew as soon as you saw the images. You know all about keeping going, don’t let anything stop you, look forward, be in the now, and so on. But there’s never any harm in reminders, and having people around you or images of people around you, who are what you want to be. Acting as a positive reminder of how you want to feel, where you want to go, what you want to achieve.

I hope for some people I’m one of those inspirers who make you feel that you can, that you are good enough, that you deserve the best, that you’re capable of getting it. I really hope so with all my heart.

To your happiness

Deb xx