How to Unlock Your Inner Inspiration, Pt. 1

What Drives You?

In life you take turns, corners that are abrupt or gradual, sharp or smooth. When you change direction—either just in passing or with a destination in mind—your course is altered. To slow down means to lose momentum, and to speed up means to lose control. So you stay on track, turning corners with deliberate and balanced grace.

Then there’s a moment, a spark, when you feel inspired to accelerate. With no obstacles in the way, the road has no more lines, no barriers, and you feel as if you could almost lift off the ground in flight.

Igniting inspiration isn’t always easy, especially when our busy lives are filled with the parameters and distractions that often keep us on a tight and closed course. But there are ways to find your own path to inspiration—an open road that can lead to an open mind.

Get a Fresh Perspective

Never underestimate how a little fresh air or change of scenery can shift your perspective and give you a new outlook on any situation. It’s no surprise that traveling to new places often opens up new avenues of inspiration, but even just a simple walk on a local path can help you to find personal encouragement and clarity.

Everyone has moments when they feel stuck. Our minds and bodies feel heavy when they are weighted with layers of obligation or bouts of apathy. These are the times when inspiration is pushed beneath piles of worry, self-consciousness, judgment and criticism—life loads that can make just getting out the door a struggle, and can bury motivation to engage our minds and move our bodies.

Any time you feel stuck—at home, at work, with others—don’t ignore it. Anxiety and stress often stem from getting tightly wound in the fixtures of our personal and professional lives. If you don’t follow your urges to seek movement and embrace change, you may find yourself caught in a cycle that is fueled by repetition, rather than driven by inspiration.

Become inspired, every day, by stepping outside of an area of comfort in you life. This will be different for everyone, and can be applied to the wide-range of facets of your day-to-day existence. If you like to walk, try running; if you like to take photographs, try painting. If you’re anxious, try breathing; if you’re quiet; try talking.

You can usually rely on long hikes or plane rides to take you to a new horizon of thinking, but do not underestimate what may be revealed by talking to stranger or filling a blank canvas.