I don’t know about you but inspiration, ideas, aha moments, and wisdom never seem to appear when I want them to. I focus, search out lovely paper and elegant writing instruments, scribble notes, struggle away and, as Poirot would say – fervently exercise my little grey cells…. and all for naught.
It seems akin to how little seeds just take their time to pop through the soil for their patient gardener. They break the surface of the soil without stress or strain, never pushing themselves against their inherent timeline.
"It seems, like those little seeds making their way through the soil to the sun, we need to wait for those moments to find us because yanking and pulling them from the ethers rarely works."
When the blank wall stares back at me, my energy level is potential, not kinetic, or I simply find cleaning out the pantry more exciting than writing, I go for a hike or a walk. I have found that leaving well enough alone allows the little seeds of unknown breed and origin time to push their way to the surface and surprise me with insight, enchantment, and delight.
Writing is a joy, a creative passion, and something I love to do but learning to appreciate the quiet times, the yet-to-be-born ideas time is equally important. It seems that ideas, too, need to be left alone to grow into structures with roots, stems, and leaves.
“You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you still remember dreaming? That's where I'll be waiting." - Peter Pan.
Perhaps it is here where ideas, brilliance, solutions, and wonder lives and waits to flourish. As business leaders, we push ourselves and demand more and more from our days, knowing that these times require it.
We need to know more, be more, and learn more – we need to be kind, aware, creative, and sensible. We are both grounded in facts carrying heavy loads yet required to float in the magical or in the blackness where all of creation waits to be awakened by the thinkers. Yet, no matter how much intellect we apply to creation – no matter the ways we try to find to escalate or demand more of the creative process, it seems to illude us.
Let thoughts swim into view, for it is only then that you can apply your intellect to bind them, organize them and create with them. When you capture these nuggets of creativity, when they float into view, underpin them with rationality and then let them grow. Walking, hiking, and being in nature change our brains, changes our heart rate and clears the cobwebs from our cluttered minds.
The professional organizers of the world have a rather prophetic statement:
"You cannot organize your way out of clutter."
And so, it would seem you cannot create a mind full of busy thoughts, demanding moments, or stressful worries. It is only when you let go of thinking that you create the space for little seeds of brilliance to have the opportunity to grow.
Some of the best ways to clear your mind are being in nature or perhaps running a race, climbing a mountain, or baking a cake! In short, stop thinking and start being – being in your body, in your hands – in anything that is not thought. Decluttering the mind and allowing new neurons to fire happens only by letting go.
"Need to create? Need to write something important? Need to find solutions? STOP – get up and get out! You are doing yourself, your staff, your business, and your family the biggest favor of all."
Freeing yourself to be the true leader you are. You have the solutions inside you – they just need a door to get out. They need some quiet time to blossom.
Enjoy the sunshine or the rain! Enjoy the fresh air and quiet that comes from being in nature – all that you need will come to you!
Dina O'Reilly is 4xi's Strategic Partnership & Growth lead; she is also our Project Management Office lead and Ghostwriter in Residence, providing BLOGS+ services to clients. To learn more, contact Dina at dina@4xiconsulting.com
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