inspiration – From the desk of Adam Thomas

We romanticized the “genius myth.”

“Genius myth?”

Here’s the idea: “real genius” is alone in a room. Once inspiration “hits,” the artist works on a problem until completion.

The “genius” doesn’t take the time to think about anything, she just walks in and gets to work.

After completion, the world has a beautiful piece of art, and she can relax, knowing she made something awesome.

It was an inspiration!

It’s also nonsense.

This framework sounds fantastic, but in life, it is dangerous.

That feeling leads us to rely on “inspiration” to get something done.

“Inspiration” is fleeting, and runs the moment fear pops up. That keeps us from the work we want to do that creates and leads us to the work that sustains.

It’s ironic that inspiration leads us to a life of subsistence, and nothing about subsistence is inspiring.

Always remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor was it built all at once.

Go for it – the inspiration zone.

How many times have you sat down to begin something and you just felt that magic strike?

You got in rhythm, and all of a sudden, the rest of the world stops. You are in the zone, you accomplished flow, and everything is right with the world.

The inspiration zone, where things click. Not only do they click, they click and feel wonderful.

This all wonderful. When it happens, I think everyone feels like a magician. Everyone wants to work in this state, and people think it’s the only way to work, but there is one big problem with it.

If you wait for it, it never happens.

That’s the wrong ‘i’ word

Never is too strong of a word, but it fits. People who wait for inspiration never start a lot of things. The things they do start rarely get finished. They get stuck, waiting for a magical muse to come by and sprinkle the fairy dust that get them started.

We all know someone who wants to get into work, but has to wait on the mood to strike. As if the world must wait for their genius, and that doesn’t happen unless it happens on their time.

Alright, now wipe that smug look off your face since you probably thought of Jerry. Jerry may do it a lot, but if you did some soul-searching, you would realize that you do it a lot yourself. If you don’t you already know the ‘i’ word I am alluding to, and you use it often.

I applaud you(try to help Jerry when you can though)

The right one is intuition

Intuition is scary.

What makes it scary is that there are no books that you point to. There is no degree that lets you or anyone else get themselves off the hook. Intuition forces you to listen to that little person inside and decide. Most of those decisions fall into the realm of “this might work” .

The great thing is following this ‘i’ word is that it is the fastest way to another one that is now one of the biggest reasons something big fails or succeed.

Innovation.