How to create inspirational moments that matter

'Inspiration' is a fascinating, thought-provoking and mystical subject.

It means different things when used in different ways. Someone may see inspiration in terms of coming up with a great idea, another may view it when being positively influenced by a person.

While the original meaning of the word implied a divine influence from God, in today’s society inspiration is all too often downgraded to a nice sentiment on a card or poster that has little impact on our lives.

At Carswell Gould we wanted to go beyond this and explore the concept of inspiration and how it can truly influence our lives by allowing us to be more creative, deliver better ideas and ultimately be more successful. We, therefore, conducted our own research into inspiration to see how others viewed it and discover how we can all tap into our depths of imagination more often to become better - no matter what business we’re in.

For thousands of years, people have offered explanations for inspiration. But a relatively new concept called neuroplasticity has come to the fore where your brain creates new connections even into adulthood, which prior to the 1970s was not thought possible.

When you make a new connection between two ideas, it’s not just a metaphor. Your brain is restructuring itself to accommodate new processes. The better you are at this, the more “plastic” your brain is. The more plastic your brain is, the more you’re able to form creative or inspirational thoughts. Techniques that encourage higher levels of plasticity include:

·      Meditate: it has a wide array of positive effects including decreasing anxiety, increasing creativity and compassion, and improving memory

·      Play video games: researchers have pointed out that playing certain video games can actually lead to an increase in grey matter

·      Exercise: some studies have shown that the mere act of exercising can facilitate neuroplasticity in certain brain structures

·      Read: this can help build new neural connections in your brain and encourage greater plasticity

Often the most creative moments occur when you are relaxed - perhaps even a little groggy or drunk! This is due to your brain being more open, therefore allowing it to form more creative or inspirational thoughts. This explains why many of the great poets and writers produced their best work while under the influence of narcotics, perhaps most famously in the form of opium during the 19th century.

The drug was widely available during this period, sold by barbers, tobacconists and stationers. Writers including Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Charles Dickens all used the drug for pleasure or as medicine. Whatever their motivation, the by-product was that it provided the inspiration for many of the great works of this time.

So, this begs the question, was the drug itself the source of inspiration and creativity? English writer Thomas de Quincey argued it never actually created anything but led to increased imagination while also disinhibited impulses.

It is clear, though, that there are many ways to increase the neuroplasticity of your brain. But what they all have in common is a similar theme: do things with your brain that exercise and stimulate it. Your brain isn’t going to carve out new pathways when it isn’t being challenged to do so.

The research

Our research gave us clues on how others view inspiration. The search for ideas is the same in many walks of life: accountants, teachers, mums, video game developers, business owners, nursery staff, leaders of commerce and doctors. They all hope for moments of inspiration - as do most people.

We obtained the personal views of over 100 respondents from all walks of life on “where they get their inspiration from” on a day-to-day basis. Using social media, face-to-face meetings, emails and more, our interviewees came up with 650 words they related to inspiration.

Some answers were insightful, some funny and some not very helpful at all. However, when looking at the data en masse, we started to find some interesting patterns to help us on our quest to define the source of inspiration. The data enabled us to determine words people most commonly associated with driving inspiration. These were the most popular words these groups identified when thinking of inspiration:

·      Females: people, love, others

·      Males: people, work, family

·      Students: friends, people, family

·      Marketeers: different, new, anywhere

Our research showed that people - or “others” - was the most common source of inspiration for 18 per cent of the respondents, while “input materials” ranked second with 14 per cent. Environment, setting targets and timing all came in joint third with 11 per cent each.

This shows the importance we associate with people inspiring us, as well as how we are stimulated by outside influences in one form or another. The role of targets and timing is, perhaps, sometimes overlooked in the role of inspiration. What the findings highlight, though, is that having a goal, as well as a deadline, sharpens the focus for a solution.  

Neuroplasticity, therefore, can have a profound impact on our creativity and ability to have moments of inspiration. Embracing this and finding new ways of exercising and stimulating our brains is pivotal to developing our abilities to generate more - and better - concepts on a regular basis.

Inspiration and coming up with ideas can be fickle and difficult for the untrained individual. Yet it is possible for us all to produce more 'aha' moments that ultimately help us achieve better results.

Creativity is something that is important for us all, whether in business or in our personal lives. But, like a flower, it needs to be nourished regularly to blossom fully. It needs the right conditions and influences to help find a more compelling solution.

If this subject has piqued your interest then get in touch and we will send you a free copy of the full white(ish) paper entitled “Creating inspirational moments that matter”. Now wouldn't that be a good idea?