Waiting For Inspiration - Grasshopper

I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten better at waiting as I’ve gotten older.

I first noticed it while doing crossword puzzles. I would get stumped and couldn’t confidently write in one more letter. Instead of getting frustrated, I would then put the puzzle aside and go back to it later. In that interim, my mind was silently working on the clues, and when I returned to the puzzle, “Poof,” answers came to me out of the blue.

 

This experience taught me to wait for inspiration.

 

Waiting is not stalling. It’s more of a way of letting your mind go to work on the clues it’s already been given.

 

Reminds me of a story . . . I learned the following technique many years ago. It’s used when you find a misplaced or lost item you’ve been looking for. I also use it when I suddenly remember something I couldn’t remember. It’s easy to do and it reinforces that there’s a part of you that works on things in the background. Here it is: When you finally find the item or remember the detail you were searching for, say, “Thank you” to the part of you that located it. For me, I not only say, “Thank you,” but add this classic phrase, “Keep those cards and letters coming.”

 

This expression of gratitude gives credence to the existence of your private detective, and it also sends a “job well done” message of appreciation to it, and encourages that part of you to reveal future discoveries.

 

Waiting for inspiration doesn’t take any perspiration. You’re not wracking your brain into a sweat; you’re just increasing the odds of making this bet: that by giving your quest a rest, you employ a proven way of getting the answers to the test.

 

I request that you give these “Waiting for inspiration” and “Thank you” strategies a go. I think you’ll find they break up the clog and let solutions continue to flow.

 

All the best,