Be Inspired - Surprise Yourself With Fresh Perspectives

Can you remember a day when you noticed something for the first time that was actually there all along? Many people have this experience. It demonstrates the ability to create fresh perspectives of the familiar world. So when we want to be creative and inspired we can tap into this ability. It works like this.

Every day our five senses are bombarded with information. Sights, sounds, feelings, tastes and smells come at us thick and fast; some studies say 60,000 times a day. Fortunately we have mental filters to trim this number down to a manageable total. We only become consciously aware of a fraction of this total. This is just as well for our ability to make sense of reality and to stay sane.

For example, in Patrick Suskind's novel 'Perfume', the main character has an extraordinary sense of smell. Unlike the rest of us, he lives in a world overwhelmed by different scents. Without effective mental filters, it is this abnormal experience that contributes to his insanity. If you've read the book you'll know it isn't a happy ending.

While our filters keep us safe, it's easy to unconsciously filter out inspiring perspectives. We need to break from habit if we want to see things afresh. One way to do this is to deliberately develop one of our senses. A musician trains her ear for greater sensitivity and discernment. A wine taster cultivates his nose and palate.

This approach entails making a conscious effort: it is about trying harder. Interestingly, there is another way. Instead we can be truly curious and open-minded. We aim for the same open-mindedness as moving without rushing, listening without talking, pausing without worrying. It is time spent on 'receive' instead of 'transmit'.

It's the open-mindedness you experience when you let your eye drift across a page without looking for anything in particular. Automatically a piece of text jumps out at you. One technique many people find helpful is writing Morning Pages. This comes from Julia Cameron's excellent book 'The Artist's Way'.

The idea is to write, first thing each morning, a couple of pages of whatever comes to mind. The key word is 'whatever' - don't edit the stream, just jot it down. This is not for publication - it's for your eyes only.

Then just put the pages away and don't even bother to look back at them. Because you are not censoring your pages, the writing has a mind-opening, creative effect. You use your mental filters in a new way. As Cameron puts it "anyone who faithfully writes morning pages will be lead to a connection with a source of wisdom within".

As you create fresh perspectives, you'll be able to see what is going on under all the conscious effort of day-to-day living. Then you'll have a greater range of inspiring paths to choose from.