3 Actionable Tips To Find Inspiration In Your Daily Life, From A Meditation Teacher

Finding your inspiration seems like a giant undertaking, a quest that ends with some sort of tangible prize or sense of fulfillment. This is far from the case! Not only is the task quite elusive and vague, but sources of inspiration can also differ from person to person—so it's difficult to prescribe one set of guidelines for all. 

That's exactly why meditation teacher, bestselling author, and mbg class instructor Light Watkins recommends daily doses to recognize your "voice of inspiration," that inner sense of awareness or itch to follow your heart. 

"There are so many voices inside," he says on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast. "There's the pain voice; there's the trauma voice; there are the stress triggers; there's the voice of social conditioning; and there's the voice of inspiration—when people say ‘Follow your heart’ or ‘Be yourself,’ or, ‘Find authenticity,’ they're all referring to the voice of inspiration within." 

Like any skill, finding inspiration takes practice—you don't have to have this giant epiphany to feel inspired. "At any given moment, every adult, and probably [kid, too], is contemplating options. 'Do I eat a peanut butter sandwich, or do I eat broccoli salad? Do I work on my passion project or do I [write] emails?'" Watkins explains. "Hone in on some of those options, maybe five or 10 a day, and practice listening to what feels most expansive." 

Of course, you shouldn't completely ignore your daily to-do's, but do your best to listen to your intuition and what feels right for you at that moment. "You're not going to get it right every time," Watkins adds, but if you attempt to follow that voice of inspiration 10 times in a day, perhaps five or six of those times will lead you toward your higher purpose. Fair odds, no? 

As Watkins mentioned above, you have multiple voices scattered across your mind all day long—that's what makes it difficult to pinpoint your voice of inspiration, as it often gets clouded by stress, pain, trauma, etc. 

But according to Watkins, the voice of inspiration has a defining factor: It makes you feel uncomfortable. "It's actually pushing your comfort zone," he says. "It's pushing you into the growth zone, where you feel a little stretched in a good way, whereas the other voices tend to just say retreat, or run, or do what's comfortable."

And, again, you can start small. Let's say you meet someone new and think they're super nice: Instead of listening to the voice that's fearful of rejection, ask them for their number to go out for coffee or tea. Or, says Watkins, if you're walking to a destination and something inside of you says to turn left—take a left and see what happens, even if the destination is to the right. 

It's easier said than done, but try not to second-guess yourself. Trust that inner voice of inspiration! According to Watkins, "Then you can follow through on it a lot easier." 

It's also important not to become discouraged along the way. The term "finding your inspiration" sounds pretty profound, but it doesn't have to be—if you feel stressed or overwhelmed at the thought of dreaming big, try not to put too much pressure on yourself.