How do I find my inspiration?
How do you know when you have been hit by an "inspiration"? What does it feel like for you? Is it a physiological change in your body? Or is it just an idea that pops into your mind out of nowhere?
The word INSPIRATION came from the Latin "inspirare", meaning "to breathe into". It is an unconscious burst of creativity, in a literary, musical, or other artistic endeavors. The Greeks believed that inspiration or "enthusiasm" came from the Muses, as well as the gods Apollo and Dionysus.
The earliest known records of the Nine Muses are from Boeotia, the homeland of Hesiod. It was believed they were daughters of Zeus, king of the gods. Hesiod in Theogony narrates that the Muses brought to people forgetfulness, that is, the forgetfulness of pain and the cessation of obligations. In other words, when you are inspired, you forget the pain and obligations experienced in life.
There are researches done that they found that inspired people were more open to new experiences, and reported more absorption in their tasks. “Openness to Experience” often came before inspiration, suggesting that those who are more open to inspiration are more likely to experience it. Additionally, inspired people were more intrinsically motivated and less extrinsically motivated, variables that also strongly impact work performance.
What I am getting at is that it has been scientifically shown inspiration is not something you get from outside of you, but it derived from an intrinsic characteristic you cultivate from within.
Earlier this week, I was working with a film director on a soon to be released video interview for his podcast, we've talked about how long it took me to write my first book "Perfectly Normal: An Immigrant's story of Making It In America". The answer? Four Month.
I remember coming home day in, day out working on this book and sometimes I am calling upon all the Muses in the world to find that inspiration I needed in writing this book. Since inspiration comes intrinsically from your heart, forcing something that isn't would only work the opposite against you. You have to be open to the idea that someday you will wake up and there aren't any inspirations for you to experience, but you decided to go along with it anyway.
What allowed me to finish the book within a rather intense timeline was the inspiration that I came home with from the Machu Picchu trip. I was inspired with an idea that I can make an impact on someone's life if only I just figure out a way of making it happen. The Openness to Experience life at its fullest without holding judgments against the experience was the key to get me to places I want to be.
This morning, my inspiration hits me again. Ever since I published my first book, I had the privilege to experience life living with abundance. The people I am meeting every day, the clients whom I have been working with, and the everyday obstacles and challenges that continue to show up in my life; provided me with ideas that I want to share with you.
"Today feels like a perfect day to work on my second book!"
This is the inspiration I am waking up to this morning.
Now, If I were to turn the table back to you, what inspiration has been knocking on your door lately? Will you be getting up and answer that inspiration? Or are you going to keep your door shut and pretend it is not there?
If there's anything key takeaway I want to leave you with today; it would be the idea of "Waking up to smell the roses." Don't take things for granted! Go and answer your inspiration with openness to experience, without the fear that keeps holding you back!
Energectically,
Michelle
