There’s an old saying, which you have probably heard, which states that “The prettiest girl in the village is the prettiest girl in the world”. You could swap the word “girl” for “boy” and “prettiest” for “most handsome” and the saying would still be true. The saying comes from a time, not that long ago, when many people didn’t move much from the place they were born. For them the village was their whole world, and correspondingly they judged everything in relation to the environment they were familiar with. They had very little sense that there might be prettier girls or more handsome men living just a few miles away.

In these days of TV and the internet--the medium by which you’re reading these words--it seems almost unbelievable that people once had such closed worlds. Now we have a completely open world, and the village is, for all intents and purposes, the world. Through the power of the internet, we live in the “global village”. So in a sense it’s no longer true that the prettiest girl in the village is the prettiest girl in the world… and yet it is true, because now the village is the world. We can see almost what we want from where we want.

Looking for inspiration in the wrong place

And yet despite all this, most people still do have a “village mind”, and it isn’t the mind of the global village either. They don’t live in a physical village, but they live in a mental one. They go the same route to work everyday. They read the same newspapers everyday. They watch the same TV programs everyday. They go the same places. They even use the power of the internet to mostly find out more about the things they already know. In short, they live a life of routine… and one day they have a dull feeling that things could be better, more fun, more exciting… And then they look for inspiration--to do something, to achieve something, or just to feel better. “If only I could find some inspiration…” they say. And then they carry on with the same routine of work, TV, sleep… and wonder why the inspiration never appears.

It’s true that inspiration comes from within. And so do some types of motivation--intrinsic motivation. But before there’s any type of inspiration, there has to be something to grab onto. There has to be something in the environment that fires that passion. It’s no accident that some of the greatest poetry and music have found inspiration in the riotous colors of nature, in red, pinks and greens. Liveliness in the environment is what inspires us, what fires our passion for life. It’s difficult to be inspired by the color grey. If you’re living a life of dull routine, following your habits without thinking, you’re trying to be inspired by the color grey. It might not be an actual color you can see, but your mental landscape is grey, which is the same thing, if not worse than actually living in a physically grey environment of rain-washed concrete.

Change your environment

Luckily, most of us can change our environment without too much trouble. We can make a sweeping change to our physical environment by moving to live in a different place. But we can make small changes in our environment which can have profound effects on our mental state--and spark that inspiration we need. If you want inspiration, don’t think it has to be a huge change in your life that brings it you. Just going to a different place every now and again--such as a new park or a different place for vacation--can change your outlook. Joining a local club or society can introduce you to people with radically different interests than yours--and radically different outlooks which can shake you out of your dull thinking.

If you’ve been thinking about starting a business but need inspiration to actually get moving, join the local Chamber of Commerce or go along to meetings of local business people. Most times these things are easily accessible and can really give you a mental boost, and help you shake off mental tiredness. They can also be fun. Try reading a book that might take a bit of thought to understand. Try not watching your usual TV programs and watch something else instead, something educational. Try not watching TV at all…

If music is your thing, try listening to a different type of music, even if you’re sure you won’t like it. I was inspired by hearing Beethoven’s 5th Symphony--which sparked a love affair with classical music that is still alive years after hearing that piece. I can’t remember what prompted me to play that piece of music. It was an old cassette recording--remember them?--that belonged to a friend, and one night, feeling bored I put it on and just decided to give it a go. Within minutes I was transfixed, and a whole new world of inspiration was opened up to me, and I still think Beethoven’s 5th is one of the great pieces of inspirational music.

Once you look around, you’ll find there are a thousand things that are waiting to be discovered, all of which can be inspiring--inspiring books, inspiring movies, inspiring music. You’ll find that there are thousands of villages in the world, each with their own pretty girls and handsome men. And it’s all within much easier reach than you might think. When you want opportunity, you just have to go and find it.

Go and see the world

For my money, The Remains of the Day is one of the most inspirational movies ever made. In essence it’s a story about a butler too frightened, too stuck in routine of servitude, to take chances and do what he wants. As a result he does nothing with his life. There is a scene at the beginning of the movie when all this is foreshadowed. The new master of the house, an American millionaire played by the late Christopher Reeve, asks the butler: “When did you last get to see the world, Stephens?”

“Well, in a way, sir,” Stephens replies “The world always used to come to this house, if I may say so…”

Of course, in reality, Stephens has never seen the world and the world never has come to him because it never comes to anyone. We have to go out and see it. Next time you find yourself looking for inspiration, think of this. Are you waiting for the world to come to you? Or are you ready to go see the world?

To quote Einstein: “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” And you can’t expect to find inspiration by doing the same things that caused your inspiration to dry up in the first place.

Steve Bentham
http://inspirationinsights.com