Sitting on my patio under a majestic redwood tree where I can watch the squirrels chase each other around its solid trunk—this is one of my favorite ways to work. Much of my work is done at home which I love and is absolutely by design. I work in my office, on the couch, or outside on my patio. Having this kind of flexibility gives me the freedom I crave and the ability to fit in a yoga class, time to cook a healthy meal, meditate, or to hike. These are all things that inspire me.
When I teach a workshop on how to integrate work and wellness, I talk about the importance of inspiration. If we aren’t doing what inspires us, we don’t have the energy or motivation to live a life that lights us up. Inspiration gives us the fire we need to go after our goals, dreams, and desires—to do what we love.
Mozart described it this way:
“Those ideas that please me I retain in memory, and am accustomed, as I have been told, to hum them to myself. If I continue in this way, it soon occurs to me how I may turn this or that morsel to account so as to make a good dish of it… All this fires my soul.”
Meaning, if we are in touch with our inspired moments and hold onto them, these moments can turn into our own masterpiece.
Studies have shown that inspiration is related to greater self-esteem, creativity, and optimism. It can awaken something in us. Inspiration allows us to dream and imagine and go beyond what may have been holding us back.
Take some time to think about and perhaps write down what inspires you. Some ideas to juice up your inspiration:
- A creative pursuit like painting, drawing, jewelry making (and you don’t have to be good at it for it to inspire you)
- Exercising, dancing—moving your body
- Cooking
- Time with friends, loved ones
- Being in nature, being in or near water, gardening
- Travel—near or far
- Reading a story about another person’s achievement or dream come to life
- Even just thinking about what inspires you!
I’ve noticed that some of my most inspired moments happen while I’m hiking or taking in a beautiful landscape. Being in nature helps me to really tune in to myself or equally important tune out from the distractions and noise of life (texts, emails, overconsumption of information).
Get curious, experiment, let it be playful. Simply notice the moments that give you that flutter in your heart or have you reach for a pen and paper to jot down some ideas.
Let your inspiration guide you.
