The Key To Finding Your Inspiration
How often do you sit behind your laptop to get your work done? Whether it is for your job or school, somehow, it’s just not happening. The ideas are there… somewhere… you sort of know what you want to do, but not quite.
We have all faced it before, the creative block. So, how do you deal with it?
The Word “Inspiration”
“Inspiration” is usually defined as a new and improved way to solve a problem or answer a question. As you live your life, you sometimes get sucked into busyness and fixed routines full of challenges. Often, there’s this struggle on coming up with insightful solutions. I know, because I’ve been there many times myself.
Therefore, I want to help you by sharing how I overcome creative obstacles:
1. Change Your Mental State To “What If”
Sometimes, your own routines can be a major blockade to inspiration and creativity. If you think close-ended statements such as “I can’t…” or “I don’t know…”, chances are higher you’re going to create a negative self-fulfilling forecast.
Instead, change your mind to open-ended statements and questions such as “I will find the inspiration I need to solve this problem.” Or “What other possibilities are there?”, or “What if we try finding an alternative solution?”
These open-ended statements and questions are your creative resources. The trick is, don’t try to consciously come up with answers, but empty your mind and think of questions. Those questions might very well be the answers you were seeking for all this time.
2. Balance Between Pushing Yourself And Not Pushing Yourself
A big part of finishing a project is simply showing up to the task. The other part, you might push through with the task, even when you’re uninspired. This means you work every day, some days longer than others. At the same time, you don’t want your creative practice to turn into a joyless slog. Clearly, working too hard or too long can become counterproductive.
It’s really up to you to figure out your own balance between working hard and stepping away from the work. Finding your balance between working hard and letting your creative self recharge can be difficult, especially when you love what you do. But it’s a necessary part of creating your best work.
Try to do things you wouldn’t normally do that are uplifting and inspiring. Here are a few ideas: try unusual food you’ve never tried before, visit a different clothing store, take a different transportation to work, listen to other genres of music, talk to random people, or solve problems in a new environment. Experience the world from a way different perspective. As your perspective widens, so will your creativity. Like Einstein once said: “To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination.”
3. Stimulate Your Brain With Exercise And Nature
A Stanford University study found that exercising, even walking, boosts creativity both during the exercise and shortly thereafter. Exercising can stimulate your brain by increasing the neuron movement in the brain’s hippocampus region.
Physical activities help to stimulate new thought patterns and help to get us out of our heads. Motion dictates emotion, but it can also dictate inspiration. So, put on your sports gear and engage in physical activities such as jogging, powerlifting, swimming, yoga, or cycling to bring forth new inspiring ideas and solutions. Incorporate exercising into your day to increase your overall intake on ideas and solutions.
If exercising isn’t working, nature is well known for their colourful revitalising powers. If you feel confused and need clarity, go to a scenery where you will be surrounded by nature’s colour of green and blue. They have a calming effect on the human sense. Use your senses to listen to the birds and creeks, and smell the fresh air. See this as a mental vacation. Perhaps this is exactly what your mind needs to revitalise.
4. Don’t Forget To Breathe Out
This is my favourite method. People tend to only breathe in fresh new ideas, creativity and inspiration. They keep breathing in, and in, and in, and in. Even then, they still search for even more, thinking something else out there will truly inspire them. Learn to breathe out.
Here is why: Nothing inspires you truly until you apply it to your work. With work, I mean your life’s output, which can either be creative, professional, or personal. Your work is your true inspiration.
Use this moment to reflect on yourself. How often do you keep taking in inspiration, but don’t do anything with it? Only when you think of your work through this new perspective, you can wake up and turn these ideas into new and improved realities. That’s the inspiration we’re all in pursuit of.
True Inspiration
In the end, true inspiration is not the collection of inspiration, but the application of it. People think that if they keep watching TED, browsing books, read articles, meet people, or listen to talks, that they’re suddenly going to get inspired. The truth is, constantly taking in inspiration is uninspiring.
So, breathe in, BREATHE OUT! Let breathing out be the metaphor for you to apply it to your life’s output.
- How do you find inspiration?
- How do you deal with creative blocks?
- Are these tips helpful to you?
Have your say in the comment section 🙂
AND if you like this blog, don't forget to Like and Share, and subscribe to my Weekly Newsletter.
Share this:
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
- More
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
- Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
- Click to print (Opens in new window)
Related
Related Posts
14 Comments
Leave a Reply to Ye Chen Cancel reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Disclosure
Transparency is important, and that is why we want to make clear to our dear readers that this weblog may contain affiliate links. This means we earn a small commission on items sold through this site. There is NO additional cost to you on any of these items. Please see our full Legal & Privacy page for further information.
4 tips that u gave here r really helpful
Great 🙂
Great post as always. Finding inspiration can be hard.. for me its music that gets my juices flowing. Always working through a block whether it’s music or writing to me works.
Thanks Craig! Love your attitude! Keep your music coming 🙂
I’ve always thought if you wait for inspiration to strike, you may be waiting forever. Sometimes you just have to start, get the juices flowing, then it finds you.
Hi Candice, exactly! Too often have I been waiting and taking in too much inspiration, untill I start writing and that’s when everything comes together 🙂
Ah – well put… your post “inspired me”…. I’m on the right track “mostly” and once read there was no such thing as writer’s block. I live in a world of wondering about all the things that inspire me – but realize from what you have said – we can’t just breathe them in! Well said! Tweeting & Pinning! Great post – easy read
Hi Deborah, thank you for reading and for your amazing comment. Awesome! Appreciate it!
wow, this was worth reading. Thanks for letting me see what inspiration is, from another angle
Hi Joseph, I’m glad it could contribute 🙂
I think one can sort of burn out somewhat in terms of finding the inspiration to write blog posts and such. At least it seems lke that for myself. Sometimes the trials of life and living sneak up and weigh one down. I wonder if time away to recharge might be the solution. Part of the questions or dilemma is what happens to those relationships that one develops as a blogger if you take time away.
As Candy so rightly said above, finding balance can be a struggle, but perhaps just showing up to write is half the battle won already!
Hi Glen, great hearing from you!
That’s a great topic to talk about. I think when the time comes, you will find a way to keep interacting with your relationships, if you really want. Even if it’s a simple short story as having a burn out, or having trouble finding inspiration 🙂
Exactly 🙂
Finding a balance can be a really struggle but I believe showing up to the task is the first step! Great advice ☺️
Thanks Candy 🙂