Developing the Speaker Within You: Capture That Inspiration

We are all wired up differently. Our DNA is not the same. Thankfully.

We all think just that bit differently, process differently and arrive at conclusions in different ways, and, at different speeds.

This is not rocket science, but when dealing with a very subjective thing like inspiration, it becomes very important indeed.

For, trying to tell someone how to be inspired, how to come up with ideas, how to be creative is like the classic ‘how long is the piece of string’.

We will all arrive at these moments in slightly different ways, and importantly, we will manage those moments quite differently.

When speaking, or writing for that matter, it is often impossible to simply allocate time to be creative, and then do it, or rather, be it. Just like that. Clinically.

I often liken this condition to being ‘in the zone’. A time when ideas, concepts, themes and solutions just seem to flow. Like, the tap has been suddenly turned on and our thoughts run unimpeded, unrestrained, freed from our circumstances, surroundings or competing priorities.

Some people can, in fact, simply spend time formally thinking, and be creative. Many of us, however, find that these moments are seemingly outside of our control. They just happen, and often when we are least prepared.

Perhaps while sleeping and suddenly we awake with these amazing thoughts. Scientifically this is proven: that our brains whilst asleep process huge amounts of data and frequently just come up with solutions. This is the old saying ‘to sleep on it’ at work.

Perhaps while driving, or in the shower, the epiphany occurs and the solution or the idea just seems so clear.

The eureka moment (that concept attributed to the ancient Greek thinker Archimedes in about 225 BC) occurs and we have it!

But what we do with that epiphany, that Eureka thought, is mission critical in these circumstances, for just as these thoughts seem to arrive out of thin air, they will disappear just as quickly into thin air if we don’t capture them. For usually at these creative times, our thoughts and processing capability are quite scattered, running this way and that. Great thoughts stumbled upon in a waking moment will often be lost completely unless captured, recorded in some form.

I have found myself literally getting up out of bed several times in a single night to quickly record thoughts for an address I am preparing for, such is the urgency, the imperative of doing so. Now, usually, I keep a notepad and pen beside my bed at all times, and often don’t even turn the light on to write, but simply jot down a few words in the dark as memory prompts for the next morning. That way they are not lost.

I know people who have been driving and literally written key thoughts with a whiteboard pen, or even lipstick, on their car window (not on the wind screen to impair their vision) in order to capture those critical key Eureka thoughts while they are happening.

On occasion I have literally had to reach out of the shower (not a pretty sight) to scribble down some key words, to capture those key thoughts on the run so I don’t lose them.

I often capture notes and ideas on my iPhone and save them as notes, or email them to myself so as not to lose them. Obviously, an audio recorder can also be a great way to go. Most smart phones have this capability now.

The key here is to simply be like the boys scouts, and be prepared.

Moral to this story: inspiration happens when it happens, whether we are ready or not. It’s best to be prepared for it when it comes. Opportunity lost is no different to never having an opportunity at all.

Nothing is truer than the old adage: the bluntest pencil is better than the sharpest memory.

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Neil Findlay has been involved in the business and Not For Profit sectors for nearly 40 years in Australia and abroad. During this time he has been an active public speaker. Take a moment and review his website at http://www.neilfindlay.com.