(This article was originally posted on LinkedIn Post)
I recently gave a talk to a group of women leaders on combating burnout using an inspiration practice. Like a meditation practice which takes time and focused attention to build the habit – an inspiration practice involves planning strategic times and activities during your day/week to get and stay inspired. It also includes using strategies to shift your mindset when you get thrown off track unexpectedly.
As an example, on this weekend morning, I started off my day coming to the Mandell JCC of Greater Hartford – a quiet location outside of my home – to have a couple hours of unstructured thinking time. This time, which I plan for weekly, gives my brain breathing room to think, make connections, be creative – by the end of it, I almost always feel a significant boost. It’s one of the weekly habits I’ve created as part of my inspiration practice.
During my recent talk on burnout, one of the women leaders asked: “Should I try to feel inspired all of the time?”
I could feel her angst about the times she feels stressed, overwhelmed, frustrated, angry, as somehow being bad or wrong. She’s an ambitious woman and I could sense her wanting to know the right answer, the best way to practice inspiration.
I totally get it as I, too, am an ambitious person who wants to understand things and get them right. I could empathize with her; I really wanted to give her a simple, “right” answer.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t do that.The unsatisfying truth is that no one right way exists in terms of how often one needs to be inspired and how often you practice it – it’s highly personal.
But let me do my best in trying to answer her great question now, because I suspect she’s not the only person wondering these things.
Should I try to feel inspired all of the time?
Her question, one I’ve heard before, usually stops me in my tracks, because I truly hope no one thinks that an expectation or ideal exists to feel inspired all the time. However, I completely understand the origin of this question. We live in a society that values happiness and positivity above all else; we think of inspiration as a happy, positive emotion – therefore, why wouldn’t we want to feel inspired all of the time?
The humanity in all of us, the challenges we all have throughout different phases of life, mean that we will face many difficulties throughout our lifetimes. The unpleasant emotions – anger, rage, anxiety, fear, resentment, grief, etc. – that arise in difficult situations often help us adapt and teach us about what matters most to us. So my answer to the question “should I try to feel inspired all of the time?” is “no”! We need our unpleasant emotions at times to guide us.
Instead, the question I think we should all be asking ourselves is: “Do you know when you need inspiration the most? And, at those times when you need it, do you know how to spark it?”
While inspiration can feel positive in the moment, it can also be a mindset that leads to seeing new possibilities and taking action in new ways. Think for yourself, what are the types of tasks in your work and life when you need more possibility + invincibility? When do you need that kind of mindset and upbeat energy to bring out your best and the best in others?
For me, I like to feel inspired when I start and end my day, and during certain types of work activities – ones that require creative thinking, relationship building, influencing and inspiring others. At other times of day, and during other types of work activities, inspiration is not as essential to me.
Once you build the awareness around when you want inspiration, how do you actively seek it out and create it? Do you know how to spark it?
A simple place to start: a 3-part daily inspiration practice that will help you tap into inspiration as a fuel every day.
- Morning: Start with kicking off your day Igniting Your Purpose. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” said American poet, Mary Oliver. Your purpose is WHY you do what you do, what gives you meaning. Purpose can be micro (your focus for TODAY) and macro (your bigger purpose). Start the day right by connecting with your micro and macro purpose so you literally get out of bed feeling inspired.
- Mid-Day: During the day, something unexpected happens: a barrier to a project, a person being rude to you, a loss, a piece of bad news. How can you turn obstacles into sources of inspiration? First, take a quick reset: breathe, walk or connect with someone you care about, as a way to calm yourself, process and get space. Then, when ready, flip your script. Instead of focusing on the obstacle, ask yourself: what is possible? What can I do now to make a positive difference? What’s a next action I can take?
- Evening: How do you end your day feeling inspired? Martin Luther King Jr said: “everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” As you are leaving your real or virtual office or as your head is hitting the pillow, ask yourself: How did I make a difference in the lives of others today? Think about an artifact to remind you of this daily. I keep sticky notes on my computer with testimonials from clients and I close my day by reading through them.
You can choose inspiration as a priority for yourself and practice every day. And while there are endless ways to practice inspiration (and I encourage you to come up with your own ideas), these 3 steps offer a simple place to begin. While my brain thinks the answer needs to be more complex and challenging, I know in my heart that we all need right now is a simple place to begin.
