ACTIVATE INSPIRATION ON DEMAND

HOW TO SOLVE COMPLEX PROBLEMS WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT THEM

ACTIVATE INSPIRATION ON DEMAND

Can you relate to this?
 
You have a big problem to solve. So … you do your research, assemble a team and go to work on the problem. As hard as you try to think about the issue the more complex it seems. The action taking turns into one failed attempt after another. Hours and even days of deliberation go by and the solution seems to be more and more elusive. The missing piece to the puzzle is out of reach. You might even question if your dream team isn’t so dreamy after all.
 
Then … out of frustration you and the team take a break and take out the trash, and then … everything changes.

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HOW TO ACTIVATE INSPIRATION ON DEMAND

I’ve noticed an emerging theme when I would solve a perplexing problem. When I stopped focusing on it and did another activity I would suddenly be inspired on what to do next in solving it.

Inspirational ideas often come to me when I'm doing some of the most menial and less engaging activities. I’ve solved some of the hardest problems on my bike or while doing chores around the house. The kicker is that in those moments of clarity I really wasn’t concentrating on the problem at all.

Here are three things that I do …

1. ​To get inspiration, you need to get ready for it. Do your diligence and research a solution to the problem. The more research you do, the easier it'll be to connect the right dots at the right time. Gather enough information and then take-action. You might make mistakes and become frustrated and that’s ok. You will have learned ways in which NOT to do something. And then …
2.  Leverage frustration to your advantage. I’ve noticed that being in a state of utter frustration with the task at hand, becomes the fuel for my hyper performance motivation engine. If you're frustrated, it means you've already tried different things that didn't work out. If you'd tried different things, it means you've learned a lot.  At that moment in time …
3. ​Stop thinking and take out the trash. When you get to a point of prolonged frustration, stop and take out the trash, go for a bike ride or do something physical. Menial tasks are performed automatically because of muscle memory. Simply put, your muscles are doing the work. But also, you're not thinking about the problem you're solving, and your thoughts are free wander around.

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“The reason we have moments of clarity in problem solving is that our minds wander and create new associations between familiar ideas.

I was recently reminded how inspiration works while creating my program called, Self-image Reimagined. While working on it, I focused on the nitty-gritty details and lost track of the big idea.
 
The program, I felt, was incomplete. I took a break and hopped on my bike and went for a forty- mile ride. It may sound crazy, but I often meditate while riding my road bike. Although I’m totally aware of my surroundings, I’m able to open my mind and relax. On this particular ride it occurred to me that in order to anchor changes, my students needed a daily checklist of things to do in order to become the fantasy new person. That’s when the Four Points for Success came into being. It was in that moment that the timing was right to connect the dots and the solution revealed itself.
 
I would love to share with you the program that’s helped many others Recalibrate, Restart and Thrive.

Recalibrate now