When Inspiration Strikes…

If you’re like me, ideas may pop in your head at some of the most random or inconvenient times. Like in the morning when you are getting ready for your day, sitting quietly with a cup of coffee, or maybe driving in the car on your way to work, but then some type of distraction shows up, and that idea gets filed somewhere else in your head for another day. Sometimes, that idea gets totally forgotten about, or maybe just a part of it pops up but without the context that made you think it was great in the first place. Here is what I’ve learned to do about it.

You have to take action on those ideas right away! Drop what you are doing and take action! You must do what you can to keep that idea moving forward or else risk losing it entirely.

Now, depending on what your inspiration is, will determine what action you need to take. For me, the inspiration has been to start writing. I have many ideas on topics that I love to engage with. There are many different subjects that interest me, and I have an opinion that I like to express and share. In the past, when an idea came to me, I would grab a post it note or the nearest sheet of paper, scribble down my thoughts, place it my pocket, and then hopefully return to it at the end of the day. But here’s the problem with that. And you can probably see it coming.

 After a long day at work and a stop at the gym, I would come home and get ready for bed or just flop down in front of the tv or with a book to unwind.

By now, just like everyone else, I am feeling a little spent. I was looking to unwind, and focus and discipline weren’t really a strong suit of mine, especially as the night was settling in. When I empty my pockets, and see whatever notes I may have taken, they more than likely got thrown into a pile of other notes sitting near my computer. I kept a binder that had all my great ideas that I accumulated over the years, but never acted on. (That’s a story for another day.)

There was also a problem, that I may have written my notes down hurriedly, and sometimes, if I was writing them down first thing in the morning, my handwriting wasn’t always in peak form or I may have written my thoughts down somewhat cryptically. Many ideas that seemed terrific when I wrote them, now got lost somewhere over the span of a few hours. They made total sense to me at 7 am while I just got out of the shower, but later in the day I had no idea what I was really aiming for.

Here is how I’ve solved that problem, and I have been having tremendous success using this as a support tool for myself.

Google doesn’t need a commercial from me, but they have a great application called Google keep, that you can access on your phone or your computer and easily take notes throughout the day. Think of it as having those little yellow post it notes electronically. You can find it here https://keep.google.com/

You don’t have to be tech savvy to use this app. I downloaded it and keep it on the home screen of my phone. One of the best things about it for me personally is that I can dictate my thoughts and notes directly to the app through use of the phone’s microphone. It’s easy:

1. Open the app,
2. Click on “take a note”
3. Hit the microphone icon on keyboard and start talking.

 It couldn’t be easier. By allowing yourself to speak instead of type, you can now expand on your idea, talk it through, and cover the key points without worry. This is an instantaneous way to capture the moment of your inspirational idea, whatever it may be.

Now that you’ve recorded and saved your thoughts, it frees you up to either expand on that idea or go back to whatever you were doing and return to it at any time.

How do you keep track of your ideas? Have you tried this method?

Moving onto Sources of Inspiration, there are two definitions for Inspiration:

1. The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.
2. A sudden brilliant, creative, or timely idea.

Which definition is more fitting for you and what you are trying to do?

That “AHA” moment can strike anywhere!

The first one refers to it as a process, and the second one refers to it as sudden. Ok, I can go with that. Let’s start with the second definition which refers to sudden. Most of my inspiration nowadays comes from those “AHA” moments when the light bulb appears over my head.

Do you experience those? Stop for a second and try to recall the last one that you had. Did you do something about it?

 I often have no clue where my ideas come from, nor I do I seem to be able to control when they arrive. But, now that I have a system to record these ideas, they seem to flow much more frequently, and I welcome them, even in the middle of the night. It’s often at times that seem inconvenient, but hey, lots of things are inconvenient, and I don’t want to stop them from coming. There is a lot to be said about momentum, and I believe it will work for you or it can work against you. (wow, another great idea to write about, excuse me a second, while I open my google keep app and record that idea for a later date).

Ok, I’m back now. Where was I?

Oh, yes, the biggest mistakes that I seem to make is when I don’t go with those sudden spurts of inspiration and take some type of immediate action. We have to trust that moment of inspiration has a purpose and it is telling you to stop what ever else you are doing pay attention to it!

Previously, I emphasized acting right away when lightning strikes! That part takes a little bit of discipline but when I stop whatever else I am doing and take at least one small step related to that inspiration, I keep the ball moving forward.

 Next, let’s look at the process. That means something is going on that is driving us to create something, or let’s say, work on our vision. There are steps being taken to drive actions. Are they identifiable and on purpose, or is there something that inspires us and we don’t quite recognize it?

When my four kids were young, I had to get up every morning and go to work, so that I could make money and pay the bills and all the other fun financial obligations. That was motivation, not inspiration. The inspiration came at night when I got home and spent time with them. They inspired me to “be a better Dad!” That to me was a process, as I learned from them what it took to be the best Dad that I could be. That took time and effort, and I had to use that inspiration from them and do things like make sure I was present when I was around them and leave my job at the door. I had to listen to what they had to say. I observed what their needs were, and I had to verify my actions, make corrections on the fly and constantly evolve with them as we entered each new chapter of our lives. You don’t have to be a parent to relate to what I just wrote, those words can be applied to any inspiration that you recognize in your life. Listen, Observe, Verify and Evolve. OH my God, Did I just write that? LOVE (Well, truthfully, the V was a stretch, but the C for correct on the fly just fell a little short, please forgive my tackiness. Do what you will with it.

When we stop and look around, there may be something already there that is a source to inspire us, but we must pay attention to our surroundings, and let it speak to us.

 On the other hand, what do you do if you don’t have some driving force in your life that is inspiring you? Can you do something about it? Absolutely!

So you’re feeling uninspired?

There are times when I don’t feel inspired at all, do you know what I do? I procrastinate. Yep, There. I said it. I prefer to look at procrastination sometimes as a positive action. My mind telling me, that I am not ready yet. I stall until inspiration strikes. I don’t put on the TV or read fiction while I am stalling. I go do something constructive, and oftentimes, practical.

For me, inspiration strikes unexpectedly and often while I am doing the most mundane things. It makes total sense, when I am feeling uninspired, to go do something mundane. Here are some of the things I do that give me inspiration. Feel free to laugh, I do. I sweep the floor, I do dishes, I wash and fold clothes, I walk outside, I listen to music without words. I take a quick drive in the car; I have a coffee. I sometimes wander through the bookstore. I allow myself to step away from the process, and just go do something that is mindless.

Eventually, my thoughts always turn towards whatever it is that I was hoping to focus on. I just finished folding clothes before I sat down to write this. I had an idea beforehand about what I wanted to say but stopping to clear my head for a little while helped me crystallize my thoughts and gave me added inspiration.

Let’s call it “constructive procrastination”. I didn’t run away from doing something that I have this burning desire to do, I just let it alone for a little bit till it felt right. And somedays, my place ends up getting really clean.

Another technique I use that helps me find inspiration is to sit quietly alone and be honest with myself about what I am trying to do, and why I want to do it. I need to get down to the bare bones of why I feel compelled to do it. I really dig in deep at this point, and for every question I answer, I follow it up and ask why, again and again until I end up with an emotional response that moves me. The trick here is to be truthful. If I give a response that isn’t, my body knows it, and calls BS! I remind myself that I am not sharing my answers with anyone else but me, only me. No one else needs to know my thoughts. Sometimes, it may be something that seems selfish, but isn’t it good to know that as well? If it’s selfish in nature that might be why you aren’t feeling inspired. Once you know that, you can make a minor adjustment to your thought process and give it new meaning.

Asking why over and over again reminds me of a how my kids would keep asking me about things they didn’t understand. They would exhaust me and question every answer I gave them until they were satisfied. Get it? Until they were satisfied. So, ask until you are satisfied.

Those methods have been working for me, so I invite you to give it a try next time you feel uninspired or “stuck”. Come back and share your experience, you may end up helping someone else get “unstuck”!