“I just don’t feel inspired today, Mom.” My kid was standing, shoulders slumped, pencil and sketch pad on the table. “Don’t worry,” I said. “You don’t have to feel inspired right now. All an artist needs to do is sit down and start moving the pencil so inspiration has somewhere to show up.” My 14-year old son was facing what all of us creative and driven types face at some point: the myth of inspiration. I see it in my clients all the time: coaches, podcasters, consultants, writers, and healers. I see it in myself, which is how I can spot it so quickly in other people! This false myth needs to be scrubbed from our belief systems. It’s a myth that we need to wait for a great idea to land, fully formed, in our brains, and only then can we sit down and create something “good.” And I’m about to show you how to stop that myth from derailing your productivity and achievement, why it’s important to do so, and how it will benefit your satisfaction and success.
I hear this myth expressed from my clients who are:
Coaches
Branding or marketing experts
Doctors
Healers
Psychologists
Bloggers
People who are growing an Instagram or Facebook following, or
People who are starting a book or podcast
The myth keeps us from sitting down and fumbling through our thoughts. The myth stops us from getting our butts in the chair to write. The myth is what keeps us from getting better through practice. The truth is, great writers and creators, successful coaches, and outstanding entrepreneurs don’t wait for inspiration to strike: they reconnect with their values, get down to the work, knowing that inspiration comes when we have our tools, get into our space, welcome the Muse, and embody the Creatrix. It’s like putting on your hiking boots: you’re not out hiking yet, but you’re ready to start. If I waited to feel inspired I’d rarely:
Go to my 7am pilates class
Cook a fresh mid-week dinner
Speak in front of a room of potential clients (I still get hella nervous public speaking)
Record a podcast
Finish writing a book…
What’s important, and what every creator you admire knows, is that it’s the tiny personal habits that lead to professional success…and life satisfaction. Growing these habits of creativity can greatly improve anyone’s life. (Especially your business and career!) And the practice of ramping up your creativity isn’t just for artists.
Know your values!
Show up for your dreams!
