“They loved your messages. This was evident by the TWO standing ovations you received.”
Educational Service Unit No. 11
Whether it’s for the sake of art, for creating anything or of simply getting through the work day with a sense of self-satisfaction, we rely on inspiration to keep us going. Inspiration is a tricky thing – it comes and it goes, either in short bursts or for a long time and then vanishes for days, weeks, months or even years. Most people tend to wait for inspiration to strike them—to have that “Aha!” moment when the creativity just flows and work productivity increases rapidly. Often, rather than wait for inspiration to come to you, you have to find your way toward it.
But where do we get inspiration from? Is it in glorious epiphanies and after life-changing events? Or is it in the little, everyday things that we tend to gloss over and ignore? It’s both, really. But inspiration from the little everyday things is easier to come by – you just have to look for it a little harder.
Being in natural surroundings can be great for the soul – and for the brain. Go on a hike or a spend time in a beautiful orchard. The sense of peace and all the sources of inspiration within nature will open up your mind to new ideas and sensations. If reading is your thing, you may find inspiration in other people’s work. It doesn’t have to be anything hefty. A quote, maybe a poem or even a short story can be enough to get those creative juices flowing and give you inspiration for your next project. A trip to the museum to view works of art or listening to songs can help tickle those brain cells and give you bursts of inspiration.
While coming across a particular thing may result in inspiration striking you at just the right moment out of the blue, some of those things can become a constant source of daily inspiration. Anything that makes you motivated and willing to work on new ideas and old projects is good enough to be kept as a reminder of that feeling. Create inspiration boards with songs, quotes and objects on them. Whether it’s a flower, a piece of fabric, a seashell or a color, all of it can make its way on to the board or into the box of inspiration, whatever you prefer.
Once we get the inspiration to work on our ideas, we need the motivation to keep going, too. Both things go hand in hand, and one without the other is never as productive as when both occur together. Motivation can be found in all places, and as we look for inspiration all around us, we find that motivation makes it way to us as well.
Sometimes getting motivated needs a little push from just the right people. You can hire hall of fame speaker Steve Gilliland for your next event. He is one of the funniest inspirational speakers out there in the USA. These days, technology makes him even more accessible. You can hire him to conduct a webinar, where he can interact just as well with the audience as if he is actually there!
