I think of inspiration like a child who needs encouragement and positive responses from a parent. If you don’t encourage the child when it behaves appropriately or in ways that you see as “good,” eventually the child decides those behaviors aren’t worth repeating. The child then turns to different or undesirable behaviors. In the same way, your positive responses to moments when you feel inspired foster more inspired moments. To get inspired more often, encourage inspiration when it moves in your life.
Imagine your child is learning to speak or to walk. If you don’t say, “Good job! Keep it up!” whenever he says, “Mama” or takes a step, eventually he will give up and stop trying. The child will become mute or remain sitting on the floor.
Inspiration is the same. It wants encouragement. It wants a positive response from you. If it doesn’t get one, it decides not to bother inspiring you again.
After all, why bother continuing to send you inspirational impulses if you won’t act on the urge to create?
But if you do, indeed, take action, if you dare to bring something into the world, you can effect change in your life and in the lives of others as you achieve your dreams and impact the world.
How to Encourage Inspiration
How do you encourage inspiration into your life? Here are four steps to take:
1. Acknowledge when you feel Inspired.
The key to feeling inspired lies in noticing, acknowledging and feeling grateful for the tiny sparks of inspiration you feel. The more often you notice that urge to create, the more often you will realize you have it. But that’s not enough…
2. Dare to take action.
Many people are too afraid to act when they feel inspired. You must dare to allow inspiration to guide you, be courageous enough to take action. You must defy negative thoughts (and opinions), and move forward against the odds.
When you do so, inspiration responds with inspired solutions and answers as well as more inspired actions for you to take. So, again: Pay attention.
3. Effectuate change.
Now, use your inspiration to effect change of one type or another. Inspiration wants you to create something new, different or needed. When you dare to act upon your inspiration, you bring something new into the world. That new idea, product, service, invention, or piece of art affects all who come into contact with it. You, too, are affected.
4. Achieve your purpose and potential.
Inspiration pushes you, challenges you, to achieve your purpose and your potential. When you acknowledge the challenge and act courageously, thus bringing something new into the world, you achieve your purpose and fulfill your potential. You realize the gifts you have been given.
And you receive more gifts. Each time you give of yourself by taking inspired action, inspiration—like a child who has been acknowledged and wants to please—responds by providing you with more inspiration.
So when the light bulb goes off and sheds light on what you are meant to create, move into that light. And then share it with the world. In this way, you will illuminate your life and the lives of all you touch with your work.
If you want to take more inspired action, I’d be happy to discuss how High Performance Coaching might help you fulfill your potential and live your life with more clarity, courage, energy, productivity, and influence—and success. To set up a 1-hour FREE High Performance Coaching session, click here. Then download the free session application, and submit it. I’ll contact you to schedule your session time. (Find out how to receive a FREE ticket to Brendon Burchard’s next High Performance Academy – valued at $1997.)
