5 Creative Ways to Get Inspired

Feeling uninspired?

Inspiration doesn’t always come easy. A vacation may give you a temporary bout of energy and ideas. But long before your clothes are put away, your mind drifts to that never-ending to-do list and you’re back exactly where you started from-burned out and feeling low.

But you can sit there pushing yourself to another breakdown {a.k.a. must take vacation} or you can do something about it now. Here I’ve compiled a list to help you cultivate more wonder, creativity and inspiration in your life.

1. Visualize

When I’m really stressed out or feeling anxious about the unknown, I spend a few minutes visualizing the best outcome of any situation. Afraid of taking the leap by quitting your stable full-time job? Close your eyes and imagine what it would be like if you started working on your dreams. What does your work space look like? What type of projects are you working on? Who are you working with? How do you feel? It’s an instant way to calm your fears and allow in a breath of fresh inspiration.

2. Exercise With Purpose

Exercising is a great technique to spur ideas and get inspiration if you do it the “right” way. I read actress and singer Zooey Deschanel said that working out to be skinny was so “boring.” I loved that! And I wholeheartedly agree. If you can find ways to exercise your body that’s fun, not torturous or purely for the purpose of losing weight, you’ll create space to allow more ideas to flow into your mind. Extra credit: Try listening to a spiritual tape or one from an inspiring author while walking. It’ll bring your workout to a whole other level.

 3. Take it Outside

We all spend way too much time on our computer indoors. If you’re feeling stuck, it’s probably a sign you need to take your problem outside. When I’m feeling particularly low, a quick trip to the mountains immediately does it for me. Maybe it’s the wind on my face, the feel of the dirt beneath the feet, the sound of the birds overhead or the belief that I am, but a tiny speckle in this place called earth.  But whatever it is, one thing’s for sure being in nature is the most natural way for me to be inspired.

4. Declutter Your Mind

You know how too much physical clutter can stifle your creativity? Well it can do the same when you’re holding on to too many emotional stuff. Maybe it’s a relationship that’s not working or a job that’s stealing your energy and your soul. Sometimes our fear of change can paralyze us, wear us down and make us numb over a period of time. When we let go of the things that are not serving us, we open the door to a more inspiring life. I think this quote is fitting via beliefnet.com.

“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy, for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another.”

– Anatole France

 

5. Immerse yourself in inspiration.

Surround yourself with inspiring people (dead or alive), things and events. Find positive people. Read biographies of people who overcame challenges and inconceivable obstacles. Visit museums (Art, History, Science). Go on a field trip for your mind. Do you remember the awe you felt as a child when you went on a field trip? That feeling of newness can give you a different perspective, providing new insight into old problems. Also being in the presence of great people doing inspiring things can fuel your own creative pursuits. Immersing yourself in the lives and creations of other people will inevitably rub off on you.

What do you do to get yourself inspired?