Laura Genilke

Your alarm clock rings. Thoughts, tasks, conflicts and many other things pop into your head. Before you even open your eyes, your daily life has already taken over. You sleepily brush your teeth, get the kids dressed, leave the house in a hurry. The train is running late again, your colleague is sick, there’s a last-minute meeting at work. Back home, you’ve just managed to do your laundry and have dinner in front of the TV. You’re already lying in bed again, wondering what you’ve accomplished today.

To ensure this daily routine doesn’t become your own, we want to give you some inspiration. The kind of inspiration that makes you question, rethink and wonder about things. Inspiration that makes you jump up in the morning with a big smile and full of anticipation for the day.

What is inspiration?

The word inspiration is derived from Latin. The “In” stands for into and “spiratio” for breathing. We get initiated to “breathe in” something new. An idea, a thought, a sudden impulse - a message that influences our senses and guides us on our way.

Inspiration occurs unexpectedly, if we are open to it. We’re watching a movie or reading a book and a single sentence makes us want to know more about a particular subject. We are inspired to pursue it, to write something, to paint, to sing - simply to create something. It lights up our senses and makes us happy.

Social media posts, podcasts and similar things provide us with the odd thought-provoking impulse here and there. Beyond the digital world, however, how and where can we really find inspiration in our everyday lives? When it comes to personal development, the feeling of being inspired is a great source of energy and thus fuel for a state of creative flow. Every person is born with it, but the more our minds invade our lives, the more we forget about our sources of inspiration and neglect our creativity. And yet, only by being creative you can create the life you want. So ask yourself what inspires you, what makes you feel alive and then go for it. Without thinking too much about it, using only the spark of inspiration. In this article we would like to show you some of the ways that inspiration can find its way back into your daily life.

Discover the small wonders in life

Albert Einstein discovered it: gravity, the earth’s gravitational force that holds everything in its grip. It makes all bodies sink to the ground. It’s a physical theory that may not inspire many to get more involved in physics. And yet, when was the last time you consciously perceived this force?

Lie down in your bed, on a meadow or in the sand and feel how the earth draws your body down. Feel how you can fully let yourself sink and nothing can happen to you. You are safe, because the earth carries and holds you, always.

The next time you are travelling by public transport, take a look around. You may spot a small child in a pushchair repeatedly throwing a toy that keeps landing on the floor. Its parents may pick it up over and over again, perhaps even while looking a little grumpy. At the same time, you can observe the effect of the earth’s gravitational pull on the toy. You can enjoy the fact that this small child has already understood what gravity means and how it tries it out again and again with great joy.

Let Albert Einstein’s quote inspire you in your everyday life: “There are two ways to live your life: Either as if nothing was miraculous, or as if everything was. I believe in the latter.”

Open your mind to new things

Geert Hofstede, an expert in cultural studies, describes culture “as mental programming of the mind, which is learned and not inherent. [...] and includes all patterns of thought, feeling and action.” Conversely, this simply means that culture has been taught to us since we were in our infancy. If we have learned it, we can also add new things and discard old ideas without any problems, can’t we? Of course, certain values, traditions and symbols are deeply anchored in us. Therefore, as a first step, you should recognise what these are and simply observe them, without judgement. That’s you, that’s your culture and that’s okay.

Next, look at your surroundings. What other places are you drawn to? Where have you always wanted to take a look but just didn’t dare because maybe it hasn’t suited your culture so far? Which hobby have you been waiting to try out for years?

Learn the language you’ve always wanted to learn. Stray from your usual routes every now and then and discover places in your city that you haven’t been to before. Go to the theatre, the cinema, a concert. Whether you go alone, in pairs or in a group. Whether it’s improv, comedy or a classical performance. Open your mind to all the possibilities that exist in your environment and realise that you can experience all of them. Maybe not every day or every week, but maybe whenever you feel trapped by your daily life and need a breath of inspiration.

Talk to people

There are more than 7.5 billion people in the world. Obviously, your family, friends and colleagues are a significant part of your life. However, how many people do you talk to each day that you have never talked to before? Realise that every person you meet in your life knows something that is new to you. Make a resolution to explore this fact. Go travelling and see how other people live, how they perceive time and what traditions there are in other cultures that you might like. Ask the people you meet along the way questions and listen carefully. Exchange ideas, get to know other perspectives and observe what you can learn from them.

Even on a Sunday when we don’t feel like leaving the house, exploring the city or exchanging ideas, we can experience culture at home. In this digital age, we can put our smartphones to good use. You can use your phone as a source of inspiration by subscribing to podcasts of people you find interesting, downloading audiobooks that give you new perspectives, finding a recipe from a distant land, or looking at pictures and videos of past moments that continue to delight and inspire you.

If you are mindful in your everyday life, it will be easy for you to discover inspiration in the day’s moments, both big and small. Inspiration can truly enrich your daily life and awaken the creativity that lies dormant within you. As a result, you can perceive your everyday life with much more joy and creativity. In order to do this, you need to explore new directions, because the miracle of life lies in change.

The best thing about your new inspired state? Inspiration is contagious! 🙂 Find your sources of inspiration and breathe the wonder of inspiration into the lives of those around you.

Picture Source: Fotografierende auf Pexels