To be inspired is to be driven to achieve and succeed by something deep within. This hidden internal motor is triggered by external themes that are particular to each of us – but how do we expect to be inspired if we don’t know exactly what it is that inspires us?
What we are talking about here is not just leaving it to chance. That is not waiting until you accidentally catch the last five minutes of a Mohammad Ali documentary before you feel that gravitational like pull to achieve something important. If we know exactly what it is that inspires us we can make sure we can be inspired when we need to be inspired.
Inspiration is a funny thing. It often creeps up unannounced, and departs with equal stealth. In those fleeting moments of its presence it is rare we are ever able to fully realise its potential – often because we are driving, putting the children to bed, in a meeting or simply, as is often apocryphal, attending to natures needs! Whilst, it is not always going to possible to change what we are doing when the light-bulb glows, we can begin to note down what the triggers for these feeling are. As I suggest above, these triggers are very individual so no one can help you with this – but grab your Moleskin, your iPhone, or a napkin and jot down:
- Where were you when you were inspired?
- What were you doing?
- What was the trigger if it was obvious?
- How long did the feeling last for?
Over time you should be able to spot themes – maybe it is every time you smell fresh coffee; maybe the triggers are varied, but it happens every time you go for a run. Use these themes to work out what it is that inspires you – think hard when you look back at your records, to really understand what is at the core.
I am not a fan of ‘checklists’ – it too often sends you down the cul-du-sac of someone else’s thoughts rather than your own. However, for the purposes of illustration, here are the type of things to look for:
- A type of music, particular band, or specific song;
- A smell or taste;
- A photograph, painting or drawing;
- A book, a short story, a poem or a quote;
- A sunrise, a sunset, a vista or a sight; or
- A building, a structure, a person, or animal.
This is however, only half the journey. Once your inspirations have been identified, you must then start to build a mechanism for bringing such moments more under your control. Don’t worry, t he random flashes will still take you unaware – without them life would be much the worse – but we can begin to trigger a trigger.
How can you capture those triggers? Once you have identifed what the triggers are, then more-often-than-not it is simple to see how to collect them to use at will:
- A playlist on your iPhone of songs that inspire you;
- A notebook where you keep a note of quotes you find;
- An album of photos or prints; or
- Commit a poem or passage of prose to memory.
Remember that inspirations are transient beasts, and don’t be suprised if old triggers loose their edge and new lights appear – the beauty of inspiration is that it will always suprise you.
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