Inspiration Is All Around You

A while ago I received an email with the subject: “The idea-generating bathtub.”

And the first sentence read: “Have you ever noticed you sometimes get your best ideas in the shower?”

If you aren’t familiar with the man pictured in the email, that’s the founder and CEO of Mindvalley, Vishen Lakhiani.

And if you have been a subscriber of mine for a while, you might’ve noticed how much of a fan I am of his work.

A few weeks before the 2020 US presidential election, I published a blog post to the Mindvalley community titled: Vishen 2020: 25 Reasons Why Vishen Lakhiani Would Have My Vote For U.S. President.

And the feedback from the Mindvalley community has been amazing.

I want to share a quick story about how receiving this “idea-generating bathtub” email unexpectedly inspired the article I published.

At first, I didn’t give any major significance to this email, I just watched the video (which I highly suggest you do) and moved on with my day.

But if I back up to a little earlier in the day, I was experiencing a creative block…

Struggling to choose a topic for the next piece of content I wanted to create for my blog.

I had numerous ideas on the table that I was considering but nothing was calling me.

As I stared at my laptop screen, reviewing the long list of ideas, I was drawing a blank.

I felt generally uninspired by all my options.

So I decided to just let it go for the time being and take a break from thinking about it.

I plopped on my couch and turned on the TV.

If you’re in the U.S. right now, you know there is an avalanche of noise and chatter about the upcoming election. You can’t escape it, especially on TV.

Fast-forward a few hours later, I was in the shower, and then bam…

The idea for that article popped into my head!

All the points, thoughts, and insights for the article just flooded over me.

At that moment with shampoo in my hair, it was like all the words and sentences were being constructed and downloaded into my head.

My mind was literally writing the article.

Initially, I didn’t think actually taking action on this idea was a ‘realistic option’.

Maybe because it wasn’t one of the ideas from my list of topics that my conscious mind created.

But then I recalled that email I received from Vishen: “the idea-generating bathtub.”

Call it weird, a mere coincidence, or a synchronicity from the Universe.

However you want to define it, the bottom line is, that was Inspiration personified!

So I knew I had to act quickly and start writing this article immediately.

Because here’s the thing about inspiration: you either use it or lose it!

When you receive a ‘download’, the key is to take action on it as quickly as possible.

Because once you let the idea or insight get by you, it’s gone baby gone!

The inspiration is lost.

And the Universe will move onto someone else to take action on that idea.

Here is an insight I learned from meditation instructor Emily Fletcher that beautifully sums this up:

And this inspiration can come when you least expect it and from the unlikeliest of sources.

It can be the simplest thought another person innocently shares with you that puts you in an instant state of creativity.

Just last week my 13-year old niece shared with me the essay she wrote for the National Honor Society which is an organization in the U.S. that recognizes students based on academics, community service, character, etc.

This simple sentence in her essay really blew me away:

Such a simple idea yet so profound, it put my brain in ‘creative mode’!

I started immediately wanting to share this thought with others.

I started asking myself: how can I use this inspiration to create something that inspires others?

You just have to be open to them and be willing to act immediately when you receive an ‘inspired download’.

Whether it’s an idea for writing, a new piece of music to compose, a solution to one of your client’s problems, or for a new business or project to start, TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY WHEN IT COMES!

Even if you are unsure about how successful the idea will be, taking the smallest, simplest steps forward on it, can lead you to an even better idea.

Sometimes more is lost by indecision than by wrong decision.