In this week’s #CoachingBox we’re going to explore inspiration.

I think that it is reasonable to assume that this word originates from the Old English and medical term “inspire – to breathe into; to fill with breathe.”   One particular definition resonates with me as being closest to my understanding, “inspiration – a product of your creative thinking and work; the arousal of the mind to special activity or creativity”.

Wow!  How wonderful to think that it’s all our own doing.  That inspiration comes from within us, from our own thoughts and actions.  And I think that this is often where we can come unstuck, because for many of us inspiration is something that eludes us, something that is dependent on the actions of others and how we use the word often suggests that we can only be inspired by others.

We look to others to lead us and to motivate us into action.  We trust and hope that they will somehow be able to ‘make’ our lives better and that they will move us onto bigger and brighter things.  And here is the rub, there is a fine line between trust and hope.

Trust, I think is unconditional, it is not dependent on anything or anyone, it just is.  Whereas hope is conditional on something or someone else and in this mix I suggest there is little room for us to be “aroused to a special activity or creativity”, there is little space for us to have creative thoughts, there is little space for us to inspire ourselves, to take risks and truly trust in ourselves.  When was the last time that you inspired you?

Thomas Edison’s words that “Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety-nine per cent perspiration” reminds me that inspiration requires time and space to breathe and grow; it can’t be rushed or squeezed into the moments between the many demands on our time.  You are a creative, inspirational being and only you will know when you are inspired and inspiring.

I invite you to take some time out over the next week or two, connecting with your inspiration.   Allow yourself to be filled with your inspiration.  See what unfolds, listen to whatever is spoken and touched within you and whatever happens. . . Trust yourself.

If you would like some assistance in accessing your creativity and inspiration, you might want to try Mind Mapping!

Popularised over the last 40 years by Tony Buzan there are now many MapMapping tools that you can download or use online; try out MindMeister or View Your Mind (VYM) or MindGenius or Buble.us .   To get a taste of how versatile mind mapping can be visit Philippe Boukobza’s blog about Innovation, Visual Thinking and Mind Mapping; in this article he presents a mind map that was created in response to watching a very interesting video on creative thinking.

In our next #CoachingBox we will be exploring the next possible step.