Why Inspiration Matters

1. Inspiration sparks creativity

Without inspiration you would have no creativity. No great advertising or design. No great anything. Inspiration is the spark that gives you a new lens of focus, allowing you to isolate insights that are striking and compelling, and to create more freely. Inspiration doesn’t come easy, and it isn’t automatic. And there is no formula. But below is a check list to help foster creative inspiration.

• Think like a human: When gathering insights, you must look at the world like a “regular person.” Think like a human, not a marketer.
• Be emotional: Dig into what lies beneath the facts and don’t shy away from emotional implications; they may lead you to a higher-order place.
• Give it time: Allow time to absorb information. Schedule time to discuss, analyze and really think. Give your team space to identify and explore new patterns.
• Stay engaged: Make sure the work is structured in ways that keep everyone emotionally and intellectually absorbed.
• Transcend: Go to new places, and get new perspectives, even if they feel a little weird (especially if they feel a little weird).

2. Inspiration helps you reach your goals

Everyone is inspired by one thing or another, so why are some people able to turn that into action to meet or exceed their goals? Maybe Thomas Edison was right and genius is really 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. You need to combine inspiration with motivation and plenty of perspiration to achieve greatness. Sometimes big ideas do spring from nowhere, but usually you need to work for it. And work at it hard.

3. Inspiration increases happiness

Being exposed to inspirational things makes people happy and often emotional. Think about the last time you “could have had a V8” — an epiphany, a stroke of genius or an aha moment. You were pleased, motivated and probably smiled. When the light bulb goes off and you have an idea, you feel good about yourself, and those around you can feel it as well. Inspiration can be long lasting or it can be fleeting, but it will always make you happy, sometimes emotional, and leave you with a strong sense of well-being.