Inspiration and Motivation

Inspiration is everywhere, if you look. This is a selection of people, places, events, art, and music that motivate and inspire me. I hope you’ll feel the same.

Five Secrets to Your Most Creative Self

Lynette M Burrows

If you are at all curious about creativity, you can find many famous and not so famous quotes about creativity. What you may not know is that those quotes can teach you secrets to creativity. Below are quotes that reveal five secrets to your most creative self. 1. Allow Yourself to Feel Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you’re passionate about something, then you’re more willing to take risks. Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma reveals a big secret in his words above. The only way to be your most creative self, is to find your passion. Sit quietly or meditate. Discover what stirs you. What makes you “lose time?” Makes you forget to eat or drink or even to use the bathroom. What are the things you most treasure? Books? Art work? Metal work? Cooking? Knitting… the list goes on and on. Whatever absorbs you is at least one of your passions. It doesn’t matter if it’s a “real” art or not. Remember, you don’t have to be an artist to be creative. Follow your passion. See where it leads. If you have multiple passions, focus on one for a few months. Try as many as you […]

Spring Clean Your Way to Increased Creativity

Lynette M Burrows

It’s spring in the United States and time for the ritual of spring cleaning. It’s almost a compulsion. And you know what? Done right, you can spring clean your way to increased creativity. Why Spring Cleaning? According to How Stuff Works, the ritual of spring cleaning probably originated in the Iranian New Year’s tradition of khane tekani, the Jewish Passover, and the Chinese tradition of sweeping out the old year before the New Year begins. The time-honored traditions repeated over thousands of years make the ritual feel instinctual. How Does it Help Us? A thorough house-cleaning has health benefits according to Healthline. A clean home can strengthen your immune system. An uncluttered home can reduce stress and depression. A clean home prevents the spread of illness. A decluttered home reduces your chances of injury. According to the article, spring cleaning your home may also lead to more healthy eating and physical activity. Spring cleaning your office may not lead to better eating and more physical activity, but it couldn’t hurt. Clean Your Workspace If a cleaner home improves one’s health and mental outlook, a cleaner workspace will too. Set aside as much time as you need to do a deep […]

The Amazing Story of the First Lady of Physics

Lynette M Burrows

Five months after China ended 5,000 years of monarchy and became a republic, a girl named Chien-Shiung Wu was born. As a grown woman, she earned nicknames like the “Chinese Marie Curie,” “Madame Wu,” and the “Dragon Lady” by her students at Columbia University. This is the amazing story of the “First Lady of Physics.” Early Life Born on May 31, 1912, Chien-Shiung (pronounced Chen Shoong) Wu was the only daughter and middle child of three. Her parents were, Zhong-Yi and Fanhua Fan. They lived in Liuhe, a small town near Shanghai, China. Wu’s parents wanted their daughter to study science and mathematics, but no schools in China admitted females. So her father (an engineer by training) started one of the first schools in China for girls, the Mingde Women’s Vocational Continuing School. He served as headmaster and her mother worked as a teacher. At 11, Wu continued her education at the boarding school, Suzhou Women’s Normal School Number 2. Students who attended the “normal school” (teacher-training college) wanted to go to college. When she finished school, government regulations required that she teach for a year. Wu served as a teacher at the Public School of China, in Shanghai in […]