Day 18. Starting Fresh: Five Questions To Ask Yourself

"As you begin to live a more positive life, it simply makes sense that you take a look at your dreams and goals to see if you are living in a way that will best allow you to accomplish them." Chris Johnston, 101 Greatest Life Lessons, Inspiration and Quotes From Joel Osteen

With September being the time of year that often inspires me to start fresh on new projects or re-start old ones, I will often ask myself these questions to rekindle the spark of inspiration and to help me organize the work I want to accomplish.

1. Have I gone on an Artist's Date recently? (see my recent post about the Artist Date) When life feels a little uninspiring, I look around at my week's events only to realize I haven't done anything fun or creative for a while. So I plan a date with myself to re-stock my inner well of inspiration -- maybe take a walk in the falling leaves, visit the local greenhouse or flower shop, stop in at an art show, or the local library to browse. It's all fodder for stimulating the creative juices.

2. Have I included something on my list to which I look forward working on? Yes, there are things we need and should do, but there's nothing worse than staring at a list of not to inspiring have-to projects to kill any joy or eagerness to get started on the day. Make sure there is at least one thing that you are eager to start.

3. Have I layered my days with a variety of tasks, places, and people to help keep my interest? Just doing one project all day long gets dull and tedious. I don't know about you, but I need variety to keep me sparkling with enthusiasm. (See my post It's All in the Layering for a closer look at what I mean.)

4. Have I gone out? When I feel a little sluggish in my efforts to get going, I get going ... right out the door for a walk in my neighbourhood. Or, sometimes I head to the local stationery store for paper and a new pen -- I chat with the clerk and smile at other customers, I see something new for my desk, and suddenly I feel revitalized and ready. It's sounds funny, but it works for me.

5. Who is sharing the journey with me? I stay in touch with people who inspire me or encourage me. I have a number of people in my life who do that for me, but I have to give stars to my friend Vaun. She's vivacious, keenly motivated, and energetic, and whenever I need a boost of inspiration, I touch base with Vaun; I'm sure she has enough energy and bubbling ideas to booster start a whole army of world-weary soldiers.

“Throwing away ideas too soon is like opening a package of flower seeds and then throwing them away because they’re not pretty.” ~ Arthur VanGundy, Ph.D. (Idea Power, 1992)

Here's to new beginnings and fresh starts,

Brenda