That clean desk, the right mood, the ideal teammates, the music with a rhythm that lifts you, that extra time alone you’re waiting for…thinking those will be the moments when you do your inspired work is a trick being played.
While inspiration may occur when separating ourselves from the circumstances of the day, those who experience more frequent moments of inspiration do so not on a conditionally-dependent basis. Instead, they interpret the circumstances that exist differently than others to gain the energizing insights most of us crave.
This means that the teammate who appears to be making our work more difficult, the resources we request that never come, the kids who won’t listen, the boss who is boorish – these are not obstructing our inspiration. They are fodder, the precise material we’ve been seeking to show what we are capable of doing in this world.
Inspiration isn’t dependent on making things orderly. Rather, it requires moving into the messiness that always exists around us and making sense of it in a way no one else can by asking questions, such as: What’s possible here? How do I bring value to this situation?
If this approach sounds too idealistic, then go ahead: Wait to do your best work when all the conditions are right. (We’ll miss you, in the meantime.)
Get into an inspired mess today. Show us how it’s done.
