by Sandy Archer | Jun 28, 2022 | Uncategorized
I love that word. It’s a great feeling being inspired… A combination of excitement, incentive and motivation…. But it can be a bit elusive.
Do you wait to be inspired? Or do you do something to inspire yourself into action? The problem with waiting for inspiration is you might wait a long time and never start!
I’ve worked in the creative industry for over 25 years. In this industry you can’t wait for creativity to strike, you’ve got to do something to get yourself inspired. And it’s probably not sitting in front of the computer or staring at a blank page. Usually it involves some kind of movement, a fresh perspective and probably a bit of discomfort… I say discomfort because inspiration is not always something that strikes you at the exact time you need it, it’s something you have to nurture, seek for, allow space to evolve and capture when it decides to show. It’s something you have to work for. But the good news is you can do it and I’ve got a few tips to get you started…
How do I get myself inspired?
I have learned a few things about how to manage my time to nurture and enhance my creativity and I’d love to share them with you.
It all starts with awareness, allowing time and space to let things in, to step aside from your current reality and allow the possibility of something new and exciting without judgment. I have learned to be ready to notice it, capture it and not underestimate or ignore the ideas that pop into my head.
Here’s my top ten tips for nurturing inspiration…
1. Change your state. Get up and move! Walking always works for me, preferably in nature. Removes the blocks and gets the blood flowing!
2. Change your outlook… physically and/or mentally. Get yourself in a different zone. Right now I’ve found myself a different zone… by the fire at one of my favorite little pubs. If I can’t change my physical space, I’ll change my inner outlook. With meditation, music, or even just a cup of tea… something to help me focus my mind and let go of whatever it is that is distracting me.
3. Look for it. You can’t just expect inspiration to come along when you feel like it. Mostly it strikes at the most unexpected and inopportune moments.
4. Make space for it. Leave some free-flow space in your busy life and leave some headspace in your busy mind. Quieten your mind and let new thoughts in.
5. Prioritise your own projects. Allow them some space. If you’re full up with duty tasks, self-imposed jobs and placating others, you’ll never create something you really want to create.
6. Commit to completion. Decide that you will follow through no matter what; you will find the time and space to complete your task.
7. Put it out there. If you’re looking for inspiration on a particular project, set yourself a question and then be ready to capture the answer when inspiration strikes.
8. Never assume. Change the way you look at things – Look for the extraordinary in the ordinary. Inspiration has a habit of striking at the weirdest times and in the strangest places.
9. Build a supportive lifestyle. Tempo can help you begin to build that system to support your creativity, doing what you do, to bring you back to you.
10. Find a Big Thinking space. Somewhere that really takes you to another zone. For me, it’s sitting on the top of a mountain, or a hill, anywhere with an outlook.
Have you got a project you’d like to create? A book? A business? A web site… Maybe you want to create some more space in your life or more balance…. Do you have a personal idea that is going to take some focus and attention? Something you need to add a bit of inspiration to get the ball rolling? Whatever you want to create in your life.. make time and find space for a bit of inspiration and you’ll get the ball rolling!
by Sandy Archer | Jun 28, 2022 | Uncategorized
So, I was going to write about being too busy, overwhelm and then I was going to write about ideas and thoughts...now I’m thinking about writing about choices and making decisions. Which one do you think I should write about?
Aaaaahhhh, there it is….Indecision!
There’s been a lot indecision in my life. Doubts, questioning, asking others what I should do. So today I’m going to help you think about the choices you are making in your life and whether they are yours or someone else’s.
I sometimes wonder why it is, as we get older, that our lives have a tendency to get smaller. Our decisions get safer. Our ideas get fewer. Yet our minds get busier and our lives get more complicated, sometimes we find ourselves going round in circles, not really heading anywhere. So where are our decisions taking us? How are we choosing our paths? What lives are we creating for ourselves?
Ever wanted to say no, but said yes?. Ever wanted to say yes but said no? Ever wanted to do something but been too afraid of what others might think, how they might judge you, or waited for permission? Yep, yep and yep. But not any more.
When I was a teenager, I think that choices were a lot easier for me. I didn’t have so many worries about how my decisions would affect others, or me. I had plenty of time and even more ideas and when they popped into my head I just followed them through! Then, at some point, I started analysing things more. Worrying about the outcome, over-thinking, over-analysing, even freezing and not doing anything! If I made a decision, I’d worry if it was the right one. If I didn’t have to, I’d just bury my head and hope it would all go away or wait for someone else to make it for me.
At some point we all need to stand up and make our own decisions. For what we want. For what we can bring to the world. For our talents, our future, our life.
Now, I must say, I’m a lot happier about making decisions. Sure, sometimes I don’t enjoy it, the decisions are difficult. But at least I know now I’m in the driver’s seat and I’m aware of how I make choices, not based on fear and doubt, but based on what I really want in my life.
How to make choices from the heart that take you forward in the direction of your dreams
1. Know what you want
If you know what you are working towards, making decisions becomes a lot easier, you can eliminate ones that are not going to take you in the direction you want and be less likely to just go along with others. This frees up your time too, you create less tasks and have fewer demands to please.
2. Create some space
If you have to make an immediate decision, try and give it some space… even if it’s just 10 minutes… make sure you get yourself in a good frame of mind. You can’t make a good decision when you’re in a bad head-space. Do something simple to improve your mood. Go for a walk, get the blood pumping.
3. Make time for you on a regular basis
When you allow yourself space to listen to yourself, you begin to know yourself more. That makes decision making so much easier when it comes to the crunch. We spend so much time doing things for others, sometimes when we are given the opportunity to make a decision for our own future, we have forgotten how to!
4. don’t get stuck in analysis – paralysis
Pondering and analysing a choice can get you stuck in a creative cul-de sac. Making a decision feels good. There’s a difference between a maybe and a definite…
5. Talk to someone
Don’t let ideas turn into worries by letting them fester in your head. Get them out into the open and talk about them!
Next time you’re faced with a decision, try a new approach. Tune in with YOU and make sure you make a choice that is in line with your future – not just everyone else’s.
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