This is my 1,746th consecutive daily post. That is roughly 4 3/4 years of daily posts, come rain or shine, hell or high water. I’ve enjoyed sharing my thoughts with all of you, casting my bread upon the waters of cyberspace without expectation of result and with no strings attached. Though I haven’t ever sought to monetize my writing, I would be the first to admit that I have profited greatly from the exercise.

Writing the way I do, which comes as much from my heart as it does my head, really forced me to put childish things away and petty concerns aside. The basic essence of my process, which is nothing more than letting my highest and finest thoughts for the day come clearly to focus and then writing them down in whatever written form seems to fit, has remained the same all the way through.

Some of you who have been with me from the start or who started later and went back to catch up have mentioned to me that you’ve appreciated seeing how my writing and thoughts have evolved over the years. Others of you have mentioned that you’ve enjoyed seeing how your digestion and application of my daily meditations has affected your lives in one way or another. My hope in starting this was to share freely and to hopefully offer useful starting points for further consideration and from emails I’ve received from a number of you, it’s safe to say, well, mission accomplished!

That said, I feel in some ways that I, and we – which is how I see it – are just getting started. The wellspring of inspiration is the fountain of youth. You cannot drink from it without sharing it, for the rejuvenating qualities of the waters of inspiration are only sustainable as they are given again, once received. If you try to take inspiration to yourself and don’t share it, it will quickly fade and you will once again find yourself searching for more.

I guess what I am saying is that whenever and wherever you are inspired, look right away to be an inspiration to others. You needn’t proselytize; you can actually give inspiration freely, without expectation of a return or a result. I’ve done this as a blogger every day for close to five years and as I mentioned, I have been richly rewarded by the effort. If you have too, then, congrats and please share your story with me privately or via a comment to my posts. If not, well, then, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get down to work.

From what I can tell the world is in great need of people who are willing to stick their neck out in this regard. There will, of course, be those who accuse you of ulterior motives or who sit back with their arms crossed, waiting for you to make a mistake or to offend them in some way so they can write you off and escape the pressure of being around someone who is genuinely interested in selfless service, but you needn’t pay much mind to them. The naysayers are a dime a dozen in this world. They always have been and they always will be.

The true gold, however, is in those who are not only willing to be inspired, but who then take the next step which is to find the way(s) share their inspiration with others – not just every now and again, but day in and day out. And I, my friends, believe that you are capable of that!

I hope that what I’ve learned has helped you in some way in your life. I make it a point to acknowledge such things as often as possible, even when those gifts of life and inspiration come from someone I am not particularly fond of or totally in agreement with. Truth and love will come to the surface through even the meanest of intellects if they are given the space to do so. If you judge and write someone off, you throw the baby out with the bathwater. And that is on you, not them for not being perfect in your eyes.