No matter what kind of work you do, it’s a good bet that every now and then you find yourself uninspired.
You know the feeling? You just can’t get started on that project…plan for that meeting…write that report. It’s important, it needs to be done, the stakes are high, and still you find yourself spinning your wheels.
Or maybe finishing is the hurdle for you. You got started just fine, but somewhere along the line you lost enthusiasm. Or something else grabbed your attention, you lost your momentum. Now you have to get it back so you can get the damn thing done.
How do you find the inspiration you need? Here are a few good ideas, courtesy of my informal panel of experts.
- “Definitely move to a coffee shop and buy yourself something fun to drink.” That’s the advice from divorce mediator Ellen Barron Feldman.
- “When I need to be creative, I always have to go somewhere else other than home,” says physical therapist Denise Kaz Schwartz. “My new favorite places are my library and the botanic garden to write.”
- How about a trip to the Art Institute? Jennifer Overeem says, “I go to a location like that and take in creativity around me. Sometimes just going to a beautiful place inspires me.”
- Hair solutions expert Christine Pusateri has a solution for inspiration too. “I get my best ideas when I work out!”
- Marianne Kaplan of Feng Shui for Success suggests listening to a variety of music when you need inspiration. And Nia teacher Lisa Rude says the answer is “Dance, of course.”
- You might need some outside input. Career Coach Lauren Milligan: “I belong to an awesome mastermind group. They’re good at inspiring AND not letting my head get too big.”
- Artist June Blunk says, “Getting out of my head with things such as meditation brings me inspiration. I’ve found not thinking, getting out of the way opens up my creative mind. It just flows.”
- Then there’s author and fitness coach Joan Maiden: “Just write. Doesn’t matter what. Once the words start to flow, you’ll be amazed what will come. It’s like priming the pump.”
- Video marketing expert Rhonda Rhyder recommends a walk in nature. Mediator Deborah Kilgore Ford says, “Go to the lake.” In Chicagoland, “the lake” means Lake Michigan; your local body of water will do just fine.
- Realtor Joyce Zelazik has a unique approach. “I paint and listen to classical music. It does get me to thinking. Which colors am I feeling today? What do I want to say? Before you get to thinking I’m some great artist. Just know that I have never saved one; I really stink and I just throw them away. But they make me feel better and get my creative juices flowing.”
- And then there’s retail maven Kay Kuhlman. “Probably sounds strange, but I get my best ideas when I’m brushing my teeth.”
Okay, that does sound strange. And, I’m for anything that works when it comes to generating ideas, putting them on paper, or moving a project forward.
One thing stands out for me, and it may be an introvert/extrovert thing. For some of us, inspiration comes in solitude—a walk in nature, a workout, meditation.
Others of us need, well, others of us. The crowd at the coffee shop, the mastermind group. Or, in my case, Facebook friends. Yes, that’s how I got inspired on the subject of inspiration—call it crowdsourcing!
In the end, we have to do the work, whether we’re inspired or not. W. Somerset Maugham had it right: “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”
Does the clock create inspiration for you? Or maybe you have another way to get it in gear when you have to get something done?
Share your experience in the comments below …
Inspiration for me comes from feeling grateful. I get inspired by gratefully giving to others – a dinner for a friend’s family or inviting someone over for tea or, like yesterday, helping to stylize scenes for a client’s photo shoot without charging them because I believe in her dream. It’s the human-ness of life, the real emotion that is evident from giving and, in turn, receiving that inspires me to create ideas in my work and writing because, ultimately, what I do is about giving.
I love that, Michele – it makes sense that doing something for someone would be inspiring. And, your comment about the photo shoot reminds me that I SO need to do one of those myself. I need a LOT of inspiration to even think about scheduling time in front of a camera.
This was an awesome newsletter. For me inspiration formulates only when I let it “in”. Example: I get up very early 4:30-5am. I settle with my coffee and a little quilting handwork…I am never, ever idle or sitting and doing nothing. While my needle is moving through the beautiful fabrics my thoughts turn to work and ideas just start popping into my head. They never stop either. Next..I’m at my laptop and notebook making outlines for a new real estate class, new quilt project, new dinner recipe, or whatever it is that I’m creating at the moment. The secret for me is to clear my mind of anything dull, boring, negative and create. P.S. this is a really neat program you are using.
Thanks, Maryann! You raise an important point. Inspiration coming to me is only half the equation. I have to create a place for it to land too; I need to be open to receiving it. A clear mind helps for sure. I’m not always certain how to get there, though!
Catherine, thanks for the inspiration! There was a time where I wasn’t sure as to whether members of my team were simply “clocking in and clocking out”. I recall challenging them with “where do you do your best thinking?” At first, I received a lot of blank stares …
… until I introduced an adventurer who had climbed Mount Everest twice, scaled all of the top mountains in the world, kayaked through the islands of the Philippines. Once they were exposed to stories of inspiration, uncertainty, adversity, pain and delight, I think they recognized that I truly wanted to understand where they gained inspiration.
I soon heard: “while I’m jogging”, “when I’m walking on the beach”, “when I’m having a shower”. We don’t all have to dream of Everest and scale it!
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You can bet, after the response and reaction, I took it upon myself to help create an environment, to free up time for people and to encourage inspiration.
Your team was lucky to have a leader who cared about what inspired them, Gregory! Good for you, trying to create an environment where they could look for it and find it.