Who doesn’t need a little inspiration from time to time? For me, a cool, light-filled room on a slow summer day provides the perfect opportunity for inspiration to hit.

So many of us are caught up in what we have to do – you know, the ever-growing to do list.  I am a big to do list girl.  As “on task” as the to do lists keep us, it also confines us.  To begin an inspirational moment, we must first lose the to do list. That is why vacation is a great time to get inspired.  I always come back from vacation with at least a page of ideas.

From there, inspiration can come from anybody or anything.  What leads me to inspirational thoughts?  Here is my list:

• A great read.  Maybe a wonderful book, a fun magazine, or the Bible…my mind tends to drift from what I am reading to something the reading sparked in my consciousness.  Coffee table books are one of my favorite means of inspiration.  Gorgeous photos set my mind a sail!

• Lovely scenery.  A remote mountain retreat, a beach getaway, even a beautiful pasture dotted with Holstein cows provides the backdrop for an active mind.

• A clean, well-appointed room.  I am very visual and tend to prefer minimalistic decorations (if you have seen my office, you will think I am fibbing – my office is definitely NOT a reflection of my preferences, but rather my worries!).  There is something about a clean room that allows me to carry on with my thoughts.  In college I could not study until my room was clean.  I thought it was procrastination, but I think it gets an “in your face” task off the list so as to concentrate on the task at hand.

• Silence or great music.  Sometimes I want (or could it be need?) total silence.  Other times a great song or soft classical music helps my mind to wander to new places.

 

• A soft, lovely scent.  Maybe a new smell creates new thoughts.  This may be part of my addiction to perfumes with Jo Malone’s Peony & Pink Suede being my favorite right now!

Last winter when we visited Park City, Utah, I got totally inspired about all sorts of topics.  It was cold and snowy.  We got up late, hiked in the afternoons, walked to dinner each evening and sat in the hot tub on the balcony each night…some nights with fresh snow falling on our heads.

It was such an inspiring vacation, maybe because it provided the respite that we so dearly needed.  The condo was decorated in a modern, bright palette of colors with lots of white, light wood, with pops of spring green.  It was a small condo, but had been well-appointed.  A hallway to the guest bedroom had candles that did not require lighting to smell the fragrance, which was delightful.

I think inspiration comes from all sorts of sources each and every day.  The problem is that we are too busy or too overworked or too stuck on a to do list to actually be inspired.

Where do you find inspiration?  Does vacation put your mind in full gear?  Do you return from trips with new inspiration and motivation?