‘Inspiration is the rocket fuel that makes ordinary days extraordinary’

Gail Lynne Goodwin’

Do you find that there are specific occasions when you feel really inspired by something or someone? Are you aware what it was that caused that inspiration? There is no better feeling than the passion inside you, when you feel that life is great, anything is possible, the world is at your feet and you are feeling thoroughly inspired and ready to tackle life.

I’ve been analyzing when I feel most inspired and what causes it, to try to bring more of it into my life.

I have come up with 4 main forces that influence my levels of inspiration.

1) People

The people we interact with usually have by far the strongest impact on our levels of motivation. As with most things, the people in our lives hugely influence us. If we spend time with amazing people who inspire us, it can help to drive us into positive action. Spending time with people who believe that anything is possible and that we can achieve our dreams, can help us to do just that. Spending time with negative people who suck all the energy out of us is unlikely to help with our levels of inspiration.

Try analyzing the people that you interact with. Are you spending time with people who inspire you or who suck the life out of you. Can you make a change? Can you remove the negative people from your life and replace them with positive, inspirational people? I am lucky to be surrounded by hugely inspirational people who are achieving great things and that has a massive positive impact on me and how fulfilled my life is.

2) Places

There are certain places that can provide us with inspiration. It might be being out in nature, fresh air, countryside, breathtaking views, the top of a mountain or an amazing sunset. It might be being somewhere exciting like a new city, somewhere with the latest technology or the most forward thinking ideas, or somewhere with a completely different culture. Spending time somewhere meaningful to us can cause greater levels of inspiration.

I find that when I need inspiration going on a hike to the top of a hill or mountain can offer me what I need. Breathing in the fresh air, taking in spectacular views and spending time with my own thoughts can all serve to inspire me.

3) Online

There are things we can find without even needing to leave our house that will inspire us. Thought provoking quotes, discussion forums interacting with people who are interested in similar topics, watching Ted Talk videos or reading an inspirational book. We might even find inspiration listening to certain music. If we search for inspiration there are plenty of places we can find it online.

4) Self

It is also possible to look inside ourselves for inspiration through a variety of means such as meditation, mindfulness, deep breathing and visualisation. All of these techniques are about taking time to focus on ourselves and letting go of all outside distractions. We can also write in a journal or create a vision board, both useful techniques to help create inspiration from within ourselves.

Are you looking to feel inspired? Try some of the steps above to see if it brings inspiration into your life. I’d love to hear how it worked for you in the comments below.