mygapyear

Who isn’t looking for a little more inspiration in life?

Whether you consider yourself to be an artsy, creative person, or if you relate to things more scientifically or analytically, everyone needs a little bit of inspiration on a regular basis. New ideas are what motivate us to challenge ourselves, be it in our personal lives or in the workplace or elsewhere.

But where does this inspiration come from exactly? Is it tangible or immaterial? And how do we harness it? Does inspiration just hit you over the head, when you least expect it? Maybe, it does, if you’re lucky. However, Colleen Albiston, a leadership and management specialist, thinks differently.

In a recent article, she writes:

“Inspiration comes in countless forms, but sometimes you have to consciously set aside time to allow it to happen. This may sound counterintuitive – after all, isn’t inspiration supposed to strike us like a lightning bolt with an “a-ha” moment or an out-of-the blue idea? Sometimes it does, but we can also seek out opportunities for inspiration.” (Read full article here:( http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/leadership-lab/why-you-should-find-the-time-to-be-inspired/article17777120/)

Albiston goes on to say that to take advantage of inspiration, you need to be open. That can mean constantly trying to expand your circle and interact with new and different people. Or, it can be as simple have having an open mind to an alternative way of thinking or a foreign concept.

To expand on the article, I think that being inspired is an active, rather than passive pursuit. You need to give yourself permission to try a new activity, read a different author’s work, or to strike up a conversation with someone outside your circle. It can take real, conscious effort to be inspired, and you have to set time aside for it, even if it’s just for a few minutes each day. While ideas can come out of thin air, the best ones come with real effort.

Here are some active ways you can try to get inspired over the next week:

-trying a restaurant in your neighbourhood that you've never been to before

-keeping a journal, even if it’s just writing one or two sentences each day

-picking a random book at the library and cozying up with it

-chatting to a stranger for more than five minutes (not online, but in person!)

How do YOU get inspired?