So I took affirmative action and wrote down a list of things I like doing on my whiteboard, as a way of reminding myself to incorporate these things back into my life on a regular basis. This got me thinking about other inspirational actions that we can all do to put a spring in our step and help us make peace with our seemingly nonsensical existence. Work, family commitments and the general daily grind often prevent us from being the sociable beings we were designed to be.
Instead of making time for this essential human pleasure, we substitute the real thing for virtual friendship on Facebook, or a TV series that engages the mind with interesting characters. You are human. You need social interaction, and plenty of it. You thrive on talking, laughing, debating, helping, listening, smiling and generally being part of a group tribe.
So make time for nights out, days out, a coffee and a chat, a walk with a friend. It is absolutely essential to your wellbeing. At times I go weeks without getting out my collection of teas and one of my teapots to indulge in the making of a soothing green or lotus flower tea.
It could be anywhere: a new museum in town, a famous railway station you once read about, a national park, whatever, just book it and treat yourself to its wonders. There is always more than one way to look at a situation, and we do ourselves a disservice when we close our minds to possibility. So break for five minutes today and consider a situation that troubles you and mentally explore its dynamics.
I often break from writing for a moment and look out of the window at the swaying trees and vast sky. This is a particularly good exercise when you are seeking creative solutions. According to Thrash and Elliot, inspiration involves both being inspired by something and acting on that inspiration.
Inspired people share certain characteristics. They found that inspired people were more open to new experiences, and reported more absorption in their tasks. Inspired individuals also reported having a stronger drive to master their work, but were less competitive, which makes sense if you think of competition as a non-transcendent desire to outperform competitors. Inspired people were more intrinsically motivated and less extrinsically motivated, variables that also strongly impact work performance.
Inspiration was least related to variables that involve agency or the enhancement of resources, again demonstrating the transcendent nature of inspiration. Inspired people also reported higher levels of important psychological resources, including belief in their own abilities, self-esteem, and optimism. Mastery of work, absorption, creativity, perceived competence, self-esteem, and optimism were all consequences of inspiration, suggesting that inspiration facilitates these important psychological resources.
Interestingly, work mastery also came before inspiration, suggesting that inspiration is not purely passive, but does favor the prepared mind. Inspiration is not the same as positive affect. Compared to the normal experiences of everyday life , inspiration involves elevated levels of positive affect and task involvement, and lower levels of negative affect. Inspiration is not the same state as positive affect, however. Compared to being in an enthusiastic and excited state, people who enter an inspired state by thinking of a prior moment they were inspired reported greater levels of spirituality and meaning, and lower levels of volitional control, controllability, and self-responsibility for their inspiration.
Inspiration is the springboard for creativity. Inspired people view themselves as more creative and show actual increases in self-ratings of creativity over time. Patent-holding inventors report being inspired more frequently and intensely than non-patent holders, and the higher the frequency of inspiration, the higher the number of patents held.
Being in a state of inspiration also predicts the creativity of writing samples across scientific writing, poetry, and fiction as judged by a panel of fellow students independent of SAT verbal scores, Openness to Experience, positive affect, specific behaviors e. Sometimes, all you really need is a little bit of inspiration to feel that spark again.
A great way to re-ignite that fire within you is to look externally. Think of a list of positive and successful people who you aspire to be like and who have achieved similar goals that you want to accomplish.
You can also seek out Youtube videos, read self-help books, and listen to podcasts and autobiographies to help spark ideas and generate excitement. Motivation, enthusiasm, and positivity are all extremely contagious so surround yourself with these positive influences as much as possible! Another way to find inspiration is to go out of your comfort zone and experience new activities in a different environment. Do an activity or go to an event that you never imagined you would ever do or be at.
This is a great way to gain new insight and inspire your creativity. But it works. Have you ever felt ready to take on the day in sweatpants? Put on your favorite dress, something that you feel great in. And lipstick. Red lipstick for me does wonders, and makes me feel instantly pulled together.
Not that I needed to tell you that. Often times, I find this is the root of the problem. Also see Tidying Tips for Messy People. What works best for you? How do you find your inspiration and motivation? These are all great ideas and much more productive than binge watching Orange is the New Black haha! Fantastic advice, Jess. Have a great rest of your week!
Love the tips!
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