Inspiration has been the single most potent ingredient in our progress as human beings. Inspiration has bred creativity and genius. It's actually amazing how something as simple and common as an apple inspired a young Newton to go and understand what gravity was and how it behaved in nature. It is also quite fascinating how a clock tower brought about thoughts of time in the universe for Einstein.
One spark of inspiration has the power to build and change the world. Unfortunately for the greater percentage of the world, inspiration is hard to come by.
Have you ever just sat down and try to think hard of a new idea for something.... anything? How hard was it? If you are anything like me then it was probably a nightmare. Have you also noticed that your most incredible ideas usually came when you weren't even looking? That's just how inspiration works.
Don't worry, I'm not saying that inspiration is some sort of uncontrollable force that you have no power over. Surprisingly you do have some (though limited) control over it.
The trick is not to constantly obsess over coming up with something new and amazing. It's simply to allow it to come to you naturally. Now I know this may sound like it could take forever but I'm going to share with you some techniques that always seem to work for me especially when I'm at a complete blank and feel extremely un-inspired.
Evaluate your ultimate goal
Ask yourself what your ultimate goal is. What is your drive? What do you expect to achieve at the end? Sometimes you fail to find inspiration because your goals are actually not to your best interest and a mental block is your subconscious' way of telling you.
Ask yourself if you're doing it for the right reasons.
Spend some time with friends
Inspiration doesn't have to come from a thing. Inspiration can also come from a person. Some of the best ideas I have ever had came from something one of my friends said or did. Sometimes even the most stupid of actions can inspire greatness.
Also, friends can inspire you directly. If you're a writer they could inspire one of your characters. If you're an innovator you can use a problem they're having to find a creative solution.
Expand your social circle
Sometimes your friends don't provide you with the inspiration you need. Then it's time to expand your social circle. Get yourself out of your comfort zone and meet new people. These people could directly hold the key to your inspiration. They could also indirectly inspire you by introducing you to new things.
Do something that breaks routine
Einstein defined insanity as "trying the same thing over and over again expecting different results." If you're doing what you always do and you're not getting any results then change!
If you usually take the bus, walk!
If you usually use one route to get to a certain place, use a different one!
Admittedly, this is exactly I did and was late for one of my classes and part-time job as a result. The bright side is it worked!
When you change your routine you break your usual train of thought and you're able to explore newer and possibly more exciting ones. So try something new.
Use nature
Sometimes nature can be an amazing source of inspiration. Nature has been know to inspire everything from paintings and sculptures to architecture and science.
Sometimes all you need to do is get out and experience the great outdoors. Soak up the wildlife and scenery. Appreciate the beauty of the world and your inspiration could be right around the corner.
Tap into your experiences
Usually the answer lies in your past. You just don't know it. I didn't either. I only realized this one day because I keep a sort of journal. I was going through a really serious emotional problem that was really affecting my concentration and creativity.
While reading my journal, I realized that I had gone through a very similar problem before and gotten over it and that helped me a lot.
Now I'm not saying you should also keep a journal, it's not for everyone. All I'm saying is you should try to remember a similar problem you had and use your experience to inspire the solution.
Photo Credit: !Roberto!
What about you?
This is what I do when I feel completely uninspired. It works some people, it doesn't work for others. What do you do to get yourself inspired?
