Life can be harsh, unforgiving, and unpredictable. For those that didn’t already realize this, 2020 was a reminder. Still, life can also be beautiful, glorious, and abundant. A moment of reflection can sometimes be all that is needed to recognize the upside and be inspired. There may be many times in your day-to-day existence, however, that you may need more than just a brief reminder of the positive side of life. Sometimes, you need a plan of action to get out of a funk and into a more productive mindset, enabling you to progress through your day as a vibrant, constructive, creative, and resilient individual. Here are some tips to get your daily inspiration!
- Wake up early. Much can be gained by getting up a little earlier than usual. The alone time gives you a quiet space to reflect and plan for the day. Exercising when you first get up can eliminate many excuses that can crop up as the day progresses. The momentum created by achieving an important goal so early can propel you throughout your day.
- Plan your day. The evening prior, mentally map how you want the next day to go. Do you want quality moments with family, time for exercise, or a chance to work on your dreams? These events are much more likely to happen if they are planned.
- Charge your spirit. Do something, no matter how small, that lifts the spirit and creates joy in your heart on a daily basis. Charging your “battery” each day with things that energize goes a long way to make you feel creative, vibrant, and alive.
- Replace the distractions with inspirations. Mindless scrolling through junk email, social media, and news stories can send you down a rabbit hole of consumerism, negativity, and nonproductivity. Replacing some of this activity with inspiring videos, educational podcasts, or a good book can boost creativity.
- Look around you. Other people, places, or things can be great sources of inspiration whenever it feels lacking from within.
- Be kind to yourself. Other people can be critical, rude, condescending, prejudiced, or simply unable to fully relate to you, your goals, or your challenges. Treat yourself as you would a beloved friend or family member: Create kind but honest inner dialog, firm but benevolent encouragement, and unconditional self love. Sometimes looking in the mirror and saying, “You’ve got this” is all you need!
- Break ideas down into manageable pieces. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Similarly, working towards a big goal can be discouraging when you try to tackle it all at once. Breaking goals into much smaller, more immediately achievable projects can put the wind back in your sails.
- Acknowledge that priorities change. What is important one day (or even one hour!) can be low-priority the next. Identifying opportunities for joy in your current situation cultivates the imagination needed to be inspired in the moment.
- Brainstorm. Doing a brain dump (putting all of your running thoughts onto paper- or into an electronic device for the digitally inclined) can help shift your mind from scattered, muddied thinking to the focused clarity needed for inspiration. Keep a notebook close by for whenever an idea arises.
- Break out of your comfort zone. Doing something new and out of your norm gives birth to creativity by giving you a new way of looking at things.
- Slow down. The pauses between actions are just as important as activity itself. Constant productivity and busyness leads to burnout and exhaustion, no matter how pleasant the activities may be. Take some time to do nothing.
- Spend time in nature. There is something about fresh air and the beauty of outdoors that inspires people of all ages. A visit to an art museum and seeing all of the paintings inspired by nature is proof enough. Try taking a walk outside, looking at a sunrise or sunset, gardening, relaxing at the beach, dining al fresco in a local park, or stargazing.
- Change your scenery. Sometimes getting out of the house, rearranging the home or workspace, or being around different people can bring the new perspective needed for inspiration.
- Learn something new. Learning new things helps to create new neural pathways, enhancing brain agility over time.
- Meditate. A consistent mediation practice often leads to increased creativity and clarity of thought in the long term. There are many different ways to meditate. Find one that speaks to you and think about making it a regular practice.
BONUS:
- JUST DO SOMETHING! Sometimes, taking action on a vague but valued idea without a clear direction and without expecting perfection can lead to amazing things (think freestyle artists, random acts of kindness, spontaneous road trips). The momentum created by simply acting can lead to amazing results.
