Inspiration

Finding your own inspiration is easier than you may think. for me, I can do one of the following for inspiration.

For inspiration to write non-fiction
I may read acticles or other informative sources on the subject of interest.
I may think of a topic to write about, and then just write out my opinion of the subject.

These two things give me a concrete starting point and open the door to add more information as it comes up.

For inspiration to write fiction
I may read a novel (or three) from the genre I want to write about

For the novel I started for NaNoWriMo, I was reading Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series. It is a very different and unique perspective on the fantasy genre and it really piqued my interest

I may listen to upbeat music

A lot of people can listen to music with no lyrics to hype up ttheir creative energy. Personally, I can't focus on anything to 98% of wordless music. I'll just play anything upbeat. My playlist right now includes Glee, Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, and many many others. It keeps my mind active and since I only listen to it passively the lyrics don't end up in my work.

This works with some non-fiction as well, but it depends more on the subject.

For other important things that involve action

Usually I really have to think of what I call a "consequence worksheet." This is rarely actually a 'worksheet' in that it is usually in my head and not written down or typed up. I will pick an action that I want to do, for example: yoga, and I work out the positive and negative repercussions of completing or not completing the action.
I have only begun doing this consciously recently and I am still experimenting with following through on optional consequences.

Other things I do to stay inspired

I will write out lists of thoughts and ideas, often giving each individual thought at least two full pages for full expression.
I am trying to meditate and expand my abilities of this skill. I am told it is learnable, so I try it. It does seem to help.
I also will talk to my wife. I will confess that many posts, musings, and rambles are based on conversations that her and I have had that cause the ideas and words to bubble around in my mind until I express them through the written word.

What do you do to inspire yourself? It can be for something as simple as getting up in the morning and eating breakfast. Or something as complex as bringing yourself to start programming a huge computer program. Or anything in between.

What keeps you going when you don't want to do anything?

Peace and serenity,

Simply Me

Adopting Simplicity: Be Here Now

Life is buzzing all around, and you feel jostled and rushed. How can you enjoy life and embrace what you have when you constantly feel pushed, prodded, hurried? Answer: you can't.

You can't always be thinking about what's next, and still enjoy what's happening around you.

You have to Be Here Now.

Pay attention to where you are at any given moment, and what you're doing. When you do something, do it completely. Don't multitask, unitask. Spend all your focus on one thing. When you're reading, read. Try to avoid doing multiple things at once, because your focus will be dispersed, and you will have a hard time truly enjoying what you're doing.

When you're eating, enjoy the flavours, the textures. Take smaller bites, and chew a little slower. Taste the flavours in your mouth.

When you're reading, focus on the words and the pictures they create in your mind. Imagine the book as reality, and immerse yourself into it fully.

When you're washing dishes, feel the warm soapy water on your hands, and the cleansing power it has on the dishes. Feel the dishes as they lose their dirt and become clean.

Enjoy the little things you do, and they will bring you ever more pleasure.

Because life is for the living, so live in the now.

Peace and serenity,

Simply Me

Enjoy my Adopting Simplicity series? Here is a list of the other posts from the series:
Step 1
Ask yourself this...
I could never...
Three important things per day
Simplify your holidays by adding depth

Thinking or doing?

There are some things that you may come across that make you think. Like, really make you think.

Lately, I've been reading a lot on personal development as well as simplicity. Primarily from those two sites, but they cross link to others, and I find myself thinking a lot more.

But thinking and doing are two different things.

There are a lot of things in life that I want to do. I think about them, I plan possibilities, I imagine what I would do, what I would think. I often spend so much time thinking, that there's no time left to do.

You can do things without thinking but the consequences might be negative. (Ever said something you didn't mean just because it flew out of your mouth before you thought of it? Yeah.)

You can think things without doing but then you won't ever actually get anything that you want done. You'll just be dreaming. Or at worst, lazy.

To be productive, and not destructive, you need balance.

A balance of thinking and doing will not only get you up and moving, but make sure you're processing it effectively beforehand.

Think about what's important. Important to you, important to do, important to feel. Whatever you deem as important, is important. It needs to be taken care of, because you need for it to be taken care of.

So pick one thing. One thing each day that you want to get done. Then do it. Just do it. Plan it, make sure you understand all the angles.

Then do it.

You'll thank yourself.

Peace and serenity,

Simply Me